Waves of nausea

Readers will have noticed that we’re in the middle of covering the main political parties’ cultural musings in advance of the next General Election (p7), and we’ve also had quite a lot of news about training for the creative sector, particularly in technology and other backstage skills (p6). These issues spring to mind with renewed force on contemplation of the Save Our Sound UK campaign (p1). Back in February, we flagged up the problem of the Government selling off the bandwidths which are used for radio mics and various other stage technologies (AP188). The urgency of the problem – which could see performing arts technology businesses fall like ninepins as the financial burden of replacing all their kit strikes home – has resulted in a growing roar of protest to which the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (prop, Lord Mandelson) seems deaf. We managed to wring two meagre sentences out of them, but SOS UK told AP that they have had no answer as yet from his lordship. The truly maddening thing is the ample evidence of yet another failure in joined-up thinking among those who govern us. Dazzled by the cash reward from auctioning the bandwidths released by switching off analogue TV, ministers have failed to join up the dots. On the one hand, they’re banging on about the importance of the creative industries. On the other, they’re drastically reducing the means to create successful large-scale events. Their refusal to see things as they are – that

they’re metaphorically evicting people from five acres of land and putting them onto a one-acre plot – is frankly idiotic. According to SOS UK, the Olympic ceremonies may need as many as 350 radio mics, which won’t be possible under the new system. But there’s another issue here. Radio mics enable people to hear what’s going on – people who might not otherwise be able to participate in a concert, a play or even a religious service. The deaf and hard of hearing, and those who care about them, need to join this campaign as soon as possible.

Seeing stars

Theatre is not generally thought of as ‘big business’ by the world outside, which is why the recent referral to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) of the acquisition by the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) of 14 theatres from Live Nation (LN) is so interesting. LN has to divest itself of some of its UK businesses in order to pursue its hoped-for merger with Ticketmaster – itself the subject of a Competition Commission investigation. ATG has been jumping for joy on closing the transaction. Although they’re keeping a stiff upper lip, their protestations that the OFT move is “expected” actually puts one in mind of a classic Tom and Jerry moment – chasing madly round the corner, only to step on a rake and be whanged between the eyes.