Monday, 25 March 2024
A new multi-purpose arts venue in Worcester has been given the green light by council planners.
The BBC reports that Worcester City Council’s planning committee unanimously granted permission for the full redesign and internal refurbishment of the Scala and Corn Exchange buildings to create three multi-use spaces.
The Stage will host live performances, comedy and gigs, The Screen will host films... read more
Monday, 25 March 2024
English Heritage is trialling the use of visible body-worn cameras on its staff at four locations in an attempt to discourage antisocial behaviour and crime.
Used at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, Tilbury Fort in Essex, Kenwood House in north London and Marble Hill in south London, English Heritage says that footage is being recorded "on the basis of our legitimate interest in deterring and... read more
English Heritage trials body-worn cameras amid rising heritage crime (Museums Association)
Thursday, 21 March 2024
St John’s Cambridge is to abolish its mixed-voice choir, with the redundancy of it Director of Music, Graham Walker, the college has announced.
The choir, St John's Voices will close at the end of this academic year in June 2024.
The Master of the college Heather Hancock, a former civil servant, has taken the decision following the inclusion of girl choristers and female altos in the main college... read more
Thursday, 21 March 2024
The UK music licensing company PPL is marking its 90th anniversary with the launch of an annual £1m strategy to “give back to music”.
PPL Giving will seek to fund initiatives that promote equality of opportunity in the music industry while covering a broad geographic spread and reaching a wide range of music genres.
The first 26 recipients of funding includes the British Association for... read more
Thursday, 21 March 2024
TR2, the workshop base for Theatre Royal Plymouth, is struggling to find staff to construct sets because of a skills shortage.
The Head of TR2 Brendan Cusack told the BBC that the Covid pandemic had taken its toll, with people with the right skills moving to other jobs post-lockdown such as in film, TV or the building trade.
"When lockdown happened a lot of people went over to other areas," he... read more
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Research from Creative Access has found class discrimination remains an issue in creative workspaces.
Almost three-quarters (74%) of 392 employees in the creative industries and Creative Access members, agreed it is harder for working-class people to land a role in the creative industries, while 70% of respondents said class affects how you’re seen by your peers.
The research also found there is... read more
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) is partnering with Tileyard North, a Wakefield-based creative space, to support the North of England’s independent music sector.
The partnership will see AIM hold a permanent space at Tileyard North. The association is planning a series of activities in collaboration with the venue, while AIM members will have access to discounted rates at Tileyard’s... read more
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published a Get Paid Guide which it says aims to help demystify metadata for music creators.
The resource, developed in partnership with PPL and PRS for Music, guides creators on how to register and manage their metadata, so they can protect their recorded music rights and ensure they are paid fairly and timely for their work.
It follows the launch of a... read more
Tuesday, 19 March 2024
A new charity is planning to bring visual arts and music organisations together by funding projects delivering impactful environmental solutions.
Murmur is launching with over £1m in pledges from partner organisations in the visual arts and music industries including leading galleries and music labels.
It has already delivered several pilot grants, including one to the British Phonographic... read more
Monday, 18 March 2024
Arts Council England and The National Archives have signed a new collaboration agreement for the three-year period up to 2027.
The bodies said the agreement outlines how they will build on their previous work together to ensure a comprehensive cultural offer for the public.
As partners, the organisations said they "aim to act strategically and practically to help communities across England... read more
Monday, 18 March 2024
Organisations interested in running 10 community libraries in Derby have been given a month to register their interest.
Following Derby City Council's approval of plans for the city’s non-statutory libraries to be run by a trust, a formal expression of interest process has opened to invite viable proposals.
Under the plans, legally required statutory library provision will continue to be... read more
Monday, 18 March 2024
Staffordshire University has teamed up with the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford to give students a chance to get involved in productions on and off stage.
The BBC reports that under the scheme, drama students will be guaranteed an audition for the theatre's annual Shakespeare production.
In addition, students on other creative industry courses will be encouraged to try out backstage and technical... read more
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Scores of community-led arts, culture and heritage initiatives in Bradford will get combined funding of £1m, it has been announced.
As part of a programme funded by Arts Council England and Bradford Council, Creative People and Places organisation The Leap will share the money between around 140 new projects run by individuals and groups across Bradford and Keighley.
The BBC reports that each... read more
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Creative Scotland has withdrawn funding for a project featuring participants engaging in "non-simulated" sex and "hardcore" acts.
The funding body had previously agreed to award £85,000 for the development of the Rein project, a 45-minute film by director Leonie Rae Gasson that was initially presented as “an exploration of dyke sexuality”.
But concerns were raised after the project's website... read more
Thursday, 14 March 2024
A charity providing affordable artist workshop space in Bath has been saved from closure thanks to a local council rent subsidy.
44AD, which is based in premises on the city’s Abbey Street, has agreed a three-year lease extension for £10,000 per year, well below what Bath & North East Somerset Council believes is the market value of £40,000 per annum.
The decision is part of the council’s... read more