‘Live music in Wales’: interim findings of a research project funded by the Welsh Assembly Government – Paul Carr (2011)

A report providing the foundations for a long term strategy of ensuring a successful and economically viable live music sector in Wales.

Chastising and romanticising heavy metal subculture: Challenging the dichotomy with figurational sociology – Gary Sinclair (2011)

Paper discussing heavy metal and ‘moshing’ as being part of a ‘civilising process’, part of the process of informalisation and reflecting society’s increasing need for excitement.

Music for Festivals: Mediation, re-mediation and re-intermediation – Danny Hagan (2011)

Paper exploring the processes of mediating amplified sound waves with a particular focus on sound engineers at festivals.

Report on Licensing Act 2003: Impact – Live Music Forum (2007)

Analysis of the impact of the 2003 Licensing Act on the provision of Live Music in the UK.

‘I Tote and I Vote’: Australian Live Music and Cultural Policy – Shane Homan (2011)

Using case studies from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, this paper shows the specific problems confronting live music, with regard to policy and implementation.

More than a Feeling, More than Music: Diversity and Experience in Live Music – Fabian Holt

Fabian Holt of Roskilde University considers the relationship between festivals and branding along with the management and control of diversity in musical and geographical spaces. In addition to being a distinct field of production, live music is increasingly becoming a topic of conversation in placemarketing, tourism, urban and regional development, and in cultural and economic policy-making.

Promoting live music in the UK: a behind the scenes ethnography – Emma Webster (2011)

Study on live music promoters, based on ethnographic research in Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bristol.

Investigating the health of the UK folk club – Stephen Henderson (2011)

This research addresses the conflicting views of the health of folk music clubs using interviews with artists, agents, and folk club organisers/promoters.

Live music and memory – Simon Frith

Simon Frith reflects on personal experience and its role in our recollection of gigs. He considers physical mementos, such as tickets, and the emotional investment we make in gigs to look at how memory interacts with music, and its history.

Sam Saunders on unsigned band ‘talent competitions’ such as Live & Unsigned, Surface Unsigned

Music writer Sam Saunders uncovers the realities behind competitions for unsigned bands and calls into question some of their practices and motivations.