Access All Areas: The Trailblazers and disability access to concerts – Laura Merry

This guest post is by Laura Merry, part of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s network of young Trailblazers. In it, Laura introduces the recent Trailblazers report on the subject of disabled access at live music events and provides a first hand account of some of her own experiences.

How NOT To Get A Gig With Social Media – Jordan Canada

Jordan Canada offers advice to musicians by pointing out three things that musicians should not do with social media to get a gig.

Opportunity to contribute to ‘The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events’ (Draft) – Events Industry Forum

A blog post to flag up the opportunity to contribute to The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events, currently being rewritten (2013).

The audacity of Low: What does a band ‘owe’ us when we pay to see them perform? – Andrea Swensson

Using the example of Low at the Rock the Garden show, Andrea Swensson questions the unspoken contract between artist and audience to ask what it actually is that we are buying when we purchase a concert ticket.

‘Live’ / ‘Archive’ – Dr. Abigail Gardner

Today’s guest post is by Dr. Abigail Gardner, Subject Group Leader for Media courses at the University of Gloucestershire. Here she discusses festivals, and heritage acts, in the context of how audiences experience them and their roles as living ‘archives’ of personal and musical history.

Sponsorship, funding and strategic function: Carling Festival and V-festival – Paul Walters and Razaq Raj (2004)

Book chapter that discusses two outdoor festivals in the UK with reference to the public entertainment licenses, economic impact to local communities and how principal sponsors add to the dynamic nature and long-term sustainability of outdoor festivals.

Experimenting with Fandom, Live Music, and the Internet: Applying Insights from Music Fan Culture to New Media Production – Tim Wall and Andrew Dubber (2010)

This article maps and theorizes online jazz fandom activities around live music, and then reports on applied experimental work that the authors undertook with jazz promoters and musicians to explore ways in which live music can be situated in the activities of online fandom.

The Landscape of Music Festivals in Australia – Breda McCarthy (2013)

Book chapter on the changing landscape of festivals in Australia which explores the human needs fulfilled by music and understand why such festivals and events have become so popular with policy makers and researchers alike.

120 years ago today – John Williamson

This is the latest in an occasional series of posts originating from ‘The Musicians’ Union: A Social History’ – an AHRC and ESRC funded research project based in the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the University of Glasgow. Dr. John Williamson looks back at the origins of the Musicians’ Union, on the occasion of its 120th anniversary last month.

Outdoor music festivals: Cacophonous consumption or melodious moderation? – Theresa Martinus, John McAlaney, Liam J. McLaughlin, Hilary Smith

A study examining the self-reported alcohol and drug behaviours of attendees at a music festival in Scotland.