This post features two pieces from the LMX student interns – Brooke Harwood and Jolene Zhu Zhou – looking at the effect of social distancing on live music and, with an end to the pandemic hopefully in sight, at some of the emerging possibilities for performers and the live music sector at large.
Category Archives: Blog
What Brexit Means for Touring – Jolene Zhu Zhou
With the UK now outside of the EU, and the ramifications of that decision making themselves felt, live music practitioners and their representative bodies are impressing upon the government the need for action to alleviate the situation amidst grave concern over the scale of the difficulties faced by artists and touring personnel. In this blog post, LMX student intern Jolene Zhu Zhou discusses the damage that Brexit could do to UK artists’ touring prospects, and responses from industry and parliamentary figures.
There’s No Business For Show Business – Brooke Harwood
The British theatre industry reportedly employs around 290,000 people (as of 2018), making it one of a significant employer within the UK live sector as a whole. With the continuing disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, theatre has undoubtedly taken a substantial financial hit as a result of the virus. LMX research intern, Brooke Harwood, writes here about the efforts made to save a beleaguered theatre industry and the theatre companies’ determination to provide beloved festive shows in 2020.
Covid and the Welsh Music Industries – Paul Carr
In this post, Professor Paul Carr of the University of South Wales outlines a recent report presented to the Welsh Government’s Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee on the impact of Covid-19 on the Welsh music industries. Here, he summarises key findings and recommendations, and reflects on the process of conducting the research.
Safer spaces policies are really useful: Introducing a new Guide on how to write one – Rosemary Lucy Hill
Home thoughts on festive occasions – Simon Frith
‘Virtually Knockengorroch’ The festival season goes virtual: one promoter’s perspective – Katch Holmes
The Birmingham Live Music Project Map – Craig Hamilton
Our latest post is by Dr Craig Hamilton (Birmingham City University) and introduces the Birmingham music map – part of the Birmingham Live Music Project that he is working on with Dr Patrycja Rozbicka and Live Music Exchange’s Dr Adam Behr. Craig provides an overview of the map’s functions and a walkthrough of the technical aspects of creating it.
Journal of a Plague Week – Simon Frith
Our latest post is by Professor Simon Frith OBE, Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, former Chair of the Mercury Prize, music critic, and co-founder of Live Music Exchange. Here, he reflects on past gigs and the curtailment of live music activity as a result of Covid-19, from a personal and sociological perspective.