Live Music Exchange Digest – w/c 12th November 2012
Welcome to our weekly digest of live music news and events in industry, academia and more.
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This Week’s Blog Post
One from the Archives
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This Week’s Blog Post:
Live music clubs in New York: An explorative study of cultural & organisational change – Fabian Holt
Fabian Holt, of Roskilde University, uses the Live Music Exchange website to present a working paper on the evolution and organisational culture of mid-size venues in New York. Taking as his primary case study the Bowery Presents chain of venues, he traces the gentrification process back to the Fillmore auditoriums, described in the previous post by Steve Waksman. His analysis ties changes in venues audiences to narratives of ‘cool’ in modern business practice and consumer habits, along with their self-definition as distinctive and discerning.
One from the Archives:
Following our successful event – Live Music Exchange, Cardiff – at the weekend, in conjunction with the University of Glamorgan, we re-visit Dr. Paul Carr’s presentation from our Leeds event in May 2012, discussing the research that led to his report on the relationship between higher education and the live music industry in Wales. Presentations from the Cardiff event will be up on the site soon.
Linkin Park fan killed outside concert in Cape Town: A woman has died, and 19 others were injured, after scaffolding collapsed outside a Linkin Park concert in Cape Town, South Africa.
Concert safety remains a concern in Spain with questions asked about the Madrid Arena after a fourth person dies as a result of the Halloween Show crowd surge.
Man jailed for bottle murder at Jessie J gig: Ashley Charles, 26, found guilty of murdering Philip Sherriff with broken glass bottle after altercation at central London nightclub.
AEG Live has won the contract to stage concerts in London’s Hyde Park following Live Nation’s withdrawal from the tender process, although following complains about noise and environmental damage there will only be six big gigs next year.
Live Nation third quarter revenue up 10% year on year, 1 million ticket sales boost predicted for fourth quarter: The company took just less than $2 billion in revenue in the third quarter, its net income was $58 million.
Proud2 nightclub owners go into administration: The owner of Proud2, a nightclub situated within London O2 Arena, has gone into administration following a suspension of its licence.
Union Chapel gigs under threat from housing development plans: Staff at the Chapel, voted Time Out London readers’ Best Live Music Venue 2012, fear that if plans to build 90 homes opposite go ahead then the late-night music concerts could be scaled down or scrapped entirely with neighbours complaining noise. More than 4,000 people have signed a petition opposing the planning application.
Guildford Philharmonic loses council funding: A professional symphony orchestra faces closure after a Surrey council decided to stop its £190,000 grant.
Oasis Leisure Centre revamp plans go on show: Plans for the £65million project in Swindon include a 7,500 seat concert venue and a hotel built at the Oasis Leisure Centre site.
X-Factor sees ad revenues fall, but still important for promoting pop: A drop in ratings will cost ITV up to £10 million in lost advertising revenue, but statistics published by secondary ticketing firm Seatwave indicate that the show still drives ticket sales, searches for artists increasing after they appear on it.
Tickets remain a discussion point as Music Tank add new speakers – from Songkick, AIF, Scarlet Mist and Which? – to the their ticketing summit, whilst the Rolling Stones remain bullish about prices for their concerts, both Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger making statements defending the band. Referring to the cost of running the show, the singer also added that they did not profit from the difference between face value and eventual sale price.
Roger Waters and Bruce Springsteen were among the big winners at the 2012 Billboard Touring Awards, Waters taking the Top Tour Award, which acknowledges the top grossing tour, and Springsteen the Top Draw Award, which recognizes the top ticket selling tour.
In other awards news, Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber dominated the MTV Europe Awards, with three each, while the UK Festival Conference has announced its awards shortlist for 2012 with The Stone Roses, The Cure, Metallica nominated as festival headliners of the year.
The NME Awards have revealed their date and venue for 2013, with Spotify as official partner.
Mercury Prize TV audience hit 975,000 for live announcement.
O2 arena appoints Media Week Editor Jeremy King Director of Communications: Current editor of Event and Media Week magazine Jeremy King will take on the role, which was created following a review of senior management team posts across the business, as of December.
Festival Republic hires Jon McIldowie as Reading & Leeds talent buyer: Former promotions director for MAMA Group, Jon McIldowie, will replace Neil Pengelly as the music booker for Reading & Leeds Festivals.
Julia Leggett promoted to CEO at the Academy of Contemporary Music: Leggett will take up her position with immediate effect and resume responsibility for all aspects of business development.
The National Skills Academy network has been selected to run Arts Council England’s Creative Employment Programme: The new initiative, which is designed to support up to 6,500 paid internships, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for young people aged 16 to 24, is expected to begin in early 2013.
Scots dance subsidy amounts to half that of England: Creative Scotland proportionally spends less than half the amount on the dance sector as its counterpart south of the border, Arts Council England.
Creative Scotland insists all-male panel will decide award winners: The Scottish Government’s main cultural body has come under growing fire for failing to include any women on the panel which drew up the secret shortlist for next month’s event but officials at Creative Scotland, which has a budget of more than £83 million, insists three women did agree to take part in the judging process but later pulled out.
Attendance up, but support for funding down in Northern Ireland according to General Population Survey: Public support for arts funding has declined in Northern Ireland despite a growth in the number of people attending cultural events, with young people most likely to attend rock and pop concerts but also the most likely to go to ballet.
Arts ‘set back 15 years’ by funding cuts – Stephen Daldry: The director, who also served as executive producer for the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, said that The arts industry has been set back 15 years by funding cuts and proposed changes to the national curriculum.
New York’s Carnegie Hall reopens after superstorm Sandy, as the City Opera aims to salvage archives damaged by the storm, although its music library was ruined.
Brussels Philharmonic replaces sheet music with tablets: The Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra has decided to start using tablet computers to read their music during performances instead of traditional paper sheet music.
Royal Philharmonic Society announces bicentenary celebrations in UK and US: Highlights include a Royal Festival Hall concert at which the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform works by Mendelssohn, Dvořák and Brahms.
Mozart’s Piano Returns Home to Applause: The piano that Mozart used for the last 10 years of his life and which he used to compose much of his music was returned to his former home in Vienna for a performance of his music.
Hawick medieval monk music manuscript gig scheduled: A 12th Century music manuscript for monks during Holy Week is to be used in a performance for what is thought to be the first time in 450 years.
Liverpool Cathedral stages new style choir auditions: Liverpool Cathedral has staged new-style auditions for youngsters to get in the junior choirs.
Reality Opera about the stock market: ‘Open Outcry’ is a musical performance by an eclectic group of musicians that is created by the ebb and flow of emotion and money on a stock trading floor.
Musical on Anglo Irish banking crisis to open in Dublin: Musical satire on collapse of Anglo Irish bank and the Irish economy features lead parts played by Spitting Image-style puppets.
Blood Brothers to close ‘because of Olympics effect’ after 24 years and 10,000 performances: Theatre critic Mark Shenton said, “This last summer was a really, really catastrophic one for many shows in the West End. New musical ‘Loserville’ is also set to close in January after only three months in the West End.
Cat Power has postponed her European tour: After first suggesting that she might cancel the tour, then that it would go ahead in a stripped-back format, she has announced that it will in fact be postponed, citing health reasons.
The Civil Wars cancel all upcoming tour dates: Grammy award-winners The Civil Wars have cancelled the remainder of their current tour, attributing the decision to “internal discord” and “irreconcilable difference of ambition”. The band have said that they hope to be able to reimburse fans for non-refundable expenses such as travel and accommodation.
Stephen Stills has spoken about the aborted Buffalo Springfield reunion, planned for this year, stating that it caused 150 lost jobs. Meanwhile, Status Quo are planning to temporarily reform their own classic line-up for dates next year to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.
Madonna may face trial over Russian gay rights protest: A Russian court has determined that there is sufficient evidence for a civil case brought against Madonna for promoting gay rights at a show in St Petersburg, based on a local law making it illegal to ‘promote homosexuality to minors’.
Las Vegas casino pulls Guns N’ Roses ‘rape artwork’: The band’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino gigs were promoted with sexually violent imagery, originally intended as the sleeve to their album ‘Appetite for Destruction’.
David Guetta on Deadmau5 spat: ‘I don’t just show up and press play’: DJ responds to criticism from Deadmau5.
Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant knocked over during Buenos Aires performance: Frontman sent tumbling by stage invader.
Stevie Wonder Performs for Dozens, Then Thousands, at Ohio Obama Rallies.
Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance set for cinematic release to mark the 70th anniversary of the guitarist’s birth.
Yoko Ono named Meltdown festival curator: Tokyo-born musician and activist ‘deeply honoured’ to organise 10-day Meltdown arts festival at Southbank centre in June 2013.
Kraftwerk continue the trend of performing classic albums live with an eight night residency booked for Dusseldorf in January featuring each of the albums, and 3D visuals.
INXS, Australian rock band, call it quits: 15 years after suicide of original frontman Michael Hutchence, INXS announce to fans at a concert in Perth that they are stopping.
And finally:
Florence and the Latrine – drummer gets locked in the loo before gig: Chris Hayden became trapped shortly before a BBC Radio 2 performance at the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, south London and had to be rescued by staff, who removed the door.
With ticketing practices in the spotlight, The Guardian asks ‘When is the price right?’: A look at theatre ticketing schemes and which ones might be effective, or not.
Irving Azoff, CEO of Live Nation, sounds off on paperless ticketing as well as sharing reminiscences about Neil Young and Joe Walsh at the Billboard Touring Conference (video).
Also from the Billboard Touring Conference, members of Grand Funk Railroad and the Allman Brothers Band talk about the view from the stage and the life of a touring musician and Paul Tollett tells the story of the Coachella festival.
Writing for voluntary musicians: Henry Bird looks at how composers and voluntary musicians can best work together.
Triple whammy: Greg Sandow outlines a trio of factors creating a perfect storm of crisis for orchestras.
The Royal Opera House gets into bed for a quickie with Murdoch’s Sun: Norman Lebrecht is unimpressed with the Royal Opera House’s offer of discounted tickets to readers of The Sun.
Conductors and the cult of charisma: Trumpeter Russell Devyust takes a sceptical look at the glamourous role of the conductor.
Bill Frisell and his band – The forgotten American super storm, Mississippi 1927: The extent of the Mississippi flood of 1927 eclipses even the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. Philip Horne talks to the men who have put its devastation to music.
Toby Spence: ‘I’ll never take my voice for granted again’: Back on stage in the Metropolitan Opera’s Tempest, Toby Spence tells Tom Service about his recovery from cancer and surviving the storm
The Musicians’ Union and the International Guitar Festival – free industry seminars: The MU is working with the International Guitar Festival to host free industry seminars. Includes panels on ‘The Working Musician’ and ‘The Live Music Industry’. Saturday 17th November 2012 at the Floral Pavilion (Wirral), the venue that will also be hosting many of the festival’s shows.
The Association of Festival Organisers Conference 2012 is to be held between Friday 16 November to Sunday 18 November 2012 in Eastwood, Nottingham.
Have your say about ‘Qualified Music Educator’: Arts Council England and Creative & Cultural Skills are working with the music education sector to develop a new qualification for music educators working with children and young people.
If you’re a professional musician, teacher or head teacher, an employer or course provider, and would like to find out more about this new initiative in music education, we would be delighted to see you at one of our six consultation meetings in November, where you will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the qualification.
- London: Musicians’ Union office, 13.30 – 15.30, Monday 19th November
- London: Arts Council England, 16.30 – 18.30, Monday 19th November
- Birmingham: Arts Council England: 13.30 – 15.30, Tuesday 20th November
- Birmingham: Crescent Theatre, 16.30 – 18.30, Tuesday 20th November
- Manchester : Arts Council England, 13.30 – 15.30, Thursday 22nd November
- Manchester : Royal Exchange , 16.30 – 18.30, Thursday 22nd NovemberPlaces are limited and on a first-come-first-served basis and limited to 40 people per session.
Generator’s Music Futures Conference: Live Theatre, Broad Chair, Newcastle, Thursday 22nd November, 10am – 6pm. Includes Alison Wenham, Jeannette Lee and Tony Wadsworth In Conversation.
Featured Artists Coalition and Music Managers’ Forum 2012 Artist and Managers Awards: The Troxy, London, Limehouse, 27th November
Association of British Orchestras – Introduction to Marketing: This course is suitable for people who are expected to ‘do’ marketing as part of their job, but haven’t received any formal training, for those who want to get into marketing and for those who are currently doing it and want a better grasp of the bigger picture.
27th November, 10am – 5.30pm. 32 Rose Street, London WC2E 9ET
Generator Music Clinic Newcastle: One-to-one sessions with music business advisors who can advise on all aspects of the industry – records, publishing, legal, marketing, live, finance, digital, and general business development.
Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle, Thursday 29th November, 10am-5pm.
Festival Awards UK 2012 at the Roundhouse, London, on Monday 3rd December 2012. Voting now open.
Royal Musical Association Research Students’ Conference: Call for papers and works. Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th January 2013, University of Southampton.
Rhythm Changes Jazz Research Seminar will be held on Friday 8th February, 4-6pm at the University of Salford.
The Clore Leadership Programme – Emerging Leaders Course. Sunday 17th – Friday 22nd March 2013 at Craxton Wood Hotel, Chester.
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