Live Music Exchange Digest – w/c 19th 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
Live Music News
Live Music Features
Live Music-related Events
This Week’s Blog Posts:
Campaign Against Leafleting Bans – Lord Clement-Jones
Lord Clement-Jones, one of the driving forces behind the Live Music Act 2012, is now involved in a campaign to protect small-scale cultural and community events from local authority restrictions on flyering. In this blog post, he explains why he believes that leafleting is a key civic freedom and one vital to grassroots events. The campaign, in partnership with the Manifesto Club, was launched in The Daily Telegraph on November 14th 2012 with a number of signatories from the live music and comedy sector, including comedian Al Murray and promoter Harvey Goldsmith.
Please sign the petition here and help spread the word.
Flyering is a vital part of grassroots live music promotion – Dr Emma Webster
Following on from Lord Clement-Jones’ post about the Campaign Against Leafleting Bans, Dr Emma Webster’s reply is based on her personal experiences as a flyerer, and on her doctoral research into the promotion of live music. In this blog post, she identifies a number of reasons why flyering is a vital part of grassroots live music promotion, including branding, networks, and cost.
One from the Archives:
Martin Cloonan – Mastering Tickets
With more consolidation and expansion in the ticketing market, we revisit Martin Cloonan’s response to Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary about secondary ticketing practices.
AEG announces alliance with StubHub in US: AEG has announced an alliance with eBay, which will see the auction site’s secondary ticketing set up StubHub declared official resale platform for some US shows promoted or hosted by the live giant.
Live Nation, which also owns Ticketmaster, was named Top Promoter at the Billboard Annual Touring Conference Awards.
Meanwhile, AEG’s legal battles over Michael Jackson’s ill-fated ‘This Is It’ tour continue:-
Jacksons not behind AEG emails leak, says judge: The judge overseeing the Jackson family’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live last week said she was not convinced that the Jacksons were behind the leaking of various emails between AEG employees and associates discussing work on show, both before and after Michael Jackson’s death.
AEG faces new lawsuit over This Is It: The new lawsuit has been filed by a Michael Williams, who was Jackson’s personal assistant at the time of the pop star’s death. The litigation seemingly relies on AEG’s contract with Jackson regarding the ‘This Is It’ venture, in which, Williams claims, Jackson’s staff were identified explicitly as beneficiaries of the deal. AEG have spoken out against this suit, denying liability and calling it ‘frivolous’.
Musicians’ Union launches ‘Work Not Play’ campaign: The Musicians’ Union has launched a new campaign under the banner ‘Work Not Play’, in a bid to explain why musicians cannot and should not be expected to play for free.
New Arts Council England fund to support pop musicians: A scheme to help would-be pop musicians achieve their full potential is being funded to the tune of £0.5m by Arts Council England, which is looking for an organisation to run a pilot small grants scheme for early to mid-career musicians in the contemporary popular music sector.
Sistema children’s orchestra awarded £1.325m funding: A charity which aims to improve the lives of children in less affluent areas has been awarded £1.325m of government funding to set up an orchestra in Glasgow.
Report argues for funding of producers by Creative Scotland: Creative Scotland’s project funding is stifling the development of independent artists, according to an internal report released this week by the arts quango.
Charitable giving falls and the arts are the least popular cause: Charities Aid Foundation report finds that the total amount of money donated to charity in 2011/12 fell by 15% in cash terms, with only 1% of donors giving money to the arts.
Prominent arts figures and organisations have continued to criticise planned education reforms: The Chair of Arts Council England, Liz Forgan, put forward economic arguments to convince the Government to rethink its current proposals whilst Billy Bragg used his Peel Lecture to warn that they risked “stifling creativity” and the Rambert dance company warned that exclusion of the arts from the Ebacc could kill off audiences. A leading head teacher has also spoken of the need to safeguard arts education in the curriculum.
Union Chapel fails to convince council of threat from proposed housing: Objections from London music venue Union Chapel about plans to build residential housing behind the site have been rejected by the local council.
Southampton’s Joiners music venue under threat: Much-loved music venue The Joiners, which opened in the 1960s, is struggling to stay in business. The St Mary Street venue is facing an uncertain future after a dramatic drop in ticket sales.
Darlington Hub venue closing down: Darlington’s flagship music venue, the Hub, is reportedly closing down, according to artists who were set to play there in the next few weeks.
Sage move for Gateshead Town Hall: Gateshead’s old town hall is set for a musical future. From January 2013, management is being transferred to the Sage Gateshead, via a lease to the North Music Trust.
Bradford Odeon – Community plan for former cinema: Members of the Bradford One group said the former Odeon could become a venue for music and other cultural activities.
Eavis cuts turf for Wells Cathedral School music hall: Glastonbury Festival founder, Michael Eavis, will cut the turf on a new multi-million pound music rehearsal and recital hall at a school in Somerset. The £9.3m venue will be built over the next 18-months at Wells Cathedral School.
Dundee is to consider a bid to win UK City of Culture status in 2017.
Mannifest music festival will not return in 2013: The Isle of Man’s largest music festival Mannifest will not be held in 2013, organisers have announced.
Garden Party festival-goers receive refunds: Music fans who missed out on an Isle of Man festival after it was cancelled due to high winds will receive refunds.
Jamstand Festival – “Go ahead and go to jail”: A music festival in Ross on Wye can’t go ahead as planned after organisers failed to meet licensing rules.
Vladimir Putin reacts angrily to Angela Merkel’s Pussy Riot comments: During talks with Russian president, German chancellor questions prison sentences for anti-Putin protesters.
Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra on the brink of collapse as funding runs out with musicians owed over 2.2million rand.
New York Philharmonic establishes partnership with Shanghai: The four-year partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will include a 10- to 14-day residency in China and a stake in an orchestra training program.
Delta airline kicks musician out of SkyMiles program: Renowned cellist Lynn Harrell was thrown off the airline’s frequent flier programme for collecting miles when he paid for an extra seat for his instrument.
The Brodsky Quartet crowdsourced scores from donors for a concert in Utrecht after forty years’ worth of manuscripts were stolen when their cars were broken into on tour in Holland.
The Queen’s concert is hit by discordant note: Sir Colin Davis has pulled out of the Queen’s Medal for Music concert after collapsing into the orchestra pit.
‘Opera virgins’ lured by scheme for first-timers at Coliseum: English National Opera launches effort to attract new audience with production of Don Giovanni.
The Killers cancel Manchester shows after five songs as Brandon Flowers loses his voice. The shows are re-scheduled for February.
BBC marks 90 years of radio with historic broadcast: The BBC has marked 90 years of broadcasting with a simultaneous radio broadcast by stations across the UK and around the world of a composition by Blur frontman Damon Albarn.
And finally:
Fruit fails to get in the spirit of music festival: A festival in Parramatta, New South Wales, called ‘Harvest’ has prevented people from taking fruit onto the site, although given way on bananas. Reasons given included the possibility of people injecting fruit with alcohol before bringing it in.
World’s Fastest Superhuman title awarded to speed violinist Ben Lee: Lee, who can play Flight of the Bumblebee at an average of 15 notes per second, is declared the quickest human on the planet.
A sense of place and genius loci at the British pop festival: Professor George McKay presents an extract from his keynote address at Live Music Exchange Cardiff, covering the history of the British music festival, on his blog.
The future of festivals: not bust but consolidating: Three years ago the festivals market was booming – Teresa Moore examines why so many have failed in 2012.
Weather woes – Did you flood? Did you bake? Were you blown away?: Ben Challis introduces research conducted by Green arts initiative Julie’s Bicycle into the effect of weather on the UK festival industry.
Brighter times ahead for live music in Sunderland?: Wearside music promoter Dan Carson previews the new home for the Independent venue and talks to owner Paul Smiles and lead promoter Ben Wall.
Michael Gove and George Osborne love Wagner. So why doesn’t passion turn into policy?: With music education the subject of controversy, Charlotte Higgins on The Guardian‘s culture blog discusses the effect of current policy on opera.
AEG, StubHub partnership brings benefits far beyond secondary ticketing: With increasing and controversial consolidation in the ticketing market, and doubts about the benefit for consumers, Billboard’ Glenn Peoples makes the case in favour of the latest deal.
Rio de Janeiro – a paradise for street musicians: A BBC report looks at the effect of a new law letting artists play on the streets without a permit.
As IFPI releases its ‘Investing In Music’ report, Complete Music Update asks: ‘What role do record labels play in 2012?’
Semyon Bychkov: beating time: The Russian-born conductor fled the Soviet Union to build a career in the west. As he celebrates his 60th birthday with a London concert, he tells how the past has caught up with him.
No Miles For You!: Cellist Lynn Harrell responds to a decision by Delta Airlines to throw him off its air miles scheme for buying a seat for his instrument.
A Big Night Out at… a Psytrance Rave! Vice magazine takes a wry look at the psytrance phenomenon.
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 November.
Places 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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