Links
Links to a contact points and resources covering a wide spectrum of areas – from environmental sustainability to legal matters. Commercial, state and charitable institutions can be found here.
Trade Associations, Networks and forums
Public Sector, Charity and Sustainability
Directories
Live Music News
Live Music Campaigns
Local History Websites
Miscellaneous
Trade Associations, Networks and Forums
Association of British Orchestras: the national body representing the collective interests of professional orchestras throughout the UK.
Association of Festival Organisers: a membership group of like-minded festival and event managers.
Association of Independent Festivals: a non-profit trade association created to represent UK independent music festivals.
See also: The Impact of Festivals – a 12-month project funded under the AHRC’s Connected Communities Programme, examining the economic, social cultural impact of festivals.
Arts Marketing Association: a not-for-profit organisations that acts as a community of knowledge for arts professionals passionate about bringing arts and audiences together.
Concert Promoters Association: works to promote the interests of its members and to represent them at a national level both to the public and to other organisations.
Live Music Forum: a group of independent live music campaigners; successful campaigns include the Live Music Act 2012.
Liveology: A comprehensive multidisciplinary academic research project covering live music in Finland, organiser of the annual MARS Festival (Music, Assembly, Research, Showcase).
Music Ally: a digital music business information and strategy company.
Musicians’ Union: the UK’s union for musicians, an organisation which represents over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the music business.
See also 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 drawing on a range of sources including the Union’s own archives, housed at the University of Stirling, as well as interviews with participants, to reflect the manner in which the Union has played a part in the shaping of musical, cultural and political life in the UK.
Music Venue Trust: a charitable organisation that helps to sustain, organise and represent the interests of music venues in the UK, especially at grassroots.
National Rural Touring Forum: the organisation that represents a number of mainly rural touring schemes and rural arts development agencies across England and Wales.
Network of Women In Music (NOWIE): a forum for professional women in the Events Industry
Production Services Association: the trade association which works to represent and develop the companies and individuals involved in the technical production of live events.
Promoters Arts Network: a membership group of promoters in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
PRS for Music: a collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers that exists to collect and pay royalties to their members when their music is exploited in one of a number of ways (recorded, live, etc.).
Jazz From Scotland: A site for information on Scottish jazz musicians, venues, gigs, promoters, educators and much more
Scottish Music Industry Association: An organisation which exists to strengthen the Scottish music industry internally, champion it externally and communicate information and build partnerships to promote growth. The SMIA has also developed the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award to celebrate, promote and reward the most outstanding albums released by Scottish artists between January and December of the previous calendar year.
UK Music: the umbrella organisation which represents the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry, including representatives from the live music industries.
Women In Stage Entertainment: a collective of women who work in entertainment lighting, sound, etc. with which to discuss and raise awareness of shared issues.
WOMEX: an international networking platform for the world music industry. The annual five-day event comprises a Trade Fair, Showcase Festival, Conference, and Film programme, as well as Opening and Award ceremonies.
Public Sector, Charity and Sustainability
A Greener Festival: a not-for-profit company committed to helping music and arts events and festivals around the world adopt environmentally efficient practices.
Arts Council England: the organisation responsible for funding and developing the arts in England.
Arts Council of Northern Ireland: the organisation responsible for funding and developing the arts in Northern Ireland.
Arts Council of Wales: the organisation responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales.
Attitude is Everything: improves Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music by working in partnership with audiences, artists and the music industry to implement a Charter of Best Practice across the UK.
Breathe Arts Health Research: social enterprise which incorporates artistic practice into health research and therapeutic practice, including hospital concerts and work with healthcare staff.
Creative and Cultural Skills: organisation which works with partners from industry and education to improve the provision of skills and training for the creative and cultural industries.
Creative Scotland: the organisation responsible for funding and developing the arts in Scotland.
Events Health & Safety: Governmental guidance on running events safely.
Generator: free advice for musicians and existing or new music businesses, based in the North East.
Julie’s Bicycle: a non-profit company working across the arts and creative industries, providing expertise in environmental sustainability to over 350 organisations in the UK and internationally.
Live Music Now: a musician development and outreach organisation, helping musicians develop their skills, provide music and engage with a range of people otherwise excluded from experiencing live music.
UN Music & Environment Initiative: Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other partners, the UN Music & Environment Initiative aims to leverage the power of music to address some of the most pressing environmental problems facing the planet.
Showcase: international professional music industry directory
The Stage Directory: suppliers and services for the entertainment industry
The White Book: event production directory
Audience Magazine: publication dedicated to the international live music industry.
Billboard: international touring industry news, based in the USA
CMU: online music industries news – also sign up to the CMU Daily
eFestivals: A guide to UK festivals with venue information, lineups and travel directions.
IQ Magazine: live music intelligence published by the organisers of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC)
Live UK: the only publication dedicated to the country’s contemporary live music industries.
Music Week: print and online news on the music industries
Pollstar: trade magazine covering the international live music industries
The Stage: the newspaper for the performing arts industry.
Total Production International (TPI): A communication channel bringing together technology companies and the world of live production.
Virtual Festivals: festival rumours and festival lineups to festival tickets.
Bacc to the Future: Calls for the UK government to reform the EBacc qualification over fears that creative subjects will be neglected from the curriculum.
Campaign Against Leafleting Bans: Calls for the UK government to remove leafleting restrictions for small-scale local events.
Keep Streets Live!: Campaign to remove licensing restrictions on busking in Camden.
Musicians’ Union Work Not Play: Supporting fair pay for professional musicians.
SLAM Rally: Save Live Australian Music.
Fair Go 4 Live Music: Supporting live contemporary music.
Bradford Timeline: Concerts & pop tours 1956 – 1967.
Coventry Gigs: Archive material and reminiscences of live music in Coventry from the 60s to the present.
Edinburgh Gig Archive: Find out who played where, and when. Archive material covering venues, record shops and fanzines.
Pompey Pop: Dave Allen’s Portsmouth pop history (with archive)
Retro Dundee: Dundee’s musical and cultural history from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Byas’d Opinion: A Glasgow based jazz blog, with reviews and general musings on jazz and venues.
Chaosintoorder: Glasgow Caledonian’s Steven Brown’s music reviews nestle in amongst a range of topics.
Harvey Goldsmith Blog: Promoter Harvey Goldsmith’s diary/venting space, updated roughly once a month.
National Alliance for Arts, Health and Wellbeing: Extensive searchable database of resources on the arts and health.
Paul Carr Musings: Glamorgan based musician and academic on music, education, Zappa and more.
Samsaundersbristol: Bristol based writer on music, politics, cycling and a host of other topics.
Wall of Sound: Birmingham’s Professor Tim Wall on British jazz, music industry and radio..