The Musicians’ Union (MU) and UK Music are celebrating the first anniversary of the Live Music Act by publishing a report on its impact at a roundtable in the Cornerhouse, Manchester.
The study, entitled The Rocktober Report, found that of the 1,000 small venues surveyed by UK Music last year, 78 percent of them did not know about the new Live Music Act.
The report also found that 17 percent of venues surveyed would consider putting on live events for the first time while 24 percent said they would increase their current provision.
Today’s event in Manchester marks the culmination of a series of roundtables across the country over the past year in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Bristol and Manchester. The events offered a chance for the MU and UK Music to discuss the act with venue owners, promoters, musicians and others involved in live music at a local level.
Both organisations said in the report: ‘The message coming up from these grassroots roundtables was one of cautious optimism. Music industry professionals are genuinely heartened to see the government acting – explicitly and intentionally – in their interests. The industry often feels that government, particularly in some of its recent statements about copyright, is not attaching the value to the music industry that it should. Not nurturing and promoting us as it could.
‘Looking ahead to 2014, UK Music and the MU commit to working with the whole music sector to promote the Act further and ensure that its full potential is realised. Grassroots live music matters to musicians and to music fans; but it’s also strategically important to the UK economy. The Live Music Act has been a really good start. We look forward to a future in which government support of our industry grows.’
The roundtables have found that most welcomed the Live Music Act, which allows performances of live music in England and Wales to take place without local authority permission if they are to audiences of fewer than 200 people.
The Live Music Act was introduced in 2012 by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster.
The MU and UK Music will now focus on spreading the word further and on urging the government to commit to extending the exemption to cover venues with fewer than 500 people in attendance.
Jo Dipple, chief executive of UK Music, said: ‘The Live Music Act is a truly grassroots beast. In an inherently top-down political system such as ours, it’s pretty unusual for legislation to come “up from the ground” in this way. Yet this was a move long-advocated by musicians, supported by UK Music and the Musicians Union, proposed by a musically enthusiastic backbencher in the House of Lords (Tim Clement-Jones) and piloted though the Commons by Don Foster.
‘As the anniversary approached, we really wanted to get out into the grassroots of the industry itself, out in the regions where most British music is played and heard. I’m really pleased with the work that has been done locally as a result of these roundtables and I’m certain that the live music scene, which was already strong in the UK, will now flourish even more,’ she added.
Paul Clements, director of public performance sales, PRS for Music said: ‘PRS for Music applauds the Live Music Act which removed a barrier to business. We believe the UK has a great history in producing fantastic live music experiences which benefits musicians and venue owners alike – progress on legislation, licensing and the nurturing of vital talent can ensure a sustainable live music industry for all.’
The study, entitled The Rocktober Report, found that of the 1,000 small venues surveyed by UK Music last year, 78 percent of them did not know about the new Live Music Act.
The report also found that 17 percent of venues surveyed would consider putting on live events for the first time while 24 percent said they would increase their current provision.
Today’s event in Manchester marks the culmination of a series of roundtables across the country over the past year in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Bristol and Manchester. The events offered a chance for the MU and UK Music to discuss the act with venue owners, promoters, musicians and others involved in live music at a local level.
Both organisations said in the report: ‘The message coming up from these grassroots roundtables was one of cautious optimism. Music industry professionals are genuinely heartened to see the government acting – explicitly and intentionally – in their interests. The industry often feels that government, particularly in some of its recent statements about copyright, is not attaching the value to the music industry that it should. Not nurturing and promoting us as it could.
‘Looking ahead to 2014, UK Music and the MU commit to working with the whole music sector to promote the Act further and ensure that its full potential is realised. Grassroots live music matters to musicians and to music fans; but it’s also strategically important to the UK economy. The Live Music Act has been a really good start. We look forward to a future in which government support of our industry grows.’
The roundtables have found that most welcomed the Live Music Act, which allows performances of live music in England and Wales to take place without local authority permission if they are to audiences of fewer than 200 people.
The Live Music Act was introduced in 2012 by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster.
The MU and UK Music will now focus on spreading the word further and on urging the government to commit to extending the exemption to cover venues with fewer than 500 people in attendance.
Jo Dipple, chief executive of UK Music, said: ‘The Live Music Act is a truly grassroots beast. In an inherently top-down political system such as ours, it’s pretty unusual for legislation to come “up from the ground” in this way. Yet this was a move long-advocated by musicians, supported by UK Music and the Musicians Union, proposed by a musically enthusiastic backbencher in the House of Lords (Tim Clement-Jones) and piloted though the Commons by Don Foster.
‘As the anniversary approached, we really wanted to get out into the grassroots of the industry itself, out in the regions where most British music is played and heard. I’m really pleased with the work that has been done locally as a result of these roundtables and I’m certain that the live music scene, which was already strong in the UK, will now flourish even more,’ she added.
Paul Clements, director of public performance sales, PRS for Music said: ‘PRS for Music applauds the Live Music Act which removed a barrier to business. We believe the UK has a great history in producing fantastic live music experiences which benefits musicians and venue owners alike – progress on legislation, licensing and the nurturing of vital talent can ensure a sustainable live music industry for all.’
