tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/music-venues-41488/articlesMusic venues – The Conversation2024-02-12T19:10:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2229982024-02-12T19:10:39Z2024-02-12T19:10:39Z6 tips to maximise your concert experience, from a live music expert<p>Stadium concert attendance is on the rise in Australia. This month, more than one million people are expected see P!NK and Taylor Swift on their Australian tours, which quickly sold out the country’s biggest stadiums. Both artists <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/pink-announces-new-australian-shows-and-tones-and-i-as-support-act/b7fb5635-5dff-49d7-b178-669d651dceaf">added extra dates</a> to meet demand, following extended runs by Ed Sheeran and Foo Fighters in 2023.</p>
<p>What’s drawing such massive crowds to these events? And how can you maximise your fun (in a safe way) when sharing a space with 100,000 other people?</p>
<h2>What’s behind the concert boom?</h2>
<p>State governments have begun to lift decades-old limits on large stadium concerts. Event caps have gone from six to 12 events <a href="https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/96688">per year at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium</a>, and from four to 20 events <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/sydney-lifts-its-cap-on-fun">per year at the Sydney Cricket Ground precinct</a>. The press releases from both of these announcements trumpeted the benefits for tourism and local economies. </p>
<p>Australia’s live music <a href="https://reports.liveperformance.com.au/ticket-survey-2022/index.html#/">attendance and revenue doubled</a> in the decade prior to the COVID pandemic, attracting about half the <a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-country-98-of-australians-engage-with-the-arts-80145">country’s adult population</a>. Large international events contributed significantly to this. </p>
<p>This popularity continues, with ticket prices rising amid a cost-of-living crisis. <a href="https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2023/05/cost-of-living-commbank-iq.html">Consumer research</a> shows people under age 35, and the one-third of Australians who rent their homes, have made the biggest reductions in discretionary spending. But the overall trend is towards saving week-to-week and “splurging” on big events <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/16/cost-of-living-crisis-australia-spending-habits-relief">such as concerts</a>.</p>
<h2>The ‘peak music experience’</h2>
<p>Live music is a space where extraordinary things happen. We can celebrate who we are and what’s important to us, individually and collectively. We can have intense feelings and express them in uncommon ways, exploring different – or “more real” – versions of ourselves. </p>
<p>All of this creates memorable experiences that resonate deeply with us and keep us coming back time and again. I call these “peak music experiences”. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Peak-Music-Experiences-A-New-Perspective-on-Popular-music-Identity-and/Green/p/book/9780367553852">My research</a> drawing on in-depth interviews with music lovers, media analysis, and participant observation identifies common elements of the peak live music experience. </p>
<p>With that in mind, here are six things to help you get the most out of your next concert.</p>
<p>1. <strong>Company</strong></p>
<p>A crucial factor in any concert experience is whom we share it with. The heightened feeling and expression that live music enables can create powerful moments that sociologists call “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038514565835?journalCode=soca">epiphanies</a>”. Epiphanies reveal and encapsulate what specific people mean to each other. </p>
<p>So when tickets go on sale, and you’re considering whom to call, remember your choice can elevate your concert experience – and your relationship with that person or group.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Venue</strong> </p>
<p>Music is inseparable from its setting. In live music, this is a feature. Concert halls and dive bars are perfect settings for certain types of experience. But if you’re seeing one of the world’s biggest acts, where better to do so than a giant cauldron of humanity under the stars? </p>
<p>Stadiums have drawbacks, mostly related to their sheer scale and associated logistics. But the journey, the waiting, the challenges, and especially the fellow travellers, often contribute to the unpredictable magic of live music. So plan ahead and leave plenty of time, but also enjoy the whole ride! </p>
<p>3. <strong>Sound</strong> </p>
<p>Live music doesn’t just sound different than music in your loungeroom; it <em>feels</em> different. High volume, as much as the mass movement of bodies, makes live music a physical experience. <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/04/the-best-place-to-stand-at-a-concert-according-to-a-sound-engineer/">Experts suggest</a> the best sonics are in front of the mixing desk, off-centre and not too close to the stage – but this must be balanced with the view! It’s a good idea to pack ear plugs in case your <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187664/">ears need a rest</a>.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Presence</strong></p>
<p>A good live show requires the performer to be present, not just physically but also emotionally. This is where we judge their authenticity or “realness”. This isn’t an objective quality, but a reflection of our personal tastes and values. Do you prefer flawless virtuosity or relatable vulnerability? </p>
<p>Such notions are deeply ingrained in us. So when choosing a concert, consider how it might confirm or challenge your ideals. Both can be good! And don’t forget to <a href="https://time.com/6282468/taylor-swift-concert-memory/">be present yourself</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A good performer ensures they have strong presence throughout their show.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>5. <strong>Fandom</strong> </p>
<p>Concerts aren’t just about enjoying and judging the performer(s); they’re also about us. The costly pilgrimage and elaborate ritual to celebrate <em>this very specific thing you love</em>, surrounded by people who love it too, helps join the dots of our fragmented lives. </p>
<p>Just getting to see a favourite artist or song is the source of many people’s peak music experiences. The moral: if it’s an act you really love, always go if you can.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Collective feeling</strong></p>
<p>Have you noticed the moment when a roaring crowd becomes aware of itself and roars a bit louder? Live music is about more than just the artist, their performance, or even us. It’s also about other people. <br></p>
<p>Music synchronises not only our actions but our subjective experience. We <em>feel together</em>, whether in rapt silence or wild abandon. We become a part of something greater – especially at massive concerts with crowds in the tens of thousands. So my tip: join in.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@coldplayaccess/video/7260241090488421638?is_from_webapp=1\u0026sender_device=pc\u0026web_id=7247360749801375234"}"></div></p>
<h2>Safety and sustainability</h2>
<p>Finally, don’t forget to keep safe. Australia’s love of outdoor events exposes us to extremes, which are a <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">growing reality</a>. Taylor Swift’s recent Brazilian concerts coincided <a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-swifts-brazil-concert-was-hammered-by-extreme-heat-how-to-protect-crowds-at-the-next-sweltering-gig-218341">with a heat wave</a> with tragic consequences, highlighting the responsibility of event organisers. </p>
<p>You can manage risks by making plans in advance, knowing your limits, and considering important information such as the availability of water, food, safe spaces and venue exits. Event organisers should provide this information. </p>
<p>The music industry and governments are also beginning to address issues of <a href="https://theconversation.com/60-of-women-and-non-binary-punters-and-artists-feel-unsafe-in-melbournes-music-spaces-205399">sexual harassment</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/theconversationhour/the-conversation-hour/102042402">accessibility</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pill-testing-really-does-reduce-the-risk-of-harm-for-drug-users-181778">drug safety</a> and diverse representation, with a view to making the live music experience available and equitable for all. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/throwing-things-on-stage-is-bad-concert-etiquette-but-its-also-not-a-new-trend-210717">Throwing things on stage is bad concert etiquette – but it's also not a new trend</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222998/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p>With ticket prices rising alongside demand, live concerts can be a major investment.Ben Green, Research fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2183412023-11-24T00:20:59Z2023-11-24T00:20:59ZTaylor Swift’s Brazil concert was hammered by extreme heat. How to protect crowds at the next sweltering gig<p>Electrifying music concerts and other mass events are increasingly under threat from severe weather events, such as extreme heat.</p>
<p>The tragic <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-22/heatwave-humidity-warnings-follow-brazil-taylor-swift-fan-death/103132476">incident</a> at a Taylor Swift concert in Brazil recently, which resulted in the death of one fan, is a stark reminder of what can happen.</p>
<p>The concert took place in a stadium during a heatwave. Fans lined up for hours outside the Rio de Janeiro venue, with temperatures reportedly over 40°C. With the high humidity, this would have felt like almost 60°C, according to a measure known as the “<a href="https://www.weather.gov/ama/heatindex#:%7E:text=The%20heat%20index%2C%20also%20known,for%20the%20human%20body%27s%20comfort.">heat index</a>”.</p>
<p>As well as the fatality, fans <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/taylor-swift-concert-goers-struck-with-seconddegree-burns/news-story/e1a597d52f642c46c1a8f45b5c816fdb">reported</a> burns after touching hot metal floors and railings.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-is-landing-more-australians-in-hospital-and-heat-is-the-biggest-culprit-216440">Extreme weather is landing more Australians in hospital – and heat is the biggest culprit</a>
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<h2>There have been other similar events</h2>
<p>What happened at the Swift concert is the consequence of insufficient preparation for extreme weather conditions during a large-scale event. However, this is not an isolated case. There is a <a href="https://www.billboard.com/lists/concerts-affected-climate-change-2023-full-list/july-4/">long list</a> of mass gatherings and events affected by extreme weather in 2023. </p>
<p>In August, a <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/beyonce-dc-metro-trains-weather-delays-renaissance-1235689650/">Beyoncé concert</a> in a Washington DC stadium took place during severe weather conditions. This time it was heavy rain and lightning. Attendees were ordered to shelter in place.</p>
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<p>Lightning posed a direct threat to their safety. Those inside the stadium were directed to shelter under covered areas and ramps. Afterwards, several fans were reportedly treated for <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/fedex-field-shelter-in-place-beyonce-concert-renaissance-tour-weather-lightening-rain-cover-thunderstorms-sunday-performance#:%7E:text=After%20a%20shelter,Nov%202023%2011%3A50%3A08%20GMT">heat exhaustion</a>. </p>
<p>The directive to shelter in place could have led to overcrowding in covered areas, potentially increasing the risk of incidents, such as a crowd crush.</p>
<p>Another US example was <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/17-hospitalized-2-go-into-cardiac-arrest-at-ed-sheeran-concert-amid-extreme-heat/4497016/#:%7E:text=,working%20during%20the%20Ed">Ed Sheeran’s concert</a> at a Pittsburgh stadium during a July heatwave. </p>
<p>Some 17 people were hospitalised. Health emergencies included heat exhaustion and two cardiac arrests (when the heart stops beating).</p>
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<h2>We must prepare</h2>
<p>Climate change makes extreme weather events more frequent and intense. So risk assessments should include detailed weather monitoring and structural assessments for outdoor set-ups to ensure shade structures, for instance, can cope with crowds.</p>
<p>Contingency plans for a rapid response are also needed. These need to include plans to supply water or protective equipment (such as plastic ponchos) and timely safety directions and information. </p>
<p>Such planning should encompass not just the likelihood of extreme weather but also its potential impact on infrastructure, crowd control and emergency medical responses.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-burning-man-to-woodstock-to-fyre-festival-what-turns-a-festival-into-a-disaster-212859">From Burning Man to Woodstock to Fyre Festival: what turns a festival into a disaster?</a>
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<h2>Artists play a role too</h2>
<p>While the primary onus of safety lies with event organisers and venues, artists can also play a significant role in public safety during extreme weather. So we need to keep them informed about identified potential risks and planned countermeasures.</p>
<p>For instance, artists can influence crowd behaviour positively and prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as a crowd crush. They can appeal for calm or can announce any planned evacuation procedures.</p>
<p>In the most recent incident, Swift <a href="https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-crew-give-water-fans-during-hot-brazil-concert-2023-11">paused her show</a> to ask crew members to distribute water to fans.</p>
<h2>Be safety aware</h2>
<p>People who attend mass events also need to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753523002345">be aware</a> of the safety issues related to extreme weather and be prepared.</p>
<p>Public education campaigns can help, as can effectively disseminating safety information to empower attendees to make informed decisions.</p>
<p>For instance, an event organiser can send a text message to all attendees to warn of upcoming weather conditions and a reminder to bring water or wear sunscreen. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/astroworld-tragedy-heres-how-concert-organisers-can-prevent-big-crowds-turning-deadly-171397">Astroworld tragedy: here's how concert organisers can prevent big crowds turning deadly</a>
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<h2>We can expect more of these events</h2>
<p>The tragic incident at the Swift concert and similar examples are not isolated but indicate a broader trend. With climate change, extreme weather events will pose a more common risk at such mass gatherings. </p>
<p>So we need to recognise and integrate this into how we plan for, and assess the risk associated with, future events. This is vital to ensure these gatherings remain celebratory landmarks rather than avoidable disasters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218341/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Milad Haghani receives funding from the Australian Research Council (Grant No. DE210100440). </span></em></p>One fan died and others reported burns at the Swift concert. And we’re going to see similar incidents at future concerns if we don’t start planning for extreme weather.Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Public Safety, Disaster Resilience & Urban Mobility, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1678522021-09-16T14:39:56Z2021-09-16T14:39:56ZIs sexual abuse and exploitation rife in the music industry?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421541/original/file-20210916-29-hwpglg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C33%2C5557%2C3699&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/lighted-dj-controller-2111015/">pexels/francesco paggiaro</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The popular music industry has a problem – men are sexually assaulting women. Male producers, record company execs and musicians are exploiting and abusing women musicians, women working in the industry and female fans. Male fans are doing it too. It’s not new. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/18/phil-spector-toxic-svengali-music-industry">Phil Spector’s treatment of Ronnie Spector</a> and <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2018/10/tina-turner-says-ex-husband-broke-her-jaw-burned-her.html">Ike’s of Tina Turner</a> has long been known. </p>
<p>Recently, it was revealed that when <a href="https://www.insider.com/alanis-morissette-says-raped-by-multiple-men-hbo-documentary-jagged-2021-9">Alanis Morissette was 15 years old</a>, and just starting out in the music industry, she was raped by several men. Meanwhile, a court in Brooklyn, New York heard that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58556274">R. Kelly sexually abused</a> the late R&B singer Aaliyah when she was 13 or 14 years old, allegations he denies.</p>
<p>Kesha’s allegations of abuse by music producer Dr Luke, in a case she later dropped, prefigured music’s own #metoo – which led to hundreds of women in <a href="https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/2192-women-in-the-swedish-music-industry-behind-appeal-against-sexism">Sweden</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/menomore:-400-women-call-out-sexaul-harassment-in-australian-m/9249616">Australia</a> co-signing letters detailing the abuses they have faced. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57199018">Lady Gaga has also spoken out</a> about being raped by a male music producer when she was 19 years old and just starting out in the industry.</p>
<p>It isn’t just famous people, data from the UK <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/MusiciansUnion/media/resource/Guides%20and%20reports/Equalities/MU-Sexual_harassement-report.pdf?ext=.pdf">Musician’s Union</a> shows that almost half of their female members have experienced sexual harassment at work. In New Zealand 45% of <a href="https://nzmusic.org.nz/resources/music-commission/amplify-aotearoa-gender-diversity-report/attachment/371/">women report</a> not feeling safe in places where music is performed or made. While 67% of women respondents to the US <a href="https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashvillecream/survey-of-u-s-musicians-finds-low-incomes-high-rates-of-sexual-harassment/article_2fc4a1c6-5aeb-5cde-9557-c186fa958947.html">Music Industry Research Association survey</a> had experienced sexual harassment. This violence seriously <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rr7NLTbuQA">hampers women’s musical careers</a>, their health and their happiness. </p>
<h2>Sexual violence at gigs</h2>
<p>Many female music fans also report experiencing sexual assault at music venues. Mine and my colleague’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367877919891730">research</a> has found that the <a href="https://www.saferspaces.org.uk/">effects of these assaults</a> can be profound enough to stop women going to concerts, or to avoid certain venues or types of audiences. </p>
<p>These assaults happen at music events of all genres, at standing and at seated concerts. And typically venues and promoters are ill-equipped to deal with the problem or support victims. This too affects women’s musical participation and their health. </p>
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<img alt="People at a concert with arms up and smoke-filled room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Groping and lewd behaviour at gigs is often dismissed as just ‘men having a good time’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-at-concert-1105666/">Pexels</a></span>
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<p>This violence has been happening for many years. It’s a catastrophe for women’s musical participation. It’s also a catastrophe for the stories we hear – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680777.2021.1902368?journalCode=rfms20">our research</a>, for example, shows that in the UK rock and metal chart, only a tiny proportion of songs are written by women. The result is that we only hear stories from a limited viewpoint, a viewpoint that too often supports violence against women. </p>
<p>While not all songs are overtly violent towards women, they objectify, gaslight and infantilise. And as we discuss in our research, this behaviour can undermine women’s ability to say no to sex and so lay the groundwork for coercion and sexual assault. </p>
<h2>‘From grassroots to corporate setups’</h2>
<p>That more women are willing to talk about what’s happening to them is a good sign. It has led to some being accused of abuse or intimidating behaviour losing their powerful positions, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/25/sony-music-hq-was-warned-about-workplace-culture-at-australian-label-under-denis-handlin-decades-ago">Denis Handlin</a>, former CEO of Sony Music Australia. <a href="https://t.co/k4vAtVGi7V?amp=1">It’s also leading</a> to exciting musical endeavours such as <a href="https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/">Lingua Ignota’s</a> critically acclaimed CALIGULA album (2019), which musically represents her experience of abuse at the hands of a fellow musician. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman Playing Guitar While Singing Beside Man Playing Bass Guitar Near Microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Musicians of both genders need to feel safe in the industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-playing-guitar-while-singing-beside-man-playing-bass-guitar-near-microphone-1309240/">Pexels.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the fact remains that harassment, abuse and violence take place at all levels of the industry – from grassroots DIY scenarios to corporate setups. Even those scenes that claim to be egalitarian – such as punk – have <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340001830_In_defence_of_safer_spaces_Punk_privilege_and_safer_spaces_policies">problems</a> with abuse. And many people who experience sexual abuse don’t feel able to speak up – <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/MusiciansUnion/media/resource/Guides%20and%20reports/Equalities/MU-Sexual_harassement-report.pdf?ext=.pdf">85% of Musicians’ Union respondents</a> who had experienced sexual harassment did not report it for fear of losing work. This highlights the vulnerability of musicians, especially young women, who rely on others (often powerful men) to make a living and so are at risk of exploitation.</p>
<h2>Support and solutions</h2>
<p>Without regulation of industry working practices or formal support for musicians’ incomes, the music industry remains a risky business for women. That’s not to say women shouldn’t follow a musical career path – emphatically they should – but rather that change needs to happen to support women. There’s no single solution to the problem, but an increase in <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/8053923/women-in-music-2017-most-powerful-executives">women in powerful roles</a>, in <a href="https://www.girlsrocklondon.com/">women-focused music organisations</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/girlgangleeds/about/">collectives</a>, along with good <a href="https://www.shesaid.so/our-story/">support networks</a> for women entering and remaining in the industry are all needed. </p>
<p>There also needs to be buy-in from men in the industry, in support of these women’s spaces. And men need to be allies too. This extends beyond not being abusive to enabling artistic freedom and actively helping musicians to follow the musical path they want. </p>
<p>Members of the Musicians’ Union can also <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/safespace">report incidences</a> of sexual harassment and violence in confidence to the union. Venues and promoters that want to prevent violence and offer support for victims and survivors can access training from <a href="https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/">Good Night Out Campaign</a>, which advocates for a safer nightlife. Those who witness sexual violence, harassment and abuse can also learn more about <a href="https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Bystander-Booklet-Digital.pdf">what to do</a> from Good Night Out.</p>
<p>And if you want to be cheered up, listen to Kesha’s <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1IYVB8NfiRqhdZlTxjspNh?si=aTnEhkZnTFKWPEFyW_FMIA&dl_branch=1">Rainbow album</a> (2017), which is a jubilant celebration of her newfound freedom from the allegedly coercive, exploitative and abusive influence of Dr Luke.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167852/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rosemary Lucy Hill has previously consulted in a research capacity and without pay for Good Night Out Campaign. </span></em></p>Data from the UK Musician’s Union shows that half of their members have experienced sexual harassment at work.Rosemary Lucy Hill, Senior Lecturer in Media and Popular Culture, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1420962020-07-07T14:59:15Z2020-07-07T14:59:15ZArts rescue package: don’t forget small venues – they’re where big stars learned their trade<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346108/original/file-20200707-194405-pt8uae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C3000%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What if The Beatles hasn't been talent-spotted at The Cavern Club in Liverpool?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">littlenySTOCK via Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Icons – and gigs – come in all shapes and sizes. July 6 marks the anniversary of the day that Paul McCartney and John Lennon first met at <a href="https://www.beatlesbible.com/1957/07/06/john-lennon-meets-paul-mccartney/">Woolton Fête in 1957</a>. Sixty-three years later McCartney has played at massive and historic events: Olympic ceremonies, Royal Jubilees, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSoYvI9t3ug">Live Aid</a> and, of course, stadiums and arenas around the world. </p>
<p>In the precarious, socially distanced atmosphere of COVID-19 it’s becoming just about possible to imagine a small outdoor gathering such as Woolten Fête taking place again. But the timeframe for music venues reopening is less certain. This is a major concern – by McCartney’s <a href="https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/news/sir-paul-mccartney-throws-weight-behind-grassroots-venues/">own account</a>, it’s the “grassroots clubs, pubs and music venues” that shaped his craft as a performer. As he said in 2016: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Artists need places to start out, develop and work on their craft and small venues have been the cornerstone for this.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>COVID-19 and the lockdown have imperilled artistic activity and creative industries across the board – and the £1.57 billion rescue package from the UK chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, offers much-needed breathing room for museums, venues, cinemas, galleries and theatres alike. </p>
<p>But much will depend on how this is administered – not just across the different art-forms but within these sectors: from the Royal Opera House to the small venues, including the Cavern and the Casbah Coffee Club where the Beatles cut their teeth. From the major cities to the smaller towns. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346117/original/file-20200707-194401-xupv2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Lennon’s band The Quarrymen, the day he met Paul McCartney.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Given the scale of the crisis, resources are finite but it’s important, where possible, not to view it as a zero-sum game. A key feature of the relationship between the grassroots clubs, the concert halls and the arenas is interdependence – an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19401159.2015.1125633">ecology</a> where diversity of venues, as well as music styles, provides not only a pathway for musical careers but a cultural system where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.</p>
<h2>Cultural and economic value</h2>
<p>Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, talks of preserving the “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53302415">crown jewels</a>”, such as the Royal Albert Hall, while the prime minister <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/157-billion-investment-to-protect-britains-world-class-cultural-arts-and-heritage-institutions">spoke of local venues</a>. Both are vital. The grassroots sector has been described as the “<a href="https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/ACNLPG_Supporting_Grassroots_Live_Music_100519.pdf">research and development</a>” arm of the music industries and without these spaces it will be hard to produce the McCartneys of the future. This is not just a question of star power.</p>
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<p>Music is a significant contributor to the UK economy – around £5.2 billion per annum <a href="https://www.ukmusic.org/assets/general/Music_By_Numbers_2019_Report.pdf">according to UK Music</a>. And live music – at £1.1 billion in 2018 – is central to that. The days in which live performances were secondary to recordings have passed. Consumer spend on live music <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09548963.2014.925282">outpaced recordings in 2008</a> and the sector overall – to say nothing of individual careers – relies on the live experience.</p>
<p>To that end, the government’s announcement can be viewed as an investment as much as a bailout, urgently needed though it is. Nor do the economic figures tell the whole story. The UK Live Music Census of 2017 (which I worked on) demonstrated how venues are embedded into their localities, woven throughout the lives of audience members as well as musicians. <a href="http://uklivemusiccensus.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/UK-Live-Music-Census-2017-full-report.pdf">As one respondent told us</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I feel part of something greater as I’ve shared something beautiful with a crowd, even if I haven’t spoken to them; it makes me feel like I’m part of a community.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Small venues were also the category that had been most visited by respondents to the audience survey (78% had attended one in the previous 12 months) and this foundation for local and national musical life means that “heritage” spreads out beyond storied concert halls like the Albert Hall. Local live music has been a focus of <a href="http://livemusicexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/Facilitating-Music-Tourism-for-Scotland%E2%80%99s-Creative-Economy-Behr-Ord.pdf">tourism</a> as well as home consumption. </p>
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<p>As the licensee of Camden Town’s Dublin Castle put it when explaining how the venue was simultaneously <a href="http://livemusicexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Cultural-Value-of-Live-Music-Pub-to-Stadium-report.pdf">a community resource and a part of a bigger cultural picture</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We get people travelling from Japan who come to The Dublin Castle because they know that Amy Winehouse played there and she used to frequent the bar. And they sit down and they’re thinking ‘I’m drinking where she drank’. And I think that makes you feel that you’re part of that scene which you want to belong to.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Nurturing the grassroots</h2>
<p>Despite its role in shaping Britain’s musical milieu, the grassroots sector hasn’t had it easy. Under pressure from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/16/uks-first-live-music-census-finds-small-venues-struggling">urban development and gentrification</a>, a spate of closures has led to the realisation that, once lost, these spaces are hard to replace. </p>
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<p>The <a href="http://musicvenuetrust.com/">Music Venue Trust</a>, which played a major role in lobbying for the recent injection of funds, did much to galvanise and give a more unified voice to what had hitherto been quite a disparate group of businesses – something that is, after all, a part of their appeal.</p>
<p>The imminent threat to hundreds of venues might be allayed, then, but they aren’t out of the woods yet. Brexit still looms on the horizon – and recent research has shown that the beyond the problems this may cause <a href="https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/what-affect-has-brexit-had-on-the-music-industry-1-6534435">for touring musicians</a>, there could also be knock-on effects from the cultural sector <a href="https://www2.aston.ac.uk/lss/research/lss-research/aston-centre-europe/projects-grants/blmp-report-i.pdf">to local employment</a> more widely. </p>
<p>A mapping exercise <a href="https://pec.ac.uk/blog/birmingham-live-music-map-in-times-of-covid-19">currently underway in Birmingham</a> demonstrates the difficulty of disentangling the fates of local scenes, national industries and international networks. The chancellor’s rescue package is a vital first step in maintaining the global stepping stones from Woolten Fête to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6DfG7sml-Q">Shea Stadium</a>. It’s important that it isn’t the last.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>Chances are your favourite band started out learning the trade at a pub or small club. Venues like this are under threat like never before.Adam Behr, Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1045252018-10-09T11:46:40Z2018-10-09T11:46:40ZResearchers build a model that predicts business closures in cities with 80% accuracy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239807/original/file-20181008-72103-161ehu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Doomed to fail?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/old-blue-shop-paris-lots-copy-139944538?src=of3Bmn_QAsMElTWtq5whUg-2-40">Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the past decade, changes in the way people shop have led more and more businesses to close their doors, from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/18/small-music-venues">small music venues</a> to <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/75247-book-world-to-close-all-45-stores-across-the-midwest.html">book shops</a> and even <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-high-streets-and-shopping-malls-face-a-domino-effect-from-major-store-closures-97263">major department stores</a>. This trend has been attributed to several factors, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nothing-can-stop-the-shift-to-online-shopping-2017-11/?IR=T">a shift towards online shopping</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2017/03/10/this-airbnb-for-classical-music-is-changing-how-young-people-experience-the-genre-live/#75f8317a6e55">changing spending preferences</a>. But business closures are complex, and often due to many intertwined factors. </p>
<p>To better understand and account for some of these factors, my colleagues at the University of Cambridge and Singapore Management University and I built a machine learning model, which predicted shop closures in ten cities around the world with 80% accuracy. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.krittikadsilva.com/pdfs/DSilva_Ubicomp_2018.pdf">Our research</a> modelled how people move through urban areas, to predict whether a given business will close down. This research could help city authorities and business owners to make better decisions, for example about licensing agreements and opening hours. </p>
<h2>Pattern spotting</h2>
<p>Machine learning is a powerful tool which can automatically identify patterns in data. A machine learning model uses those patterns to tests hypotheses and make predictions. Social media provides a rich source of data to examine the patterns of its users through their posts, interactions and movements. The detail in these datasets can help researchers to build robust models, with a complex understanding of user trends. </p>
<p>Using data about consumer demand and transport, along with ground-truth data on whether businesses actually closed, we devised metrics which our machine learning model used to identify patterns. We then analysed how well this model predicted whether a business would close, given only metrics about that business and the area it was in.</p>
<p>Our first dataset was from <a href="https://foursquare.com/">Foursquare</a>, a location recommendation platform, which included check-in details of anonymous users and represented the demand for businesses over time. We also used data from taxis trajectories, which gave us the pickup and drop-off points of thousands of anonymous users; these represented dynamics of how people move between different areas of a city. We used historic data from 2011 to 2013.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239866/original/file-20181009-72130-1mya8r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taxiiii!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunsetnoir/6746787731/sizes/l">Sunset Noir/Flickr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We looked at a few different metrics. The neighbourhood profile took into account the area surrounding a business, such as the different kinds of businesses also operating, as well as competition. Customer visit patterns represented how popular a business was at any given time of day, compared with its local competitors. And business attributes defined basic properties such as the price bracket and type of business. </p>
<p>These three metrics enabled us to model how closure predictions differ between new and established venues, how the predictions varied across cities and which metrics were the most significant predictors of closure. We were able to predict the closure of established businesses more accurately, which suggested that new businesses can face closure from a bigger variety of causes. </p>
<h2>Making predictions</h2>
<p>We found that different metrics were useful for predicting closures in different cities. But across the ten cities in our experiment – including Chicago, London, New York, Singapore, Helsinki, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Paris, San Fransciso and Tokyo – we saw that three factors were almost always significant predictors of a business’s closure. </p>
<p>The first important factor was the range of time during which a business was popular. We found that businesses which cater to only specific customer segments – for example, a café popular with office workers at lunchtime – are more likely to close. It also mattered when a business was popular, compared with its competitors in the neighbourhood. Businesses that were popular outside of the typical hours of other businesses in the area tended to survive longer. </p>
<p>We also found that when the diversity of businesses declined, the likelihood of closure increased. So businesses located in neighbourhoods with a more diverse mix of businesses tended to survive longer. </p>
<p>Of course, like any dataset, the information we used from Foursquare and taxis is biased in some ways, as the users may be skewed towards certain demographics or check in to some types of businesses more than others. But by using two datasets which target different kinds of users, we hoped to mitigate those biases. And the consistency of our analysis across multiple cities gave us confidence in our results.</p>
<p>We hope that this novel approach to predicting business closures with highly detailed datasets will help reveal new insights about how consumers move around cities, and inform the decisions of business owners, local authorities and urban planners right around the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104525/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Krittika D'Silva receives funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust.</span></em></p>In almost every city, consumer demand and business diversity had a big role to play.Krittika D'Silva, PhD Candidate, University of CambridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/905562018-01-29T14:51:05Z2018-01-29T14:51:05Z‘Agent of Change’ protects music venues from noise complaints, but won’t stop them from closing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203780/original/file-20180129-100926-1586ejm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Gi6-m_t_W-E">Bruno Cervera/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A Conservative minister for housing, a grey-haired Labour MP, ageing icons of rock and creative young people have formed an unlikely alliance in support of the Agent of Change (Planning) Bill. The proposed law, which will be discussed for the second time in the House of Commons on March 16, <a href="https://www.iq-mag.net/2018/01/uk-govt-sajid-javid-backs-agent-change/#.Wmn_opOFilM">makes developers responsible</a> for dealing with noise issues when they build new homes near music venues. </p>
<p>This all came about because people were worried about the high number of live music venues that were closing across the UK. The Greater London Authority (GLA) <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/music/saving-londons-music-venues">asked for a report</a> on London’s grass roots music venues, only to find that 35% of them had been “lost” since 2007. Cities across the nation – from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/sep/09/the-slow-death-of-music-venues-in-cities">Glasgow to Manchester</a> – have similar stories to tell, even though the government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/creative-industries-record-contribution-to-uk-economy">has recognised</a> how important the music industry is for the economy. </p>
<p>So how did this happen? Many different governments since around the year 2000 have tried to get more flats and houses built in cities, because there aren’t enough for everyone who wants to live there. Many homes have been built on “brownfield” sites – where there used to be factories or warehouses, which are now used less or not at all. These types of places also offered spaces where creative entrepreneurs could set up new clubs, or take over existing venues and attract new customers with the offer of live music. </p>
<h2>Buyer beware</h2>
<p>But as people move into the new flats built on these sites (which they often pay a lot of money for) some inevitably complain about the noise coming from the venues. Venue owners in Shoreditch (one of London’s hip neighbourhoods) actually put up signs warning would-be buyers that there are live music venues in the area. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sign on Rivington Street, Shoreditch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2014/10/21/rivington-street-pedestrian-zone-shoreditch/">Hackney Citizen</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Up until now, these complaints caused big problems for music venue owners, because planning principles were not on their side. The onus was on them to ensure their neighbours weren’t disturbed by music and loud noises. But putting in proper soundproofing or keeping customers quiet can be difficult and expensive. </p>
<p>This doesn’t just affect the kind of places run on a shoe string on the outskirts of town. Even London’s mighty Ministry of Sound – which has been a mecca for House music lovers since 1991 – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25642151">was caught up</a> in a lengthy planning application for a tower block of flats nearby – a case which eventually ended in the flats having to be soundproofed.</p>
<h2>A matter of principle</h2>
<p>The way the planning system works, is that local authorities in England and Wales produce their own development plans, which must align with national policy as set out in a 2012 document called the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf">National Planning Policy Framework</a> (NPPF). This document made a small move to protect venues, by saying that if they wanted to expand, then there should be no unreasonable restrictions. But it didn’t address the situation described above. </p>
<p>Some local authorities have already started to draw up their own policies, which put the burden of noise reduction measures firmly on the developer who is making the change – whether it’s for <a href="http://musicvenuetrust.com/2017/11/agent-of-change-is-policy-d12-in-london-plan-2018/">flats or other uses</a>. This is the legal principle, known as the “Agent of Change”. The bill, now supported by government, will ensure that the principle is embedded in the NPPF – so all local authorities will have to follow it. It will also carry more weight in appeals against planning decisions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Got the power?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/TZCppMjaOHU">William White/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although the “Agent of Change” principle will help prevent live music venues from closing, it won’t be enough on its own. Sadly, it would not address other issues such as rising rents, hikes in rateable values and property owners preferring to redevelop their buildings into flats. For example, consultancy firm <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/report_headlines_-_impact_of_business_rates_revaluation_on_londons_grassrots_music_venues_-_nordicity_-_april_2017.pdf">Nordicity estimated that</a> a revaluation of business rates would cause a fifth of London’s grass roots venues to close. And London’s oldest LGBTQ venue, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, is still <a href="http://www.rvt.community/news/">engaged in a battle</a> to save it from redevelopment, by way of a community buy out. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://pubs.camra.org.uk/pubsuccessstories">past examples</a> show that people can save their local pubs from closure, whether through local campaigning or by taking ownership of the buildings. And to see creativity and culture, especially for young people, supported through the dusty corridors of parliament, is truly heart warming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90556/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marion Roberts has received funding from many different organisations, including central and local government and charitable foundations, for research on the night time economy.</span></em></p>Developers will now be responsible for dealing with noise issues from nearby music venues – but it will take real community activism to prevent closures.Marion Roberts, Professor of Urban Design, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/814082017-08-02T10:25:18Z2017-08-02T10:25:18ZSmall music venues are part of music’s heritage – we need to support them<p>This year’s Glastonbury Festival saw a closing set to rival the very best. For two hours on a June evening, Radiohead seduced and energised a vast and adoring crowd before delivering a brilliant finale. Thom Yorke’s vocals hung over the English landscape like evening mist, clearing as a choir of 50,000 voices echoed the refrain, joined no doubt by a TV and online audience of millions. For a minute there, we lost ourselves – and it was brilliant.</p>
<p>Yet that Radiohead moment was only made possible through the existence of small music venues such as those on the so-called “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/24/independent-venue-week">Toilet Circuit</a>”. Such small venues, located in provincial towns and city centres across the UK, are where bands such as Radiohead learned their craft, built experience, gained a fan base, and earned money that makes everything else possible. </p>
<p>These venues form an essential part of a cultural ecosystem that extends from clubs to theatres, pubs to opera houses. Like my <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-berlin-needs-techno-to-avoid-becoming-just-another-city-55534">earlier study of Berlin techno</a>, these venues are also part of our heritage – and interestingly, Zurich’s techno scene has recently gained UNESCO <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=39420">Intangible Cultural Heritage</a> status. </p>
<p>It is an ecosystem that has evolved over hundreds of years. But the Toilet Circuit, alongside other smaller venues such as pubs, is under immediate threat. Venues are <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/student/istudents/small-music-venues-in-the-uk-are-under-threat-and-we-need-to-do-something-drastic-about-it-a6825456.html">closing at an alarming rate</a> and this is threatening the whole ecosystem. The Jericho Tavern in Oxford, where Radiohead played their first gig – and which was a key venue in the 1980s and 1990s – has long since ceased to host live music.</p>
<p>Unless they become commercially successful, musicians <a href="https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/music-artists-income-breakdown-how-do-musicians-really-make-their-money/">make little from recorded music</a>. Instead, most of their income is from touring – and that requires venues. The vast majority of live performances take place in smaller venues involving unsigned bands or those on small independent labels, playing to smaller audiences who enjoy a combination of the music and the environment in which it is performed.</p>
<h2>Seedy aesthetic</h2>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159032X.2017.1330936">recent paper</a> in the journal Heritage & Society, Dan Miller and I presented three examples which together highlight the significance of Toilet Circuit venues to their audiences: The Bull & Gate (London), the Forum (Tunbridge Wells, Kent) and the Duchess of York (Leeds). Of these, only The Forum survives. </p>
<p>The Toilet Circuit is aptly named, and bands and audience appreciate the “seedy aesthetic”, a characteristic that has shaped mythologies and heritage of the circuit, unlike the shiny corporate environs of bespoke arenas. Audiences enjoy the close interaction with musicians, the rituals of the moshpit and wall-of-death, the stage diving. They enjoy the intimacy, meeting the band afterwards, and buying a CD at the merchandise stall. Such things are unique to smaller venues, such as those on the Toilet Circuit.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180689/original/file-20170802-1023-lsh7d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pavement playing live at the Duchess of York in Leeds in the 1990s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Greg Neate</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most such venues are in town and city centres, where noise controls have led to curfews and complaints. Rents have also increased, threatening the sustainability of venues that exist on a shoestring. Thank goodness therefore for organisations such as <a href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/">Arts Council England</a> (ACE) and the <a href="http://musicvenuetrust.com/">Music Venue Trust</a>, which exists to support such venues and promote the values and significance of venues that many still regard as “low arts” and not worthy of cultural support. </p>
<p>Yet in ACE’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jun/27/arts-council-england-to-spend-170m-more-outside-london-plymouth-tees-valley-bradford">recent round of funding</a>, £367m went to the music sector, but 85% of this was allocated to opera and classical music. Of course, one cannot fund everything, and each part of this vital ecosystem can make a legitimate claim. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180690/original/file-20170802-5576-145w2wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Animals as Leaders playing live at The Forum in Tunbridge Wells in 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pseudo98</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the ACE Chief Executive <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/15/grassroots-music-venues-face-closure-as-funding-bid-fails">has explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are acutely aware of the challenges faced by music venues across the country and will continue to look at ways to work strategically with the sector to address them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But the need is urgent, and this part of the ecosystem is unique for its formative role in developing talent for an important industry. According to the Music Venue Trust’s strategic director, Beverley Whitrick: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If these venues were commercial, they wouldn’t be dropping like flies … They are the bit at the bottom of the industry that doesn’t make money and helps develop the talent that then gets taken away from them once the artists start being more successful.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Support your local venue</h2>
<p>Beyond encouraging more people to attend local live music events, there are practical things that can be done to help secure these venues, through funding and planning controls, for example. As with any heritage decisions, understanding cultural significance and value comes first. If we value something we are more likely to find sustainable ways to safeguard it. </p>
<p>But unlike many heritage assets, it may not be the actual venue that matters so much as there being a venue at all. Venues such as those mentioned above are iconic and steeped in the history and mythology of individual performances and associations. But this is largely an intangible heritage, and for us it is the cultural activity that matters most.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180691/original/file-20170802-20062-c9r832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town, London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stephen McKay</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Radiohead’s encore was not the only Glastonbury highlight from 2017. Another involved a politician. Many of the voices later supporting Radiohead deliver their magnificent encore had earlier joined in an unprecedented refrain, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pop-activism-had-largely-disappeared-its-time-to-bring-it-back-80021">chanting the name “Jeremy Corbyn”</a> as he came on stage. </p>
<p>This was the politician who, in his recent election campaign, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/jeremy-corbyn-labour-grime-live-music-interview-general-election-polls-2017-theresa-may-jme-stormzy-a7752021.html">highlighted the need to support music venues</a> – not the massive corporate arenas where Radiohead now perform, but the smaller local venues where they and thousands of musicians like them began their careers. The sceptical voter might have considered this a blatant attempt to appeal to younger voters. Yet the message is in character – and he is right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81408/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Schofield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The legendary ‘Toilet Circuit’ pubs and clubs that helped launch some of Britain’s best bands are under threat.John Schofield, Head of Archaeology, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.