LIVE & KICKING: Why Independent Venues Matter
Southampton Solent University’s BA Hons Music Promotion course is proud to present the region’s first ever conference on live music. According to the recent report by UK Music/ Visit Britain report, live music:
• boosts the UK economy by £2.2 billion a year (this includes tickets, travel, accommodation and other related costs)
• attracts 6.5 million fans
• provides 24,000 jobs each year
The event is being held on Wednesday 29 January 2014, 12–4pm, in support of Independent Venue Week 2014 – a national celebration of the small music venues that have provided the first steps for people working in the music industries, both on and off the stage.
Independent Southampton venues such as The Joiners, Talking Heads, Avondale House and the Cellar are vital to the learning and development of music students at Solent University, providing them with opportunities to perform, promote, manage and write about music.
“Small independent venues are the very life-blood of the music industries. Many of my students have gone on to careers in record companies, music marketing and event management after gaining valuable work experience in Southampton’s local music venues.” Says Dr Chris Anderton, Course Leader, BA (Hons) Music Promotion.
Independent venues also act as hubs for wider creative activities - film, photography, poster design, fanzine writing/ music journalism – that feed into the music process. They enable music subcultures and fashions to develop and provide a focus for communities of fans.
This conference brings together executives from the music industries with academics and students to discuss how music is still ‘Live and Kicking’ in our independent live music venues. Confirmed guests include Cerne Canning (manager of The Vaccines), John Harris (Guardian journalist) and Joe Edwards (of Independent Venue Week).
“If it wasn’t for a venue like this [The Joiners], … then I wouldn't have been able to come out and play shows and stand on stage and play songs for the first time. There are venues like The Joiners in every town and every year there'll be someone who's played here that's gone on to bigger things. They're a part of every musical landscape all over the world." Said Justin Young, The Vaccines in an interview for NME, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8031 9040 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The university was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2013 poll of students.
About Solent Music
The event is presented in conjunction with Solent Music – the popular music team’s own in-house work experience and employability organisation at Southampton Solent University. Since summer 2011, Solent Music has brokered or managed over 800 work experiences and worked with a wide range of local music businesses and festivals. A recently launched website, www.solentmusic.com, celebrates the work experience and entrepreneurial activity of the students. Southampton Solent University offers BA (Hons) degrees in Music Promotion, Popular Music Journalism, Popular Music Production, Popular Music Performance and Digital Music. The staff combine extensive music and media industry experience with academic research, teaching and publishing. For course information visit www.solent.ac.uk
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