Turn up the Volume: an Inquiry Into the Live Music Industry
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Welsh Parliament Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee Turn up the volume: an inquiry into the live music industry December 2020 www.senedd.wales The Welsh Parliament is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people. Commonly known as the Senedd, it makes laws for Wales, agrees Welsh taxes and holds the Welsh Government to account. An electronic copy of this document can be found on the Welsh Parliament website: www.senedd.wales/SeneddCWLC Copies of this document can also be obtained in accessible formats including Braille, large print, audio or hard copy from: Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee Welsh Parliament Cardiff Bay CF99 1SN Tel: 0300 200 6565 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SeneddCWLC © Senedd Commission Copyright 2020 The text of this document may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading or derogatory context. The material must be acknowledged as copyright of the Senedd Commission and the title of the document specified. Welsh Parliament Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee Turn up the volume: an inquiry into the live music industry December 2020 www.senedd.wales About the Committee The Committee was established on 28 June 2016. Its remit can be found at: www.senedd.wales/SeneddCWLC Committee Chair: Helen Mary Jones MS Bethan Sayed MS Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru Current Committee membership: Mick Antoniw MS John Griffiths MS Welsh Labour Welsh Labour Carwyn Jones MS David Melding MS Welsh Labour Welsh Conservatives The following Member was also a member of the Committee during this inquiry. Delyth Jewell MS Plaid Cymru The following Member attended as a substitute during this inquiry. Rhianon Passmore MS Welsh Labour Turn up the volume: Inquiry into the live music industry Contents Chairs’ foreword ...................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 4 1. The reason for and evidence behind the inquiry ............................. 8 2. The health of the sector and need for a music strategy ............. 10 There is no clear picture of the health of the Welsh live music sector .............. 10 Live music is embedded in the local economy ........................................................................ 12 There is a geographical disparity in access to live music ................................................ 14 There is no strategic oversight for live music in Wales ..................................................... 16 Music plays a valuable role in Welsh language promotion .......................................... 18 3. Support and advice: there is a gap in support for live music... 23 Arts Council of Wales support ................................................................................................................. 23 Capital funding ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 The demise of the Welsh Music Foundation .............................................................................25 Support for the sector ................................................................................................................................... 26 The role of the Arts Council of Wales ............................................................................................... 26 Is a new source of advice and support needed? ................................................................... 28 Funding ...................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Public ownership of grass roots venues ......................................................................................... 32 4. Talent development: best practice needs to be rolled-out across Wales.......................................................................................................... 37 The Forté Project and Young Promoters’ Network: “fantastic” projects that “should be pan-Wales” ................................................................................................................................... 37 Horizons ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Music in education: best practice should be shared, and music should be taught in a way that connects with young people’s lives .............................................. 43 5. Local authority activity: the music industry needs a louder voice in decision making .................................................................................. 48 Planning: the planning system should actively advocate for live music ..........52 1 Turn up the volume: Inquiry into the live music industry Planning: the impact of the “agent of change” principle should be monitored .................................................................................................................................................................52 Licensing: venues should have greater input ........................................................................... 59 Security requirements should be proportionate .................................................................. 59 Business Rates: grassroots venues in Wales should not be worse off than those in England ................................................................................................................................................ 67 Grassroot music venues should be subject to business rates relief in recognition of their cultural and social value .......................................................................... 67 The impact of Business Rates on grassroots venues ......................................................... 69 6. The coronavirus pandemic .................................................................... 73 Live music remains prohibited ............................................................................................................... 73 Support for the sector has prevented widespread closures for now .................. 74 The sector needs a clear roadmap for restarting activity ...............................................75 The rationale behind the 10pm curfew is unclear and it may be counter- productive ................................................................................................................................................................ 78 The live music sector needs support beyond March 2021, and many people have missed out on support entirely ............................................................................................... 80 The pandemic has provided an opportunity to maintain and develop connections between live music and the state ..................................................................... 82 Next steps ................................................................................................................................................................. 86 Annex A: List of oral evidence sessions. ..................................................... 88 Annex B: List of written evidence ................................................................. 90 Annex C: Stakeholder events...................................................................... 92 Annex D: Arts Council funding broken down by artform ................... 94 What did Arts Council of Wales Welsh Government-funded grants support in 2018-19? ................................................................................................................................................................ 94 What did Arts Council for Wales-distributed lottery revenue funding support in 2018-19? ........................................................................................................................................... 94 2 Turn up the volume: Inquiry into the live music industry Chairs’ foreword The pandemic has delivered a shock to the live music sector that none of us could have imagined. It is crushing for artists and audiences that live music events have been prohibited since March 2020. Mercifully, safe and effective vaccines are on their way. The Welsh and UK Governments must keep faith with the sector, providing it with the support needed to ensure we leave the crisis with as many of the venues, artists and technicians that we started it with. A version of this report was ready for publication just as we went into lockdown in March 2020. It made sense to postpone the publication and take stock of the situation once the emerging picture had become clearer. In autumn 2020 we took further evidence to reflect the impact of the crisis. This report therefore reflects the problems the sector faced before the pandemic – none of which have gone away – and has been updated to reflect the urgent existential threat coronavirus has posed to the sector. Welsh music is flourishing, with artists like Catfish and the Bottlemen, Boy Azooga and Cate Le Bon enjoying success at home and abroad. But small venues are closing at an alarming rate. The Welsh Government and local authorities need to take urgent action to ensure that tomorrow’s stars