Digital Central has an interview with “band manager, label owner, promoter and magazine producer” Scott Roe of Solar Creations as part of their series of chats with music industry folks about what’s good and bad and needed in Birmingham. His summary is worth swiping I feel:
Strengths
* The region is extremely diverse in terms of musical output, creative business ideas and management styles.
* Good range of small music venues which have always been a good breeding ground for new talent.
* Spirit, determination and passion for succeeding within the music business.
* Experienced music industry players who have a wealth of experience working throughout the UK and abroad.
* The location should be a huge advantage for us.
* The perception of the region’s music scene has risen dramatically over the last five years or so.Weaknesses
* Lack of skilled music managers, skilled business types involved with music business or vision to explore markets outside of the UK by many.
* Inappropriate use of funding on a yearly basis; too much discussion and talk about “The industryâ€
* Lack of medium-sized music venues (that old chestnut!)
on the subject of “Inappropriate use of funding on a yearly basis…” anyone going to kick the ball and start listing some examples of “Inappropriate uses of funding” and perhaps balance it with some positive suggestions on what the funding perhaps could have been used more effectively on / with / etc if a second chance was offered??
Anyone got a list of examples of good practice or examples of “appropriate” uses of funding?
I think its time that some funding mistakes are openly admitted and a discussion about what positive policy ideas or new ideas / strategies could ensure more “appropriate use” of said funds….??
Is anyone aware of inappropriate use of funding or is Scott the only one who knows what’s actually been going on behind the scenes all this time?
I dunno, isn’t “appropriate” quite a subjective and loaded term? What’s appropriate for one person might be deeply inappropriate for another. If there was a form of funding that everyone found appropriate it’d probably be so bogged down in compromise that it’d be next to useless.
And I read “Inappropriate use of funding on a yearly basis…†as meaning the system of dolling out cash on a calendar, where specific sums have to be spent by specific dates to ensure the next round of cash isn’t cut, often regardless of the quality of the project/etc being spent on, is fundamentally flawed. And I’m sure no-one would disagree but this isn’t specific to the Arts/music/etc world. It goes on at every level of government.
Oh, and Mark? Since anyone who clicks on your name can find out who you are it’d please me greatly if you could use your actual name when commenting. In the interests of an immediately transparent debate and all that.
Ouch, ouch, you’re twisting my arm. How’s that? Better? I do include my email as mark at ironmanrecords.co.uk and i do also include my website http://www.ironmanrecords.co.uk and I have no desire to be anonymous, I stand by my comments. After all, to the best of my knowledge, I’m always right.
To set the record straight:
Mikhail Alexandrovich is the name that Mark Badger has been using for the purposes of commenting on items on this blog. It’s a name that would be the equivalent of Joe Bloggs or John Smith…if you lived in Russia. It’s also the name of a character in a film called Koktebel who complains all the time and doesn’t take too well to people trying to offer help. You might understand why I chose that name to comment here if you watch the film. At the request of Pete and in the interests of clear and transparent interaction, I will now use Mark Badger.
and who is Mark Badger? Me. I’m Mark, I run an independent record label called Iron Man Records, which is based in Birmingham England. The record label has been running since 1996 and in 2000 I set up the Birmingham Music Network which is also known as just The Music Network. I’ve organised gigs in and around Birmingham since 1994 as Badger Promotions. I play in a band called Last Under The Sun and at present I’m also playing guitar in another Birmingham based band called Police Bastard, who have recently re-formed. I do a bit of tour management and driving to help bands out, write and maintain several music related blogs, and recently started to look after a band called The Orb…but only as far as their online activities are concerned. I do some lecturing at Birmingham City University as part of their Music Business degree course. I run a shop on ebay selling all sorts of good alternative music on cd or vinyl. I also enjoy a good game of mental chess with local funding organisations who try and pocket most of the money intended for struggling local musicians and creatives. Thats about it really.
No I’m Mikhail Alexandrovich!
To set the record straight:
Mark Badger is the name that Mikhail Alexandrovich has been using for the purposes of commenting on items on this blog. It’s a name that would be the equivalent of Andrei Rublev or Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin…if you lived in Birmingham. It’s also the name of a character in a film called Directors in Crisis who complain all the time and don’t take too well to people trying to offer help instead of money. You might understand why I chose that name to comment here if you watch the film. At the request of Pete and in the interests of clear and transparent interaction, I will now use Mikhail Alexandrovich.
and who is Mikhail Alexandrovich? Me. I’m Mikhail, I run an independent record label called Iron Curtain Records, which is based in Pokrovskoye, Tyumen Oblast. The record label has been running since 1996 and in 2000 I set up the Communist Music Network which is also known as just Official Citizens Music Network 7005689. I’ve organised gigs in and around yumen Oblast since the October Revolution as Bolshevik Promotions. I play in a band called ПоÑледний Под Солнцем and at present I’m also playing guitar in another Bolshevik based band called полицейÑкий ублюдок, who have recently re-formed. I do a bit of tour management and driving to help bands out, write and maintain several music related blogs, and recently started to look after a band called The Orb…but only as far as their online activities are concerned. I do some lecturing at Moscow State Circus as part of their Music Business degree course. I run a shop on ebay selling all sorts of good alternative music on cd or vinyl. I also enjoy a good game of mental chess with local funding organisations who try and pocket most of the money intended for struggling local musicians and creatives. Thats about it really.