IT has long been regarded as an integral part of Scotland’s music scene, showcasing exciting new talent and playing host to some of rock and pop’s biggest names along the way.
But King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow is one of a number of small venues across the UK voicing concerns about the threat to their long-term future.
A “perfect storm” of issues, ranging from rocketing business rates to nearby property development sparking noise complaints is said to be putting hundreds of the UK’s music venues under risk of closure.
READ MORE: Music venues shout out: Save us from noise pollution complaints
With only a 300-capacity, the iconic Glasgow venue - where Oasis were famously signed - prides itself on a history of supporting some of music’s leading lights at the start of their careers, including Radiohead, The Killers, Pulp and Manic Street Preachers.
And Scots stars who have sold out strings of gigs at King Tut’s include Simple Minds, Calvin Harris, the Fratellis, Primal Scream, Texas, KT Tunstall and The View.
But results of the UK’s first Live Music Census, announced today, show that issues such as noise level restrictions and tax rates are affecting smaller venues in particular, with the report referencing not only King Tut’s as an example, but Bristol’s Thekla, and London’s Café Oto.
Academics from the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music led the project in March 2017 in collaboration with Newcastle University’s International Centre for Music Studies and the University of Turku’s Institute for Advanced Studies.
Researchers tracked performances in cities across the country, which included pub gigs to massed choirs and arena concerts. The research combines data collected over a 24-hour period with data from nationwide online surveys.
READ MORE: Music venues shout out: Save us from noise pollution complaints
One third of the nearly 200 music venues surveyed reported that increases in business rates were having a negative impact.
Meanwhile, one in three of the small live music venues surveyed – which often give up-and-coming acts their first big break – said they have experienced problems with property development around the venue, which can cause noise complaints from people living nearby.
Findings also show that the total spend of people at live music events contributes significant sums to local economies – £78.8 million annually in Glasgow and £43.3m in Newcastle-Gateshead.
The study provides further evidence that people spend more money on live events than on recorded music - nearly half of 4,400 people surveyed spend more than £20 on tickets for concerts or festivals each month. Only one quarter spend the same on recorded music.
The census also highlights the social and cultural value of venues – how they help people discover new music and become part of their life stories.
Many people were also found to attend events in smaller spaces, such as King Tut’s. More than three quarters had visited small music venues – those with a capacity of up to 350 people – during the previous 12 months and 74 per cent had visited pubs and bars for live music.
The researchers say mapping current trends will help inform debates about the future of the live music industry, an area of increasing importance to policymakers – such as the recently announced Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Inquiry into live music.
READ MORE: Music venues shout out: Save us from noise pollution complaints
Among the recommendations are that government review business rates for music venues and smaller spaces for live music and calls for more extensive funding for emerging artists and venue infrastructure. It further asks that local authorities “recognise the economic and cultural value of live music and live music venues to the local region” and ensure licensing restrictions do not “overly inhibit venues’ ability to host gigs for under-18s”.
The report authors said they welcome the announcement by the UK government of the inclusion of the “Agent of Change” principle within the National Planning Policy Framework for England and called for it to be introduced in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The principle means that, for example, the person or business responsible for any change is responsible for managing the impact of it, so if apartments were built near a live music venue they would have to pay for soundproofing, while a live music venue opening in a residential area would be responsible for the costs.
READ MORE: Music venues shout out: Save us from noise pollution complaints
Dr Matt Brennan, from the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music, said: “Festival and concert attendance continue to grow. This report not only shows the cultural and economic value of live music but also the challenges it faces.
“This survey is the largest of its kind in the UK. We hope it can influence the valuable contribution live music makes to wider society and help support the protection of the live music ecology.”
The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
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