A new independent review will examine how Manchester council can better support the city’s grassroots music venues.
It is being led by Manchester Music City (MMC), and starts in April. The group is expected to report back in the autumn with ‘practical recommendations for supporting and nurturing small and medium-sized venues in the city’ while ‘being considerate of residents and businesses in the growing city and the council’s legal responsibilities’.
The review has been announced today (March 20), the day before iconic venue Night & Day faces the council in court over a noise abatement notice. It also comes ahead of the new Beyond The Music festival, which was launched by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham at SXSW in Austin, Texas, last week.
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“Music is part of Manchester’s DNA and Manchester’s music sector is one of the distinctive ingredients which make this a world class city,” said council leader Bev Craig in a statement. “We want to protect, champion and grow it. Grassroots venues are an essential element in nurturing talent.
“The council, and its partners, want to do all we can to support and protect them. These venues deliver meaningful social, cultural, economic and health benefits for Manchester people and opportunities for new musicians.
“I know we have seen an instance recently, with the Night & Day case, where the legal and regulatory duties on placed public bodies have appeared to some to conflict with this aspiration. While the legal context is complex, working together with the sector I’m confident that this independent review will help us find solutions to prevent future cases and move us forward in the future.
“I want to be absolutely clear that we want to keep all our great venues in this city open and thriving, and encourage new ones to establish themselves as part of Manchester’s growing music scene.
“It’s important to me that it’s an independent piece of work, not a Council-led one. Engaging via Manchester Music City with grassroots venues in the city and Manchester’s music sector, the review will come up with recommendations which to ensure that grassroots venues can thrive as the city and its population continue to grow and develop. The review will present its recommendations to the council to form part of a new music venues policy and we will also aim to learn lessons from best practice across the world.”
The review will be led by Debra King, director of Manchester-based music development organisation Brighter Sound. She added: “This review and its recommendations will be critical to strengthening the position of grassroots music venues in the city and in ensuring that music continues to be central to the cultural vibrancy of Manchester.”
It’s believed the review will have a wide scope, focusing on town hall policy, the planning process, and regulation like licensing and environmental health.
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