Birmingham Live Music Project

I am currently involved in a collaboration between Aston University, Birmingham City University, and Newcastle University that is exploring the live music industry in Birmingham. Our aim with this work is to inform the public, policy-makers, and the different stakeholders involved with live music in the city about the impact of changes that are occurring at national and global levels, so that the city can continue to be one of the most vibrant places in the country to enjoy and create live music. The work explores how the live music sector in the UK will develop coping responses around possible outcomes of the Brexit process. The project will use the city of Birmingham as a case study.

Our research programme examines the impact of shifts in the globalized music economy and national level changes on localised cultural, social and economic actors from the perspective of Birmingham. Its aims are to inform the public, policy-makers, and the different stakeholders involved of these effects, along with best practices and possible solutions to the different challenges faced by the globalised live music industry on a local scale. The programme aims at a detailed mapping of the live music ecosystem in Birmingham, deploying elements of the established ‘live music census’ methodologies (replicable surveys of audiences, musicians, venues and promoters, interview and observational data, stakeholder consultation) to produce tailored qualitative and quantitative data and recommendations in the Birmingham and West Midlands context, and contribute to the broader picture of the UK’s place in the global live music economy.

This project is funded by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC), which is led by Nesta and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.