Tag: west midlands (Page 5 of 7)

The West Midlands Pilots the first phase of the Birtish library’s New Music Network

November 18, 2010 /

Emerging contemporary artists from Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the West Midlands will be among the first in the country to have samples of their current work permanently stored in the British Library music archive. This is because they have been selected for a new website which showcases the very best new independent music from the West Midlands, as chosen by a panel of local music experts.

The PILOT PROJECT website – www.pilot-project.co.uk – goes live Thursday, November 18 in Birmingham, at 7pm.

The launch represents the first public step of an ambitious UK-wide scheme. It follows a six-month period of curation, working with a panel of West Midlands music experts. Music on the site will be accessible to stream, and the site database is fully searchable. The music and data will also be stored permanently in the British Library’s music archive as part of the British Library’s New Music Network. This aims to document contemporary British independent music of all types as it is made available through websites, blogs and other digital platforms.

Project co-ordinator, Birmingham radio veteran Robin Valk, said: “The Web has changed everything. Musicians now have access to tools that give them real control over the production and distribution of their work. They can exchange ideas and collaborate, instantly, worldwide, and this opens up huge new areas of experimentation and creativity. There is more good new music, more experimentation and more creativity than ever before, and most of it is online. This is a vital new part of the culture of our country. We owe it to ourselves to preserve it for future generations of music lovers.”

The launch will feature performances from West Midlands musicians Jo Hamilton, Vijay Kishore, and Friendly Fire Band, and representatives from the British Library and the Pilot Project advisory team (listed below) will be available for interview.

Andy Linehan, Pop Music curator for the British Library Sound Archive, said: “This is an important step in archiving new music at a local level for the national collections. So much new and innovative music is being made at grass roots level which bypasses the traditional business model, and it can be difficult to be aware of such activity.

“Successful local activity such as the Pilot Project means we will be able to provide a detailed picture of the diverse and creative output of West Midlands musicians for future generations.”

About the Pilot Project

The Pilot Project has been organised by Robin Valk, veteran radio expert and one of the founding members of staff at BRMB. Music for the project has been selected by a panel of regional advisors, broadcasters and music experts, including:

Chris Downing, Brumcast           brumcast.podomatic.com

Richard Elms, Herbert Media, Coventry    www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/herberrt-media?

Shelley Atkinson, Arts Deville        www.artsdeville.co.uk/?

Clare Edwards                   clareedwards.wordpress.com/about/

Marc Reck                www.marcreck.com/

Apache Indian                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_Indian

Tony Dudley-Evans, Birmingham Jazz    www.birminghamjazz.co.uk/

Kate Southall, Wolverhampton        www.myspace.com/katyjaywcrfm

This website will stay live for six months, showcasing the very best new music being developed in the region. Music selected for the site will be also be saved in the permanent British Library sound archive. Following a period of evaluation, the organisers hope to launch more regional pilots in 2011. The Pilot Project is supported by Digital Content Development at Arts Council West Midlands.

About the British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and one of the world’s greatest research libraries.

It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library’s collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages.

For further information, images, recordings and pre-launch interviews contact:

Birmingham coordinator:    

Robin Valk robin at radiotogo.com

British Library:       

Andy Linehan andy.linehan at bl.uk

www.pilot-project.co.uk
www.bl.uk

Musicians appearing at the launch
www.johamilton.com/
www.vijaykishore.co.uk/
www.friendlyfiremusic.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pilot Project website launch Birmingham, 18th November 2010

November 16, 2010 /

Radio To Go invites you to the launch of the Pilot Project website, a joint venture with the British Library. The site showcases new online music from the West Midlands for the next six months of web streaming experimentation.

Doors open for guests at 6.30pm, allowing you to meet Pilot Project and British Library representatives. At 7pm the Pilot Project website goes live, allowing guests to explore the site. The exceptional Jo Hamilton, the hugely innovative Vijay Kishore and 3rd generation Birmingham Reggae pioneers Friendly Fire band will all play showcase acoustic sets during the evening.

The Pilot Project site is the first public phase in a two–year long project, whose ultimate goal is to build a comprehensive archive (the British Library New Music Network), documenting and preserving the best British new music. This is a long overdue and welcome development – our music industry has changed beyond all recognition, and new media and web-based creativity has empowered independent artists as never before.

This website is a first step in acknowledging these changes. Supported by Digital Content Development at Arts Council West Midlands, the site is a test bed. In developing the project, the British Library and Radio To Go have experimented with curation to present a first sampling of material. We have worked with regional experts across the West Midlands, drawn from the local music industry and local media, most of whom will be in attendance (for more details, see the attached press release). The site repertoire will be accessible and searchable, with information and contacts for the musicians. Users can choose to stream the repertoire in various ways.

It is planned for the site to stay online for 6 months, while streaming experimentation takes place, yielding further technical research information for future projects.

Doors open at 6.30 pm for welcome reception; the site launch is at 7pm.
Would you like to attend the launch? Would you like to know where the launch is being held? We would very much appreciate your RSVP  to:  robin at radiotogo.com

The Pilot Project website launch Fazeley Studios, Birmingham, 18th November 2010

MUSIC WORLD RADIO Top 20 Chartshow – Vote & Nominate at http://www.topchoons.com

March 1, 2010 /

The Alternative Top20 Chart – February Week 4

MWR Weekly Listener Music Chart – Music by the People, voted for by the people and played for the people.

Music World Radio – Our mission is simple; to bring great music to music fans, no matter the style or genre. We are sometimes eclectic and different but always classy and never ever staid or boring. If you love great music, Music World Radio is the place to be for all your musical tastes and needs and perhaps you’ll hear some stuff you’ve never heard before. So check our schedule, tune in and get involved with one of the hottest cool music stations out there. Remember, it’s your music, your world, your radio! Contact MWR here

http://www.musicworldradio.com

MWR Top 20 Chartshow – Vote & Nominate at http://www.topchoons.com

1. Nice As Pie – Bad Girl

2. Rudy Jr & The Lovepirates – Stupid Chick Opus8

3. Neongrau – Hi Level Slacker

4. Dead Drunk Society – Black Beauty Musclecar

5. Redlight – Whats Going On ?

6. Katrin the Thrill – You Make Me Wanna Die

7. Victims of Bad Television – Questions

8. Johnny Normal – Time

9. Fistfuzz – Tongue Depressor

10. Shag Nasty – Punk Anthem 77

11. Iguana – Undone

12. The Satin Dolls – Walk Away

13. Pop Incorporated – Looking 4 KLF

14. Seven Thorns – Forest Majesty

15. Frauenarzt & Manny Marc – Disco Pogo

16. Sarah June – Cowboy

17. The Rotten Rebels – My D-Day

18. Richard Snow & The Inlaws – Silent Girlfriend

19. Vinyl Fiction – Dont Call For A Revolution

20. Conflict and Kemmikal – The Dancer

MWR Top 20 Chartshow – Vote & Nominate at http://www.topchoons.com

The Alternative chart at Music World Radio is presented live on air every friday night – a guarantee for airplay to every track that makes it to the Top20. A wide selection of nomimations are equally given a spin on air during the chart show – and over the week by all the MWR DJs.

No genre is left out of the MWR Alternative Top20. If the listeners want dance, techno, death metal, punk or indie rock – thats what theyre gonna get – and if they change their mind and jump on the europop train, so does the chart. The listeners have all the power to nominate and vote!

If you have an appetite for more music rants, alternative charts, album reviews, news from Club Impulse Second Life and a wide variety of other music related randomness drop past the gossip blog and leave your comments.

Check out the bands in the charts here, there are plenty of goodies from new and unsigned acts burning through the barriers with fresh ideas, established acts firing up the party with monumentally powefull musical parades and thought-to-be has-beens making their way back to the charts with new interesting material

How can Government help creative entrepreneurs? What questions would you ask Policy Advisors on this issue?

February 28, 2010 /

Clare Edwards would like you to send her YOUR views, opinions and questions to put to some senior civil servants at Downing Street on the subject of “How can Government help creative entrepreneurs?”

Clare says on her blog: “Well the latest opportunity is a chance to go to Downing Street next week to talk with senior civil servants (and possibly the odd policy advisor or Minister) in a 90 minute session to tell Government how they can better help creative entrepreneurs and where things are working and where are they failing.

I thought it would be interesting to see what questions you think I should be asking and in general what sort of constructive messages you think this group of policy makers and shapers should hear from creative businesses.

I’m not the only person who has been asked by the British Council to do this but I’m probably the only person from the the West Midlands so if you have ideas of how the government could help creative businesses in the future – leave me some comments and I’ll let you know which points I take with me and how I get on…

I have my own ideas on this but I’d love to go along with a broader understanding of the ideas, struggles and questions that others in the sector have. As you know I go with a music hat on personally but I think some of the issues for music are the same for other ‘creative industries‘. So if you run a creative business and think there is a burning issue I need to be aware of when I walk into Number 10 – let me know!

I’m going next Wednesday so you can suggest ideas right up to that time so…. I can take them with me!”

I’ve been reading with interest some of the comments already submitted including comments from Stef Lewandowski, Sarah Habgee, Nick Dunn, Ed King, Nick Booth, Dave Harte,  Norman Perrin, Robin Valk, and others. You can add your own comments, ideas or submit your questions to Clare Edwards here

Clare Edwards is a freelance music consultant and event organiser – she has run Gigbeth over the past few years, works with Soweto Kinch Productions, conducts Notorious and is a Chair of Sound It Out. Clare is involved with the board of Arts Council England WM, Moby Duck and is a Chair of Governors at a local primary school. In between Clare has found time to lead The Music Network monthly meeting and she sings with Ex Cathedra.

How does Iron Man Records choose it’s artists and how does it promote them?

November 28, 2009 /

An article about Iron Man Records, Birmingham writtten by JANINE LABUSCAGNE BA (HONS) Media & Communication, University of Central England, 2007.

“…..There are two kinds of music – good music and bad music.  Good music is music that I want to hear.  Bad music that I don’t want to hear” Fran Lebowitz, Metropolitan Life, 1978

The objective of this study discusses promotional strategies generated by the independent record label, Iron Man Records.  The research examined the use of the Internet as a free marketing tool and how traditional methods of running a label did not have an affect on Iron Man.  Discussing this, I examined the theoretical areas of music industries, promotion and punk in order to understand and gain a solid background for the development of my research.

Conclusions are then put forward after conducting a participant observation, that social networks play the biggest part in promotion for the label.  Findings throughout the research have been put forward about the different strategies used in the process of online promotion, as well as more general suggestions for further research.

‘De muziek is de geleende creativiteit en motivatie in ons leven’ (translated from Dutch), music is the borrowed creativity and motivation in our lives.  The music industry has had one of the biggest influences in our lives and on our culture.  An example of this would be Wall (2003) and Anderson’s (2006) statements which look at popular music as the: “soundtrack to our lives” (2003; 1) and that “we are consumed by hits – making them, choosing them, talking about them, and following their rise and fall” (2006; 2).  The world of the music industry is one which has been forced to make changes because of the constant development of new technologies.  These changes are in order to keep fans consuming the product that is for sale – music.  Britain is a nation of music lovers and we buy more music than any other country – four units per capita each year (IFPI Recording Industry in Numbers 2002).

The music genre known as punk, has been around since the late 1960s, when unemployment was a prominent social feature in Britain.  It would appear that we are currently witnessing a re-evolution of the music industry and punk’s DIY (do-it-yourself) ethos within independent record labels.  Beyond the development and creation of music, technology has created an impact on the production, distribution, and consumption of ‘Iron Man Records’ music.  “Record companies see the other media as promotional avenues for their music” (Wall 2003; 111).  There are many new and different social networks such as MySpace, MOG and Flickr which will be one of the main areas of focus for the research.  These social networks have evolved on the Internet and the trend displayed by many bands in choosing independent record labels, such as Iron Man Records, above major record labels demonstrates what Barrow and Newby argued about how the music industry:

“Without popular recording artists there would be no music business and without record companies there would be no musical product to be bought in the shops” (1995: 2-3).

The research question, ‘How does the punk music label, Iron Man Records, choose its artists and how does it promote them?’ is a significant topic in the industry to investigate.  The independent label has not been explored in depth before, although academics have looked at similar areas of the music industry.  The study will look at how relationships are being built between a record label, the music industry and bands.  The study also looks at what steps are being taken to promote and market Iron Man Records music. Read more here: Click link for full article on Iron Man Records

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