Author Topic: Birmingham Cuts effect music organisations  (Read 852 times)

mistycorcoran

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Birmingham Cuts effect music organisations
« on: March 02, 2011, 03:47:53 PM »
Birmingham City Council have cut their yearly funding to The Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) and Birmingham jazz due to recent council cuts. The withdrawal of the funding has come as a shock to the music organisation’s that have been fully funded for numerous years. Cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture Cllr Martin Mullaney said: “None of us are exactly jumping for joy at the news but times are hard and everyone knows the current national economic situation.The councils were told that they had to make cuts of two million pounds." The council are also cutting further funding for music organisation's in the Midlands as they are assessing the situation. Music hub The council have offered an olive branch in the form of six months more funding if they join Birmingham’s music hub with other music organisation’s such as:The music hub comprises of different music organisation’s who aim to produce music to audiences across Birmingham. The music organisation's must share facilities, human resources and marketing. Andrew Jowett, chief executive of the Symphony Hall and Town Hall, said In response to the council’s call for more efficiencies we are pioneering even more ways of working more closely together. We hope to save money, but most importantly we are excited by the idea of a combined artistic programme.”
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
The Birmingham Contemporary Music Group have not agreed to join the media hub in Birmingham and have since been given three year’s of funding from the PRS for Music Organisation.
Stephen Newbould, Artistic Director of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, writes: ‘BCMG's innovative practice relies on strong supporters who can give us the space and freedom to take risks. The PRS for Music Foundation is exactly such a supporter. This significant three-year investment is a vote of confidence for BCMG which will be critical in supporting our ambitions over the coming years.’
This new form of  funding will allow them to return to their old form and no longer share facilities that were asked of them and would have therefore confined them. The organisation are also funding other music organisations across the country that they feel bring something distinctive to the music industry.
Culture
Birmingham is well known for being a city of culture with millions of visitors a year. Birmingham has everything to offer especially regarding music from the  Birmingham Symphony hall to The National Indoor Arena. It was once said 'Culturally, Birmingham has done more for the world than Milan, Venice, Marseilles and Frankfurt (combined).' - Independent on Sunday 16th February 2003. So at what cost are we losing our culture?
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