Songwriter / music industry
A cracking evening at Night Tales in Hackney, as the UK Americana Music Association kicked off their annual Conference with a superb series of performances by former winners of the Bob Harris Rising Artist Award, all backed by the Northern Cowboys supplemented by the excellent CJ Hillman on pedal steel and guitar.
Help Musicians and the MU have launched a census to generate the first ever comprehensive picture of the UK’s music-making population.
Mark Batchelor and I met up this afternoon at the Nellie Dean pub in Dean Street, Soho, ahead of attending a superb performance at Ronnie Scott’s by the Stacey Brothers’ Big Band Steel Dan Project: aka the Royal Scammers. The 14 piece band deliver an amazing collective sound and reflect the depth and nuance of their world-renowned inspiration.
The MU today welcomed the new Report by the Select Committee of the Department for Culture, Digital, Media and Sport (DCMS), recommending more of a focus on fair remuneration in the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) process examining music streaming.
For over a decade I have had responsibility for print advertising at the MU, both the cost negotiation and the production of artwork. My thanks go to all my contacts in this side of the business for their support.
On the 4th January 1999 I proudly entered the National Office of the Musicians’ Union in Clapham Road for the first time as a full-time employee of the largest organisation of musicians in the UK.
What inspires a song lyric? And perhaps the melody too? Well, here are some thoughts on the tracks I have recorded with Greg for my new album: Trust, Quids in, She reminds me of you, Promises at midnight, Nashville, Tennessee, Girl on the train and the title track: Waterloo Sunrise (theme).
A pleasant and informative afternoon in the company of marketing consultant Mark Batchelor as he brought over a single malt whisky tasting collection, which we proceeded to enjoy straight, with ice, water and ginger.
A lovely afternoon at Petham in Canterbury with producer Greg Fitzgerald and his partner Jenny. I was originally visiting to collect a pair of shoes that I had left during a video recording session! However, our attention quickly turned to one element of my forthcoming album.
I was kindly invited by Vanessa Elliott, the Head of BBC Corporate Affairs, to the Department’s first Christmas reception this evening at the ‘old’ Broadcasting House in Portland Place.
An excellent dinner for music industry comms representatives and journalists was held by UK Music at Groucho’s in Soho this afternoon.
An entertaining evening at The Brewery in The Barbican, courtesy of the inaugural Live Awards, which has been established to reward all those organisations, individuals, venues and festivals that give so much to the live music sector.
Julie, Ben and I travelled by train on Friday to north Yorkshire for a long weekend in Richmond and the surrounding countryside. The trip was centred on the wedding of Julie’s nephew Robbie and Ellis at the delightful setting of the Middleton Lodge estate.
The winter 2022 edition of The Musician, the magazine of the Musicians’ Union, is being dispatched in print and digital format to members across the UK this week. This my seventy-first edition as editor and the contents include profile interviews with Sarah Bennett and the Brodsky Quartet, plus features on hearing, podcasts, AI and the Union’s EDI Conference.
An excellent evening at the 229 Club in Great Portland Street, as the efforts to organise a Christmas Party for the Council of Music Makers – at very short notice – all paid off. The Council consists of five music organisations: the MU, the Featured Artists Coalition, The Ivors Academy, the Music Producers’ Guild and the Music Managers’ Forum.
This afternoon I attended that classic start to the party season at 7 St James’s St, the PPL Christmas drinks. As ever, good to catch up with Peter Leathem, John Smith, David Cohen and their colleagues from the collecting society, plus to meet many familiar faces from across the industry.
Kindred PR has kindly supplied a report of the MU media coverage for the period September to November 2022. My thanks to Courtney, Hannah and Rebecca of the excellent team at Kindred for their valuable assistance.
It has been a busy week, with planning for events during December and the New Year, plus working in PR and other comms for the MU. Tonight, my attention turned to local issues, as I joined the local Labour Party members for a social and fundraising evening with Jess Phillips MP, at the Amber Fort in Elmers End. My thanks to Eileen Welsh for the invitation.
The MU, Equity and Bectu officials and members gathered this morning outside the offices of the DCMS on Whitehall, to voice their anger at the cuts in arts funding for certain organisations announced this month by Arts Council England.
I spent the late afternoon with Jonathan Stewart and his assistant Charlotte at the Coliseum in Charing Cross Road, interviewing some of the musicians in the English National Opera orchestra who have been affected by the severe cuts in funding for the organisation.
Rab Noakes was a fine singer, songwriter, guitarist, BBC Radio music producer and Union activist. He served superbly representing musicians’ rights on the MU’s Executive Committee for many years.
The Ivors Academy revealed the twelve winners at the 20th edition of The Ivors Composer Awards last night, celebrating the best new music in classical, jazz and sound art.
One of my favourite bars in central London can be found in the Bloomsbury Hotel in Great Russell St, just along from TUC Congress House. The Coral Room serves a fine range of beers, shorts and cocktails, in surroundings inspired by the jazz age of the 1920’s and created in collaboration with Martin Brudnizki.
The MU has today heavily criticised the decision by Arts Council England to make major cuts in public funding to English National Opera and other arts organisations. While the MU supports increased funding for arts organisations outside London, today’s announcement reveals a deliberate decision to do this at a direct cost of London-based companies.
Caring Soul video