Post by Traditional Music Forum on Mar 27, 2021 17:48:26 GMT
A weekly two minute catch-up for members from the
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
A final reminder that the TMF's Annual General Meeting is tomorrow (Saturday 27). After the formalities (which will include the Chair's report on the year just passed) we plan to have a general discussion and exchange. 2pm. The Zoom link has gone out, but let me know if you haven't received it.
I sit on the Steering Group of Culture Counts, the collective voice of Scotland's culture sector, which last week sent a letter to Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and the Economy arguing for a Creative and Culture Industries Infrastructure Fund. A New Deal kind of approach is really the only way out of the current mess.
We're keeping up the pressures from all sides. The Cross Party Group on Music has also written to the Cab Sec outlining the consequences for the music industry, music education and music making in general if support is not forthcoming.
Sill on music business matters, the rise of the streaming giants like Spotify has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing if you want unlimited access to the world's music at the cost a monthly trip to the pictures, and a curse if you want to see any return from Spotify's use of your music. The Musicians Union and the Ivors Academy have estimated that, if you're a touring band who might have expected to gross £25000 on the road this year, it would take 62 million Spotify plays to make up for the loss in live gigs. They're running a campaign Fix Streaming
Great to see this interview with TMF members Bogha Frois, the LGBT+ project, in the Guardian this week.
Scottish Rural Action campaigns for a better deal for Scotland's rural communities. They recently published the first part of a continuing survey into how Covid is affecting rural life, but with nothing about the cultural side of things at all. A good proportion of our membership is rural-based. It would be good to give SRA some input from our community. Survey here.
These requests for information seem endless, I know, but I was on a call earlier this week with Steve Heap, of the Association of Festival Organisers, and he was making the point that information is key to building support for our cause. He says any time he speaks to the press he's asked 'how many people are affected, how much money?' and without that information his argument is weakened. Steve, incidentally, will be interviewed on Newsnight on BBC2 tonight (26th).
Many of you will remember Nic Gareiss, the wonderful American step dancer who lit up the scene during his residency with the Traditional Dance Forum last year. Delighted to learn that he is one of the recipients of a Heritage Award from the Michigan Traditional Arts Program in his home state.
This week's earworm has created a lot of warmth and good vibes around the place. Courtesy of the Solas Festival, a cast of many, including lots of well known folkies and the Glasgow and Greater Clyde NHS Trust Community Choir made this version of Michael Marra's 'All Will Be Well'. If ever there was a song for the times...
Sad to learn of the sudden and shocking passing of drummer Ian 'Stoddy' Stoddart. RIP
All the best
DF
David Francis is Director of the Traditional Music Forum
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