In case you missed them, we’ve rounded up a selection of music news and reports that have been making headlines recently.

 

Music news round up
Succeeding in retail is all about experience

Steve Dennis has written extensively about how retail needs to reinvent itself in the age of digital disruption. Here, he explores exactly what we are talking about when we refer to in-store “experiences”
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New project launches to assess injury prevention in musicians

Liverpool Philharmonic, Help Musicians UK and Liverpool John Moores University have launched an initiative to research injury prevention in professional musicians, focusing on common and significant injuries experienced by orchestral musicians.

The research was commissioned in response to UK and international research findings, which have consistently raised concerns regarding the prevalence and impact of ‘playing-related’ injuries for musicians.
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AIM launches new regional champions initiative around the UK

The Association Of Independent Music has launched a new regional champions initiative that seeks to ensure its resources and expertise are available to independent music firms across the UK. This includes setting up three regional hubs – for the north of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland – with more to follow.

Each hub will have an ‘ambassador’ and a ‘champion’ who will be, says AIM, be “tasked with creating strong local networks among the independent music companies in their areas and providing support, expertise and access to resources”.
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Youth Music calls for end to unpaid internships in music sector

Matt Griffiths, CEO of music education charity Youth Music, has called on the music industry and the arts at large to put an end to unpaid internships and low paid work. He cited the charity’s own Sound Of The Next Generation research that found that 67% of young people make music but feel a music career is out of reach for financial reasons.
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Music industry reports

Notable reports released recently include:

An image that represents Brexit by showing a jigsaw of the European Union and the UK not in it.
Impact of Brexit on Musicians

The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), the professional body for the UK’s musicians published its fourth report into the effects of Brexit on the music profession, titled Impact of Brexit on Musicians.

The research was conducted earlier this year and reveals that almost 50% of the 2000 respondents identified an impact on their professional work since the 2016 EU referendum result – 95% of whom said it was negative.

Download the report here

 

Youth Music logo
Exchanging Notes

Youth Music published their report,  Exchanging Notes, detailing the impact of an in-depth four year project.  They wanted to see what would happen if young people at risk of disengagement, low attainment or exclusion from school had access to a creative and inspiring music curriculum that was sustained over four years.

The findings demonstrate that music in schools has the potential to re-engage young people in education, develop their confidence, resilience and self-belief, and create a more positive attitude to learning.

Download the report here

Attitude is Everything logo
Next Stage

Attitude is Everything has found that concert venues are frequently failing to provide adequate access and facilities.

Of the respondents to the survey of nearly 100 deaf and disabled musicians, 70% said they had kept their disability hidden because of worries it would damage a relationship with a venue, promoter or festival, while two thirds said they had to “compromise their health or wellbeing” to be able to perform live.

Download the report

Royal College of Music logo
National inequality in access to A-Level music education

New research commissioned and released by the Royal College of Music has shown a correlation between lack of A-Level music provision and social deprivation.

Researchers at the Centre for the Study of Practice and Culture in Education at Birmingham City University used POLAR (Participation of Local Areas) data – compiled from national census data and university admissions data to give a rating of the levels of access to higher education – to find out how likely young people are to participate in music A-Level across the UK and how this varies by geographical area.

Download the report