Emma Webster

The social history of music in Britain since 1950 has long been the subject of nostalgic articles in newspapers and magazines, nostalgic programmes on radio and television and collective memories on music websites, but to date there has been no proper scholarly study. The three volumes of The History of Live Music in Britain address this gap, and do so from the unique perspective of the music promoter: the key theme is the changing nature of the live music industry. The books are focused upon popular music but cover all musical genres and the authors offer new insights into a variety of issues, including changes in musical fashions and tastes; the impact of developing technologies; the balance of power between live and recorded music businesses; the role of the state as regulator and promoter; the effects of demographic and other social changes on music culture; and the continuing importance of do-it-yourself enthusiasts. Drawing on archival research, a wide range of academic and non-academic secondary sources, participant observation and industry interviews, the books are likely to become landmark works within Popular Music Studies and broader cultural history.

Contents: Preface; Getting back to business; Live music and the state; A snapshot of Bristol in October-November 1962; Being a musician; Do-it-yourself!; A snapshot of Glasgow in October-November 1962; Youth; The recording industry; A snapshot of Sheffield in October-November 1962; Venues, audience and promoters; The Rolling Stones, Richmond 1963; Bibliography; Index.

‘You have to put as much effort into putting somebody on to 120 people as to putting them on to 2,000 people, almost. It’s a bigger gamble, financially, but probably less work ... The bigger the act, it’s probably less work’ (S. Basford, pers. comm., 6 July 2009). So Sheffield-based promoter, Stuart Basford, concluded when considering his role within large-scale live music events, and whose somewhat surprising analysis will form the basis of this chapter. While promoters stand to lose or gain more at large shows than for smaller shows, both in terms of financial and reputational gain, their involvement at large shows such as arena concerts is often far from being anywhere like as hands-on. Hence the seemingly paradoxical statement that as the size and scale of the show increases, so too the promoter’s active role decreases. Drawing on ethnographic research from a Stereophonics concert at the SECC arena in Glasgow in March 2010, this chapter will examine the multi-layered operation of an arena concert show such as the Stereophonics from the promoter’s perspective. It will set out the role of the promoter, offer particular insights relating to the ‘behind the scenes’ activities at the Stereophonics show and finally consider what this means for the UK arena concert sector.

Forming a companion piece to Frith’s 2007 article on why live music matters, this paper argues that there is a need to refine accounts of the music industries to reflect live music’s growing dominance. It does so by focusing on the rock/ pop concert promoter and posits that in contrast to traditional definitions, the role of the promoter is astonishingly flexible and adaptable. The authors argue that the promoter necessarily ‘wears many hats’ and offer three promotional models to understand the work that promoters do. To illustrate this and to understand the development of live music promotion in the UK from 1955 onwards, the article compares and contrasts historical research with contemporary ethnography.

The encore ritual at live music events is a ubiquitous yet under-researched phenomenon. Drawing on ethnographic research carried out in Glasgow, Sheffield and Bristol, this paper deconstructs the encore ritual as it is enacted by performer and audience, and highlights the covert yet vital complicity of the promoter/venue. It argues that while the encore began as a spontaneous display of audience enthusiasm, it has now become an expected and ritualized part of a live music performance. The paper illustrates how encores now fulfill a variety of functions, including indicating temporality, allowing artists to thank their audiences, and allowing the audience to feel some semblance of empowerment within the event.

Festivals are at the heart of British music and at the heart of the British music industry. They form an essential part of the worlds of rock, classical, folk and jazz, forming regularly occurring pivot points around which musicians, audiences, and festival organisers plan their lives. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the purpose of this report is to chart and critically examine available writing about the impact of British music festivals, drawing on both academic and ‘grey’/cultural policy literature in the field. The review presents research findings under the headings of:

- economy and charity;
- politics and power;
- temporality and transformation;
- creativity: music and musicians;
- place-making and tourism;
- mediation and discourse;
- health and well-being; and
- environmental: local and global.

It concludes with observations on the impact of academic research on festivals as well as a set of recommendations for future research. To accompany the review, a 170-entry, 63,000-word annotated bibliography has been produced, which is freely accessible online via the project website.

Live music promoters have hitherto been academically neglected (and often publicly maligned) individuals and organisations. This thesis, then, shifts the academic focus from the recording industries towards live music and towards the figures behind-the-scenes who connect artist, audience and venue in the live music environment. To do so, this work explores the practices and experiences of promoters in the UK; it focuses on Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bristol, and is based on ethnographic research at case study venues. The thesis offers a phenomenological perspective on what promoters do and why, and their role as mediator with key figures such as artists and agents, as well as their relationships with the state. It argues that promoters are cultural investors (and exploiters), importers and innovators who both shape and are shaped by the live music ecology within which they operate. Finally, the thesis examines the three stages of the promotional process – planning, publicity, production – to argue that promoters are key figures not only in the construction of the musical lives of contemporary British citizens, but also in the rich cultural (and economic) ecology of cities, towns and villages in the UK.