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Wigan Today •

Is Wigan' music scene the brightest in the country?

The musical talent emerging from Wigan today is as strong as in decades, but to ensure the scene continues to thrive, more performance spaces and infrastructure must support musicians.

Wigan’s music scene has evolved dramatically over the past five decades but has consistently held a prominent place in the British music industry. A city known for its industrial past, rugby fervour, questionable kebabs, and Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, Wigan is also home to a music scene as diverse as it is influential.

Grassroots music: What the ticket levy means for venues

A historic move to ensure the sustainability of grassroots music venues has been made, which sees a £1 voluntary ticket levy imposed, something The Snug in Atherton has welcomed.The British government has taken a landmark step to ensure the sustainability of the grassroots music sector by backing a voluntary ticket levy on stadium and arena shows. This aims to secure the future of the grassroots music scene, which came as a response to a recommendation by the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee....

GigPig - How commission on merchandise is stifling gigging musicians

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has urged venues not to charge commissions on artists as it attacks the touring ecosystem, an opinion which is shared by Nick Lewis, Head of Music at KOKO in Camden.

Touring costs are, at present, staggeringly inflated to the point where gigging is becoming more and more commercially unviable for musicians, leaving merchandise sitting on a tilting scale to whether artists make or lose money.

This ultimately means that venues take money away from sales of po
Mancunian Matters •

Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival: The best model for a festival?

Neighbourhood Festival took place on Saturday, October 1st across 13 venues all over Oxford Road, bringing new and established artists to the city of Manchester.

And what an excellent festival it was with the bands playing at an incredibly high level to an adoring Manchester crowd.

However, this unique style of event combines all the best aspects and eliminates all the worst aspects of your traditional field festival.

Rain dampening the mood? No problem all venues are inside.

Are portaloos n
Wigan Today •

Is Wigan' music scene the brightest in the country?

The musical talent emerging from Wigan today is as strong as in decades, but to ensure the scene continues to thrive, more performance spaces and infrastructure must support musicians.

Wigan’s music scene has evolved dramatically over the past five decades but has consistently held a prominent place in the British music industry. A city known for its industrial past, rugby fervour, questionable kebabs, and Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, Wigan is also home to a music scene as diverse as it is influential.

Grassroots music: What the ticket levy means for venues

A historic move to ensure the sustainability of grassroots music venues has been made, which sees a £1 voluntary ticket levy imposed, something The Snug in Atherton has welcomed.The British government has taken a landmark step to ensure the sustainability of the grassroots music sector by backing a voluntary ticket levy on stadium and arena shows. This aims to secure the future of the grassroots music scene, which came as a response to a recommendation by the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee....
GigPig •

The importance of creating a fair and equal music industry

Creating a fair and equal music industry is crucial for sustaining creativity, innovation and growth, something that ticket reselling site Twickets and founder Richard Davies wants to achieve.

Whilst creating a fair and equal music industry is a moral requirement, by upholding this, leaders in the sector ensure that creativity, innovation, and sustainable growth continue to thrive. And one of those companies striving to achieve that kind of industry is Twickets.
33-RPM •

Salford Lads Club’s musical influence is more than just a photo

Salford Lads Club is steeped in musical history following the iconic photo of The Smiths outside the venue, but this Manchester club is a music facilitator, not an old relic clinging onto its famous history.


A photo taken by Stephen Wright of four local lads outside the iconic entrance to the club would solidify Salford Lads Club’s status as a cultural landmark. That photo would later be included on the inner sleeve of The Queen Is Dead album to make it a symbol of music heritage and has fore...
33-RPM •

How two music madmen established ‘The Manchester Sound’ inside Strawberry Studios

Strawberry Studios in Stockport was one of the finest recording studios in the North of England, which created era-defining records, but the work of their record producers cemented the significance of the studio to Manchester’s rise in pop culture.


Manchester was heralded as one of the music capitals of the world. From the pop culture transformation in the 70s and 80s, other cities and regions looked to Manchester for their music offerings.


Whether that was consuming the musicians signed u...
33-RPM •

Manchester Unspun: A city’s four-decade transformation through the lens of Andy Spinoza

There is nobody who has observed the transformation of Manchester more than Andy Spinoza, who has had a front-row seat in the rise in pop culture for the past four decades. From living through the post-punk movement since moving to Manchester in the late 1970s, his work in journalism and later PR ensured that his finger remained firmly on the pulse of the evolution of Manchester’s culture.


And Spinoza has been on the right side of history with the city’s advancements in music, entertainment,...
33-RPM •

In conversation with The Chameleons frontman Mark Burgess

The Chameleons are the best unknown band to come out of the Manchester Music Scene. When pivotal bands such as The Fall, Buzzcocks and Joy Division were making ground, The Chameleons were building a loyal fanbase.





Whilst the band, fronted by Mark Burgess, were still popular within the region, their nationwide reach wasn’t as strong.





It was their punk attitude, atmospheric sound, introspective lyrics and melodic guitar lines, which made them a Mancunian favourite following a session...

Key Takeaways from Day 1 at the Night Time Economy Summit | GigPig

Escape from Freight Island in Manchester hosted the Night-Time Economy Summit, which brought together industry moguls from across the globe over two days. Through panellists and networking, the event aims to share information and knowledge, as well as, advice when navigating difficulties in the next few years.

The showcase provided invaluable information and details from different sectors that come together to create The Night Time Industries Association. Plans were laid out for the coming year

Key Takeaways from Day 2 at the Night Time Economy Summit | GigPig

Escape from Freight Island in Manchester hosted the Night-Time Economy Summit, which brought together industry moguls from across the globe over two days. Through panellists and networking, the event aims to share information and knowledge, as well as, advice when navigating difficulties in the next few years.‍


The showcase provided invaluable information and details from different sectors that come together to create The Night Time Industries Association. Plans were laid out for the coming y

The Key Challenges facing the Night-Time Economy | GigPig

This topic would always dominate the Night-Time Economy Summit when coming into the two-day event. Sacha Lord has recently been tirelessly campaigning to reduce the 20% VAT currently imposed on the hospitality business to 12.5%. But the significance of the issue was telling when the CEOs of the NTIA, UKHospitality, BBPA and IOH all unanimously agreed that the stubbornly high VAT is the biggest challenge the sector faces. All three Metro Mayors also agreed to reduce VAT, with Andy Burnham, Tracy

“We don’t forget here”: Andy Burnham comments on Sacha Lord’s billboard shaming the Conservative Party | GigPig

Whilst Manchester rolled out the red carpet for the Conservative Party Conference, Sacha Lord had other ideas.

‍Instead of extending a warm reception to the Conservative Leader, he chose to make a bold statement by featuring Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, adorned with red eyes, and plastered his face on the biggest billboard in Manchester.

Conveniently, it’s also right around the corner from Manchester Convention Complex Centre, where the party conference is taking place, as a constant reminder

A glimmer of hope in a dark period for grassroots music venues | GigPig

‍The cost-of-living crisis is proving to be a testing time for grassroots music venues, coming directly after the difficulties of COVID. It feels as if there is no room to breathe for some businesses. But a new scheme from the Music Venue Trust has secured the future for a Greater Manchester venue.

One of the country's most beloved live music venues, Moles in Bath, has shut its doors after 45 years, and is the most recent casualty of the economic issues with the cost-of-living crisis.

Like man

Analogue recording: The misunderstood beast of audio recording | GigPig

Whilst digital recording may have become accepted within the modern recording studio, Julie McLarnon solely works with analogue tape, with her recording studio, Analogue Catalogue, which ensures that those distant techniques and signature analogue sounds are still championed.

It’s no secret that analogue recording declined in its usage when digital became the mainstay within recording studios in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Digital has streamlined the way tracks are recorded and mixed, so muc

The Evolution of Dance and Electronic Music | GigPig

From the basements in Chicago to global dance floors, electronic and dance music has undergone numerous iterations, making it one of the most consumed genres across the world.


Electronic dance music is a cultural phenomenon that has transcended boundaries, pushing the limits of creativity and technology and allowing endless possibilities on the mixing deck.


An International Federation of the Phonographic Industry report outlined that dance and electronic music was the fourth most popular g

The vital role of music publisher BDi Music | GigPig

Within today’s competitive and ever-evolving music industry, where the way listeners consume their music has completely transformed, one often overlooked but crucial player in the industry is the role of a music publisher.

Their role cannot be overstated, they're the unsung heroes of the industry, as they work behind the scenes on behalf of songwriters and composers to ensure they collect and pay out all the royalties they earn from their compositions.

The work that music publishers undergo is

The chaos behind the broken ticketing system | GigPig

‍The daunting nerves and the overwhelming excitement you get ten minutes before the floodgates open to rush and buy tickets for your favourite artist.

Whether you’ve prepared all night with a clear strategy to guarantee a ticket, gone through pre-sale to bolster your chances or even rocked up right before tickets are on sale, there’s always a quiet optimism that you will secure your place at the front for a gig.

Well, that is right up until the point you're launched into a ridiculously long qu

Recognition from Independent Venue Week is ‘the most important’ aspect for Manchester Venue Rebellion | GigPig

Independent Venue Week (IVW) saw hundreds of gigs happening across the country to amplify the important of grassroots venues to the music ecosystem.


There were 205 venues that came together to host an abundance of shows nationwide in what was the IVW's 10th anniversary. The seven-day annual event commenced on January 29th and celebrated independent music and arts venues. In that time it had facilitated 5,000 shows and, in doing so, sold more than a million tickets.

The initiative highlighted

The unsung heroes who champion emerging artists in the industry | GigPig

Grassroots musicians are essential to the ecosystem of our industry. Globally recognised artists once started in sweaty basements and cramped concert halls, and going through the circuit is essential in gaining confidence, exposure and a following.


The music industry is a tough one at the best of times, but when Music Venues Trust reported that 120 grassroots venues have closed, which is 15% of the total of all grassroots venues, with a further 84 in crisis, it made it even tougher. Grassroo
Mancunian Matters •

Watch: Manchester's spectacular candlelight concert

The best songs from the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi were performed by the string quartet String Infusion at the Hallé St Peter’s in Ancoats on Saturday 9th December, under the glow of candle light.


His compositions from the Studio Ghibli franchise have created films such as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away.


These original concerts were created by Fever, who is the leading global live entertainment discovery platform.


Initially showcasing the greatest classical composers, it now
Mancunian Matters •

'You can't judge anyone': Volunteering with a Manchester homeless charity ahead of their busiest period

Homelessness charities have seen a rise in the number of people using their service over the past couple of years – and the winter months are bound to be the most testing time of the year. Finn Toal volunteered with a Manchester charity to find out more.

The clock has just hit five, and the queue of homeless people is already winding around the corner outside Strangeways Prison.

Coffee4Craig is a charity established in 2013, when Craig White, the brother of founder Risha Lancaster, died due to
GigPig •

GigPig - 30 years of Britpop: Jake Shillingford's journey through music

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of Britain’s most culturally significant music eras - Britpop, where frontman of My Life Story, Jake Shillingford, shares his insights from the period as he gears up to release new music.

This was kickstarted by Suede’s eponymous debut album, igniting a musical explosion, that would reverberate throughout the UK.

Over the next four years, the scene was dominated by Britpop’s big four: Suede, Pulp, Blur and Oasis, whose releases in that period instant
Mancunian Matters •

James Bulger murderer Jon Venables’ lawyers received more than £100,000 for re-offences as parole hearing is granted

One of James Bulger’s killers, who has had his recent bid for parole accepted, has had more than £100,000 worth of legal aid granted since his initial release in 2001.

A freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice revealed Jon Venables’ legal aid cost £100,735.10 in anonymity and civil representation, relating to his re-offences after the horrific murder of two-year-old James Bulger, for which he was released in 2001.

Venables’ case will not be heard in public and will last for t
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