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Special Funding - Grassroots music venues across England will now be able to apply for special funding from a ring-fenced budget intended to support the sector and help stem their decline. Arts Council England has announced it has set aside £1.5m of National Lottery money to fund projects hosting and promoting live music in grassroots venues. It comes amid an ongoing campaign to protect small venues following a period of decline across the UK.
Opening this week, the scheme will accept applications for between £1,000 and £40,000 from music venues and promoters. The funding will sit within the Arts Council’s project grants programme, but by having a separate budget for grassroots music venues, ACE said it wanted to encourage applications by reducing the high level of competition faced when applying for the main project grants scheme.
Arts Council chief executive Dar

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Europe - At this year’s Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt, Neutrik went on a determined offensive against product piracy. Following Neutrik’s request, police seized numerous products that clearly violate intellectual property rights. Moreover, extensive warnings to cease and desist have also been sent to the companies concerned. Further legal action has already been launched.
Countless Neutrik products are based on technical inventions that have set new standards and are protected by patents. In addition, design features and brand names have been registered to ensure that original Neutrik products are easily and clearly recognizable.
“We want to generate real customer added value with our products and to protect that value. That requires maintaining global patents and trademarks, which, while very costly, form an important part of our innovation culture. If our compe
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UK - Designed and developed specifically to address the demand for environmentally-conscious power within the film and TV industry, VOLTstack provides crews with easy access to clean power.
Completely emission free, with a proven track record powering sets of all sizes, the VOLTstack range includes a number of power units ranging from 2kW and 5kW to 13kW and 200kW variants.
The entire collection is suited to handling all manner of applications within the lighting, electrical and camera departments. With a rapid charge time of just 2.5 hours and available with a solar panel recharge option, the systems’ continuous power delivery is enough to handle almost any temporary application. For added convenience, units can be series linked to provide for extended operating times. The compact, rugged design which features an IP54 rating plus wireless monitoring, making VOLTstac

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Missing Out - Paul McCartney has accused a government funding body of having a “flawed process” that has seen the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts miss out on a potential £16m of funding. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is currently investigating the decision-making process of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which has now been replaced by the Office for Students.
According to LIPA, which McCartney co-founded, the institution has lost out on £16m in potential funding over a four-year period due to a “series of errors” by the government body. LIPA says it has also lost a further £160,000, which has been spent on the first steps of a judicial review.
When applying for institution-specific funding in 2016, LIPA claims it was “failed at the first stage of the process” and was only allowed to proceed to the second stage following an appeal.

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Foundation Funding - Andrew Lloyd Webber’s foundation is overhauling the way money is awarded, with three new strands aimed at supporting potential and reaching diverse communities. The foundation will award funding under the strands Unlock, Enhance and Empower. The Unlock strand will give grants if up to £5,000 to projects that increase diversity by “breaking down social, economic and geographical barriers”. This might include youth theatres or music therapy groups.
The Enhance strand will award grants of up to £10,000 to projects that provide specialist training and workplace experience for emerging artists and newly graduated professionals, while the Empower section will award funding of up to £25,000 to projects that allow practitioners to “apply resources widely” and give training to a significant number of people.
Lloyd Webber said: “Music a

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UK - AV and technical production company Blitz has announced the promotion of Jason Sorabji to the newly created role of group production director.
Jason’s new remit includes directing the company’s overall production and project management strategy, engaging directly with key clients and prospects to drive innovation. The position sees Jason join the Blitz senior management team and report directly into managing director, Mike Phillipson.
Jason has been with Blitz for over three years and was previously group account director at ExCeL London, where Blitz is the official in-house supplier delivering AV solutions and production for the venue.
New hire Paul Stuart will be joining Blitz to take over Jason’s position at ExCeL London. Paul brings extensive experience in the industry, joining from White Light where he oversaw the AV technical delivery for custom

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UK - PLASA has revealed plans to develop a training scheme for entertainment industry professionals carrying out work on UK construction sites.
The initiative has been announced in response to changes to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), the leading UK skills certification scheme that ensures individuals working on construction sites have the required training and qualifications for the type of work they undertake.
PLASA has warned a number of CSCS cards historically used within the entertainment technology industry are being withdrawn, including Stage Equipment Installer, Site Visitor and Related Discipline.
“Once these cards have expired, industry professionals with relevant construction training or qualifications may be able to apply for Skilled Worker CSCS cards, but many may only be able to apply for Labourer cards, which could affect t

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Acoustic Shock - The Royal Opera House has lost an appeal against a viola player who was awarded damages in 2018 for hearing loss he suffered during rehearsals for Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Christopher Goldscheider is a former viola player in the orchestra at Covent Garden, who said he was no longer able to work as a musician due to “acoustic shock” he suffered during a weekend rehearsal in 2012.
Goldscheider said the noise he was exposed to was unacceptable, and a judge ruled in his favour in March. However, in October the ROH, which is being represented by law firm BLM, was granted permission to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal has now upheld Goldscheider’s case, although on narrower grounds. Specifically, it overturned the High Court finding that Control of Noise at Work Regulations meant employers were required to enforce the wear

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Respect - The Queen of Soul is now a Pulitzer Prize winner. Aretha Franklin has been awarded a special citation honouring "her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades". She becomes the 12th musician, and first female performer, to be given the citation - joining the likes of Bob Dylan, Scott Joplin and John Coltrane.
Franklin died last August, aged 76. During her career, the singer won 18 Grammys, had 17 top 10 US chart hits and became the first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine rated her as the greatest singer of all time, thanks to songs like Respect, Chain Of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Record Breaker - Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody - already the highest-grossing music biopic of all-time - surpassed $900m (£686m) in worl

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UK - Specialist electrical contractor and power supplier to global events, The Technical Department has now moved from its Pines Business Park office base where it has been situated since 2013 to new offices just a short distance away at Henley Business Park, Guildford.
The relocation comes as a result of the company outgrowing its existing premises and its gradual growth and increase in turnover over the past few years.
The company, which was established in 1987, has grown to become one of the most trusted specialist electrical contractors in the events industry.
Switching its expanding operation to new offices and larger warehousing facilities means the company can now progress with its positive business plans for further growth and development.
Founder and owner Jerry Singleton comments: "The relocation of our operation to Henley Business Park is the

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UK - Creative Technology (CT) is taking on the 100-mile Vélo Birmingham & Midlands course on Sunday 12 May in aid of Backup - The Technical Entertainment charity.
“CT has supported Backup from the outset and we’ve often said we should do something more than simply supporting its KartFest and GolfFest events,” saysDave Crump, CEO CT Europe & Middle East. “When an opportunity to enter a four-person team into a challenging 100 mile cycle event, it seemed an ideal opportunity to raise some money and awareness for the charity whilst getting fit and Team VeloCT was born.”
The original plan was to take part in the Velo South event last September. The team was formed, training begun, lycra purchased and money raised - a spectacular £7,038 at the last count. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled at the last minute on safety grounds due to severe weather fo

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Frankfurt Fairs - The worlds of music and the event business are getting together in Frankfurt am Main this week, via Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound.
“Today, music is available everywhere and at all times. In this age of streaming, user behaviour is changing fundamentally – with drastic effects on musicians, labels, service providers and education. The expanding live-entertainment market is also undergoing a paradigm shift towards digital transmission,” says Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt.
“Moreover, there are fantastic new areas of application for audio-visual media technology. The two trade fairs take account of this increased level of complexity with a multitude of options for knowledge transfer and networking. And, parallel to this, we are celebrating a five-day festival of music in Frankfurt.”
Stones Postpone

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UK - On Friday, 29 March 2019, HRH, The Princess Royal, was the honoured VIP visitor to Le Mark Group, there to open its new high-tech international warehouse facility.
HRH, accompanied by HM Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, was greeted by senior Le Mark staff members and noted dignitaries from the Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the High Sheriff’s Association.
After touring the sales office, HRH was provided with a manufacturing demonstration of the multi-award winning BlackTak light masking foil. HRH heard of the work undertaken by the company and which countries it sells to.
Linda Gibbons, joint managing director, said: “We have an amazing performance flooring department and one particular project I was proud to present to HRH was our printing and fitting of the world’s largest pr

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UK - Tourflex Cabling has invested in new state of the art machinery to provide customers with a service that offers even more customisation options for their cabling and connectors, including overmoulding, engraving and different colours.
Cabling and connectors can be overmoulded and sealed in a thermoset material, making them highly resistant to fluids – suitable for outdoor use. The overmould makes products more robust to withstand shock, vibration, and continual flexing without damage to the termination point. Customers can also opt to have their company logos moulded onto their connector to clearly identify it as their property.
Tourflex Cabling now has the capability to provide customer personalisation by laser engraving, allowing the customer’s logo or other information to be etched onto the side of a range of connectors. Engraving provides a perma

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Toronto Inquest - The stage collapse that killed a Radiohead drum technician caused lasting "immeasurable pain and grief" for the band, a Canadian coroner's inquest has heard. Radiohead drummer Philip Selway told the inquest that the 2012 incident still haunts the band. Scott Johnson died at Toronto's Downsview Park when the stage collapsed an hour before the gates opened. An Ontario coroner is conducting an inquest into the deadly incident.
In testimony in Toronto, Selway described the "anger and frustration" felt by the UK band, its crew members and Johnson's parents in the wake of the incident. He said they have been left with a sense of a "complete failure of the justice system" in the case. "The system has failed Scott, his family and other industry workers," he said.
Radiohead was set to perform a sold-out show in Toronto when the stage's metal scaffold roofing -

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Killer Cure - The Killers and The Cure will top the bill at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival this June, it has been confirmed. They're among more than 60 acts joining this year's line-up, including Janet Jackson and Lauryn Hill. Stormzy had already been revealed as the Friday night headliner; while Kylie Minogue will play the legend slot on Sunday afternoon.
The Cure's headline performance is their first since 1995 and their fourth overall, meaning they tie with Coldplay as the festival's most-frequent headliners. The Killers previously topped the bill in 2007; while Kylie was booked for the top slot in 2005, before breast cancer forced her to pull out. The Prodigy had been booked to play prior to frontman Keith Flint's untimely death.
Survival Fund - An independent London music venue that has hosted acts including Arctic Monkeys, The Chemical Brothers, Adele and F

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UK - Leading international theatre consultancy Theatreplan has strengthened its team with three appointments. Architect and theatre planner, Anniek Wasser, broadcast and AV consultant, Joel Hauxwell, and architect and BIM expert Carlos González Martín, all joined the team within the last few months.
Anniek Wasser is an experienced architect and theatre planner and arrives at Theatreplan after ten years at AEDAS Arts Team (formerly RHWL Arts Team). She has a broad range of experience working on performance spaces including, the Victoria Palace Theatre; Watford Colosseum; Queens Theatre, London and the Music Hall at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Joel Hauxwell has a comprehensive background in broadcasting studios and systems installations. Whilst working as installation design manager for audio visual contractor, Hawthorn, Hauxwell worked alongside Theatreplan o

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UK - Backup’s first event of 2019, the inaugural Bike-Fest takes place 18 May, a day of two-wheeled action and fun for all levels of rider to raise funds for the industry charity.
For the more hardened cyclists, including the lycra-loving ‘Mamil’ (Middle aged man in lycra), there is a glorious 100km ride through the Sussex and Surrey countryside, which will take in much of the famed Olympic and Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 route, including Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey, and the famous Box Hill Zig Zag.
Whether you’re riding as an individual, with friends or as a company Peloton, this will be a great day out to sport your finest padded shorts, have an excuse to shave those legs and pack as many bananas in your cycling top as possible.
For the less lycra inclined, there is also a 50km route, again taking in much of the lovely Surrey countrysi

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Rising Prices - Members of the House of Lords have expressed concern over the rising cost of West End theatre tickets and called on the government to investigate. Peers debated the issue in the House of Lords after the latest ticketing survey found the cost of top-price seats increased by nearly a fifth between 2017 and 2018.
Liberal democrat peer Patrick Boyle, who tabled the debate, asked the government to address the cost of theatre tickets in London and the effect this has on theatregoers. “The main beneficiaries of these higher prices are not so much the producers of the plays and musicals, but rather those who control access to theatres: the theatre owners, the ticket sellers and the discredited secondary ticket market.
“London theatres are already becoming too expensive for many regular theatregoers and I hope the government will take this issue very serious

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USA - The work of rock‘n’roll photographer and author Neal Preston is coming to the USITT show, taking place on 21-23 March at the Kentucky International Convention Centre in Louisville, KY courtesy of The Lightpower Collection.
Preston’s pictures will be displayed in the Behind the Scenes stand #1253 and his books Exhilarated & Exhausted and In the Eye of the Hurricane will be available for sale. Posters, including his famous images of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant, will also be available for just $10 each. Sales of books, posters and prints will benefit the Behind the Scenes charity.
The photographer will be present in the Behind the Scenes booth to sign books and posters on Thursday and Friday from 12-1pm and 4-5pm.
Preseton’s client list is a virtual who’s-who of rock royalty and his archive is regarded as one of the music indus

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UK - BECTU, the media and entertainment union, has launched a comprehensive set of standards for the live events industry to fight for better working conditions for its members in the sector.
The campaign comes as more than three quarters (76%) of BECTU members in the live events sector felt pay in the sector needed to be improved by setting minimum rates. A further two thirds (69%) of respondents named long hours as their biggest concern in their roles, followed by almost half (46%) reporting lack of crew welfare facilities and one in three (30%) expressing concern over health and safety.
Workers - often freelancers - who undertake contracts at entertainment events, festivals and conferences as lighting technicians, sound engineers and live events crew have reported widespread mistreatment including long hours, no breaks, bullying and harassment, says the union.

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Catastrophic - Equity, the UK trade union for creative practitioners, has written an open letter to MPs urging them to prevent a no-deal Brexit, warning that leaving the EU with no agreement would be “catastrophic” for the entertainment industry. It states that no deal is “simply unconscionable” and “must be prevented at all costs”.
The letter is signed by Christine Payne, general secretary of Equity, and is jointly written by other unions. It reads: “The political chaos of the last few years has led us to the brink of a no-deal Brexit that would have a catastrophic impact on our economy and society. The information we hear from our members in industries affected by Brexit makes it clear that no deal is simply unconscionable and must be prevented at all costs.”
Harnessing Technology - Music teaching could be left behind in an outdated acoustic ag

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UK - Power Logistics has vowed to provide power monitoring equipment and post-show energy breakdown reports to all of its 2019 projects as part of a sustainability initiative.
The monitoring will provide clients with realtime data on energy consumption and help drive power and fuel efficiencies, acting to minimise carbon footprint at live events.
Monitoring will be ‘live’ during events, with adjustments made where necessary. Once the event comes to an end, the data collected will be used to produce a report that will provide event organisers with a breakdown of the energy usage.
Mike Whitehouse, Power Logistics’ managing director explains: “Offering an effective power monitoring solution to clients has been a key objective for the last few years. Having realtime information on energy usage across all areas of an event site is a powerful tool for event or

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UK - On 27 February, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was visited by its Royal Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra. The visit marked the official opening of the School’s new North Block building and provided the Princess with an opportunity to meet staff and students and observe a variety of student work.
Princess Alexandra was greeted by Central’s president and alumnus Michael Grandage, together with the chair of its governing body, John Willis, and its principal, Professor Gavin Henderson. She was then escorted on a tour of the new facilities where she observed classes from the School’s drama, applied theatre and education and movement: directing and teaching courses.
The Princess and guests at the opening event were entertained by performances from the acting musical theatre course’s production of The Life, MA Music Theatre course’s producti
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