Issue - items at meetings - Presentation by Kevin Nixon, Brighton Institute of Music

The Chair welcomed Kevin Nixon of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) and highlighted the importance of this sector to the city.  Mr Nixon said that BIMM had chosen be located here, 60 miles from London. This was because there was a healthy music scene in the City, although he felt that a couple of areas could be improved.

Mr Nixon had been concerned by an Argus headline in February which announced that:

‘… the party is over for summer festivals’. 

He asked the Committee what criteria were laid down for people seeking to establish a festival, who replied that it was ultimately satisfying the emergency services and dealing with issues such as litter. A significant number of people in the Council were experienced in dealing with this issue, including the objections raised to the Fat Boy Slim events. These concerns were usually about noise, parking and litter. Better arrangements for events, such as the second Fat Boy Slim event, had lead to fewer complaints.  The Council had produced a guide to cover the technical and practical aspects of arranging a festival and was held up as a good practice authority. 

Mr Nixon then told the Committee that the other key concern was the financial viability of events. While officers had a good relationship with promoters and offered advice on issues such as timing of events, this work did not happen with Beachdown which was a festival which the Council had no jurisdiction over. 

He suggested that the promoters would appreciate further support from the Council, especially the new generation of promoters.  He asked the question whether or not it would be beneficial if there was an advisory group to assist people who wanted to set up new festivals, especially looking at their viability?  Mr Nixon would be very to help with this and knew of other colleagues who could help. The Committee asked Ms Murray to look into taking up this offer of advice. It was also confirmed that Licensing Committee dealt with issues relating to these events.

The Committee expressed concern about the loss of smaller music venues and how to increase the number of larger venues in the City. Mr Nixon suggested that Falmer Stadium could be a great opportunity to attract top acts and sufficient audiences. This could be a more suitable venue than the Cricket Club which had hosted artists such as Elton John. When it came to seeing bands, significant numbers commuted to London to venues such as the O2. Promoters felt that the City did not have the right venue for the following reasons:

·        The Brighton Centre has a reputation for lacking in atmosphere

·        The Brighton Dome, while a great venue, was regarded as expensive to hire, which led to high ticket prices

It was also felt that the staff at these venues were not always sympathetic to younger audiences. This was due to the range of events they held. Ms Murray agreed to talk to Andrew Comben about this issue. 

While promoters were keen to also use the Pavilion Theatre, they relied on the Komedia, Old Market and Concorde 2. The Committee thanked Mr Nixon for a great report. They expressed hope that while Falmer currently had planning permission to hold 2 events per year, this could be extended to allow it to stage more events. This would make the stadium a great cultural and economic resource for the city and much more than a football club. Ms Murray told the committee that she was due to visit Falmer and would discuss this issue with them. 

Donna Close, the Arts & Cultural Projects Manager, agreed with the suggestion that workshops for new promoters (like those held at SxSW) could be held at Brighton Live – which was targeted at promoters.  Increasing live music was important at a time when record sales were decreasing.