ACE and Opera Funding

[MrGongGong]

This might be of interest

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/arts-council-criticised-prioritising-opera-music-funding

followed by

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/article/ace-too-posh-pop-music-leaders-have-their-say

[teamsaint]

Not perhaps the main point, but if GMVs are closing in big numbers, it may well be that there are just too many of them.

Small to medium sized venues in Southampton such as the Brook and the 1865 ( both great places ) seem to struggle to attract many acts , which presumably means there simply isnt a big enough market .

I’m not sure that it would be a valid use of tax money to subsidise them at this point. If there was a genuine shortage of venues that could be usefully sustained by funding, there might be a point to it.

[Demetrius]

I would concede to increased funding of these "grassroots venues", though honestly, if the pop music industry regards them as important life line for their future, they could fund them with their table scraps.

Attacking other recipients of funding to do so is in bad taste. They shouldn't forget that classical music feeds talent into them as well.

Something else: please tell me that 92 Million is only a very small part of UK arts funding directed to music and that opera gets more than 57 Million as well.

Try that for size: the Budget for music and theater was 3.46 Billion in Germany in 2013 (from all state levels down to communities/cities etc); opera gobbled up maybe a billion alone. Is the Arts council only a practically insignificant part of UK arts spending or are you really spending so little public money on this in general?

[Tevot]

This might be of interest

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/arts-council-criticised-prioritising-opera-music-funding

followed by

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/m...have-their-say

Hello there,

Thanks for posting this MrGongGong. I saw the headlines in a newsfeed the other day. I agree with Mark Pemberton's views not merely about the poisonous fallacy that opera and classical music are elitist but also about the dangers and absurdity of the State or Government Agencies promoting or subsidising Rock and Roll as if we are a latter day East Germany or Romania.

Can you imagine the following !? : " Ladies and Gentlemen; Boys and Girls; Fellow Pop-pickers - Can you now please welcome to the Garage, Glasgow - the indomitable British Sea Power - brought to you in association with The Ministry of Fisheries and Food "

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[MrGongGong]

Hello there,

Thanks for posting this MrGongGong. I saw the headlines in a newsfeed the other day. I agree with Mark Pemberton's views not merely about the poisonous fallacy that opera and classical music are elitist but also about the dangers and absurdity of the State or Government Agencies promoting or subsidising Rock and Roll as if we are a latter day East Germany or Romania.

Can you imagine the following !? : " Ladies and Gentlemen; Boys and Girls; Fellow Pop-pickers - Can you now please welcome to the Garage, Glasgow - the indomitable British Sea Power - brought to you in association with The Ministry of Fisheries and Food "

Best Wishes,

Tevot

Thanks for this
There is a danger in these discussions of folks resorting to the same old arguments
BUT at the same time there is also a tendency for some people to claim "special pleading" on often spurious grounds.

Yes, Opera is very expensive
Yes, it's cheaper than going to football etc etc

BUT if one looks at the proportion of ACE spending going to "Classical" musics AND the geographical spread of where that money is spent then there is a need to have a discussion about what should be funded and where. If the vast majority of ACE music funding goes to 2 London based organisations where does that leave the rest of us?

a bit more here

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/12/arts-council-music-funding-unfair-opera-pop