An open letter to the music industry in Leicester
3rd January 2014
2013 has been a year that is no less marked for its musical achievements than any previous year.
Looking back over the year, 2013 has been marked by high standards of achievements from the bands, singers and music artists who reside in the city of Leicester and country of Leicestershire.
There is been a great deal of debate about music here in this city and despite much that has been achieved, a lot more remains to be done.
I would therefore invite you join me in a meeting to take place on
Monday 20th January
from 7.30 pm
at The Looking Glass in Braunstone Gate
This letter explains the intention of this meeting which I call the Leicester Music Forum, as a working title.
The Background
A lot of debate took place, on Facebook in November, in which people expressed their views and opinions on a wide range of issues concerning the way that live music is organised in Leicester.
This was both interesting and informative but my feeling is that Facebook threads, useful though they are, are no substitute for face-to-face discussion. The various threads revealed the problems but not much about the solutions.
Come together
This letter bids people, who are interested in putting thoughts into action, to gather together and share and discuss the ways in which concerns, issues and ideas can be turned into positive outcomes.
Like many other people in Leicester, I have been a keen follower, supporter and devotee of bands, singers and music artists and wish to see developments, growth and improvements that will be of benefit to the whole music community in the local area.
What is clear is that there is no overall consensus about what these should be. I doubt that there ever could be such as consensus, given the wide diversity we enjoy in our local music community, but I do think that there should be more agreement amongst the key movers about what will foster and encourage a better deal for musicians and their fans.
This meeting is to see if we can join together to create an on-going forum through which a range of practical initiatives can be worked on. I know this has been tried before but I think the time is now ripe to try again and the beginning of a new year is perhaps a good time to bring people together to look forward to the challenges and aspirations that lie ahead.
There will I am sure be many questions about why, who, what, how and when and I would not want the meeting simply to be about holding meetings. Meetings about meetings is not the most inspirational way to make progress.
Show your commitment
In bidding you all to attend this meeting, I am seeking your commitment, inspiration and ingenuity to finding ways to move forward; it is a call for all of us who love music and are passionate about music-making to begin to sing from the same song sheet.
Our city has a great wealth of musical talent and we should respond to that and love, honour and nurture those who give up their time to play for us and do all that we can to share their talents with the rest of the world.
Before we can do that however we must set our house in order. Those who deliver live music – the promoters, venue owners and festival organisers – are called together to see how best they can provide better, richer and more rewarding shows, gigs and stages for the musicians on whose music, talent and creativity we all depend.
Neutral Territory
This meeting is intended to provide a neutral territory – it is not owned by me, Arts in Leicester or any other body or organisation.
If you come to it you will get out only as much as you put in to it.
Trevor Locke
27/12/13 – 3/1/14
