Sam Fender backs plan to make Newcastle Gateshead into a 'music city'
by Barbara Hodgson · ChronicleLivePlans to create thousands of jobs by making Newcastle and Gateshead into a 'music city' have been backed by Tyneside singer Sam Fender.
The plans from Glasshouse International Centre for Music and music development agency Generator aim to attract investment from the national music industry into the area, bringing more people to shows in the area as well as boosting jobs, education and skills. The plans could create between 2,000 and 4,000 new jobs and provide a £750m annual boost to the regional economy.
It is hoped that the iniative will provide better links between education and music careers, with emerging artists being helped to thrive while remaining based in the region. The idea is for the next generation of local musicians to have more opportunities to both learn and to play.
Award-winning North Shields singer-songwriter Sam Fender, who recently announced a new album and a new tour which has sent fans into a frenzy for tickets, said: “I fully support the launch of Newcastle Gateshead Music City. I couldn’t be prouder of my region for its vast wealth of musical heritage.
“Music is an integral part of our culture that has been neglected historically in the North East. It’s about time we put more resource into nurturing our local talent to ensure it is taken seriously as a priority sector.”
Alongside Sunderland Music City and Sonic Futures in Tees Valley, Newcastle Gateshead Music City will be out to transform the region into a national music powerhouse. North East mayor Kim McGuinness welcomed the plans, saying: “For generations, North East music has shaped our region’s identity and powered our dreams but for too long it has been treated as an optional add-on to our economic success.
"As North East mayor, I’m working with people from across our region to put the creative economy at the centre of our plans for economic growth. That means not just more fabulous music coming from talented local artists but also space for recording, backing for live music and, crucially, a skills plan for the creative industries.
"The Music City project will help make these plans a reality not just in Newcastle and Gateshead but across our North East."
The Glasshouse and Generator will set up a music board will be made up of representatives - including those at grassroots levels as well as major labels - to help local artists both launch and sustain careers. Research will be undertaken to explore the region’s current assets and potential and this will begin with a map of the 'region’s music ecosystem' to make it easier for musicians to discover what venues, studios and support is available to them. There also will be a focus upon attracting more visitors to the region through live music, building upon figures from UK Music which show that music tourism here is already on the up, having risen 29% last year.
Mick Ross, chief executive officer of Generator which over the past two years has forged partnerships with record labels such as EMI North and Warner UK and is now shaping the Music City vision, said the agency will be the "beating heart" of a collective commitment to see the region thrive. He said: "We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put the region on the global map for music and the creative industries."
Newcastle and Gateshead have the 'perfect ecosystem' in place, he thinks, with the likes of Generator, venues, educational facilities and industry investment as well as "crucially, a cultural environment and population that wholly embraces the creative sector and the economic opportunities it presents for everybody". He said: "Adding the collective civic and political willingness to make such ambitious plans come to fruition, now is the time for all those component parts to come together and to make Music City happen."
Wendy Smith, creative director of The Glasshouse in Gateshead, said Music City will build an even stronger local music community, assessing its assets and filling in gaps to make it more resilient. “We have an amazing music history that we can celebrate, a vibrant music scene right now and an even more exciting future," she said, adding that the Music City initiative is for everyone, of all ages and from all walks of life.
“Growing music here will create jobs, increase people's skills and make sure every child or young person can get involved with music, as learners, creators and audiences. We want to see children from all backgrounds and life circumstances learning music now to be the artists on our stages in the future."
With performers such as Sam Fender, Nadine Shah and Lanterns On The Lake plus rising names like Frankie Archer, Finn Forster, Kay Greyson all helping to raise the local music profile, the initiative aims to further 'supercharge' the sector. Wendy added that the recent announcement of the MOBOs coming to Newcastle in February, and a MOBO Fringe Festival, is also highlighting the national awareness of artists and audiences in the North East.
The launch of the initiative comes as arts organisations are also trying to set up a UK-first centre for writers in Newcastle, with a bid for £5m in funding from the Government.
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