Discover UKCMA's guidance for responsible crowd management 

• Last week saw the publication of ‘Safer Crowds, Safer Venues: Good Practice for Crowd Management in UK Performance & Licensed Spaces’ by the UK Crowd Management Authority and supported by LIVE and NTIA. A highly anticipated piece of work which signposts to current good practice in crowd management for public safety and offers essential tools for the small to mid-cap venues (below 5,000 capacity) that are its focus. 
• The guidance complements, but avoids duplication of, an existing array of crowd management documentation catering for other areas of the events sector: the National Arenas Association’s A Guide, which supports venues over 5,000 capacity, the EIF’s Purple Guide targeted at outdoor events operators, and the Green Guide which caters for sports grounds crowds. It therefore consolidates an arsenal of material which cumulatively represents industry-wide efforts to raise the bar for crowd management.  By making tailored recommendations for each stage of an event from doors to audience egress, providing templates for risk assessment, staffing, and exit mapping, this guidance constitutes a real asset to the cause of public safety at events. This work is by no means intended to be prescriptive or enforced by regulators: its guidance should be interpreted flexibly according to the needs of each particular venue across the capacity spectrum. You can access the full document free of charge here.

Musician’s Union ‘State of Musicians Working in the EU’ survey calls for respondents to support push for improved touring arrangements

• The Musicians’ Union continues to support touring musicians with its 2024 survey, ‘The State of Musicians Working in the EU’. Touring Europe, once an essential and reliable income source for many working musicians, has become untenable for many following Brexit. The MU is recruiting survey respondents to flesh out the picture five years on, asking how much working patterns have changed since 2019, whether there’s been any improvement year on year, and what support the Union should provide. By responding, you’ll be equipping the industry with an updated dataset that supports advocacy work across the board, and there’s a lot to play for this year. Make your voice heard here in order to support MU’s guidance supporting UK touring musicians and engagement with policymakers at this crucial juncture. Open to respondents until Friday, 24 May.

CMS Committee’s report on Creator Remuneration offers welcome recommendations for live music industry

• The UK creative industries, of which live music is a vital constituent, are a global cultural powerhouse and a force for good. This week’s CMS Committee Report on creator remuneration acknowledges the economic contribution and potential of the creative industries, including the music industry, as well as the challenges facing its workforce – not least a reliance on public funding, prevalence of unfavourable freelance agreements, the advance of artificial intelligence, and the shortcomings of the current copyright framework. 
• LIVE took particular interest in the Committee’s recommendations in relation to freelancers, an essential element of our industry, and one on which we will soon be shedding further light via the results of our own deep dive into ‘the Hidden Side of Freelancing’ (in partnership with Handle Freelance Solutions and the Back Lounge), to be published in the coming weeks. Last year’s report by Entourage Pro, a global freelancer network, likewise pointed to the challenges facing those working in the live music sector as freelance crew and manufacturers, a workforce impacted severely by the pandemic and whose struggles are additionally felt in shortages and delays further up the supply chain. 
• The Committee’s recommendations would also seem to align with much of the prospective roadmap for supporting the Creative Industries published by the Labour party last month in centring the creative industries and their workforce within an emerging policy agenda. LIVE will continue to advocate for creators working in the live music sector. 

Skiddle steps up to join circle of LIVE supporters

• LIVE is delighted to welcome events and ticketing connoisseurs Skiddle to our circle of supporters who facilitate our advocacy and representation work. Given the company’s values, operations and commitment to charitable objectives, we’re behind Skiddle’s work and thrilled to have them behind us as well. At LIVE, we’re lucky to be supported by such a broad range of industry groups – a circle which is a reminder of our unique position as sector representatives and a testament to our broad church approach to advocacy and engagement. As we build out our programme for a high-stakes year, we’d love you to get in touch with us to talk about what your role could be. Email our Head of Partnerships, Gaby Cartwright on gaby@livemusic.biz.

LIVE Talks: Trans education and inclusion in the Music Industry, part ii

• Join Saskhia Menendez, an equality and diversity ambassador, researcher, mentor, public speaker, and social change activist on Thursday 25th April, online, from 12pm – 1pm, for Part II of her series of workshops on Trans Education & Inclusion in the Music Industry. This workshop is free and open for all – register here. 
• Saskhia works to help diversify the music industry landscape, as well as improve representation, and educate and inform others of the barriers faced by marginalised groups. She is a multi-racial trans woman who transitioned 12 years ago, a parent of two children, and has over 10 years of experience in the music industry. This session is a safe space for people to feel more comfortable and equip themselves with an understanding of Trans issues and rights.

Get the Freelancer scoop at PLASA

• Catch Gaby, LIVE’s Head of Partnerships, at industry technology bonanza PLASA Focus Leeds (14-15 May): she’ll be hosting a discussion of our recent freelancer survey, ‘The Hidden Side of Freelancing’, along with our survey lead Richard Turrell (Handle Freelance Solutions) and event production specialist Paul Jones (Ethix Management). This session, supported by the Power of Events, promises some game-changing insights into what’s great for freelancers in our industry, where there are disconnects between both recruitment and employee satisfaction, and what we can do to make the most of our wonderful workforce. See you there at 12.15 on Tuesday, 14 May: details here.

Industry medics Tonic Rider present mental health training courses

• Our friends at industry wellbeing charity Tonic Rider are now offering dedicated training sessions by mental health experts for music industry professionals. Tonic’s bespoke service addresses the struggles specific to the industry lifestyle as well as broader psychodynamic patterns. Signup for Mental Health First Aid sessions across April and May are now live here.

British Arts Festivals Association launch inquiry into UK festivals sector

• ‘Festivals Mean Business’, BAFA’s ongoing research programme, addresses the scope and impact of the arts festivals sector in the UK. Considering the current pressures faced by music festivals – with rapidly accelerating supply chain costs causing twenty eight closures already this year, according to AIF – there’s never been a more important time for festivals to come together, share their experiences, and empower lobbyists with the information and figures that support crucial advocacy work. Arts festivals of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to contribute in order to support this research and design a strategy for protecting the next generation of events by responding to the survey, open until the 22 April. Take part here.