Race to the bottom ?
UK Music Diversity Taskforce chairman and Punch Records CEO Ammo Talwar MBE provides his perspective on Black music , local venues and building a stronger musical ecosystem .
Ammo Talwar
You know it , I know it : it ’ s our local venues and independent hotspots that are the nation ’ s talent pipeline . Grassroots venues break new artists , break new genres , build them an audience and grow the businesses of their promoters and booking agents – it ’ s called a positive musical ecosystem . So why can it seem that small venues are the ones who are the first to drop Black acts or genres ? Are grassroots venues racist ?
Short answer – no , of course not . But when you ’ re small you ’ re vulnerable ; often to excessive police pressure and to paperwork punishment from local authorities . These are the bosses behind the scenes , masking their biases as health and safety concerns . I know ; I was a promoter myself , back in the day . “ Guidance ” is issued , often last minute and often the promoters or owners have to pay for extra security . Or maybe the event is cancelled outright , and the audience and artist entourage take to Twitter to blast the venue . It ’ s often our small , local live venues that have to face this . Big commercial arenas have enough economy of scale to ensure compliance is well resourced . Light bulbs need changing ? OK – This was something we did a deep dive into in a panel discussion chaired by ex-Live Nation diversity lead David Carrigan . And this was back in June 2020 ; FORM 696 ( a Risk Assessment form targeting Black artists , Black music promoters and venues that support this innovation ) is now five years gone and how much has actually changed ?
So how can a small , grassroots venue protect its reputation , its openness and its profit margins , while continuing to book the best new sounds from the streets ? I ’ m not here to moan and groan , I ’ m here to offer some solutions that are honest , adoptable and effective :
For your artists – the anti-racist rider Black musicians have been playing to audiences of every size and demographic in the UK for years – European touring has consistently been seen as a positive experience by Black artists . While this still rings true , visa checks and airport interrogations for artists coming
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