(a)

the council had been investing in culture in the  city for many years which had resulted in massive growth in this sector; the Box was due to open this year and had seen the £40m project leading the way in contemporary visual art;

(b)

the music sector had suffered from limited investment which had made the grass roots music venues particularly vulnerable; the loss of music spaces within the city included The White Rabbit, Voodoo Lounge and Admiral Stopford Arms;

(c)

despite only operating on average at 53%, the grass roots music venues -

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programmed 2829 live music events each year;

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achieved attendance of 294,216 people at events, in the last 12 months;

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featured 8770 performances;

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provided opportunities for 31,117 musicians;

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boosted the cultural economy by over £4m;

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contributed nearly £7m to the wider night-time economy;

(d)

the report’s recommendations/action plan would be discussed at a meeting scheduled with the music sector in March 2020;

(e)

the search for new music venues with a capacity of 500 and 1500 would commence and the council would work in partnership with the local music industry and nationally to create opportunities and secure these venues;

(f)

this work supported the emerging visitor plan in creating an après sea experience and thriving night-time economy;

(g)

music would be incorporated within the Culture Strategy refresh with the full engagement of local sector.

(h)

whilst there were buildings within the city that could be used as music venues, it was essential to understand the obstacles preventing this from happening; it was also important to stress that the city already had a vibrant music culture;

(i)

funding streams were available for live grass root music venues through grants of up to £40,000 (this could be used for marketing and promotion); the council was providing support to venue owners in order for them to be able to bid for this funding;

(j)

work was being undertaken to review -

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all council owned properties with a view to re-purposing them for use as a venue;

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all council owned land, in order to bring forward sites for use;

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vacant and derelict sites that were coming forward for development which could potentially be re-purposed;

(k)

the feedback from the music industry had been that it wanted a different type of relationship with the council; the industry wished the council to act in a facilitator role; the solution would not be for the council to build or operate venues.

(1)

report and the demonstrable vibrancy of the cultural sector;

(2)

music report and endorsed the adoption of the associated action plan;