West Midlands Music Board launches to help industry recover after pandemic

To help the region’s music and entertainment industry recovery following the pandemic, Culture Central has announced the launch of a new initiative, the first-ever West Midlands Music Board (WMMB).

In a statement from B:Music – the music charity responsible for Symphony Hall and Town Hall – it explained that: “Until now, there has been an absence of a dedicated music board to provide the West Midlands with a collective strategic voice to advocate for, compile data on and lead the local music sector.

“The development of the WMMB has been created in close consultation with local stakeholders, in recognition and response to the significant adverse impact of the pandemic on the music sector in West Midlands – which comprises festivals, music educators, record labels, venues, production, large-scale, and commercial stakeholders, and contributes a significant portion of the UK’s £5 billion industry, with a music tourism sector that supports over 3,500 jobs.”

The WMMB has ambitious plans and they will be chaired by Nick Reed, the CEO of B:Music, and led by a diverse board of high-profile industry professionals from across the West Midlands, including; Lawrence Barton (venue manager, chair of Southside BID, organiser of PRIDE festival in Birmingham), Holly Hollister (DJ, promoter, founder of Selextorhood, and co-director of BABMAG), and Louise Stamp (general manager of O2 Academy Birmingham / O2 Institute Birmingham). The full list of the board members can be found on B:Music’s website: www.bmusic.co.uk.

Nick Reed

Nick Reed said: “The board aims to represent a unique identity, by placing music and the wider night-time economy in the West Midlands at the heart of national and regional strategy.

“We will work to ensure that decisions around investment, training, planning and skills allow our incredible music sector to flourish and grow, creating jobs and sustainable careers here in the West Midlands.

“A key part of our work will be ensuring that these careers are open and inclusive to all. From the national levelling up agenda to local transport policy, the WMMB will speak with a unified voice for music in the region. We are coming together at a time when the postponement of Stage 4 is causing profound and extended hardship for everyone in our sector. There has never been a more important time to unite, and I am delighted to chair the board, and to be working with such a talented group of people.”

WMMB’s mission is to “champion the region’s music industry and ecosystem, protect and promote music industry development at grassroots level and work with local authorities, institutions and government to develop regional data, policies and advocacy”.

In order to achieve its goals, it has set out four key objectives: 1: Economic growth and recovery; 2: Supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion; 3: Developing the local, regional and national representation of the West Midlands’ music industry; 4: Collecting and compiling data to support increased investment in the industry.

Several respected music artists from the West Midlands – including Lady Leshurr, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, and Joan Armatrading have already championed the newly established WMMB.

Lady Leshurr – who in 2018 came out publicly as pansexual – added: “There is an amazing music scene in the West Midlands, and we need to shout about it more. We need investment, training and opportunities for our talent to break through. It’s great to see this board come together to make that happen.”

Lady Leshurr