CARDIFF NAMED MUSIC CITY
MUSIC will be placed at the heart of Cardiff’s future when the Welsh capital is officially declared a Music City tomorrow – the first of its kind in the UK.
Work will then begin to develop of a new music strategy which those behind it say will protect Cardiff’s music scene and boost the city’s international profile.
This strategy will see Cardiff leading the way in the UK in assessing the ways in which music can help create the type of city people want to live in.
Sound Diplomacy has already worked in Barcelona, Berlin, San Francisco and London.
In Cardiff they will work with the whole music sector in Cardiff and its stakeholders to form a music tourism strategy.
The idea is to work with musicians, promoters and venues, through to planners and licensing authorities, to look at the value music can bring. The aim is to develop policies which treat music as infrastructure and deliver a healthy music ecosystem, which will create vibrant communities, build an international profile and increase the value of music in the city.
Before the work commences, music lovers are invited to attend a celebratory evening on Womanby Street from 6.45pm on Thursday evening to hear speeches from local politicians and supporters of the Save Womanby Street campaign.
The campaign sprung up to pro- tect venues. Then, Cardiff council said it would buy a derelict building next to Clwb Ifor Bach, protecting the street’s music venues from potential unsuitable residential developments.
The Welsh Government has already announced, the ‘agent of change’ policy will come into effect across Wales in Spring 2018.
Speaking on behalf of the campaign, Alex Owen said: “December 14 will be a momentous day. After months of campaigning it is great to see a city’s dreams become a reality.
“We can’t wait to be working with Cardiff Council and Sound Diplomacy, pioneers of music cities, to protect and support our music so that it can thrive.
“The ambitious plans which have been set out mean that we are not just talking about protecting live music, but planning to help it thrive for decades to come.
“This is far from the end, but it does signal a new beginning to make Cardiff the very best for music development in the UK. On the 14th we will be celebrating the achievements, the partnerships and the power of our community on Womanby Street across all venues.
“We invite anyone who loves music to join us in celebration and show the world Cardiff means business when it comes to music. Exciting times are here.”
Council leader Huw Thomas said: “Music is an incredibly powerful force for good in our everyday lives, but more than this it has the power to shape cities, particularly ones with the distinctive cultural offering that we have here in Cardiff.
“That’s why this announcement is such great news, not just for musicians and concert-goers, but for everyone who wants to see Cardiff develop its international profile, make the most of its potential and become a truly great world capital.”
Sound Diplomacy CEO Shain Shapiro said: “It’s an honour and a responsibility to be working with Cardiff council to add up, measure and assess the music infrastructure across the city.
“The council has shown through its efforts on Womanby Street and its increased engagement in music that to it music is of economic, social and cultural benefit to the city. We take this incredibly seriously and will work to develop a music policy that musicians, businesses and residents can benefit from and be proud of.
Coun Thomas added: “Our work with Sound Diplomacy will go a long way towards protecting the future of music in Cardiff, but it will also go further, harnessing the power of the city’s musical past, and its future, to help drive regeneration, strengthen communities and benefit the economy.”