Innovations in Teaching Politics (Group) Award

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Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation

The ‘Badlands’ of the ‘Balkan Route’: Policy and Spatial Effects on Urban Refugee Housing

European development NGOs and the diversion of aid: Contestation, fence‐sitting, or adaptation?

Students from over 120 countries choose to study at Aston University - a safe and friendly campus enjoyed by a global, multicultural community. Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities and home to an unrivalled cultural heritage, top sporting events, music, performing arts and outstanding world cuisine.

Aston University

Dr Patrycja Rozbicka joined the department in 2015, having previously worked as a post-doc and lecturer at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Prior to coming to the United Kingdom, Dr Rozbicka held appointments at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada, visiting researcher post at the Institute of European Studies,  Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, and finished her PhD at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy.

Dr Rozbicka's research agenda focuses on two main topics. The main area of research circulates around participation of interest groups in the European and national policy-making and transposition processes; which includes questions like: How influential are interest groups in the politics? Access routes for lobbyists and their effectiveness? And, regulation of interest groups access to policy-makers. The second strand of research focuses on the regulation of the live music industry in the UK and EU. The main issues there are: influence of Brexit on the live music industry and stakeholders participation in the regulation.  Next to these, she works on: E-democracy and environmental policy-making.

IR Aesthetics

Regulation of Live Music

Interest Groups

Live Music Industry

Brexit

Interest Groups in Policy-Making

BLMP

Aston Research Explorer Profile

Ruhr-Universität Bochum Faculty Profile

University of Victoria Profile

Anger at revelation arts venues in region have received lowest support in the whole country

Boris’s rule of six could sound ‘death knell’ for live music sector warn experts

Brexit impact on music industry detailed in new study

Report: 2020 festival season “main worry” post-Brexit

New report claims post-Brexit drop in music tourism could cost the UK economy hundreds of millions

new-research-highlights-the-economic-importance-of-live-music-to-birmingham-and-the-west-midlands

Senior Lecturer

 It found local authorities need to more explicitly recognise the economic, social and cultural value of live music and live music venues The report calls for dialogue between music stakeholders and government The research is published by Aston University and supported by the AHRC-funded Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.  New research by the Birmingham Live Music Project (BLMP) highlights the huge economic value of Birmingham’s live music scene, the vital contribution small independent venues make, the ongoing impact of the pandemic and what is needed to support the recovery of the sector in the city.

The research is published by Aston University, with colleagues from Newcastle University and Birmingham City University, and supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.

In 2019, the UK’s live music sector was valued at over £1.3 billion. After almost a decade of strong growth the sector helped push the UK music’s overall GVA from £3.5 billion in 2012 to £5.8 billion in 2019, the outbreak of the global pandemic brought it to a near standstill.

This paper explores, through a local lens and a focus on Birmingham, the challenges stakeholders across the live music sector have faced in recent years.

The research finds that small live music venues are the lifeblood of this financial, cultural and community asset for the city.

In 2019 Birmingham helped bring 877,000 music tourists to the West Midlands, with a total cultural spend in the region of £252,000,000 (UK Music). But during summer 2020, the research published today found, Birmingham’s live music capacity of approx. 98,000 dropped by around 75%. This impacted ticket prices, the availability of events across the city, and the economic viability of shows – while some venues could stay open, they couldn’t make a profit.

The report makes clear independent venues need protection and support particularly in the wake of the pandemic. It calls for dialogue between music stakeholders and government in advance of the 2025 review of the EU-UK Trade and Co-Operation Agreement to identify the best means of reducing friction and support for the efforts to improve the Agreement, for example work on border force training, expanding the number of checkpoints where carnets and Music Instrument Certificates can be checked, reducing bureaucracy for live event transport and haulage, examination of further measures to develop the ’dual registration’ system for specialist hauliers to ease pressure on touring.

Dr Patrycja Rozbicka, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Aston University and one of the report authors, said:

“Local authorities need to more explicitly recognise the economic, social and cultural value of live music and live music venues, including grassroots venues, to their region(s).

“Environmental, health, culture and city regeneration strategies have to take account of the existing and huge potential contribution of live music to the city and region.

“What is needed is a cross-policy approach, implementation of a Night-time Industry Impact Assessment and dialogue between local authorities and the music sector, where the recently launched West Midlands Music Board could play a role.

“We would like to see the creation of information hubs to support local venues and audiences with initiatives such those undertaken by the Liverpool City Region including a Music Fund which supports activities of the Liverpool City Region Music Board as well as helping with funding applications and advice.

You can read the full report here. 

New research highlights the economic importance of live music to Birmingham and the West Midlands

https://crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com

This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.

A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.

/// SUPPORT

Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield https://research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#

Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci/

The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
www.iaspm.org.uk

Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
www.artofrecordproduction.com/

Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
www.dancecult-research.net

International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
www.metalstudies.org/

/// ORGANIZERS

IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett

/// CREDITS

This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.

/// PRESENTATION DETAILS

Brexit and the UK live music industry: A tangled web? (taking a stock 2016-2018)

Dr Patrycja Rozbicka - Aston University, Birmingham

E-mail: p.rozbicka@aston.ac.uk

/// ABSTRACT

The question of a fallout from Brexit on the music industry is hunting a number of analysts. The trend in mushrooming publications (see for example: Billboard and Pitchfork portals)[1] and media coverage (with the Guardian and Politico.eu taking lead) confirms existing interest in the topic. Most of the analysts draw a distinction between the immediate-short term effect of the “leave” result stemming from the referendum and the long-term consequences of evoking the art. 50 and the UK leaving the European Union (EU). Contrary to the general focus on the music sector and leaving aside the short-term consequences, the below entry focuses on possible scenarios resulting from upcoming Brexit negotiations for a specific sub-sector of economy: the live music industry. We first bring about numbers and indicators underlying the importance of the sub-sector for the UK and Europe’s economies (briefly alluding also to its cultural value). Later, while bringing to the front the discussion of current arrangements for Norway, Switzerland, US and Canada, we suggest two possible scenarios. The conclusions are rather gloom and clearly indicate negative effects for involved stakeholders.

Patrycja Rozbicka: Brexit and the UK live music industry: A tangled web? (taking a stock 2016-2018)

Birmingham and the (international) business of live music – A globalised local perspective - panel discussion for London Calling 2020 IASPM UK & Ireland online conference with ADAM BEHR (NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY, UK), CRAIG HAMILTON (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY, UK), PATRYCJA ROZBICKA (ASTON UNIVERSITY, UK), chaired by Danny Hagan (University of West London)

Birmingham Live Panel

West Midlands and the (international) business of Creative Culture – A globalized local perspective

Time and place: 18th September, 16.00-18.00

This panel discussion focuses on the insides from the ongoing initiatives and projects that engage with the creative culture sector (including live music) in the West Midlands against the backdrop of the broader socio-political factors that affect its potential sustainability, and link it to the global context. The panellist will look at the ecology of the creative culture sector, live events and night time economy of West Midlands (with a particular focus on Birmingham) and the interdependencies between various direct and in-direct participants, such us policymakers, performers, venues, and gig-goers and visitors. A vibrant, major region with a distinctive history of producing and consuming arts and popular music, West Midlands’ cultural economy serves as a useful case study for the upheavals surrounding the UK’s exit from the EU and Covid-19 response. With large portion of the population below 25 years old (in particular in Birmingham with 40%), two of the largest indoor venues in England, and due to the Coventry City of Culture in 2021 and hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 in Birmingham, the region’s sensitivity to the effects of Brexit and Covid-19 on the ‘cultural tourism’ economy place it at the centre of the local and the global in the creative culture economy.

We will also encourage participants to look at the Birmingham Music Map, as well as, to answer a series of questions in the Audience and Musicians Surveys. These map and surveys are designed not only to gather information about how we are responding to COVID-19, but also to produce data about more general attitudes and approaches to live music in the region.

The ongoing initiatives and projects behind this panel discussion involve the combination of labours taken by the Culture Central West Midlands Creative Response Unit (CRU), the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), and Birmingham Live Music Project (BLMP). The CRU focuses on the development and delivery of an action-oriented, sector led response to the Covid-19 in the short, medium and long term. Its purpose is to ensure the visibility, viability and recovery of the cultural sector in the West Midlands. The NTIA is the organization representing nigh time industries and works to increase awareness and understanding of its contribution and benefits. The NTIA seeks to influence the decisions of policymakers and ensure that the night time economy continues to flourish, supporting its regeneration, creating jobs and enhancing the UK’s international reputation. BLMP, while deploying mapping of venues, musical activity, alongside consultations with a range of (private and public) institutional stakeholders, looks at the ‘state of play’ on the ground in Birmingham, the concerns of its musical participants and, by extension, the challenges brought about by changes in the globalized music economy, and national policy for local cultural activity. 

The panel discussion will outline some of the ongoing initiatives and methods they deploy, the concept of ‘music city’ and the preliminary outcomes to make suggestions about how an urban geographical area that is tied into national and international mechanisms can work to sustain its creative culture ecology in the face of uncertainty in the surrounding political terrain.

Moderator:

Patrycja Rozbicka, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Aston University, Birmingham (Aston Centre for Europe). 

Panel discussants:

Adam Behr, a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary and Popular Music at Newcastle University. 

Craig Hamilton, a Research Fellow in the School of Media at Birmingham City University. 

Michael Kill, CEO of Night Time Industries Association.

Erica Love, Director of Culture Central has worked in the regions cultural sector for over 15 years, becoming Director of Culture Central in November 2019.

West Midlands and the (international) business of Creative Culture – A globalized local perspective

Birmingham Live Music (BLMP) research programme examines the impact of shifts in the globalized music economy and national level changes on localised cultural, social and economic actors from the perspective of Birmingham. Its aims are to inform the public, policy-makers, and the different stakeholders involved of these effects, along with best practices and possible solutions to the different challenges faced by the globalised live music industry on a local scale. The programme aims at a detailed mapping of the live music ecosystem in Birmingham, deploying elements of the established ‘live music census’ methodologies (replicable surveys of audiences, musicians, venues and promoters, interview and observational data, stakeholder consultation) to produce tailored qualitative and quantitative data and recommendations in the Birmingham and West Midlands context, and contribute to the broader picture of the UK’s place in the global live music economy.

https://livemusicresearch.org/birmingham-live-music-project/

Birmingham Live Music Project

This presentation concentrates on the participants within the Birmingham live music ecology, the qualitative aspects of the research and the consultation process that feeds into it. With a core network of local actors including Birmingham City Council, the Birmingham Music Coalition, and the Birmingham Music Archive – as well as national agencies – the project seeks to incorporate stakeholder perspectives throughout the research as part of a process of the co-production of knowledge. Building on the previous papers’ accounts of the national and international policy contexts, and the data gathering, this section of the panel moves onto a synthesis of the specific implications for local businesses and policymakers of the research findings. It provides a picture of the key concerns for Birmingham’s live music ecology, drawing on the wider dataset and first-hand accounts of both the historical and present-day cultural activity in the city, and their intersection with local government and civil society. With a view of the wider structural picture provided by the overarching research findings, this paper looks to strategies for communication and co-ordination in response to the challenges thrown up by Brexit for Birmingham and the West Midlands – the localized approach to national policy shifts.

Bio:
Patrycja Rozbicka, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Aston University, Birmingham (Aston Centre for Europe). Her main areas of interest and publications include: participation of interest groups and various stakeholders in the national and EU political systems; coalitions and networks studies; and regulation of the live music industry. She is PI on the Project ‘UK Live Music industry in post-2019 area: Globalized local perspective’ funded by Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, led by NESTA.
Correspondence: Aston University, School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK; p.rozbicka@aston.ac.uk.

'Birmingham’s perspective – local responses and concerns' Patrycja Rozbicka

The COVID-19 pandemic isn't the only thing slowing down the live music industry, as the newly implemented Brexit deal makes it harder for musicians in the UK to travel and perform across Europe. Dr. Patrycja Rozbicka, Senior Lecturer at Aston University, speaks to NewsPoint360 about her involvement in the Birmingham Live Music Project, the challenges facing musicians and other industries built around the live performance sector,  what possible partnerships with European countries exist to mitigate the negative effects of Brexit and the pandemic, as well as the risk of homogenization in live music acts in the UK, if touring becomes too expensive for smaller bands or performers.

Learn more about Patrycja Rozbicka's expertise and media appearances here:
https://expertfile.com/experts/drpatrycja.rozbicka

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