Gig venues losing tour dates

Recent figures show the number of gigs at major UK venues has dropped significantly in the past year.

The number of gigs taking place in big UK venues has almost halved in the last year according to Tixdaq.

One of the major factors causing the decline, is the opening up of new markets in South East Asia and Eastern Europe. More and more artists are flooding to these new markets, taking part in several gigs in these areas on one trip. The music festival in Manila is just one example of this new market. Bands like The Maine, This Century and The Pretty Reckless have all played at the festival this year and the bands keep going back for shows.

A problem with UK venues according to AEG Live are the size of UK venues. "It's facilities - it's as simple as that. In Murrayfield, it's 55,000 people in a city the size of Edinburgh.

"How many groups can sell 55,000? As a band or as a punter you don't want to be there with 20,000. It's miserable."

It's true bands never want to see a load of empty seats, especially those still growing as bands or artists.

One of the UK's leading rock bands, You Me At Six just played their biggest headline show ever on Saturday (8/12/12) at Wembley Arena. The reason for doing so was that it was their final night of their Sinners Never Sleep album cycle and the last that we'll hear of the band until 2014. It was this that helped the concert to sell out. Its doubtful that we'd be seeing them play a venue the size of Wembley Arena every show, despite them becoming one of the UK's biggest rock bands of the moment.

For a lot of artists it seems that they prefer to play small gigs. British rock band, Young Guns, played the Festival Republic tent and Reading and Leeds in the summer and in a number of interviews said they preferred playing to an overflowing tent than their opening set on the main stage in 2010.

The Leveson Inquiry

Lord Justice Leveson has called for a new independent body for the press after saying that “the press need to act”.

A campaign has now been launched by inquiry witnesses for MPs to implement a new body.

In his report, published on November 29^th, Lord Justice Leveson said that the press needed a new independent regulatory body that should have the power to investigate any breaches and be able to sanction newspapers. This new body should then be backed with legislation to determine whether the body is doing its job properly. This legislation would mean a legal duty put on the government to protect freedom of the press.

Newspapers that refuse to sign up this new body will be required to face direct regulation by Ofcom, the media watchdog.

The body should be independent of current journalists, the government and commercial concerns. It should also not include any current editors or MPs or other government members.

The report also suggests that a “whistle-blowing hotline” should be set up for journalists who feel under pressure to do something unethical and have journalists’ contracts include a clause protecting them if they refuse to perform unethical practises.

The report has split the coalition with Prime Minister David Cameron firmly against statutory control, whereas Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg, along with Opposition leader Ed Miliband, wants to see Lord Justice Leveson’s proposals implemented with a new law on the press.

Cameron believes that setting up such a body will only show how difficult it is to regulate in such a controversial area. Both Clegg and Miliband believe the opposite will be achieved.

 The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are currently drafting a bill that is thought to take a few weeks for it to be completed.

On Friday, the newspapers came out welcoming a new regulatory body, but supported Cameron’s opposition to the law-backed legislation, rejecting the idea of statute and involving Ofcom.

Gerry McCann, father of missing girl Madeline, has said to the BBC that, “The press has been given enough chances, and in my opinion Lord [Justice] Leveson has given them another chance to put a structure in place which they are happy with."

Actor Steve Coogan wrote in the Guardian: “By rejecting Leveson's call for statutory regulation, Cameron has hung the victims of crime out to dry. He has passed on the opportunity to make history. He has revealed there isn't an ounce of substance in his body, that he has one eye on courting the press for elections in years to come, and doesn't know the meaning of conviction.”

We wait to see the future results of the Leveson report and the effects on the press.