The All-Party
Parliamentary Jazz Group, chaired by local Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah, have
issued their ‘Review of Jazz in England’ which gives an
overview of Jazz in the Country, how well it is functioning, who is well or
poorly served and the important subject of money. Described as “an Honest
Portrait and an Actionable Roadmap” it includes a vision of where we want to be
in 10 years’ time and suggestions for how to get there. The main body of the
report is quite short so I’ve just copied it over in its entirety into this
article, omitting the forewords and the appendices. The full report (78
pages, but well worth reading) can be accessed HERE. Dave Sayer
1.
Cultural and Economic Importance:
Jazz in England contributes significantly to our thriving
creative and cultural industries and our night-time economies, with dynamic and
active jazz scenes evident in all major cities in the UK, as well as a thriving
jazz festival culture taking place across the whole country, all testifying to
jazz’s enduring ability to appeal audiences across the board.
Jazz in England as a musical genre and a taught vocation
consistently outperforms its level of investment. It is innovative and
inclusive by nature, embodying a culture of excellence among its world-leading
composers and musicians in spite of being under prioritised by successive
governments.
2.
Challenges:
Jazz performance receives only 2% of Arts Council England’s
overall funding allocation for live music compared to opera which receives 49%.
Jazz venues are getting to grips with a noticeable split in
audience age profile and reduced attendance figures at live gigs compared to
before Covid.
Jazz promotion is largely volunteer-based and it is
becoming increasingly difficult to sustain vulnerable but valued grassroots
jazz venues.
Jazz touring opportunities have been severely reduced post
Brexit, which effectively ended UK musicians being able to play in Europe.
Jazz artists are poorly remunerated for their work by the
music streaming platforms, an exploitative trend which is sent to continue
given the growth of AI, unless policies are put in place to deal with this.
There are now more disabled people post-COVID and more
people are disabled due to an ageing population. Current statistic shows that
24% of people the UK are disabled (largely due to an aging population and
upcoming dementia crisis) and no one has thought to directly market to this
richest slice of society yet.
3.
Strengths and Opportunities:
Successful educational initiatives like Tomorrow’s Warriors
and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra continue to nurture and showcase young
talent.
Successful programmes such as privately-funded Jazz
Re:freshed has championed UK jazz internationally since 2013.
The resilient English jazz scene is continually
diversifying and engaging new audiences, particularly from younger and
multicultural demographics.
Jazz venues, having survived the pandemic, have proved to
be strong contributors to the night-time economy of the UK, and could help
address the current downturn in evening nights out among all age groups.
4.
Policy Recommendations:
The Arts Council England should introduce separate art form
policies to ensure a fairer portion of the overall funding allocation is
earmarked for jazz and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) should
also review the provisions of the Live Music Act 2012 to further reduce
licencing restrictions.
Arts Council England should increase the proportion of
National Lottery Project Grants given to small grassroots venues and freelance
bands and musicians. The concept of “additionality” in lottery funding must be
rigorously enforced.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Department for Business
and Trade (DBT) should put in place measures to support musicians wishing to
tour in the European Union (EU) by reducing red tape, dealing with secondary
ticket sales, funding a stand at Jazzahead!, and enhancing export office
initiatives
Department for Education (DfE) should ensure jazz and
improvised music occupies a more prominent position in music education and
music education policy in the UK and advocate stronger business and marketing
skills for jazz students in music education, particularly given the rise of AI.
Streaming needs to be fixed with some urgency so the
musicians and bands are properly remunerated. The adverse impact of AI and
algorithm-based streaming services on working musicians needs to be fixed and
legislated against and with adequate provisions to ensure fair pay and
safeguard livelihoods.
With an ageing population a concerted effort must be made
to improve access at jazz venue
Action
Plan:
The APPJG recommends:
• Holding regular national planning meetings to include key
stakeholders to facilitate the coordinated growth of jazz in England.
• Lobbying vocally and consistently to ensure equitable
streaming revenue distribution for jazz music.
• Prioritising grassroots jazz venues and organisations to
ensure they receive adequate funding and training for young jazz promoters.
• Collaborating with a range of organisations like The
Ivors Academy, UK Music, Music Venues Trust and North Point Strategy to achieve
fairer funding, remuneration and touring opportunities for musicians.
• That sufficient lottery funds are available to individuals,
organisations and grass roots venues who do not have National Portfolio
Organisation (NPO) status with a simplified entry programme.
• Art Form Policies - promulgate a shift in policy that
ensures Arts Council England formulates costed art form policies for music,
dance, drama etc. - with impact analysis
• That red tape impeding UK musicians from working in
Europe is faced with a fair and simple system – this should also apply to EU
musician who want to tour the UK – a two way street with no restrictions.
• The crucial point is that the UK jazz scene is not joined
up. People are busy with noses to the grindstone in a hostile funding
environment. It is crucial that the jazz community comes together to plot their
own course and destiny for mutual benefit.
APPJG will play its part with its partners in trying to solve the issues
set out in its action plan and the jazz community has to play its part with
national planning meetings and an effective action plan. There is not much new
under the sun so united we stand or divided we fall.
2035
Vision: where we want to be
Ten years on, having survived the cultural and economic
impacts of Brexit and the pandemic, take a look around cities across England
and you will be amazed: pubs, jazz clubs and music venues are driving a
renaissance of the night-time music scene, returning British music to its
world-leading role.
Festival and events programmes brimming with an exciting
mix of national touring talent as well as unique collaborations with leading
international players. English jazz promoters, labels and recording studios are
experiencing significant growth and are attracting inward investment simply
because they offer the best place in the world to produce and release new
music. Meanwhile, English jazz education has redefined the remit of the jazz
musician, producing capable young leaders who are not just engaging diverse new
audiences but are also harnessing the power of new technology to compose,
market and distribute their work as well as regenerating communities through
stimulating grassroots projects.
This cultural regeneration has only come about because
Government acted on the advice of APPJG and made a handful of small but
significant changes to policy back in 2025, recognising the specific needs of
different music art forms, removing barriers to success and rebalancing funding
formulae.
It’s a model that’s now being adopted in other countries across Europe, keen to emulate the UK.
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