The Week in Light & Sound
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ISM chief executive Deborah Annetts said: “Looking after your mental health is just as important as your physical health - and we know first-hand from our members the challenges out there for everyday musicians. The music sector has a high level of self-employed workers and in the largely unregulated gig economy, where short-term contracts or freelance work is prevalent, there are high levels of stress and anxiety.”
She said she hoped the new service would help musicians “take control” of their well-being, and contribute to the wider discussion about mental health in the arts.
Wonderful Life - Paul McCartney is writing his first musical, which is a stage adaptation of the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. The former Beatle is co-writing the lyrics for the musical with Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, who is also responsible for the book. Bill Kenwright, who attended the same secondary school as McCartney in Liverpool, is producing the show.
McCartney said: “Like many of these things this all started with an email; Bill had asked if it was something I might be up for. Writing a musical is not something that had ever really appealed to me but Bill and I met up with Lee Hall and had a chat and I found myself thinking this could be interesting and fun. It’s A Wonderful Life is a universal story we can all relate to.”
Suspension - Google has suspended Viagogo from taking out paid-for advertising in its search results, claiming the secondary ticketing site has breached its advertising policy. The search engine has taken the decision to stop allowing Viagogo to pay to feature at the top of rankings when potential buyers search online for tickets. It comes after the Competition and Markets Authority announced last month that it is seeking to find Viagogo in contempt of court for not adhering to consumer protection law relating to the information it gives buyers.
In a statement, Google told the BBC: “When people use our platform for help in purchasing tickets, we want to make sure that they have an experience they can trust. This is why we have strict policies and take necessary action when we find an advertiser in breach.” Campaign group the Fanfair Alliance said it had been urging Google to address Viagogo’s advertising account for more than two years.
Respect - A music festival has been accused of animal cruelty after dyeing sheep pink. Latitude shared a video of the fuchsia flock on Twitter, along with the caption: "The sheep have arrived!" But animal lovers have accused those organising the Suffolk festival of abuse - with almost 2,000 people signing a petition calling for the yearly stunt to end.
Animal rights organisation PETA UK said: "In 2019, only ignorant or cruel people still use animals as living toys, props, and photo ops. We've learned enough about animals to know to respect and admire them for their ability to live in a world we're fast destroying."
The RSPCA said: "This is very sad to see. We're a charity with no more powers than any member of public, and unfortunately this is not illegal. We want all animals treated with kindness and respect and would discourage people from painting animals for novelty purposes."
(Jim Evans)
23 July 2019
