Next Generation - A major entertainment centre is fundraising to invest £20m into a new academy to develop the next generation of musicians. The Glasshouse in Gateshead is aiming to support young musicians throughout their education and help them build a career in music. Over the next two years, the academy will open four ‘music learning hot spots’ in Middlesbrough, Carlisle, Sunderland and Kendal.
The organisation said the scheme had been designed to ensure young musicians could take their next step in developing their talent, whether that be picking up an instrument for the first time or pursuing a career.
Glasshouse CEO Abigail Pogson said the centre, previously called The Sage, had worked for the last 20 years to be a place people of all ages could make and experience music. She said: "The Glasshouse Academy builds on this foundation by opening up even more opportunities for young people and ensuring the North East remains a thriving centre for music learning and professional development."
Stream On - Spotify paid the music industry $10bn (£7.7bn) in 2024, which the streaming service said was the highest annual payment from any single retailer in history. But the figures come as a heated debate continues about how much money artists and songwriters receive in royalties. Earlier this year, several Grammy-nominated songwriters boycotted an awards event hosted by Spotify in a row about their streaming earnings.
As the new figures were published, a spokesperson for Spotify said the responsibility for distributing the money it pays lay with record labels and publishers. The company said it pays royalties to rights holders, adding that it does not have "visibility" on where the money ultimately goes because earnings are based on artists' individual contracts with their labels.
A spokesperson said: "Spotify does not pay artists or songwriters directly. We pay rights-holders, these are typically record labels, music publishers, collection societies. These rights-holders then pay artists and songwriters based on their individual agreements."
Folk News - One of the oldest folk festivals in England was cancelled after making a £320,000 loss last year, council documents have revealed. The annual four-day Cambridge Folk Festival, organised by Cambridge City Council, first began in 1965 and has been hosted in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall. Papers published by the council ahead of an upcoming meeting this week cited the "financial difficulties faced by the folk festival". It said it had "earmarked £75,000 to deliver an alternative programme of folk-related events in 2025" ahead of the full festival's return in 2026.
The council said that "while revenues have remained broadly stable, costs have increased significantly as they have for the whole of the UK festival sector". It said it was "committed to the long-term success of the internationally acclaimed Cambridge Folk Festival", adding: "During the 2025 fallow year, the council will review the format of the festival so that it can return in 2026".
Headline Act - Stevie Wonder has been announced as the headline act for Lancashire's Lytham Festival. The veteran music star will perform on 3 July, the day after US rock band Kings of Leon open the event. Festival co-founder Peter Taylor said: "He's a global icon, a superstar, and to get him to come to Lytham is a coup for us and we're very proud." Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, Simple Minds and Texas will also perform at the event on Lytham Green on 2-6 July.
Empire Honour - Bill Kenwright has been remembered with a new sculpture at the Liverpool Empire, which his partner Jenny Seagrove labelled his "favourite theatre in the world". A bust of the Liverpudlian producer, created by local sculptor Tom Murphy, has been erected as part of the venue’s 100th anniversary. The Liverpool Empire Theatre’s centenary celebrations also include a two-week run of Willy Russell’s Liverpool-based musical Blood Brothers, one of Kenwright’s longest-running hits.
Rolling On - Memorial benches honouring two former members of the Bay City Rollers have been unveiled in Edinburgh. Online fan group Still Rollin raised more than £12,000 for the tributes in the city's Princes Street Gardens. They recognise founding member Alan Longmuir, who died in 2018, and former lead singer Les McKeown, who died in 2021. The Scottish pop rock band became tartan-clad sensations in the UK and US in the 1970s and had hits with songs like Shang-a-lang and Bye Bye Baby.
Farewell - Stedman Pearson from the British pop group Five Star has died at the age of 60, his family has announced. Pearson had diabetes and was on dialysis treatment, his sister Deniece said. Stedman and Deniece were members of the band along with their siblings Lorraine, Doris and Delroy. Their matching outfits and synchronised dance routines meant they were seen by some as a British answer to The Jackson 5. RIP.
(Jim Evans)
