"It's going to be very tough," he said, revealing advance bookings were "about 10%" of their normal level. Three major musicals, he added, "are not going to play over the Olympics" - but he would not name them. Lord Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group owns seven London theatres which are currently hosting shows including War Horse, Matilda and The Wizard of Oz.
The impresario said "big, big, big hits" like his own The Phantom of the Opera would continue during The Olympics. But he said some of his other theatres "will have to" close because of a drop-off in the "ordinary West End tourist audience". On a brighter note, the 63-year-old said a host of new musicals would arrive in the West End after the conclusion of the 2012 games. "I don't think I've ever had so many musicals being offered to our theatres in London as there are for the end of next year," he said.
Record Statistics - Digital music sales continued to rise in the UK in 2011, but not by enough to prevent an overall decline in album sales, according to the BPI. The music industry body said that 26.6m digital albums were sold, a 24% rise on the previous year. However, CD album sales fell by 13% to 86.2m discs. Overall, 6% fewer albums were sold than in 2010. The BPI blamed the decline on piracy and accused the government of taking too long to tackle the problem.
Digital downloads have recorded rapid growth over recent years. In 2007, only 6.2m albums were bought as files over the internet according to The Official Charts Company. The year 2011's tally was more than four times that amount. Fifteen albums sold more than 100,000 digital copies, with Adele's 21 proving the most popular. However, shoppers still showed a preference for CDs, buying more than three times the number of albums on disc than downloads.
The BPI said that "physical ownership" still played an important role, but said "a backdrop of chronic piracy" posed risks to the music industry. "While other countries take positive steps to protect their creative sector, our government is taking too long to act on piracy, while weakening copyright to the benefit of the US tech giants," said Geoff Taylor, the BPI's chief executive. "The UK has already fallen behind Germany as a music market. Unless decisive action is taken in 2012, investment in music could fall again - a creative crunch that will destroy jobs."
Forever Young - Fairport Convention, one of the most enduring names in rock and pop, celebrates 45 years as a band this year. Formed in north London during the 'summer of love', Fairport Convention played its first gig on 27 May 1967 in a Golders Green church hall. The band rapidly became popular on the club and college circuit. A record contract followed and Fairport went on to pioneer a new musical genre, British folk rock.
"Forty-five years is quite a milestone," says co-founder Simon Nicol, "but we don't intend to rest on our laurels. Fairport is a band that always looks to the future. I think the key to our longevity is live performance. We've never been a studio band - we much prefer being out there in front of an audience. Our festival at Cropredy also plays a role in sustaining us as a band - it is a highlight of so many peoples' year because it has a great feeling of continuity."
Fairport will be celebrating its 45th anniversary throughout the year. The band will start 2012 with a forty-date British tour beginning on 21 January and continuing until early March. In August, the band's festival at Cropredy will also reflect the anniversary with special guests and Fairport alumni in attendance. Co-founding member Richard Thompson will play
