Five theatre organisations and one music festival will receive funding. Shared Experience will receive £105,000 over three years to support one trainee director and producer per year via paid six-month apprenticeships; Tangled Feet will receive £14,000 over two years to help fund its participation programme for young people; Manchester Royal Exchange's Young Company will receive £10,000; Chickenshed will receive £15,000 towards its Young Creators Programme; Icon Theatre in Medway will receive £9,000; and the Lake District International Summer Music Festival will receive £10,000.
Since the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation was re-launched in 2011, it has donated over £8.5m to more than 120 projects. Madeleine Lloyd Webber, trustee for the foundation, said: "I'm delighted to announce the foundation's support of these projects which give young people valuable experience within professional arts organisations. We often forget about the talented individuals working behind the scenes, but it is equally important to provide training for the skills as it is for performers, so the arts across the UK can continue to produce to the highest standards."
Sound of 2014 - Singer Sam Smith has been named the winner of the BBC's Sound of 2014, which highlights the best new artists for the year ahead. The list was compiled using tips from 170 UK-based critics, broadcasters and bloggers, and previous winners include Adele, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J.
Brit Awards - Pop acts Bastille and Disclosure lead the nominations at the 2014 Brit Awards, in a field that leans heavily towards new bands. Both acts have four nominations, followed closely by pop star Ellie Goulding and dance collective Rudimental, who have three each. Two-time Brit winner David Bowie is up for best British male and best album, while Arctic Monkeys also get two nods.The Sheffield band will open the awards ceremony on 19 February. Other acts scheduled to perform at the show include Bastille, Bruno Mars, up for best international male, and Rudimental.
Streaming News - Music streaming through websites like Spotify and YouTube increased by 32% in the US in 2013. More than 118 billion streams took place according to Nielsen and Billboard's 2013 Music Report. The boost came as sales of physical albums dropped by almost 14%, while digital sales recorded no change. The number of albums bought on vinyl increased by 33%, echoing the UK trend where events like Record Store Day helped double sales of vinyl last year.
Brighton Rock - Campaigners hoping to save the Brighton Hippodrome from being converted into a cinema and bar complex are calling for the disused venue to be reinstated as a live performance space. A petition urges Brighton and Hove City Council to bring the 1,400-seat hippodrome back into use as versatile space for live shows, highlighting its ability to accommodate large, top-class productions.
"The Hippodrome could be used in a variety of modes - as a proscenium theatre, as a theatre-in-the-round or with a thrust or open stage, or for 'circus' type of performance, similar to the Roundhouse in Camden, London," says the petition. It adds: "Such a venue would significantly enhance the city's appeal to visitors, attracting audiences from across a wide area, including London, helping to make Brighton the principal cultural hub of the south-east region."
(Jim Evans)
