In a powerful show of support for the arts, the government of the United Kingdom is putting forth £500,000 ($755,550 U.S.) to open public rehearsal spaces for bands. Ten of these “fully-equipped” spaces will be set up by the end of 2009, placed strategically in various locations across the U.K.: Liverpool, Norfolk, Bristol, Hastings and Manchester, to name a few. The first space has already opened in the Knotty Ash Youth Center where the Beatles played in 1962.
The program is being co-developed by Feargal Sharkey, a former member of punk rock band The Undertones, with the goal of improving the culture for youths in otherwise “deprived” areas.
In an era where nearly all forms of music revenue (even live performance) are falling, should government funding of music be something to consider as a solution?
Government funds music rehearsals
Tags: arts in government, United Kingdom
