Little House Productions rise to the challange

Feargal Sharkey Urges Councils To Donate Space To Musicians

Feargal Sharkey, Chairman of the Government’s Live Music Forum, today challenged every local council in England and Wales to transform at least one disused property in their area into a rehearsal studio for local musicians

Too often young musicians have no choice but to rehearse in a garage or spare room. If they are lucky enough to have access to a rehearsal studio, they may be forced to hand over large sums of money or put their names down on long waiting lists.
Wrexham Council are one of the first to donate a space, rent free, to the cause of local musicians. The studio, which opened today, will be free to bands who are under 18 and in education. There will be a small charge of £3-4 an hour for all other bands, which will go towards repairing and maintaining the equipment.At the opening of the studio, Feargal Sharkey, said:

“It may be a romantic stereotype – fledgling bands rehearsing in their parents’ garage before cutting their teeth on the live circuit. But good quality, properly equipped studios are invaluable in getting a good sound early on.

“With so many properties lying empty in every council area, I believe at least one has the potential to be a rehearsal studio. Wrexham Council have shown that it doesn’t need massive investment – just the donation of a space and a small financial contribution.

“We have a £5 billion music industry that starts with unknown groups and artists performing in the back room of pubs. Without them there would be no multi billion pound industry. So let’s give new and local artists a hand by providing them with somewhere proper to rehearse.”

Music Minister, James Purnell, said:

“You need a few lucky breaks to make it in the music business. Finding a good quality rehearsal space is just one of those lucky breaks.

“I hope other councils will follow the lead of Wrexham and give young bands starting out the chance to hone their skills in a professional environment.”

Andrew Davies, Minister for Economic Development in Wales, said:

“I am delighted that Wrexham has been chosen as the first location in Wales for this innovative national scheme.

“The Creative Industries is one of the most successful and fastest growing sectors of our economy, and the creation of our Creative Industries Strategy, and the new industry led Creative Industries Hub, a one-stop-shop support service, demonstrates our recognition of the importance of the creative sector.

“Live music is a very important part of the sector, and the music industry as a whole is one of the UK's biggest and most culturally significant creative industries. Here in Wales our reputation precedes us in the music sector. From Goldie Looking Chain to Katherine Jenkins, Sir Tom Jones, Charlotte Church, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Bryn Terfel – to name just a few.

“These rehearsal rooms represent the beginnings of a Music Hub; not only providing a place for musicians to interact and exchange creative ideas, but generating considerable benefit for the local music scene and the local economy.”

Project manager for the Welsh Music Foundation, Andy Williams, said:

“Wrexham council have supplied a large space in the Victoria Youth Centre, in the centre of Wrexham. This is a very exciting development, which will assist the area's music scene, as rehearsal rooms have consistently been shown to be effective in stimulating music production in areas where they exist.

“The space will not only have a rehearsal room but will also have recording facilities, small performance area and a cafe, and will not only be a excellent space for bands to rehearsal, but also a creative meeting place for local musicians.”