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SOUND CIRCUIT
Sound Circuit - Building Audiences for New Music
Sound Circuit is a network of music promoters and producers formed in
2002 to develop new tools and to carry out research for building audiences
for contemporary music. Through supported tours, the group also aims to
create stronger partnerships between promoters, venues and producers to
reach wider audiences and to ensure a high quality of presentation.
We were aware that as many promoters and companies specialising in new
music operate on a small scale, few have specialist staff for marketing,
audience development and education. Perhaps as a corollary of this, little
information exists on good practice for promoting new music, and few studies
have been made of current and potential audiences.
The Circuit's work focuses on developing industry-standard working practices
and benchmark data for audience development, and on establishing good
practice for touring work by building partnerships between promoters and
producers. Our current priorities are:
- Data analysis using sales records from all members, to establish statistical
benchmarks for contemporary music audiences nationwide, and for each venue
/ promoter on the Circuit;
- Tour-based questionnaire research, to gain comparative qualitative data
on issues such as audience motivation and factors underlying people's
attitude to risk;
- Producing two tours in 2005 (BCMG and Neue Vocalsolisten) and to explore
the use of network marketing in a co-ordinated way;
- Action research projects, to focus on narrow objectives (student audiences,
family audiences, audience ambassadors, crossover audiences etc.) that
address local issues, providing a series of case studies at both large
and small scale;
- Exploring the possibility of acting as a touring network and agency
for tours of new music, receiving proposals of projects to visit / tour
the UK and to disseminate these to interested venues and promoters;
- Sharing information with other promoters, producers, agencies and companies
concerned with contemporary music, and providing a forum to meet and exchange
ideas.
Members of Sound Circuit currently include:
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival; Royal Northern College of Music;
University of York Concerts; Birmingham Contemporary Music Group; Oxford
Contemporary Music; London Sinfonietta with the Queen Elizabeth Hall;
and Brighton Dome & Corn Exchange. Julia Haferkorn is Sound Circuit's
Coordinator, and Paula Whitehouse is its Marketing Consultant.
Symposiums 2004 and 2005
In 2004 and 2005 Sound Circuit presented symposiums at the Contemporary
Music Festival in Huddersfield. Please click for summaries of the 2004 and the 2005 symposiums. Another Sound Circuit symposium is scheduled to take place in early 2007.
Getting in touch
· We would be delighted to hear from any promoter/venue/festival
who would like to share information on touring programmes or who would
like to contribute to Sound Circuit's work
· Equally, we would be very pleased to hear from any ensembles/companies
wishing to submit a touring proposal. Please contact Julia Haferkorn at
info@haferkornassociates.com
for a tour proposal form.
Sound Circuit is generously supported by Arts Council England
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