Action plan produced to build a future for city’s live music scene

Strategy wants to make people ‘fall in love’ with music again

The first music strategy for Dundee has been published, following a consultation period led by the council and other leading cultural stakeholders.

Active members of the city’s music producing community including artists, venue owners, promoters and sound technicians were invited to share their views and contribute the report, which was led by Leisure and Culture Dundee.

A similar report was compiled a decade ago, which identified the need for investment in infrastructure and facilities of small to mid-sized venues in town, something interested parties “lamented” was still a necessity 10 years on.

The response to the survey, which was conducted throughout 2016, noted that those who regularly visited music venues in Dundee felt let down by the way the majority of concerts and shows were marketed.

Almost 700 responses were received, with 71% of those who completed the survey identifying themselves as a music maker.

The strategy report states: “Audiences describe live music in Dundee as difficult to access information about, with comments particularly focused on poor marketing and the need to visit many different websites to find the information they are looking for.”

A number of commitments have been made, pertaining to three issues identified in the report.

The action plan states that Leisure and Culture – alongside principal partners Dundee City Council, Place Partnership One City Many Discoveries and Make That A Take and Just Bee Productions – will work together to grow opportunities for musicians, develop audiences and improve promotion.

Further investment for the Dundee Music Award will be announced in the future, to give professional musicians opportunities to develop and practice.

The city’s “What’s On” listing on the council and Leisure and Culture website will be expanded to allow for more promotion of smaller concerts, and considerations will be given to developing and investing in a city-wide promotional campaign which will advertise the music scene to a bigger audience.

The strategy will also strive to make residents “fall in love” with live music again and increase the number of larger touring bands visiting the city by developing a series of incentives to attract them to Dundee.

Audiences describe live music in Dundee as difficult to access information about