Contemporary Music Network—A Discussion

Extract

The idea for a scheme that was eventually to become the Contemporary Music Network emerged from an assessment by Annette Morreau in 1970 of the amount and quality of contemporary music performances taking place in Britain. Predictably, London presented a large number of concerts, whilst in the regions very little contemporary music was performed. In an attempt to maximize rehearsal time and artistic effort, a touring scheme was suggested whereby London concerts should be linked to tours. The idea was that these tours should be planned in co-operation with the emerging Regional Arts Associations, who would suggest suitable promoters and share the deficit. Practical problems relating particularly to the widely varying types of contemporary music (jazz, electronic, music-theatre, improvised etc.) made the establishment of a single ‘base’ in each region unrealistic, and it soon became obvious that not every Association could afford to contribute substantially to the scheme. In view of the importance of making such tours possible, and the varying levels of finance throughout the country, the Council agreed to cover the full cost of fees and travel, whilst the local promoter would be left to pay all other costs. In the current season, a total of 97 concerts is being given by 13 performing groups.