The West Midlands is home to a thriving cultural scene. From live music venues and theatres to bustling bars and nightclubs, the region’s night-time economy is a cornerstone of its identity and growth. Yet, behind the vibrant lights and packed events lies a challenge that affects audiences, workers, and the environment alike: how do we…
In August 2025, Birmingham City Council introduced a sweeping Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that effectively bans all busking in key areas of the city centre until 2028. The stated aim: to reduce noise pollution and improve public wellbeing. The order prohibits the use of amplification equipment, musical instruments, or any items used as instruments…
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the live music scene in Birmingham, UK, with venues across the city forced to close their doors due to government restrictions arising from public health concerns. In many cases, these closures have been devastating for both the venues themselves and the communities that they serve. Singer/songwriter Namywa…
We are excited to summarise the enlightening “Level Up Midlands Music Industry Workshop” that unfolded on 13th October 2023, at the Artum/Hockley Social Club. This event marked a significant stride, delving into the nuances of Birmingham’s music industry while also gleaning strategic insights from Liverpool’s music realm. The evening kicked off with opening words by…
“From authorities responsible for regulation and support (public authorities) to organisations representing the interests of the music industry (non-state actors), there are many people involved in shaping the regional music ecosystem The music industry in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area is a complex ecosystem that involves a wide range of stakeholders (Rozbicka et…
About the map The BLMP Birmingham Music Venue Map (v1.0) was launched on Monday 1st June 2020. You can view the map by visiting this link: https://birmingham.livemusicresearch.org/map The map has two main areas: Venue Map An interactive map of music venues in locations with B-postcodes. Each venue is represented by a dot coloured by one…
The BLMP Birmingham Music Venue Map (v1.0) was launched on Monday 1st June 2020. You can view the map by visiting this link: https://birmingham.livemusicresearch.org/map
Following the recent release of various COVID protocols by the UK Government, and the most recent support package for the live music industry, we are now moving to the next stage of the Birmingham Live Music Project with the release of two surveys of the Birmingham live music sector – one is for Audiences, and…
In a collaborative blog post for the Aston University website, the BLMP Student Assistant team discussed their work on the project. Our Researching within BLMP Three of us have been part of The Birmingham Live Music Project (BLMP), where we have been responsible for data collection, social media campaign and general support of the core…
In a recent post, the BLMP discussed the potential implications on live music venue capacities in Birmingham as the UK Government moves towards Stage 5 easing of COVID-19 restrictions. In particular, the post highlighted the difficulties around reduced venue capacities, which would see Birmingham’s total potential capacity of 98,000 reduced to around 29,000. A locally-focussed…
