Throughout the history of popular music, the careers of many culturally significant artists and groups began on the small stages of local bars clubs, pubs, and discotheques. When the stories of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the New York punk hardcore and post punk scenes are told, iconic venues such as The Cavern, The Marquee and CBGB's serve as the settings of their early chapters Small live music venues such as these are pivotal in the narratives and history of popular music. However, very few of them survive. This book focusses on the role of small live music venues as incubators for emerging talent and social hubs for music scene participants. Such venues are grassroots spaces of cultural labor and production that often struggle with issues of financial precarity yet are fundamental to the live music ecology of a city, acting both as platforms for emergent performers and spaces of sociality for local music scenes.

Popular music plays a substantial role in most people’s life. The demand and financial revenue of Rock and Pop concerts is large and still increasing with the decreased revenue on recorded music. Based on the first ever scientific investigations on recommendable acoustics for amplified music conducted by the author, this book sets forward precise guidelines for acoustical engineers to optimize the acoustics in existing or future halls for amplified music. Gives precise guidelines on how to design the acoustics in venues that present amplified music Debates essential construction details, including placement of sound system and use of possible building materials, in the architectural design of new venues or the renovation of old ones Portrays 75 well-known European Rock & Pop venues, their architecture and acoustic properties. 20 venues were rated for their acoustics by music professionals leading to an easy-to-use assessment methodology ”Acoustics are important within pop and rock venues to ensure a great experience for audiences and performers. This book fills an important gap of knowledge on the acoustics of venues. It will be of value to sound engineers as well as building owners and operators and building design professionals”. Rob Harris, Arup Acoustics ”With this book, many future amplified music concerts will sound better, for the joy of audiences and musicians alike. This enormous work demonstrates a rare degree of passion and insight, from the hand of the key researcher in the field”. Dr. Per V. Brüel

Everything you ever wanted to know about London's rock 'n' roll venues.

This is a book for aspiring event managers, providing both a theoretical and a practical guide to selecting and working with venues as part of the event planning process. The book explores the different types of venues available to event managers, from unique venues such as historical buildings and theatres to sporting and academic venues, analysing the specific characteristics, benefits and drawbacks that distinguish them. It also illustrates how venues function and are managed, incorporating key aspects of venue management including staffing, marketing, legislation, production, scheduling and administration. Sustainability, ethics and technology are also integrated throughout, along with a vast range of industry examples of different venue types and events from around the world. Comprehensive and accessible, Working with Venues for Events offers students an essential understanding of how event managers can successfully negotiate, work with and plan for a successful event in a variety of venue settings. This is an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in events management.

Theatre Worlds in Motion aims to clarify the different theatre traditions and practices in Western Europe from a historical and sociological perspective. The book grew out of a perceived need among theatre scholars who had recognised that, while they understood the theatre system of their own country, they often found it difficult to discover how it compared with other countries. The chapters analyse the basic components and dynamics of theatre systems in seventeen Western European nations in order to elucidate how the systems function in general and how they vary in different cultures. The book provides a sense of what has been happening recently in particular countries, and indicates how the theatre systems have developed over time and have led to the current practices and structures. Each national chapter considers the historical tradition and place of theatre within the country and analyses the role of the state in fostering theatre during the last fifty years. Material from the national chapters has been used in two general chapters at the beginning and end of the book to provide an overview to developments in all Western Europe. The introductory chapter on decentralisation discusses the tendency amongst governments to encourage cultural development outside the national capital by providing subsidy for regional theatre venues and theatre companies and, in many cases, by developing the decision-making and budgetary powers for the theatre to regional and local authorities. The epilogue on the functioning of theatre examines the common structures of theatre in society as described in the seventeen national chapters, and it proposes areas for future research.

This is a short, accessible and practical guide to running venues which are in the business of hosting events. Using honest guidance peppered with the author’s real-life situational anecdotes to contextualise the topics, the book is logically structured around the key stages of event management: pre-event, onsite and post-event. Topics covered include developing the client relationship, marketing, financial accountability, risk, interdepartmental communication, onsite procedures and post-event evaluation. This is a fundamental resource for all event management and hospitality students. It is also a book for anybody who manages a venue or is a venue event manager. The Practical Guide to Managing Event Venues makes the business of venue management appealing, understandable and achievable.