Radio 3 cuts threaten musical ecosystem
Jarvis Cocker and 500 other artists have signed a letter calling on the BBC to re-think the proposed cuts to Radio 3’s broadcasting specials.
The Pulp frontman joined in with the likes of Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, Brian Eno and band Peaches in the big cuts to Radio 3’s specialist music programming.
THE LETTER IN FULL
“Today, we music lovers, musicians, artists, curators, record label owners, venue owners, festival programmers and critics are joining together to protest against these cuts as strongly as we can.
“British jazz is experiencing a renaissance. Folk acts are attracting broader audiences. Electronic and experimental music is thriving, and boundaries between genres, media and scenes are being dissolved and swirled into ever more exciting permutations. It is staggering, therefore, that , in the month of its sold-out festival in London, Late Junction is being reduced from three shows a week to one. Jazz Now and Geoffrey Smith’s Jazz are being “rested”. Music Planet, Radio 3’s only dedicated programme exploring music from around the world, is having its running time cut by half. We welcome new show Unclassified, but it has only an hour in the schedules. This is not enough.
“Our culture benefits so much from these programmes. Music lovers tune in to make new discoveries and build new creative communities. Music makers rely on these shows as lifelines to support and share their music with enthusiastic audiences, nationally and internationally. New works and unexpected collaborations have happened either directly or indirectly due to these shows. This flourishing cultural ecosystem will be damaged, and musicians’ careers profoundly affected, as opportunities for their work to be experienced by the mainstream will be drastically reduced, at home and abroad.
“We work in the worlds of jazz, folk, classical, experimental, electronic music and beyond, but together we share a common purpose. We urge Radio 3 to think again about the changes they are making, and how they will profoundly affect our broader culture.”
You can see the full list of signatories here.
In association with www.sivtickets.com, the local box office.
