Brighton Rocks... 'N' Rolls

By Sean Devine

Frock

The Brighton Music Network (BMN) is a new venture started by prominent music industry figures in the Brighton district in response to growing demand from the local community and the realization that the area requires additional music resources.

There has been a particularly high profile for Brighton and the south-east in recent years compared with most other regions of the UK, and an exciting groundswell of surfacing new talent has seen many local artists signed to major record labels. In order to maintain this momentum, BMN aims to bolster the local music industry infrastructure by garnering support from the local council, prominent industry personalities and music business organizations such as ASCAP, the BPI, the MCPS-PRS Alliance and PAMRA.

Initial projects include compiling a comprehensive music directory for the area and seeking routes into education and training, the live arena, a consultancy hub and overseas initiatives. The BMN team is a stellar line-up all connected with music of Brighton origin and comprises the owners of the local radio station Juice FM; Phil Nelson, who manages Aqualung; Jayne Houghton from Excess Press; leading local promoter and manager Lisa Maisey, and Mark Hobrough, founder of Revolution Promotions.

ASCAP is delighted to be in partnership with BMN in a series of Brighton-based showcases, which will highlight the wealth of emerging talent to be found in the southeast. The first showcase took place in October featuring Frock, The Mutts and Diomedes was a ticket sell-out within 30 minutes of them becoming available. It was well attended by both local and national music industry people and as a result all three acts have attracted interest from major UK labels. Another showcase is planned for January.

Comments Mark Hobrough: "Brighton has always been an important place in terms of cutting edge music. We have an incredible industry infrastructure down here with tons of exciting projects going on all the time. The visit of Radio 1 recently, running a week of events and broadcasts, is an obvious testament to that."