International

Belfast has become the third UK city to recieve UNESCO City of Music status.

The accolade, announced on Monday (November 8), recognises the Northern Irish capital's unique musical heritage and local efforts to strengthen engagement with music.

A 2018 survey undertaken during the European Capital of Culture bidding process identified music as the city's strongest cultural output, prompting the bid for UNESCO status.

"Being deisgnated as a UNESCO City of Music honours the gargantuan effort that the entire music scene has made to help raise Belfast up and out of the darkest of times," Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody commmented.

Belfast will join the UN body's Creative Cities Network of 59 places, with Lightbody and Emmy-nominated composer Hannah Peel acting as official Belfast Music patrons.

Belfast City Council will consult residents on a City of Music action plan, having worked with a City of Music steering group on the bid submission.

Glasgow was the first UK city awarded the title in 2008, followed by Liverpool in 2016.

A report into worldwide royalties estimates collections in music, visual arts, drama and literature could decline by up to 35% this year.

The annual Global Collections Report, published by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), cites Covid-19 as the reason for the decline.

The report also shows the US to have the highest market share of royalty collections, followed by France, Japan and Germany.

The UK ranks fifth, with a market share of 8.4%. Its year-on-year growth in collections is 12.3%, meaning the UK is currently outperforming the global market.

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron attributed the UK's growth in royalty collections to copyright collective PRS for Music’s investment in systems and networks.

"It’s the UK talent, it’s the fact that collections around the world are improving and more royalties are repatriated."

British robot artist Ai-Da has opened an exhibition and sculpture trail at Egypt’s pyramids after being held up at the country's border for 10 days.

The world’s first artificially intelligent humanoid robot was detained by Egyptian authorities on suspicion of espionage, with officials concerned about the robot’s modem and eye cameras.

“The whole situation is ironic, because the goal of Ai-Da was to highlight and warn of the abuse of technological development, and she’s being held because she is technology,” creator Aidan Meller commented.
 
The Forever Is Now exhibition features Ai-Da’s Immortal Riddle, a two-metre-tall self portrait sculpture of a mummified robot in a sarcophagus.

Running until November 7, the exhibition is the first art show to take place at the Pyramids of Egypt.

A new survey reviewing how financially advantaged creatives are in different countries has placed the UK near the bottom of the list.

The study considered what four creative occupations - a graphic designer, web developer, architect and photographer - take home each month on average after subtracting the cost of rent in 20 countries.

The UK placed 19th, with 44.8% of monthly wages left after deductions.

Germany was the best country for creative professionals, topping the list with 61.8% of a monthly wage left after rent costs. Sweden and Denmark placed second and third.

A spokeperson for Design Bundles, which conducted the survey, said it was interesting to see how the UK fared: "Although they pay reasonable salaries in comparison, the difference in the percentage of pocketable wage is significant."

Arts professionals returning to England after working abroad need not self-isolate.

The exemption for workers returning from amber but not red list countries has been reintroduced. An initial scheme was suspended in January.

Organisations must submit an application to Arts Council England on their worker's behalf, and the worker must carry a signed copies of the application and their exemption letter with them at all times.

The Musicians' Union said the amount of information and time needed to get an exemption was prohibitive.

"Any last-minute gigs that musicians often accept means they may well have to self-isolate on return to the UK regardless."

A grants programme to help UK music companies market their products and projects overseas has been given a £330,000 boost.

The Music Export Growth Scheme gives grants of £5,000 to £50,000.

The extra finance was announced this week as part of a package of measures in the Department for International Trade's (DIT) new 'Made in Britain, Sold to the World' campaign.

Museums will also benefit from new research around reaching international markets.

Minister for Exports Mike Freer said the UK's creative industries are "a force to be reckoned with" - music alone exported £519.7m last year.

DIT expects Asia to be the next big market for British cultural exports: "The region [is] set to be home to the 66% of the global middle classes by 2030, hungry for high quality British goods and services."

The British Government has a duty to protect Afghan artists, writers and filmmakers at risk of being silenced, an open letter to MPs says.

Organised by Good Chance Theatre and the Index on Censorship, the letter has been signed by more than 80 film and theatre luminaries including Sonia Friedman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Mark Rylance and Sir Sam Mendes.

It says political and creative dissent has thrived in Afghanistan, "in a region where free expression is not always respected".

"With the Taliban takeover of the country, this rich legacy is in imminent peril. 

"We urge the British government to cooperate with the international community to create a humanitarian corridor for those seeking safe  passage out of the country."

The letter also calls on creative industries leaders to help refugees to continue their work and safeguard Afghan culture for future generations.

The first iteration of the British Council's newest cultural exchange programme has begun.

A UK-Australia season featuring theatre, film, visual arts, dance, music, literature, and higher education and public engagement programmes is launching in both countries this month.

Its theme of Who Are We Now will "reflect on our history, explore our current relationship, and imagine our future together", the British Council says.

The season's webpage indirectly acknowledges the colonisation of Australia and its "traditional custodians".

"We pay our respect to their elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aoriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."

The collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs aims to celebrate the "diverse and innovative artists" in both nations, the council says.