On the 24th of June, The Jazz Promotion Network hosted their first open space event which brought together over 80 delegates from all over the UK and Ireland to meet and discuss the problems we are facing within the jazz sector today. This was hosted by Julia Payne from the hub UK and was launched off the back of our survey which we produced early in June.
As part of the event, we were delighted to be joined by musician, songwriter and singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson and MU deputy general secretary Naomi Pohl, as well as representatives from our partner organisations, Jazz South and Jazz North and the Improvised Music Company.
The format of an open-space event requires the agenda to be set by the participants on the day. After some introductory remarks from our guest speakers, participants suggested a question on themes of change and adaptation. We then allocated groups based on participants’ preferences using separate break-out rooms within the video conference call. The full list of discussion groups can be seen below.
It was interesting to note that throughout the open space, conversations centred around issues of representation, equality, and potential new models for presenting music were consistently the most popular, with more signups during each of the two sessions than many of the other conversations. Discussions were also keenly focussed on the ability of the jazz community to influence others and engage with the wider industry. But even though many wanted to be able to continue discussions after the event, open space events rely on participants being able to park certain discussions and use the time to discuss without a particular goal in mind.
For a more detailed summary of a selection of the discussions, please see the appendix below. If you attended the event, you should have been emailed a delegates list. Please send an email to Daniel at comms@jazzpromotionnetwork.org.uk and mention that you are happy for your email, and employment details to be shared with others who attended the event if you have not yet been added. The document will be updated as and when new attendees submit contact information.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that any views expressed within these documents are not necessarily held by JPN or it’s members, but have been written and shared to help summarise the discussions.
The transcripts have been edited to conform to Chatham house rules where possible. Any personal information or affiliations apart from references to JPN have been removed.
Commitments and takeaways from attendees
Transcripts/notes from opening speakers
Session 1
Room 3 – How can we let people know that venues and artists are back open for business?
Room 4 – How can we make small gigs work?
Room 6 – What advice would you give to emerging jazz artists on how to promote their music online, when in this time of covid everyone is trying to get their music heard?
Room 8 – Hitting Covid reset in live settings
Room 9 – How Can we make JPN more diverse
Session 2
Room 2 – How do we continue exchange between countries whilst respecting the environment?
Room 3 – Innovation in Streaming and Digital Presentation
Room 4 – How do we share financial risk fairly with smaller capacities?
Room 6 – What might an alternative gig look like?
Room 7 – How can jazz maintain its relevance in 10 years time?
Room 8 – Is there potential to develop viable touring models which are part live/part digital?
Room 9 – How do you find and support diverse talent?
Room 10 – How do we get more people to like “jazz”?