Salford Mag 4

L I F E I N S A L F O R D
L I F E I N S A L F O R D
organisations and charity groups in Salford which gave them a
platform to show the great work that they do. Doing it all online
was a huge task but we did a great job and reached well over
120,000 online during the three days all around the world.”
Making the decision to move the festival online however has
not been easy, particularly due to issues surrounding copyright
and licensing issues. He said: “From a technical point it was
really challenging, we had never done anything like it before.
Everything went well apart from a few of the live DJ sets were
pulled due to licensing and copyright issues on Facebook
but we luckily managed to get around it by using alternative
platforms.”
Music Licensing is the licensed use of copyright music, which
is intended to ensure that the owners of copyrights on musical
works are compensated. Currently Facebook does not have
any music license coverage, meaning that if your live stream or
video contains copyrighted music then Facebook have the right
to remove it at any point and in serious cases can lead to your
page being removed.
Salford Music Festival
Overcomes COVID-19 threats
by going digital
Of all the industries that have been impacted by COVID-19,
the music industry is one that has been hit the hardest.
The global music industry is worth over £50bn and is made up
of two major income streams. The first being live music, which
makes up 50% of total revenues and is derived mainly from the
sales of tickets for live performances. The second is recorded
music, which combines revenue from streaming, digital
downloads and physical sales.
But what about music festivals? With at least 90 per cent of
UK festivals cancelled this year according to the Association
of Independent Festivals, many are having to issue refunds
to customers of up to £800m. With nine out of ten festival
organisers saying that their companies were at risk without
government intervention.
Ed Blaney, organiser of Salford Music Festival has created a
unique way to overcome and adapt to the current circumstances.
With their festival due to take place on the 29th to the 31st May,
they sadly had to cancel their festival due to the risks posed by
COVID-19. He said: “The Salford Music Festival has been running
for 10 years now, we started it in 2010. To be honest COVID-19
has been really difficult or was at the start. My band were ¾ of
the way through finishing our third studio album in Berlin and
we returned to the UK March 5th just before lockdown started.”
He added: “The best thing to do was to host the Salford Music
Festival online this year, which has really changed a lot of things
for me personally in a positive way as we had such a great
reaction from it.”
The decision to move Salford Music Festival online came as a
surprise to many but with the hard work of the organisers and
artists involved it became a huge success. “We had to adapt and
think outside the box but we delivered an event jam packed
with not just great artists’ but we also embraced all the great
Alongside the licensing challenges, Ed has faced some
personal financial struggles during this time due to the lack
of Government support for freelancers. Freelancers make
up a whopping 72 per cent of the music industry, with
many not receiving the support they were promised by the
government – ultimately leading to financial hardships. He
said: “I have not received any support from the government.
It has really been and continues to be a very testing time
for me.”
Although an online music festival isn’t quite the same as a
physical event, Salford Music Festival have been considering
hosting a second online event in late September. He said:
“We Although an online music festival isn’t quite the same as
a physical event, Salford Music Festival have been considering
hosting a second online event in late September. He said: “We
are considering doing another in late September for a number
of reasons, obviously nothing compares to the real live show
with an audience in place. However, given the current climate
and ever-changing situation we have to consider the health
and safety of those who attend. We feel an outdoor event is not
viable right now, but we are confident that we can create an
experience as good as the real thing from the comfort of your
home.
With everything 2020 has thrown at Salford Music Festival, Ed
remains optimistic and enthusiastic for the future of Salford
Music Festival. “We have managed to survive the last 10 years as
a non-profit organisation and we still maintain the same ethics
as when we first started, which is to promote new music and fly
the flag for Salford as a great city, so now more than ever we are
optimistic and looking ahead.
“Salford Music Festival is
and shall always be a vital
platform for Salford, its
residents and also music
lovers around the world. For
the people, by the people.”
To keep up to date and find out more about upcoming events
visit - https://salfordmusicfestival.co.uk
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