Brand new and unique in the UK, INTERROGATE! will take place between 23 and 25 September, taking a fresh approach to looking at income inequality, its impact and what we can all do about it. We hope that INTERROGATE! will be game changing, inspiring people – people like you and us – to take action.

Taking place on the Dartington estate, a home for forward thinking for 85 years, it’s a spotlight on a serious issue, but it’s also about getting inspired and having fun.

We’ve spent the last few months lovingly constructing a programme that lines up some of the UK’s most forward looking thinkers and activists – plus some fiercely funny comedy and cabaret shows, great gigs and all manner of other performances – to get you inside, under and on top of the issues.
Whether you’re someone who shouts at the telly during Question Time, you work in an area where income inequality is an issue, or you just fancy a weekend of thought-provoking ideas and performance in the beautiful Devon countryside, Interrogate is for you.

Our thinkers and activists are some of the sharpest minds in the worlds of economics, social policy and health – for starters, Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, authors of the best-selling The Spirit Level; TV’s favourite geographer, Danny Dorling; Economics for Dummies author and lecturer Peter Antonioni and environmentalist and co-founder of the Transition Network, Rob Hopkins. Also taking to the stage are comedian Mark Steel with a special one-off show; multiple award-winning musicians Spiers and Boden (of Bellowhead fame); and the acclaimed Jean Abreu Dance company.

Aside from the performances, debates and podcasts, there are loads of opportunities to have your say. Tell us what you think on Speakers Corner, add your thoughts to our People’s Manifesto or join the Interrogate Choir. We can pretty much guarantee you’ll go home feeling inspired, having had a great time, made some new friends, thought a bit, and laughed a whole lot more.

Keep an eye out here and on twitter (@juliaatthehub) for full programme details over the next couple of weeks, and book tickets via the Dartington website. Fair play to us all!

Producer Matthew Linley is already on site, pacing the site and glancing anxiously at the skies (seems the weather’s going to be great though – it’s been worth keeping our fingers crossed all week!), and others are busy packing for the journey to Dartington tomorrow.

The line up is a corker. We’re very excited about the line up: Suzanne Vega is headlining (one of only 3 UK shows this year – the others being Glastonbury and Hyde Park!), alongside: Songlines Best Newcomer nominees Tamikrest; Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos; Sheema Mukherjee; Max Pashm, and Perunika.

Like festivals used to be when we were nippers (well, sort of…), HOME is that all too rare chance to get up close and personal with exceptional artists, and – as an added bonue – in the beautiful the Dartington estate.

Find out more on the Dartington website.

Hope to see you there…. Don’t forget the suntan lotion!

First off, you can download the Gigzine app created by New Music Plus… participant, Steve Symons, to receive exciting content and information about this event. Already available on the app are features on two of our producers, Jon Hering and Glenn Boulter, and over the next few days we’ll be adding other video and audio content, and information on all panellists. Those of you attending the event you will be able to use the app for exclusive interaction throughout the day. Download it now and click here to meet Steve and find out more about the app and how it works.

We’re also planning on posting live updates on the discussion on Twitter. Take part with hash tag #NMPNW and follow @juliaatthehub and @PRSFoundation. We encourage you all, whether you are attending the event or not, to join in the discussion via our live Twitter feed. This is a great way to have you say – from inside the venue, or anywhere else in the world!

For further event information, and to book one of the last few remaining places, click here.

Rock The House is a music competition with a political twist; as well as showcasing unsigned bands and artists, it will raise political awareness of the need for copyright protection measures and inform MPs and the general public as to the importance of copyright protection within the creative industries.

We first met the MP, who worked in the music industry for a number of years himself prior to beginning his political career, at a Westminster Media Forum event, where we were presenting our research into public sector support for British music export. He’s a clearly well-informed advocate for the creative industries sector, and we’re looking forward to taking our discussions on export further at our next meeting.

Backed by industry bodies such as UK Music and Music Managers’ Forum, and by key players such as Live Nation and EMI, Rock The House is looking to showcase the newest and most talented bands and the most innovative live venues.

Bands and venues have until 31 March to put themselves forward, via their local MP, who will make nominations to a judging panel of music industry heavyweights on behalf of their own constituencies.

Winners will be announced by the end of May and all competition finalists will be invited to attend an exclusive event on the Terrace of the House of Commons on 30 June. Further information is available at the Rock The House website.

The event is aimed at at independent music producers, and programmers, curators and marketeers working in performing and visual arts organisations and museums across the country. Exploring how music-led collaborations between independent producers and larger, established arts organisations can catalyse and sustain innovation, and what the future holds for cross-scale and cross-artform collaboration, the event closes New Music Plus…North West, a leadership development programme developed in partnership by the hub and the PRS for Music Foundation. The programme will include: high level panels; networking opportunities; the opportunity to hear from key funders, and presentations about New Music Plus?

With the full programme to be announced next week, other confirmed panellists confirmed include Laura Ducceschi (De La Warr Pavilion), Lindsey Fryer (Tate Liverpool), John Kieffer (Sound and Music), Joana Seguro (Lumin) and independent producers, Ross Dalziel and Jon Hering, both of whom took part in the New Music Plus… North West programme.

New Music Plus? aims to strengthen leadership skills and cross art-form learning amongst organisations and independent producers that want to develop their approach to programming new music and build new audiences for new music. It responds to needs for work-based training and reflection identified within music and other sectors.

During 2010, New Music Plus?North West supported eight independent producers from the region to develop their creative and business skills and understanding, and work on a series of co-productions with 10 host organisations: Band on the Wall; the Biennial; Bluecoat Arts Centre; Contact Theatre; Cornerhouse; FACT; National Museums Liverpool; the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Tate Liverpool, and Whitworth Art Gallery. This programme built on learning from a 2009 pilot programme, which ran in London and had as host organisations: the BFI; Big Chill festival; Longplayer Trust; the Roundhouse; Tate Britain; the Serpentine Gallery; Sound and Music, and the South Bank Centre. New Music Plus… North West is supported by Arts Council England, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Sound and Music.

Places for Sustaining Innovation through Collaboration are limited, so early booking is essential. To secure your free place, email luke@prsformusicfoundation.com by 5pm Monday 28th February.

The event will explore how music-led collaborations between independent producers and larger, established arts organisations can catalyse and sustain innovation, and the challenges and considerations they present. Panellists will also explore what the future holds for cross-scale and cross-artform collaboration. The programme will include: high level panels; networking opportunities; the opportunity to hear from key funders, and presentations about New Music Plus?

With the full programme to be announced at the end of the month, panellists confirmed so far include Laura Ducceschi (De La Warr Pavilion), Lindsey Fryer (Tate Liverpool), John Kieffer (Sound and Music) and Joana Seguro (Lumin).

New Music Plus? aims to strengthen leadership skills and cross art-form learning amongst organisations and independent producers that want to develop their approach to programming new music and build new audiences for new music. It responds to needs for work-based training and reflection identified within music and other sectors.

During 2010, New Music Plus?North West supported eight independent producers from the region to develop their creative and business skills and understanding, and work on a series of co-productions with 10 host organisations: Band on the Wall; the Biennial; Bluecoat Arts Centre; Contact Theatre; Cornerhouse; FACT; National Museums Liverpool; the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Tate Liverpool, and Whitworth Art Gallery. This programme built on learning from a 2009 pilot programme, which ran in London and had as host organisations: the BFI; Big Chill festival; Longplayer Trust; the Roundhouse; Tate Britain; the Serpentine Gallery; Sound and Music, and the South Bank Centre. New Music Plus… North West is supported by Arts Council England, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Sound and Music.

Places for Sustaining Innovation through Collaboration are limited, so early booking is essential. To secure your free place, email luke@prsformusicfoundation.com by 5pm Monday 28th February.

Headlining the gig last night were top improvising outfit, The Bays, who the hub previously worked with in the early 2000s, producing a national tour that saw them kick off a now long-standing relationship with Richard Barbieri. Throughout their intensely aerobic 90 minute set, which saw them improvising to tunes by everyone from Dizzee Rascal to Shirley Bassey via Talking Heads and Stevie Wonder (plus some music from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!), audience members directed their set list, voting on the tunes they most wanted to hear given that very special Bays treatment and working their magic on the visuals too. Cue for endless ‘arms in the air’ action when people heard the opening bars of the tunes they’d voted for, and a real sense of excitement and involvement amongst everyone there. I returned to my hotel, chuffed that I’d got the Stevie Wonder and David Byrne fix I was looking for…

Steve developed Gigzine as part of his participation in New Music Plus…, a producer development programme managed by the hub, and developed in association with the PRS for Music Foundation. Our New Music Plus…North West programme ran throughout 2010 and continues in 2011, with a conference called Sustaining Innovation through Collaboration at Tate Liverpool on 15 March. For more details contact me or and keep an eye out for future blog posts as we firm up the programme and begin to confirm panellists.

As part of this partnership, hub producer Matthew Linley will be working alongside members of the Arts Team on all aspects of the arts programme, including the forthcoming GeoQuest project and June’s Home festival, which showcases acoustic music from around the world as part of a programme that explores themes of diversity and sustainability. Other members of the hub team, including hub Director Julia Payne, will be involved too, working with Dartington to develop its programme ideas and supporting the development of new partnerships.

You can keep up with Dartington programme by following Dartington on twitter (#DartingtonHall), and by following Matthew (#matthewlinley).

Taking place at London’s City Hall on 10 June, the programme will include discussion panels, breakout sessions and presentations about New Music Plus? Panellists will include Stuart Brown (BFI Southbank), Laura Ducceschi (De La Warr Pavilion), Jude Kelly (South Bank Centre), John Kieffer (Sound and Music), Penny King (Arts Council England) and David Metcalfe (Forma). Watch this space for full programme details, or email us to make sure of your place at the event.

The event will draw from our learning from the pilot New Music Plus… producer development programme which ran in London during 2009. Click here to find out more about New Music Plus…