BBC Music Escape Plan

BBC Music this month announced a partnership with The Great Escape. In addition to its already longstanding relationship with BBC Music Introducing, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 6 Music will join forces with the event. This will include a takeover of the Paganini Ballroom by BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Music Introducing and BBC Radio 3, Live broadcasts from BBC Radio 1’s MistaJam and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Lauren Lavern and BBC Music ‘In Conversation’ sessions with artists playing TGE.

The Great Escape’s Event Manager Kevin Moore said: “The announcement of this extended BBC Music partnership is great news for TGE – together we share a commitment to discover and nurture new music and we can’t wait to share our ideas and see this collaboration grow. As we approach our 12th year it’s important that we work with broadcast partners who share our vision and BBC Music do just that – which makes them a perfect partner for the festival”.

BBC Music Editor James Stirling added; “BBC Music is dedicated to discovering and nurturing new British artists and The Great Escape is one of the best festivals to do this on the UK music scene. I’m very happy to be bringing TGE to life for our audiences across Radio 1, Radio 3, 6 Music, BBC Music Introducing and our digital platforms”.

All of which sounds good, but The Gen still fails to see the point of the umbrella title of BBC Music– It launched in 2014 with a load of major label artists singing God Only Knows and that proved to be prescient, given the subsequent launch of the BBC Music Awards in an industry hardly crying out for another overblown commercial awards ceremony. Then there is the coverage and resources afforded to Radio One’s Big Weekend and the 6Music Festival– surely it would be both more representative and cost effective for the BBC to broadcast a wider range of existing events as opposed to expanding their own event portfolio?