Living with Music Vol.14〜Andy Jones （Wales)En
Andy Jones（Wales）
FOCUS Wales Co-Founder & Festival Programmer
Wales, May,2020
Andy is the co-founder and booker of the showcase festival& conference, “FOCUS Wales”.
"FOCUS Wales" promotes local bands to the world market and also introduces new bands from around the world. That number is more than 250 pairs every year. About 15,000 people are expected to attend the event.
Andy is a frequent attendee of Asian showcase festivals and is well versed in the Asian music scene. With his presence, FOCUS Wales has definitely become a gateway for Asian indie music in Europe.
The UK is still in a difficult phase, with many victims of COVID-19. According to Andy, the support for music and culture is much more generous than in Japan. In the midst of such a situation, new ideas are being fostered.
Great cultural differences and different governmental responses may lead to new changes in their positions in the music industry in the post-COVID-19 period.
Generous administrative support generates contributions to the community of musicians and the music industry.
The resilience that comes from each of us doing our part and the wisdom for tomorrow.
Q: Please tell us about your current surroundings situation.
“Since the UK has been in lockdown, since mid March, I've been working from home. I'm fortunate to live in the countryside in North Wales too, which means there's lots of fields and space to exercise safely and stay healthy whilst we're in this situation.”
Q: The music industry is taking a big hit in every country. Please tell us about your current work (and musical activities).
“Like everyone, we're eagerly awaiting more information from government, on the easing of lockdown in Wales, and the UK more widely. We're hoping to have more clarity on everything in the next couple of weeks, which will inform our future work, but it's been difficult for us to plan a great deal when there's still so much uncertainty regarding the re-opening of venues, and travel restrictions.”
Q: In the current situation, what kind of support does the government give to people involved in music and culture in your country? Also, are you happy with it?
“There are various Arts Council of Wales grants that have been made available to organizations and individuals working within the arts, which is of course a big help at this time. I think given the fact that this situation took everyone by surprise, it's good to see our arts bodies such as Arts Council of Wales, Wales Arts International, and British Council Wales stepping up and offering help and guidance at this time of crisis.”
"Trans Asia Music Meeting 2020" Feb.2020,Okinawa,Japan
Q: What is the best approach that musicians and music professionals can take to your society right now?
“It's been heart warming to see a real sense of community within music amidst this crisis. People are genuinely looking out for each other, and offering help where they can. It's been so good to see musicians raising funds through online auctions and performances to help community causes, such as generating funds to pay for the PPE shortages, and supporting care charities, and crowdfunder campaigns to ensure local venues can survive post-COVID19, working with Music Venue Trust. It's been amazing to see all of this, and I hope we see more of this community engagement from artists going forward, as it can have such a big impact.”
Q: In Japan, there was a cluster of COVID19 at a live music venue in March. As a result, live music venues and clubs have been on the verge of being locked down for a long period of time. In Japan, however, the government's support and compensation for live music venues is very limited.
Is there any specific support for these places in Wales?
“Yes, fortunately Welsh Government have offered some grants to music venues in Wales. There are also business grants that venues can apply for here as well, to help with general business running costs such. It's a lifeline for those who are successful in the application process, and so really important that the government keep this support in place going forward.”
Q: What do you think is the role of music and entertainment in the current situation?
“I think it's been reassuring to see how artists, agents and promoters, and the wider industry in general are working together to find solutions in this situation. I think at first there were many of us concerned about what the different reactions will be when events and tours are forced to cancel, but everyone has been really understanding, reasonable, and human, given the situation. We all need each other in this moment, so you would hope that everyone would be this way, but it's still been heartwarming to see it happen. With regards to our role in the situation, it doesn't stop being our role to ensure that artists have a platform and that people are entertained, just because people are mostly stuck indoors. People are consuming a lot of online content, so it's down to us to find creative ways to engage with audiences online, which is all stuff we can take forward into our work post-COVID19.”
Q: It's difficult to look ahead, but is there anything that you're thinking about now for the post corona virus?
“Ultimately the music sector needs to be able to adapt, be innovative, and be responsible moving forward. I do think we will eventually get back to having live shows in pretty much the same way that they were before, because it's simply what the majority of people want, but this will take time, as vaccines and treatments are only in the early stages of development. So in the meantime, we need to plan and promote our events in ways that will ensure fans can be confident that everyone involved in the live sector are doing what they can to create the safest possible live environments. We're all learning from this situation, and it's fast moving, but I'm hopeful that in the long run we'll eventually be a stronger sector for it, although it's inevitable there will be bumps in the road.”
Q9: Do you have any ideas that you can share with your friends who live overseas in music?
“Right now we're developing some new ideas that will enable our music community in Wales to continue to engage with music communities around the world. I'm sorry to say that we're not quite yet in a position to announce these plans in any great detail, but I think we should all be doing what we can to keep the roads between our music communities open, even if that has to be in the digital realm for now.”
Q: What's your favorite music right now?
“Right now I'm listening to a great new band from Wrexham in North Wales, called Kidsmoke, who are about to release their debut album. This is their new single 'The Bluest You' “
Q9：Please leave a message.
“Of course, the situation with COVID-19 has caused widespread tragedy, and a lot of disruption to everyone's lives, and naturally to our FOCUS Wales work, both with our annual festival and our export work across the globe. Our mission right now is to continue to provide a platform for our artists, whilst ensuring everyone is safe and well. We're working on some creative plans involving new collaborations, that will see us working on some exciting projects, and projects that we would never have anticipated doing only a few months back. This is only possible because organizations are reaching out to one and other, and showing such a strong sense of community during these times. This all gives me hope.”
BIO.
Andy Jones（Wales）
FOCUS Wales Co-Founder & Festival Programmer
Andy is the music programmer at FOCUS Wales. FOCUS Wales is an international showcase festival and conference.
FOCUS Wales takes place every May in Wrexham, Wales, with an audience of over 15,000 and over 250 bands from around the world performing on 20 stages.
2020 is the 10th anniversary of the event, but due to COVID-19, the event has been rescheduled to October 7-10.
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