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Folk Expo boss criticises BBC for reducing support of genre during shutdown
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 1 July 2020
The boss of English Folk Expo has criticised the BBC for cutting its coverage and support of folk music during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the folk community needs that support more than ever at the moment, both in terms of exposure and the royalties that are generated by airplay.
In an open letter to the BBC’s Director Of Radio James Purnell, Folk Expo CEO Tom Besford notes how “the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector has been catastrophic”. But, he adds, “for folk music and other specialist parts of the music industry, we feel the pinch even more so. Many musicians are living relatively hand to mouth in the best of times”.
The folk community really relies on its support from the BBC, he goes on, but “during the pandemic, the BBC have made the decision to merge large swathes of their output and this has seen the cancelling of many regional folk music shows across England. Similarly the ‘Folk Show’ on Radio 2 has been moved back in the schedules twice; once pre-pandemic from 7pm to 9pm, reducing audience figures significantly, and now temporarily during the pandemic to 11pm. In addition, we still have no announcement on a BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards this year”.
“Folk music relies on the support of the subsidised BBC”, he says. “Musicians need the airplay not just for profile, not just to keep audiences engaged with specialist music, but for the financial return from music licensing. Many also fear that once we come through this crisis back towards normality, there is a risk that much of this valued and loved content may never return”.
Besford then calls on the BBC to “play their part in supporting specialist music” by reinstating the axed shows, returning the main national show to a more prominent time slot and making an announcement regarding the Folk Awards, or an alternative shutdown-compliant event. “It is during a crisis such as this that the licence fee payers expect the BBC to provide cultural leadership”, he concludes “not remove support from an industry already brought to its knees”.
