IT IS Scotland’s only UNESCO City of Music and pre-covid Glasgow saw more than 100 gigs played every week boosting the city’s economy by £75million.
Now Glasgow’s vibrant music scene will be the highlight of a campaign to attract potential visitors from across the UK and help the night-time economy recover.
The campaign is aimed at supporting the recovery and restart of Glasgow’s music and night-time industries in the wake of the pandemic.
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Developed by Glasgow Life’s Destination Marketing team, ‘Glasgow: Music Nonstop’ showcases the energy and vibrancy of the city’s unrivalled music offer, positioning Glasgow as a first-choice short break destination for music fans.
Shetland Vikings pictured at the Glasgow Royal Concert hall steps to officially open the Celtic Connections music festival. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
Running on social media and online, the campaign, created with £90,000 from VisitScotland’s Destination and Sector Marketing Fund, has brought together music industry figures as well as inviting businesses to have their say and help shape how the city’s music products and experiences are promoted.
Councillor David McDonald, chairman of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow enjoys a global reputation as a live music hotspot. Our venues punch well above their weight internationally – our OVO Hydro is regularly named in the world’s top five arenas – and the passion and enthusiasm of our audiences is unrivalled.
“Supporting the recovery of our music and night-time industries post-pandemic is hugely important for the city, not just for our visitor economy, but to help protect the thousands of jobs that exist across these industries, their supply chains and more widely across every part of our tourism and hospitality sector.”
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Piero Marcuccilli, lead singer of Glasgow indie band Voodoos, whose track ‘Young Punks’ has been used in a teaser video promoting the music city, said: “From my time playing and attending gigs, I can safely say there’s no better place for a gig than Glasgow. The crowds are always electric and the atmosphere tops everywhere else in the UK – I’m sure even all the top artists would agree. There’s something different about Glasgow crowds and it’s one of the main things that inspired me to get into music.
"Some of the big names performing in the city over the coming months include Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Andrea Boccelli, Gladys Knight and Queen, while festival fans can look forward to the return of Summer Nights at the Bandstand and TRNSMT.
Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts and TRNSMT boss, said: “Glasgow is a city world-renowned for its music scene, so it’s fantastic to see this investment from Glasgow Life to help support the recovery of the industry. We’re on track to have the busiest summer on record for live music in Scotland so it’s vitally important now that Glasgow’s music offering is put in the spotlight, which this campaign aims to do.”
TRNSMT music festival at Glasgow Green brings music fans to the city
Andrew Fleming-Brown, Founder and Managing Director of SWG3, said it had been a difficult couple of years for the sector, but said it was good to see music take centre stage, adding: “We’re very excited about our upcoming programme at SWG3 which we hope will not only attract the people of Glasgow but also visitors from throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally.”
Donald Shaw, Creative Producer of Celtic Connections, said they were proud to play their part in” Glasgow’s rich musical ecosystem.”
He added: “The city of Glasgow is internationally renowned for its passion and skill for musical innovation and an unrivalled live event experience – all made possible by incredible artists, promoters, technical crews and, of course, the best audiences in the world.
“Celtic Connections’ dedication to emerging and homegrown talent, alongside our far-reaching international ties, allows us to reach global audiences year-on-year and the city’s enviable reputation as the must-visit place to see live music is central to this. Visitors to Glasgow have the opportunity to absorb themselves in a multitude of musical experiences, with such a diverse number of venues and musicians from different genres to explore and fall in love with.”
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