Wales lacks live music venues, promoters and agents, inquiry hears

Betsan Moses is the chief executive of the National Eisteddfod

Wales' music industry has "no infrastructure" and needs support "on a practical level", the National Eisteddfod's chief executive has said.

Betsan Moses was giving evidence to the assembly culture committee's inquiry into live music.

"We need to think about it as an industry or it will never evolve," she told assembly members.

There is a lack of live music venues, promoters and agents and nowhere young artists can go for advice, AMs heard.

Ms Moses said: "What's frustrating is that we have the talent, but if you have a band but you don't have the promoter, what's going to happen? The band is going to stand still."

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Neal Thompson, founder of the music industry showcase festival, Focus Wales, told the committee there were "plenty of people that are operating".

"We do actually make up quite a viable music industry if you add it all together," he said.

"A way of knitting this all together and create the beginnings of a real infrastructure is the opportunity we need."

However, some in the industry feel a strategy is needed before a new body is created.

Ms Moses said: "There is a feeling of putting the cart before the horse sometimes because until we know what the endpoint is, how do we know what the infrastructure should be to deliver it is."

The inquiry seeks to understand the challenges and opportunities facing the music industry

Alun Llwyd, director of Pyst, a body that helps distribute Welsh language music, told the committee: "We do need a body but before then we need a strategy.

"We need to look at the industry now and see what the requirements are."

Previously, the committee heard from the chief executive of Sain Records, Dafydd Roberts, who also said there needed to be a body overlooking the whole music industry, like the Welsh Music Foundation (WMF) used to do.

He called for a new body to develop opportunities for artists, to support venues and the recording industry.

Mr Roberts said: "After the WMF went, we lost the body that carried out research, that held music management courses, and courses about rights.

"It would promote artists to go out to festivals.

"It also held courses about composing and courses in order to get agents and managers in Wales which there's a great lack of. Personally, I don't understand why they stopped funding the WMF".

The WMF lost its funding in 2014 and came to an end.