A collaboration between two iconic Burnley music businesses provides a lifeline during lockdown
Burnley born international name in dance music brand, Retro, and The Gallery at Creative Arts are important pillars of the Burnley community for different reasons. Creative Arts is a vital art based community hub in the town centre and Retro, founded by Paul Taylor, put Burnley on the dance music map in 1989 when he brought international legends such as Boy George and Carl Cox to the town
Hosting sell out shows in clubs around the north of England, since the lockdown there has been huge demand for Retro live streams. With so many already streaming, social media platforms such as Facebook are imposing strict restrictions on which music can be played which is causing real problems for artists who do not have relevant PRS licences, and as such, Facebook then block the sound during the live stream.
Retro has been approached by colleague and friend Danny Bond who is creating a revolutionary platform where artists can stream their shows in a secure and stable environment, allowing fans to watch and connect with friends from their homes. This platform is designed to be sustainable long past the pandemic and offers a much needed lifeline to artists and brands in the entertainment industry during this catastrophic period. A similar concept to Netflix, the platform, home-rave.com is due to launch in the coming week.
Retro will host a channel/show on home-rave.com where fans can pay a nominal monthly fee and have a dedicated link to watch. Hosted by Paul Taylor, a legend of the international dance music scene who has a long history in broadcasting and has produced some of the most iconic dance music tracks in history.
Retro fans are a loyal and dedicated community who love their music and are clearly missing the chance to dance with friends. This show will give people the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favourite DJs (via tv screen), interact with friends and ask questions and gain some real value that they wouldn’t get if they went to a club.
Retro Live Sessions is a weekly live broadcast show, accessed via subscription. Featuring the unique Retro classic house sound and content from local and international artists, the show will be hosted at The Gallery at the Creative Arts Studio in Burnley, behind closed doors.
Creative Arts have built a strong reputation in Burnley, leading the way in the arts scene with support from Burnley Council, providing a platform for new and upcoming artists to showcase their talent, nurturing the local community and supporting town centre trade.
This exciting project is a completely new way of doing business for all parties concerned and we hope it will delight fans whilst providing a much needed income stream for businesses and artists who have literally had to close their doors. Without such a lifeline, the whole team are very unsure about what the future holds and if their businesses will make it to the other side of the pandemic, however that may transpire. It’s obvious that club nights with strict social distancing measures in place will simply not work.
We are delighted to have received approval from Burnley Council to operate our project under strict guidelines. Council support is so important to the success of this venture. Both parties have great relationships with the Council who understand the importance of helping trusted businesses innovate during this time to support the long term success and profile of the town and its communities.
In dance music history, northern mill towns tend to get overlooked, yet anyone who went to clubs such as Angels in Burnley where Retro was born know how revolutionary the scene was in a time when communities were stricken with the recession of the late 80s. The impact of this is still being felt today, creating scores of talented and incredibly knowledgeable artists who were inspired by the scene. As such we are committed to make sure Burnley gets the recognition it deserves.
Retro has an audience of over 100,000 fans on social media platforms who will be invited to watch these live shows from their homes via home-rave.com.