Community Reporter’s Photos of the Guerrilla Buskers!

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the slideshow, but it can be viewed here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38896015@N02/sets/72157618954262138/

Enjoy!

Guerrilla Buskers Footage

Here’s some of the footage from our Community Reporters of the Guerrilla Buskers – thanks so much for all your hard work guys!

More from the day can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/SingleCellCollective

Why Bother With Social Media?

There are few things that irritate me as much as the phrase ‘World Music’. Trudging down the endless aisles of ‘Rock’, ‘Pop’ and ‘Indie’ until you reach the sorry-looking section at the back of the shop where four dusty shelves are dedicated to ambiguously-titled ‘Best Of the Continent’ compilations would be laughable if it wasn’t so totally desperate.

What, exactly, would go on a ‘Best of Europe’ compilation? Who, exactly, decides what 15 tracks best represent over ten thousand years of Africa’s rich musical history? And just when, exactly, was it decided that the music coming from the vast majority of the world’s population would be lumped together under Rest of World – as a kind of sub-category to ‘Real Music’ – as if samba players in Brazil had anything at all in common with Bangra musicians in India.

It is a desperate situation not just because of the huge sea of ignorance in which it is swimming, but also because it has the tragic result of silencing the sounds made by millions of people. How much ‘World Music’ are we actually exposed to? How many of us are guilty of buying a ‘Best of Afro-Funk’ compilation, but have absolutely no idea who Fela Kuti was? How many of us could name 10 ‘World Musicians’?

‘Western’ musical culture is but a fraction of an infinite, timeless musical pie, yet probably represents over 90% of the music and musical history we are exposed to and understand. And intentional or not, this is the direct result of the workings of the record industry, and the huge sums of money thrown at just 10% of the world’s musicians. And so those are the sounds we hear and the voices we listen to.

This is much the same problem as has been created by the media industry. I would guess that 95% of the world’s population (‘World Population’ – reduced to 4 dusty shelves in the Democracy Shop) take no part whatsoever in the conversations created by the global media, and perhaps only 12% of the population in any given country – including this one – make their voices part of their local or national media. And just as the musicians we hear help us form an opinion and understanding of what music is, the voices we hear in the media help us form an opinion of what is going on in the world.

Are we really going to rely on 5% of the world’s population – undoubtedly those with money and power and vested interests – to tell us how we should interpret things? Or do we want to make our own minds up?

The internet has done nothing less than provided ‘World Musicians’ and ‘World Population’ with a platform to shout from, and the tools with which to shout. P2P file-sharing and sites such as Last.Fm and MySpace have had a massive impact in spreading knowledge and understanding of musicians from all round the globe; social media – blogs, Facebook, YouTube, internet radio and the like – has given people an ability to take part in the conversations that are trying to figure out what’s going on in the world, and, more importantly, what we should do about it. And crucially, as long as you’ve got access to the internet, you’ve got as much chance as anyone else – regardless of money, power or vested interests – of taking part in that conversation (- for the time being at least – look up Net Neutrality – )

People’s Voice Media exists simply to teach people the skills they need to get involved. So get involved!

NB All statistics in the this article have been completely made up, but feel plausible and are based on very intelligent and educated guesses

Community Reporters do Guerilla Busking!

PVM’s Community Reporters are going to be out and about this Friday documenting Single Cell’s / Futuresonic’s Guerilla Buskers.

Raising money and awareness for refugees and asylum seekers, a whole range of Manchester artists are going to be playing in secret locations all around the city centre – and we’re going to be following them.

Look out for up-to-the-minute footage on Single Cell’s YouTube channel as the day progresses: http://www.youtube.com/singlecellcollective

And best of all, we want your footage as well. If you’re going to watch any of the acts, or just happen to stumble across them on your travels, and feel to take some pics or record something on your phone, then we want it! Send what you can to jess@peoplesvoicemedia.co.uk, or get in touch for Youtube account info.

Here’s to hoping for a sunny day!

Comedy Compeition Winners!

Congratulations to Euna and John, who braved the cold winds of Manchester to go out on the streets and get your jokes! They’ve each won a pair of tickets to the Frog and Bucket comedy club on Oldham St. While the majority of people they asked ran away screaming, some of you were brave enough to face the camera. Here’s the results:

Win Tickets to the Frog and Bucket!

More jokes to get those comedy juices flowing! Record yourself telling a joke with your mobile phone, a webcam, or stop into the office to use some of our equipment!

Send your entries to jess@mcin.net by the end of February – the best entries win a pair of tickets each (and remember it’s the way you tell them!)

Click here for more info

What’s The Story? Community Reporters Hit The Big Time!

A group of Community Reporters from Manchester and Salford will be in Exchange Square on Monday 16th February 12pm – 2pm. They will be asking passers-by ‘What’s Your Story?’ as their own stories are shown on the big screen.

If you’re a Community Reporter, then come along! And if you’ve got a story you’d like to tell our reporters, or you’re interested in becoming a reporter, or if you’d just like to see what it is we get up to, then come along too! The more the merrier!

Community Reporting is a programme run by People’s Voice Media, in partnership with the BBC. People are trained in using social media to tell their own stories in their own ways. Some use audio and video equipment, others use mobiles or webcams, some prefer just to blog.
As part of their training they have produced a variety of short films, and a selection of these will be shown on the big screen. The reporters will then interview passers-by to get their thoughts, views and stories.

Tee Hee Hee! Community Reviewer’s Joke Competition!

The fun never ends…

The Frog and Bucket is the latest Manchester venue to open its doors to our Community Reporters. They’ve given us 2 pairs of tickets which can be used any Thursday or Friday night (except for special events), and this time we’ve decided to make you work for them.

We want you to record yourself telling a joke, and send it in to us. It can be as a podcast or a video, and the sillier the better. If you haven’t got any way of recording yourself then get in touch and we’ll help you out with equipment, and help you record it. Simples!

You don’t need to be a current Community Reporter to take part – as long as you live, work or play in Manchester you can get involved. Get in touch if you’ve got any questions.

All entries need to be sent (as attachments) to jess@mcin.net by Monday the end of February. The best 2 jokes each win a pair of tickets.

Here’s a little taster from Mick to get you started:

Theatre Review Workshop

It’s happening again….and this time it’s definitely going ahead!

We’ve got 12 tickets to go and see True Love Lies at the Royal Exchange theatre, on Saturday 7th Feb at 16:00. This is going to be followed by a short (45mins – 1hour) workshop on how to create a theatre review, given by someone who’s done it for a living! A great opportunity to go to the theatre and learn new skills, skills which can be applied to reviewing all sorts of things – swimming lessons, films, restaurants, days out at the Velodrome….check out our Community Reviewers blog to see what our Reporters have been up to.

Tickets cost £4.50 each, and we’ve already given away 5, so if you want one you’ll have to be quick. Email jess@mcin.net. It’s first come, first serve, and priority will be given to existing Community Reporters, or those who want to join the scheme and produce content on a regular basis – see our Community Reporters page for more info.

A celebration of creativity

This is a film of a brilliantly funny and very convincing talk given by Sir Ken Robinson, making the case for an education that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Makes you think, and, hopefully, makes you want to create!

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/66