Canegreen provided the sound equipment for the event, designing a system to manage both the live acts, as well as the onstage and audience debate. The system managed 48 feeds from the room, and linked to the BBC Radio 2 broadcast, which went out live on air. The rig consisted of four Meyer MSL 4 speaker cabinets, which were used with the two Meyer 650R2P SP sub speakers for the bands, but more predominantly for the debate. Four Meyer UPA-1P and four UPM speakers acted as infills for the room. A dbx 160s limiting system was used by the front of house technician to squeeze the sound and increase its clarity for the small venue. The FOH and monitor desks used to control the system were a Midas XL4 mixing console and a Midas Heritage 3000 console.
The panel included some of the industry's biggest names, including Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony UK, his counterpart at EMI UK, Tony Wadsworth and singer Beverly Knight. The audience included some equally prestigious names, including the Head of BBC Radio, independent record label owners and musicians themselves. Directing the questions was Radio 2's Jeremy Vine. The evening raised several interesting issues about the UK music industry, the main being the continuing importance of live music.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
