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Student launches new website for Midlands music scene

5114/KB  2nd September 2008

• Media enterprise course leads to online music magazine for locals
• New website to showcase musical talent in the West Midlands
• University student’s studies help promote local music scene

A talented MA Media Enterprise student at Birmingham City University has recently launched an innovative new website called Cul-de-Sac at www.culdesaconline.com, which will cover and help to build the West Midlands’ vibrant music scene.

The website, www.culdesaconline.com, is an online music magazine which promotes music activity within the West Midlands.  The creator of the website, Simon Harper, said: “If you look at national music magazines, it’s pretty clear that there is very little coverage about what’s going on within the West Midlands, or even of bands from the region.  I’d like to cover and support the myriad bands persistently overlooked by the national music press, which is why I created the site.”

As a website, its user-generated content (i.e. audience reviews, photos, etc) is central to its development.  Those who visit the site are encouraged to add to its content.  Simon explains: “The site is not an insular project.  I’d like people to join in and promote what’s done well within the region, or what could be done better, so we can all move forward.  For me, the development of the music scene is a collective effort, but it’s not just about the music, it’s also about civic pride.”

Simon, a freelance journalist who writes for the Birmingham Post, Channel 4 and Bearded Magazine, noticed a gap in the market for this type of website while studying for his MA.  The skills he has gained on the course include project structure, setting realistic targets, and creating objectives. 

Simon said: “The MA course has driven me to set up the site and turn a concept that began in my head, into a reality which will help to serve the West Midlands’ music scene.”

Those interested in the MA Media Enterprise course should contact the Course Director, Annette Naudin, on 0121 204 9880 or annette.naudin@bcu.ac.uk.  The application deadline for this course is 4pm on Friday 5th September 2008.

For further information please contact Birmingham City University Media Relations Office on 0121 331 6738, email press@bcu.ac.uk or out of hours on 07967 271 532.

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