Client: The Partnership Council
Partners: 13 Souls / Alight Design Agency / Tenfold Limited / Random Recordings / Glowmedia Limited / Sickofantic
2007 and Nottingham is enjoying the prime spot as Crime capital of the UK. Armed with a small pot of budget burn the decision was made to see what could be done to show the city in a different light.
Areafour Records was conceived as a volunteer project. The seven volunteers each had a specific role to play ranging for implementation of professional skill, deployment of music industry knowledge and plain old enthusiasm. The team met regularly to share the workload and report back to each other.
The project aim was to produce a showcase soundtrack for the city. It was vital that the resulting CD sounded and looked fantastic to show the city’s talent in the strongest light. The resulting CD is a testament to skills and expertise of the volunteer team and the talents of the featured musicians. It received press coverage and airplay in the UK, across Europe and in America, presenting Nottingham as more than crime, more than Robin Hood and more than socio-economic deprivation.
Publicity
“It seems Nottingham has a fiery phoenix about to rise right under our noses”
Brad Barratt – Rock Sound Magazine
“This project is a model of what it takes to make social action work in the 21st century.”
Martin Valentine – New Statesman website
Sales
Areafour Records was conceived as a capital break-even project. The CD sold into America, France, Germany as well as across the UK Copies of the CD are held at Nottingham County Library as a social archive of the city’s music scene at that moment in time.
Awards
Areafour Records was nominated in Information and Openness award category of the New Statesman New Media Awards 2007 and was short-listed in the music category of the Nottingham Creative Industries Awards 2007.
Visit the New Statesman nomination page http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200705250024
Visit Areafour Records www.area4records.co.uk