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Cardiff Music Board set up to protect city's music scene

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The board includes people who run or manage music venues as well as practitioners

Experts from different fields in the music industry have been appointed to a new board aimed at protecting and promoting music in Cardiff.

The Cardiff Music Board members include venue operators, journalists, DJs and producers and was set up after calls to safeguard the city's music scene.

A number of high-profile venues have closed this year, prompting calls for earlier help and intervention.

The 22-member board will have its first meeting in December.

Among the appointees is radio DJ Bethan Elfyn, who presents a show on BBC Radio Wales on Saturday evenings.

She said: "Cardiff's music scene has affected every part of my life and changed many a trajectory.

"I fell in love with the city through the music scene and its creative community back in the 90s.

"From working part time at Spillers, to serving behind the bar in Clwb, raving at the Hippo Club, moshing at Metros, to more recently seeing it as a DJ, promoter, and broadcaster - Cardiff has changed a lot, but there's never been a lull in the pace and energy that music brings to the city."

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The Gwdihw venue was closed ahead of the redevelopment of Guildford Crescent

The closure of venues Buffalo and Gwdihw at the start of the year caused alarm among music fans and prompted calls for a board to be formed.

Other members of the board include:

  • Clwb Ifor Bach chief executive Guto Brychan
  • Motorpoint Arena general manager Phil Sheeran
  • University of South Wales' head of music Lucy Squire
  • The Moon on Womanby Street co-owner Liz Hunt
  • Podcaster Daniel Minty, founder of Minty's Gig Guide to Cardiff

Cardiff council published its music strategy earlier this year and council leader Huw Thomas said this was the next stage in that process.

"Our ambition is to transform Cardiff into the first UK city where music is incorporated into its structure - that means everything from planning and licensing to social well-being and tourism," he said.

"Cardiff is a city of full of artists, musicians, singers, producers, sound engineers and of course music lovers.

"That passion for music was reflected in the volume and quality of applications we received from people wanting to collaborate as part of the music board."