Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
Download and Ticketmaster among nominees for awards celebrating venues, events and businesses with innovative provision for disabled music fans
By Anna Grace on 22 Feb 2019
An accessible viewing platform at Reading festival
image © AiE
Music accessibility charity Attitude is Everything has announced the shortlist for its upcoming Outstanding Attitude Awards, recognising live music venues, festivals and businesses that have improved accessibility for disabled and deaf fans.
Winners will be announced in an all-access awards ceremony at Islington Assembly Hall (890-cap.) on Tuesday 12 March. Nominees are up for awards across ten categories including tech innovation, customer service, accessible infrastructure and accessible ticketing.
This year, a DIY Access Award has been named in honour of the late Nigel McCune, one of Attitude is Everything’s first trustees and board officers.
Awards nominees include large outdoor events, arenas and brands such as ticketing giant Ticketmaster, British Summer Time Hyde Park, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff (5,000-cap.) and Download Festival (111,000-cap.), which received Attitude is Everything’s gold standard for best practice last year.
Independent festivals and venues are also among those nominated, including Deer Shed Festival (10,000-cap.), London’s Roundhouse (1,700-cap.), Manchester’s Band on the Wall (450-cap.) and Leeds-based Brudenell Social Club (400-cap.)
“The Outstanding Attitude Awards highlight how everyone has the capacity to tear down barriers and make music more inclusive”
Business and events specialists Vehicles for Change, GigLoo and The Ticket Factory are also up for awards.
“There can’t be many award shows that cover nominations from live music’s biggest and most-recognised global brands, alongside outdoor toilet specialists and tiny local venues,” says Attitude is Everything chief executive Suzanne Bull MBE, the UK government sector champion for the music industry.
“That’s what makes the Outstanding Attitude Awards so special. It highlights how everyone has the capacity to tear down barriers and make music more inclusive. The only limit is our imagination, and that’s what we’ll be celebrating,” adds Bull.
The Outstanding Attitude Awards are an important component of Attitude is Everything’s Breaking the Sound Barriers programme, which provides opportunities for disabled people in live music and improves access to grassroots venues.
The programme receives funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Arts Access and Participation fund. The awards ceremony is also supported by Arts Council England.
The full shortlist for the Outstanding Attitude Awards can be found below:
Access Starts Online Award – Outdoor event
British Summer Time Hyde Park
Deer Shed Festival
Festival Republic festivals
Greenbelt Festival
Access Starts Online Award – Venue over 500 capacity
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
Southbank Centre
The SSE Arena Belfast
Access Starts Online Award – Venue under 500 capacity
Band on the Wall
Brudenell Social Club
Komedia Brighton
West End Centre Aldershot
Accessible Infrastructure Award
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society – Virgin Money Street Events
GigLoo Ltd
Vehicles for Change
Big Ambition Award
British Summer Time Hyde Park
Download Festival
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
The Nigel McCune DIY Access Award
Made with Music Mini-Gigs
Nozstock: The Hidden Valley Festival
The Boileroom
The Rock House
The Customer Service Award
Band on the Wall
British Summer Time Hyde Park
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Victorious Festival
The Tech Innovation Award
SoundSense
The Lowry
The Ticket Factory and Nimbus
Ticketing Without Barriers Award – Ticketing / Tech Company
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
Nimbus
Ticketmaster UK
Ticketing Without Barriers Award – Venue / Event
British Summer Time Hyde Park
Festival Republic festivals
Roundhouse
Victorious Festival
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free digest of essential live music industry news, via email or Messenger.