Music fans take centre stage with The Tennents Mutual
 

Long recognised as being some of the world's most passionate and vocal music fans, Scotland's loyal gig-going public is set to shout even louder with the launch of The Tennent's Mutual - a new music venture developed by Tennent's Lager.

In a bold move, Tennent's will empower and enable music fans to shape the live music landscape with a start-up fund of £150,000. Fans will be allowed the power to decide democratically and collectively exactly how this money is invested, ultimately creating The Tennent's Mutual live programme, which will begin in October/November 2008. Founding members will select artists, debate locations for gigs and call the shots on ticket prices by interacting as a community and voting for their preferences online - ultimately creating new and affordable access to live music in Scotland. "There's absolutely nothing else out there like The Tennent's Mutual," said George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at Tennent's Lager, "but the ethos behind it definitely reflects what music fans want right now. Who knows what gigs will happen and where - the point is that it's up to the fans to decide, which is a tremendously exciting step. "Ultimately we want people the length and breadth of Scotland to get involved in a great music debate and for their collective viewpoint to be heard as loudly as possible". Radical Tennent's ambition for this wholly original initiative is to establish an alternative model for sustainable live music provision, which gives gig-goers genuine control. The ethos behind the The Tennent's Mutual initiative represents a radical departure that is reflective of the current zeitgeist. Aware of crucial shifts taking place in both the industry and in music consumption, Tennent's commissioned a nationwide census of fans - the largest ever held - to listen to their desires and opinions on where change should be considered and why. 13,000 people were interviewed and, says the company, the results were clear: it was time for something new, something that fans could interact with and directly influence: o 99% felt that the Scottish music scene needs 'something different' o 94% of fans find out about new music through the internet o 98% would be interested in having more bearing on the development of live music in Scotland. In parallel to this groundswell, The Tennent's Mutual was   created to work "to uniquely empower the music fan more than they ever have been before, acting in their interest". Those who sign up before 30th June at www.tennentsmutual.com will be given founder member status and the right to vote on the 'who, what, why, where?' of all decisions. Self-generating The Tennent's Mutual is a not-for-profit enterprise - no booking fees will be charged for The Tennent's Mutual shows and ticket income will be ploughed back into its central fund, creating a self-generating amount that will grow and continue to create yet more live events. Figures from across the music spectrum have come on board with The Tennent's Mutual to offer music fans their counsel on a voluntary basis on all aspects of programming - including Rolling Stones svengali Andrew Loog Oldham, Babyshambles axe-master Drew McConnell, journalist and broadcaster Keith Cameron, former Scots chart-topper and Stow College music guru Ken McCluskey (The Bluebells), together with local label champions Stewart Henderson (Chemikal Underground) and Johnny Lynch (The Fence Collective). Evolve "It has been increasingly important to us to work with the people that really matter - the fans - meaning that it was simply not enough to present something that was a finished product, set-in stone to them. We can't wait to see how things will evolve in the coming months." The launch of The Tennent's Mutual has sparked interest from fans and industry alike. Stewart Henderson of Glasgow-based record label, Chemikal Underground, said: "Generally speaking music has gone digital and you can't put the genie back in the bottle. This is a total watershed time that we're living in at the moment. It will change things completely - irreversibly." He continued, "What Tennent's has done is they've effectively set themselves up as patrons. It's a positive thing as it allows things to happen that may not have otherwise."