The Brunel Arms rewarded with a highly commended prize

PRS for Music today announced the runner-up of their Music Makeover 2012 competition.

Initially there was only one prize fund of £5,000 but the entries were of such a high standard the organisation has decided to award a highly commended prize of £2,500 to The Brunel Arms in Pontyclun, Wales to help them realise their vision. 

All judges were enormously impressed with the passion, hard work and dedication The Brunel Arms showed for creating an important music venue in their community. 

Pubs play such a vital role in many musicians’ careers and provide an essential platform from which talent can grow. Demonstrating how music can really benefit pubs underlines how intertwined the two industries are. Wales has a strong musical heritage and The Brunel Arms was an outstanding entry - we recognise their genuine enthusiasm for using music to bring a community together. These guys will definitely go far and we cannot wait to see how they develop through the Music Makeover process.

It is the third Music Makeover run by PRS for Music which represents over 95,000 songwriters and composers attracting a record numbers of entries from England, Scotland and Wales. 

The judging panel included PRS Chair, Guy Fletcher OBE, Neil Williams of the British Beer and Pub Association, Horace Trubridge of the Musician’s Union, Paul Sims, Head of Marketing, PRS for Music, Claire Wells, PPS Marketing Manager and Olivia Chapman, Media Relations Manager, PRS for Music. First place was awarded to The Burnaby Arms in Bedfordshire. 

Research conducted with pub-data specialists CGA Strategy Ltd. found that using music resulted in a 48% increase in sales over the weekend and 21% on weekdays. The Live Music Act which came into effect in October also means pubs are now able to provide live music with less red tape. 

PRS for Music has also contacted 20,000 pubs with a comprehensive guide to making music work including tips on genre choice, stage lighting, jukeboxes, gig promotion and ticketing. The full pack is available here.