When I first started Glasgow Podcart I did so to help expose new music not only from Scotland, but also from around the world. The focus was on the unsigned and grass roots and the other objective was to try and network as many different people as possible. Whether a musician, a photographer, an artist or anything else I felt it vitally important to amplify people’s talents by combining them.

It has been over 2 and a half years now and I have met and been helped by some incredibly special people. Many that I have probably not thanked enough. Now us music sites and bloggers are at the bottom of the food chain, so it is vital we do what we do in order to hopefully provide a filter of sorts. This filter then works up the chain and the next level and the next natural step is radio.

BBC Introducing first came to my attention fully just before I began Podcart. Vic Galloway presented and it is an incredible boost for bands to get selected and played on the show. Some of these bands even get the opportunity to play live sessions and having witnessed one myself it really is the most professional and adrenaline inducing experience for musicians at a grass roots level.

Ally McCrae recently replaced Vic as the new voice of BBC Introducing in Scotland and around the different nations there have been different changes. Jen Long is also a new face and one that I discovered through The Line Of Best Fit podcasts. Rory McConnell covers Northern Ireland and Huw Stephens and Tom Robinson play a massive part as well.

All over the country these different people (backed by a tremendous team of contributors , researchers and producers) are helping pioneer new music and giving the unsigned and grass roots that hope and opportunity that they work so hard towards. It is essentially the middle ground of radio exposure before mainstream radio.

Today I am not writing this as only a music site, but also as part of a DIY record label and an ex-artist manager. I don’t want to sit here like a preacher, even though it will inevitably come across like that, however what has been announced today could possibly radically change things quite substantially for not only our site, but also my label and the musicians I have represented.

As part of its operational restructuring plans the BBC announced today proposed plans. You can read the full proposal here: http://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/bbc/dqf/consultation/subpage.2011-07-28.2733529972/ which ironically is entitled ‘Delivering Quality First: Public Consultation: Section 3 Radio’. The section that most of my music comrades and I have focused on is the following:

Replace the current late night Nations’ opt-out programmes on Radio 1 with a single programme that would offer a UK-wide platform for undiscovered, unsigned music and emerging talent from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Now my ‘real life’ job is working for one of the main telecommunications companies. My role is to help deliver quality in different ways. I know how big companies work and I know that what it all boils down to is money. Sad but true. Your head honcho obviously has a job to do and that is all fine, but are they really fully aware of what is happening frontline? The answer most of the time is no and so the next question is how exactly is this delivering quality?

The other factor that we have to look at is listenership. This is exactly what these people are looking at and by the looks of things they think by amalgamating sectors and spending more money on people like Chris Moyles and Fearne Cotton this will help make money and maintain listenership. I just really for once want that epic American movie type happening of someone at the top turning round and saying ‘fuck this, let’s do something good for once and give the smaller guys a chance’. I know I am a dreamer and as my aforementioned job shows, I am unfortunately not so naive and know that there is a slim chance of this happening.

So what’s the next step…..well we have a petition we can all sign and the support that BBC 6 Music got was incredible and goes to show that public support is a force to be reckoned with. You can find the petition here: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/introducingscotland

Next, people like myself have to just keep going and looking at ways to support new music in every way we can. Sometimes it is something like this that gives you the kick in the arse you need to keep going. So that is exactly what I will do and with every bit of force try and help advertise the importance of  BBC Introducing to who we can.

On a final note I really have to reiterate the good things that BBC Introducing do. They have played many of my friends who are artists, my labels bands, the bands I managed and so on. The production team Muslim Alim and Lee-Ann Howieson are 2 of the most driven people I have had the pleasure of meeting in the music industry and genuinely care about everything they do.  Ally McCrae who is also part of Detour knows the importance of new music and having worked with him on projects then I again know his genuine passion for what he does.

Ultimately the people that it is going to affect is you.

If you are in a band, if you are a listener, if you are a musician starting out then PLEASE sign this petition and do what you can to highlight this. It is hard enough as it is to gain exposure in the internet world that we have now so shows like this are vital to the music community. And that is just it, we are a community so we need to start acting like one and try and stop this bullshit.

It take about 30 seconds……go ahead and sign.

Halina Rifai