Birmingham Councillor Ian Ward deals to give Black Sabbath a well deserved acknowledgement

Music map and mobile app lets fans follow in footsteps of Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, UB40 and Slade. A special map and mobile phone app will transport people to the lives of Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, UB40 and other Birmingham music greats.

The music map is the latest idea to come from the council’s Destination Birmingham: A Music City report into making the most of the city’s music industry and heritage.

Although plans for a special Black Sabbath Day, first mooted last year have been delayed, the city’s billboards and highways may be used to honour the rockers when they play at the LG Arena and NIA in December.

The council has also joined forces with exhibition firm Capsule on a £20,000 feasibility study to see if a permanent location can be found for the Home of Metal exhibition which proved a major success when staged at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 2011 and led directly to the inquiry in to the city’s music economy.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Capsule are in talks with the O2 Arena in London about staging the exhibition there.

Birmingham’s economy and jobs scrutiny committee had previously voiced their disappointment at the lack of progress on delivering on the aims of the report.

But following a presentation by council deputy leader Ian Ward and the council’s part-time music officer James Burkmar, the committee members were satisfied that the city could soon cash on its rich music heritage – not only heavy metal, but also British Reggae, Bhangra and other music genres.

Coun Ward said: “This has moved on a bit, we’ve been talking to Marketing Birmingham about a map and an app taking visitors around the heritage sites in Birmingham.”

He added that in December Birmingham would ‘flag up’ the fact Black Sabbath are playing their home city with some appropriate ‘dressing’ on billboards and public areas, and added that there could be further talks with the band’s management about further celebration.

12 October  2013 
Photo Vertigo