Linn Records Delighted with Glasgow UNESCO Music Award

As a Glasgow-based label, Linn Records is delighted that the city has been awarded its latest accolade being named a world centre of music by Unesco, the United Nations cultural organisation.

As well as being based in the city, Linn Records is home to numerous artists based in the locale including John Butt from the Dunedin Consort, members of Concerto Caledonia, Capella Nova, jazz legend Carol Kidd and Hue and Cry. Indeed the label was also home to The Blue Nile, releasing their 1984 debut album "A Walk Across the Rooftops".

The news was announced by Unesco director general Koïchiro Matsuura. Part of the Creative Cities Network, he said: "We at Unesco believe that culture not only makes an economic contribution, it provides meaning, and a sense of identity and continuity that is integral to the life of all societies".

The official announcement will place Glasgow alongside the previous recipients Seville, and Bologna, home of the composer Rossini. In the world of popular music, few cities, excluding perhaps Liverpool or Manchester, can claim to have churned out quite such a glittering array of stars. However, it is also the self-proclaimed capital of classical music in Scotland and has a thriving jazz scene.

Scotland is now the only nation in the world with two Unesco Creative Cities. Edinburgh became City of Literature in 2004.

The title is expected to bring a major boost to tourism and business when events begin in 2009. It comes with a high-powered delegation travelling to Unesco's Paris headquarters earlier this summer to deliver a 50-page document outlining the case for Glasgow.

The dossier pointed out that in a typical week the city would host 127 music events, with the music industry worth an estimated £74.6m to the local economy employing 2,922 people.

Linn Records looks forward to being involved in projects asscociated with this prestigious award and working towards building the reputation of Glasgow as a world class centre of musical excellence.