New era for Norwich-based record label
Kim BriscoeA Norwich record label will be scaling back its releases after this year so its owner can concentrate on getting a massive music archive online.For the past five years Kingsley Harris has been ploughing all his time and energy into putting out a series of singles and albums by the bands on NR One Records.Support Norwich on FacebookOfficial Norwich 2013 bid websiteKim Briscoe
A Norwich record label will be scaling back its releases after this year so its owner can concentrate on getting a massive music archive online.
For the past five years Kingsley Harris has been ploughing all his time and energy into putting out a series of singles and albums by the bands on NR One Records.
However, his 26-year labour creating the East Anglian Music Archive has taken a backseat since he started up the label to promote the best of the city's new music, including groups such as The Kabeedies, The Brownies and Violet Violet.
At the end of this year he will be shifting his priorities to focus on the archive and he hopes that Norwich's City of Culture bid, if successful, will help realise his dream of one day seeing it translated to a free online resource.
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He said: 'I've spoke to the city council about the current bid for City of Culture with regards to having the website up by 2013 with all the bands from the 50s to the current day.
'A lot of people ask to see the archive, but a lot of it can't be handled as it deteriorates with age, such a vinyl records and paper cuttings.
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'It's not the sort of archive you can just walk in and pick up so it would be great to get it in a digital format online, where it can be accessed for free by anybody.'
Mr Harris wants the online archive to include a wealth of information about groups over the decades, including photographs, memorabilia and, copyright permitting, sound clips too.
Marion Catlin, Norwich City Council's cultural development officer, said that if Norwich were chosen as the first UK City of Culture in 2013, it would be well-placed to attract funding for projects like the East Anglian Music Archive.
She said: 'If we are successful, this is just the kind of project that we would hope to attract funding for, and would certainly see archives such as this as an important part of the culture of the city.'
Mr Harris said NR One Records will continue to put out ad-hoc releases every now and again.
He added: 'I'm not getting any younger and it would be a shame if it got the point where I'm no longer able to do the archive.'
Mr Harris is also looking volunteers who may be able to help the project to create a website and get the archive online. Anyone who can help can contact him by email at eama@eastzone.co.uk.
Do you have a story about music in Norwich? Contact reporter Kim Briscoe on 01603 772419 or email kim.briscoe@archant.co.uk.
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