The O2

This Monday 9 March 2009 the British Music Experience (BME), a permanent, high-tech, interactive music exhibition will open within the world's most popular music venue, The O2.

Four years in the making the BME takes over the 22,000 square feet on the top floor of The O2 bubble, The O2's state of the art exhibition space. A combination of cutting edge audio-visual technology and the most coveted music memorabilia of all time will culminate in the creation of one of Britain's most compelling attractions.

The BME enables visitors to trace musical trends through the decades, learn about music's influence on art, fashion and politics and allow visitors to download music from the BME archive. For the genuine musical experience members of the public can visit the Gibson Interactive Studio, a fully integrated space within the BME where they can play various Gibson guitars, Baldwin pianos and Slingerland drums. There is also a full public and educational programme with workshops, lectures, master-classes and concerts.

Hundreds of artists feature in the exhibition from The Beatles to Iron Maiden, from Cilla Black to Elastica, from David Bowie to Motorhead with in depth looks at musical genres from Skiffle to Reggae, from Rock 'n' Roll to Blues, from Punk to Urban.

The BME uses RFID technology throughout the exhibition. Traditional tickets are replaced by a Smarticket which will allow visitors to activate the interactive elements of the exhibition and also to register further interest in specific BME features. Visitors can then visit www.britishmusicexperience.com to access free downloads and further information on parts of the exhibition they want to learn more about.

Although predominantly an interactive exhibition there are over 500 key pieces of British music memorabilia featured including David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes clown suit and Ziggy Stardust costume, Noel Gallagher's Epiphone Union Jack guitar, Roger Daltrey's Woodstock outfit and a vintage Amy Winehouse dress.

The BME will be administered as a charitable foundation and managed by an independent board of trustees, chaired by Harvey Goldsmith. Paul Lilley, curator of the project joined the BME from the EMI Group Archive Trust. The executive curator, Bob Santelli, has worked on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

The BME has five major sponsors:
Gibson Guitar - The world's premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology
Sennheiser - The world's leading microphone, headphone and audio specialist
Getty Images - The award-winning provider of news, sporting and entertainment content and imagery
BBC Worldwide - Delivering the best of the BBC to the UK and the world via programme, DVD, CD, magazines, licensed merchandise, digital sales and live events
PRS for Music - Existing to help businesses and community groups get access to music, while making sure that songwriters, composers and publishers are rightfully rewarded.

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