Frequently Asked Questions

Jump to: About the Platform | Using the Service | Data and Access | Control and Continuity | Tickets and Revenue Model | Pricing and Support

Key to Codes:
PRO – Promoters / Organisers
ART – Artists / Venues
VIS – Visitors / Public
FUN – Funders / Councils


About the Platform

1. What is Culture Reverb? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Culture Reverb is a cultural memory system that captures and preserves live event information in real time. It records details of events, artists, and venues and makes them available as a permanent, public, searchable archive on the open web.

2. What problem are you solving? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Event information often disappears from the web after a few years. What remains is scattered and difficult to locate. This loss reduces cultural value, weakens community connection, and limits funding and marketing opportunities. Culture Reverb provides a permanent, connected presence for events, artists, and venues.

3. How does Culture Reverb work? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Culture Reverb connects publicly available event information with material submitted directly by users. It processes this into structured formats and presents it on dedicated webpages, linking performances, venues, and related material into an interconnected archive.

4. Who is behind Culture Reverb? (PRO, VIS, FUN)

Culture Reverb is led by John McKiernan and Graham Klyne, supported by collaborators with experience in arts innovation, data systems, and public engagement.

5. Why was Culture Reverb created? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

It was created to capture cultural activity as it happens and make it part of an enduring public archive, supporting artists, venues, and communities through accessible long-term data.

6. What makes Culture Reverb different from other event or archive sites? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Culture Reverb does not take ownership of user data. Information is published openly in formats that can be exported and reused. Viewing does not require sign-in, and only minimal administrative data is stored.

7. Is Culture Reverb a generative AI platform? (PRO, ART, VIS)

No. Culture Reverb is not a generative AI platform. While AI tools may assist with internal tasks, the service itself is built on established open web standards.

8. Is this the final version of Culture Reverb? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

No. Culture Reverb is being developed in stages. The current version is fully operational and demonstrates the core publishing infrastructure and archive model, with additional data control and hosting features under development.

9. Can Culture Reverb be applied to a specific town or area? (PRO, FUN, VIS)

Yes. Culture Reverb can be configured to connect venues, promoters, artists, and events within a defined town, district, or region. This provides a publicly accessible cultural overview for that location. Structured area-wide implementations are available through modest partnership contributions.

10. Can Culture Reverb support festivals or multi-day events? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Yes. Culture Reverb is particularly suited to festivals and multi-day programmes involving multiple venues and artists.

All performances can be connected within a single structured overview, allowing audiences to see the full programme clearly in one place while linking each event to its associated artists, venues, and organisers.

Culture Reverb can also be embedded within a festival’s own website in a white-label format, appearing seamlessly within the festival’s existing design while remaining part of the wider open archive.

11. Can Culture Reverb be shared as a white-label service? (PRO, FUN)

Yes. Depending on the scale of implementation, Culture Reverb can be embedded within an organisation’s own website so that it appears seamlessly within their existing design.

This allows organisations to retain their own branding while benefiting from the underlying publishing and archive infrastructure.


Using the Service

12. How do I add an event as a promoter? (PRO, ART)

Events can be added through a short online form. A dedicated webpage is then published. Future integrations will allow compatible systems to send event data directly.

13. How do I create an artist or venue webpage? (ART, PRO)

Artists and venues can submit their details through online forms, which generate or update a dedicated webpage with a unique address.

14. How does the promoter event webpage connect to venue and artist pages? (PRO, ART)

The current prototype publishes structured information drawn from publicly available sources and submitted material.

In the fully operational version, connections between event, artist, promoter, and venue pages will be created dynamically. Certain connections will require approval before appearing, and ownership of contributed material remains with the original contributor.

15. Can I upload photos, videos, and documents? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Yes, subject to storage limits. Additional storage may incur a cost.

In many cases, media will be linked or streamed from existing publicly available sources rather than stored directly within Culture Reverb.

16. Can I connect to media stored elsewhere? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Yes. External media links can be added so they appear alongside your entry.

17. How quickly will my content appear online? (PRO, ART, VIS)

During the current development phase, submissions are reviewed manually before publication.

When fully live, approved content will appear immediately.


Data and Access

18. Who owns the content I upload? (PRO, ART)

You retain ownership. By submitting content, you grant Culture Reverb a licence to publish it solely for delivering the service.

19. Is the archive open to the public? (VIS, FUN)

Yes. Cultural information is publicly accessible while private administrative data is protected.

20. How is data stored and protected? (PRO, FUN)

Public data is stored in open formats. Private administrative data is kept to a minimum and stored securely.

21. Can I download or export my data? (PRO, ART)

Yes. Data can be exported or copied to a chosen location.

22. How do you ensure accuracy? (PRO, FUN)

Page owners are responsible for approving their own entries. A process exists for correcting errors.

23. Is Culture Reverb accessible? (VIS, PRO, FUN)

Culture Reverb uses simple, standards-based web technologies to maximise accessibility across devices and assistive tools. Improvements continue as development progresses.

24. Does Culture Reverb use advertising or track visitors? (VIS, PRO)

No. Culture Reverb is not funded through advertising and does not rely on behavioural tracking of visitors.

25. Can past events be added? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Yes. Past performances and historical programmes can be added to build a permanent public record.


Control and Continuity

26. What happens if I stop using Culture Reverb? (PRO, ART, VIS)

If you stop updating your page, published information remains available as part of the archive. You may request deletion of your webpage at any time.

27. What happens if I use another service instead? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Machine-readable data can be taken and shared with another provider.

28. Can I delete my webpage? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Yes. You can request deletion. Connected items uploaded by others remain on their respective pages under their control.

29. Can others add information to my webpage? (PRO, ART, VIS)

In certain cases, yes. If a promoter or venue publishes an event, publicly visible details such as artist names, dates, and locations may automatically appear as listings on connected pages.

Other types of content require approval before appearing. Culture Reverb does not include a public comments or review system.

30. Will there be a public review or comments section? (PRO, ART, VIS)

No. Culture Reverb is not designed as a review platform.

Future versions may allow links to external articles or published reviews, but there are no plans to introduce open comment sections.

31. What happens if Culture Reverb closes or changes ownership? (PRO, FUN)

The current version publishes webpages as static HTML that can be hosted on any standard web server. The project is being developed with long-term continuity in mind, including greater participant control over the data they create.


Tickets and Revenue Model

32. Does Culture Reverb sell tickets? (PRO, ART, VIS)

No. Event pages link directly to the ticket provider chosen by the organiser. Culture Reverb takes no commission.

33. Why does Culture Reverb not take commission or sell tickets directly? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Culture Reverb is infrastructure, not a ticketing intermediary. By linking directly and taking no commission, it avoids adding another layer between the audience and the event.


Pricing and Support

34. Is Culture Reverb free to use? (PRO, ART, VIS)

Yes. Every artist, promoter, organiser, and venue can have a free general page.

35. What are the annual support contribution levels? (PRO, ART)

Those who wish to manage and update their own page can choose an annual support contribution.

For those joining now, access runs through to 31 May 2027.

Individuals and grassroots bands or collectives — £10 (or pay what you can)
Grassroots promoters — £25 (or pay what you can)
Grassroots venues or collectives — £50 (or pay what you can)
Established venues — £80
Small, well-established promoters — £80

A Pay Forward option is available for those able to contribute more.

36. Will contribution levels increase in future years? (PRO, ART, FUN)

We hope not. Our intention is to keep contributions as low as possible and increase them only if absolutely necessary.

37. Can I support Culture Reverb financially? (PRO, ART, VIS, FUN)

Yes. You can make a direct donation using the support button.

For those who wish to participate more formally, Culture Reverb is currently raising early-stage investment that may convert into shares in a future funding round.