Rock stars bid to turn Glasgow's troubled CCA into music hall of fame
A coalition of major Scottish musicians wants to take over Glasgow's struggling Centre for Contemporary Arts, a move backers say could provide a vital tourism and economic boost to Sauchiehall Street.
A coalition of prominent Scottish musicians has launched a bid to take over Glasgow's troubled Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) and convert it into a Scottish Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame. The group, ScotsRock, has secured Midge Ure as its inaugural patron. The project also counts Lulu, Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, Travis, and Del Amitri among its early supporters.
The takeover targets a specific piece of Glasgow's cultural infrastructure at a time when Sauchiehall Street requires commercial revitalisation. By repurposing the existing CCA building, the project aims to establish a dedicated hub that celebrates Scotland's historical and ongoing contribution to global music. This represents a familiar model of using cultural heritage to drive urban regeneration.
Proponents of the hall of fame are framing it directly as an economic intervention. Reader Gavin Murray argued that the venue "would certainly become a strong magnet for tourists... adding a certain boost to the economic vibrancy Sauchiehall Street needs and deserves." Converting a struggling arts centre into a music tourist destination could generate sustained footfall in the area.
The public response to the proposal underscores the sheer scale of Scotland's musical catalogue, which would form the hall of fame's core asset. Nominations include acts with massive commercial footprints, such as the Bay City Rollers. The Edinburgh pop rock band sold an estimated 120 to 300 million records worldwide, establishing them as one of the best-selling musical acts in history.
Simple Minds, whose singer Jim Kerr is backing the bid, bring further commercial weight, having sold more than 60 million albums globally. The proposed roster spans multiple eras and genres, from the punk roots of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band to the alternative rock of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream.
The list of public suggestions also bridges into the modern era, featuring artists like Emeli Sande, whose 2012 debut album broke a chart record set by The Beatles. Whether the ScotsRock group can successfully negotiate the acquisition of the CCA site remains to be seen. However, the proposal has already demonstrated the latent public demand for a permanent institution dedicated to Scotland's most exportable cultural product.
