Friday 14th May

Music Ally's Paul Brindley interviews one of the key movers and shakers of the international digital music business, Francis Keeling. The interview will focus on digital business models, exploring some key services from around the world and how digital consumption is likely to change over the years ahead. It will also touch on anti-piracy issues, the Digital Economy Bill and the relationship between the music industry and ISPs. 

Learn about getting your content into Film, TV, Games and Advertising in the UK and US. John Bissell and Alicen Schneider from the States join Jacquie Perryman and Alex Lavery to talk about their roles, differences and similarities between the UK and US and how best to realise the opportunities their respective synchronisation markets offer.

Moderator: Phil Patterson, Industry Business Specialist, UK Trade & Investment  

Music Ally is hosting a session on the Best of British Start-Ups, featuring some of the most innovative home-grown companies operating in the digital space. The companies will pitch their offerings to a 'jury' of specialists including an investor and an analyst and the audience will also be invited to question the presenters. 

UK Music recently published 'Liberating Creativity', a critical report on music in the UK and a vision for future collaboration between industry and both national and local government. The BMF have published their strategy for South West music, 'Unlocking Potential', and Generator just secured a significant round of funding to support music in the North East. In a time of increasing uncertainty around investment in artist and business development in music, the two leading exponents of Music Development in the UK, Generator and the Bristol Music Foundation, host a panel to discuss their work, how it connects to UK Music, and the growing influence of this seldom recognised but increasingly important area of the Music Industry. 

If the phrase 'music lawyer' makes you think of the grey suit who spends all his days scrutinising weighty recording contracts, then think again. If you're an attorney working directly with artists, then you're at the heart of the action, the good times and the bad. And especially the bad. When you're the legal rep for chart topping pop stars who are literally capable of everything, your life is never going to be dull, and they'll be little time left for scrutinising contracts. If you want proof, look no further than 'Gods, Gangsters And Honour', the memoirs of a music lawyer who's seen it all, Steven Machat. 

The objective of this panel is to bring to life genuine discussions on the effectiveness and practicalities of music & brand partnerships from those involved in creating and delivering them.

We aim to create a forum where we can get to the heart of not only how these partnerships should work, but how/if they actually are working, and what are the causes that make them go well or go wrong! 

 

In light of the recent proposed changes at the BBC, what is the state  of play with traditional radio outlets in the UK and is DAB still the way forward?

Is traditional music radio still as important in breaking new talent or does the future of music radio now lie on the internet?

Our industry panel discusses this timely topic in what is set to be a keenly anticipated debate. 

Tom has been booking tours for bands for the last 17 years after getting his start booking concerts under his college radio station's banner. Tom formed The Windish Agency in 2004 and currently employs 20 people across both the Chicago and New York offices. He books and oversees the booking of over 300 artists from around the world, including Justice, Hot Chip, Girl Talk, Pink Martini, Jose Gonzalez and many, many more. Bookings are handled for North and South America as well as many in Asia and Australia. Questions come from Rob Challice of Coda Music Agency and Summer Sundae Festival. 

Musician and producer Nick Littlemore, frontman of acclaimed electronic act Pnau, one part of electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun and member of art-rock band Teenager with Pip Brown (Ladyhawke), is unquestionably one of Australia's most exciting exports.  Join Nick for a rare live interview as he shares his journey of breaking it in the UK.  

The landscape for selling your music independently has moved on hugely since last year's Great Escape.
We are in a situation where there are many new cool sites and services competing to release and distribute your music worldwide. What hasn't changed is the need to acquire and develop your fan base.
This Northbrook College sponsored panel features current artists, independent distributors, aggregators and service providers giving the lowdown on what is working and what isn't.

 

www.musicatnorthbrook.com 

John Niven and John Harris discuss the overlapping worlds of A & R and music journalism. John Niven worked in A & R for ten years and explored this world in his novel Kill Your Friends. John Harris was a writer at the NME until 1995 and now contributes to, amongst others, Mojo, Q and The Guardian. In conversation with the music journalist Garry Mulholland they share their experiences of trying to identify the acts and music trends of the future.