Off The Record
Main Room
9:45 – 10:00 – Welcome
10:00 – 10:25 – How to get heard over the Noize!
Influencers from radio stations, print and online will be sharing their tips on how to get the advocacy of the people with the power to get you heard. This panel discusses the different avenues to build awareness of your music throughout the media, and will also be sharing tips on how you can become the next top blogger / radio producer or music magazine mogul.
Moderator: John Robb – Louder than War
Speakers: Shell Zenner – The Line of Best Fit
Steve Cusack – Radio Plugger
Elena Jimenez – Popped Music
Sean McGinty – BBC Introducing
Simon Zaccagni – Silent Radio
10:30 – 10:55 – If you’re gonna do it, do it right – putting a gig on properly
Champions of live music will be talking venues and spaces, production, promotion, and getting creative with turning gigs into events. How audiences consume and share live music is changing, they’ll be sharing tips and tricks to make your gig stand out, attract this new breed of audience and keep them engaged.
Moderator: Jay Taylor – The Ruby Lounge
Speakers: Tom Lovett – Sofar Sounds
Lucas Wilkinson – Fiesta Bombarda
Jeff Thompson – Off Axis
Miriam Rahimov – MEAN Music / When In Manchester
Nick Fraser – Tim Peaks/Ogenesis
11:00 – 11:25 – New music from an old friend – making the most of the help that’s out there
Moderated by Jeff Thompson from Un-convention, representatives from Arts Council England, Help Musicians UK, PRS for Music Foundation, Pledge Music and Ticketmaster Artist Services will be speaking about the funding and support systems that are available to emerging musicians and ways that artists can look out for themselves in the industry. They’ll be offering advice on playing the funding game, and making the most of the help that’s out there to help reach the next stage of your career.
Moderator: Jeff Thompson – Un-Convention
Speakers: Joe Frankland – PRS for Music Foundation
Chris Bye – Arts Council England
Joe Morrison – PledgeMusic
Ellie Moore – Help Musicians UK
John Talbot – TicketWeb
11:30 – 11:55 – In Conversation with Shadez the Misfit
Louder Than War’s John Robb will be chatting to up and coming hip hop artist and creative Shadez the Misfit. They’ll be discussing his pertinent and thought provoking real life lyrics and ways to build your brand as an artist. Following stand out performances at Lovebox and Channel 4 and successful brand partnerships with the likes of Adidas and Samsung, Shadez will be discussing the importance of breadth as an artist. Having been featured by Complex, MTV and GQ they will be chatting about how important it is to stand out from the crowd.
Interviewer: John Robb
Speaker: Shadez the Misfit
12:00 – 12:25 – Summer of Love – How to get on the festival circuit
Key champions of emerging artists from UK festivals share their tips, tricks and insider info to help you get your name on their line up and get the most out of a festival slot before, during and after the fact. Find out what they’re looking for from the artists they champion and hear first-hand about opportunities, application procedures and the benefits of using festivals to grow a fan base.
Moderator: Jim Mawdsley – Association of Independent Festivals
Speakers: Andy Smith – Kendal Calling
Becky Ayres – Sound City
Nick Simcock – Liverpool Psych Fest, High & Lonesome Festival
Yaw Owusu – Liverpool International Music Festival
12:30 – 13:00 – The Label of Love – In conversation with Tim Burgess and Camille Bennett
Dave Haslam talks to Tim Burgess and artist Camille from Tear exploring what it is to be an independent label and key advice for unsigned artists. From the label that has released records by The Vaccines, Ian Rankin and professor Tim O’Brien.
Interviewer: Dave Haslam
Speakers: Tim Burgess (The Charlatans, O Genesis Recordings), Camille Bennett (Tear)
13:35 – 14:00 – A match made in heaven – Exploring the Musician / Manager Relationship
If you’ve always wanted to be a music manager but weren’t quite sure what they ‘do’. This panel of Managers will be discussing the role of the artist manager in the DIY era. For artists, this panel will explore the importance of good management to kick starting and maintaining a successful career. They’ll be offering insight to aspiring music managers on nurturing emerging artists and getting yourself started as a manager.
Moderator: John Robb
Speakers: Nicola Wright Red Light Management,
Kaiya Milan – Women in Music UK
Jenny Carroll – Air MTM
14:05 -14:30 – It’s more fun to compute
Music industry veteran Dr Jen Otter Bickerdike chairs the discussion on how to use all of the technological tools of the trade and to make them work to build a dedicated fan base and how to keep them interested and growing. Tips and tricks for building your online personality, network and engaging in conversation.
Moderator: Jen Otter Bickerdike
Speakers: Bryan Johnson – Spotify
Gideon Mountford – Believe Digital
Will Spencer – Music Glue
Harriet Jordan-Wrench – Secret Sessions
Matt Rennie – The Box
14:35 – 15:00 – In conversation with Brian Cannon & David Drake
The photographers behind Oasis’s ‘Definitely Maybe’ and The 1975’s ‘I like it when you sleep…’ amongst many others will be providing insight into the world of the modern music photographer and discuss working with some of the world’s most recognisable bands. They’ll be offering honest advice on breaking into the world of Rock & Roll photography whilst maintaining their artistic integrity.
Interviewer: John Robb
Speakers: David Drake, Brian Cannon
15:05 – 15:30 – Q&A with Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham
DJ/Author Dave Haslam will be quizzing Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham on issues surrounding music, arts, culture and beyond. Expect the discussion to include; Can we protect live music venues and nightclubs from Closure?
15:35 – 16:00 – My Generation – Breaking the Industry
Gain exclusive industry knowledge on how to build your career in the music industry, from people who’ve recently done it themselves. Hear how these young industry professionals got their foot in the door in their field, how they got there, tips on finding work experience, applications and what it takes to land your dream job.
Moderator: Phil Saxe – Factory Records
Speakers: Jess Nash -Notting Hill Music
Brendan Walsh – Sunday Best
Chloe Abrahams – CODA Agency
Lee Burgess – 30 Century Management
Hannah Mee – SJM Concerts
16:05 – 16:30 – In Conversation with Everything Everything
Jeremy Pritchard and Jonathan Higgs of Everything Everything deliver a keynote speech in conversation with acclaimed DJ and writer Dave Haslam. Manchester-based Everything Everything have released three albums and played prestigious shows at festivals including Glastonbury, Kendal Calling, Bluedot and Isle of Wight Festival. Their work has been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and they’ll be closing the Off the Record conference 2016.
Interviewer: Dave Haslam
Speakers: Jeremy Pritchard, Jonathan Higgs
Workshop Sessions – Lincoln Room
10:00 – 10:45 –Beginners Guide to the Music Industry
CMU’s Chris Cooke provides a beginner’s guide to the music industry for DIY artists,
outlining the different ways music and musicians make money, and introducing the different
business partners you may work with along the way. Recordings, songs, merchandise,
gigs, brand partnerships and direct-to-fan, we’ll cover them all in 45 minutes.
Speaker: Chris Cooke – MD/Business Editor CMU
11:00 – 11:45 – Thinking Beyond a Chart Position
Five things to consider when wanting to get into the music industry based on personal experiences as a number one selling artist, publisher and music lover come five ideas to consider when wanting to enter the music industry. The talk will cover:
- Purpose
- Knowing your worth
- Building relationships
- Surviving the burn out
- Finding balance and giving back
Speaker: Elroy Powell – Diverse Music Solutions
12:00 – 12:45 – How to Land a Sync Deal in 9 Steps
Syncs. Everyone is trying to get them, so how do you increase your chances of landing one? In this talk by independent music publisher Sentric Music’s Head of Sync Simon Pursehouse he will go through the nine steps needed to get you to the top of the pile of tunes that music supervisors worldwide trawl through on a daily basis. From metadata to instrumentals, copyright registrations to email etiquette and everywhere in-between, this will stop you making the mistakes that 90% of artists are currently doing.
Speaker: Simon Pursehouse – Director of Music Services, Sentric Music
13:15 – 14:00 – 7 Keys to Success
CEO of Ditto Music Matt Parsons will join us to talk about his 7 keys to success in the music industry, 3 fundamental laws for success as an artist, how to make a record label your day job and how to get a job in the music industry – including ‘black-hat’ methods to get ahead!
Speaker: Matt Parsons – CEO/Founder Ditto Music
14:15 – 15:00 – The Off Axis Gig Network
Off Axis is a new gig and touring network that enables brilliant artists to play successful shows, to guaranteed audiences all across the UK, even in places they’ve never visited before. As such it offers a practical and effective route for those involved to develop national fanbases in a way never before possible. It currently includes bands from 67 towns and cities across the UK, has created hundreds of opportunities to play to new audiences, and has partnered with Kendal Calling on a pioneering initiative to give emerging artists access to unique festival opportunities. Jeff Thompson from Off Axis will be explaining how the system works, and how you can get involved.
Speaker: Jeff Thompson – COFounder Unconvention/Off Axis
15:15 – 16:00 – Manchester Midi School DJ Workshop
16:30 – 18:00 – TicketWeb Drinks Reception – Dive Bar
