Future Independents, the free online conference from the Association of Independent Music (AIM), attracted over 900 viewers from across the UK, as well as 40 countries worldwide.
A highlight of the day saw Brooklyn rapper Papoose reflect on his journey from independent artist to self-releasing music, and to joining TuneCore as head of hip-hop earlier this year.
Speaking with TuneCore CEO and Music Week’s 2022 International Woman of the Year, Andreea Gleeson, the pair heralded innovations in streaming and social media as key drivers of growth in the DIY market, having opened new avenues for artists to A&R their music and connect with diverse global fanbases.
Gleeson also cited developments in AI as a pivotal moment for the independent sector, calling the nascent technology an opportunity for artists to pioneer new methods of augmented music production.
Silvia Montello, CEO at AIM, said: "Having a fiercely independent music artist such as Papoose share his journey, alongside a highly successful female executive in our community at Future Independents, is hugely significant. It is particularly notable that both highlighted the innovation and opportunities that AI can bring if government help us to ensure the right guardrails are put in place to ensure future successes for human creativity."
Now in its third year, the event provides support for independent artists and entrepreneurs to meet the challenges and opportunities of an ever-changing music ecosystem.
The conference provides a central focus for the whole independent music landscape, including the rapidly growing DIY sector, which is worth almost $1.7 billion having grown 16.6% in 2022 (MIDiA), with the worldwide independent sector now making up 35% of the recordings market.
Other notable sessions across the event included Fair Pay For Every Play which saw Andy Robinson (Interstellar CEO), Kameil Sattar (digital lead at Cargo Records), Mel Cameron (member relationship & development manager at PPL) and Niclas Molinder (founder at Session) discuss how rights-holders can best manage music metadata to ensure royalties are correctly allocated each time a track is played. The timely sessions followed the industry metadata agreement announcement last week.
Emily Saunders (vocalist, composer, Connects Music & We Are Music and AIM Board member), Stella Reid (co-director & creative lead at Rough Bones and AIM Board member), Alex Putman (director at Untitled Recs) and Andy Musgrave (director at Supernature) also featured during the Building A Scalable Business panel.
Other sessions throughout the day included Soundcheck: Insights On The UK’s Grassroots Live Industry, Music Promotion In 2023: Targeted Ads, Traditional PR & New Tools, Building A Career In Northern Ireland And Beyond, Self-Management And Building Your Team, and Sampling 101: Make Beats, Not Lawsuits.
Future Independents sits alongside AIM Sync and AIM Connected as part of AIM’s annual conference calendar. Its flagship event, the AIM Independent Music Awards returns later this year – submissions are currently open, with the deadline recently extended to June 13.
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