For anyone looking to break into the music business, either as an artist or an industry professional, London’s Excel Centre is the place to be this weekend. Starting today (October 6) and running until Sunday (8), BBC Music Introducing hosts Amplify ’17, a conference featuring some 250 speakers and 100 sessions.
JP Cooper, Ray Blk and Chase & Status are among the artists set to feature in conversation with BBC Radio 1 DJs, Warner/Chappell’s Mike Smith is presenting a masterclass in how to catch a label’s attention, while AIM and Kobalt are among the organisations taking part. If you’re headed dockside, Music Week has assembled five picks from an action-packed line-up…
LABELS OF LOVE
Let’s not mess around; this is what many a-young industry hopeful dreams of. Look no further than How To Run A Label, which takes place Friday-Sunday at 11:45. Over three days, speakers including Matador Records general manager Natalie Judge (who recently helmed Queens Of The Stone Age’s No.1 triumph), Stephen Pietrzykowski, European label manager for Fat Possum and founder of Tough Love Records, Fierce Panda’s Simon Williams, Transgressive’s Toby L and Secretly Group’s Hannah Overton will impart pearls of wisdom. The panels will dig into the mechanics of a successful indie label, market changes and the nuts and bolts of releasing records.
WOMEN IN MUSIC
On Friday afternoon, AIM present a panel that asks the question: What’s it like for women in music? Issues such as the male-dominance of festival bills and gender inequality across the music industry need no introduction, but this discussion comes with a clear and positive message: change is coming. Find out how as AIM’s Lara Baker, London In Stereo’s Jess Partridge and Manners McDade’s Harriet Moss talk about the steps still to be taken towards a wholly inclusive industry. Then, on Saturday, Rae Morris, Marmozets’ Becca McIntyre and London singer Jones speak to BBC Radio 1’s Adele Roberts for Shifting The Gaze: Women In Music Panel. The three artists will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women breaking into the biz.
A&R STARS
AIM are busy this weekend. The organisation is also behind a session titled, Meet The Independent A&R Superstars. What’s up for discussion? New artists of course. Where to find them, how to nurture them and how to break them. On the panel are: XL’s Caroline Simionescu-Marin (profiled by Music Week earlier this year), Domino’s Jack Shankly, Transgressive’s Tim Dellow, Jamila Scott of Method Music and Hopeless Records’ Nav Sidhu. Don’t miss this one.
PLAYLIST POLITICS
Brought to you by Urban Development, this Saturday afternoon discussion will delve into how to break an urban artist in the modern age, posing the question: Is streaming the future of British urban music? Along with Atlantic’s Alec Boateng, DJ Ace, Shazam’s Cassie Rowan, Radar Radio head Ollie Ashley, A-List Management’s John Woolf will be in the room. As he recently discussed with Music Week in detail, Woolf has had quite the ride as Wiley’s manager. Check this panel out for some of the best stories of the weekend.
GRIME IS THE NEW DIY
Back in August, before Boy Better Know’s O2 Takeover, Robomagic’s Rob Hallett likened grime to punk in the pages of Music Week. It seems Amplify would agree with him, presenting Grime Is The New DIY at 4:30pm Friday-Sunday. With speakers including Sony Music urban promotions manager Parris O’Loughlin-Hoste – who features as our latest Music Week Rising Star – BBC Radio 1/1Xtra’s Alex Lawless, GRM Daily’s Alex Griffin, Novelist and his manger Jade Avia, this should be a hot ticket.
