This was the second year of ‘Off the Record', a conference for people who are starting or wish to start, careers in music. Throughout the day there were a range of talks and conversations with people involved in all areas of the music industry. After each session, there was an opportunity for the audience to meet the delegates involved for one to one discussions in a networking room.
All the sessions I attended were very accessible to all and from each one, I gained new insight or knowledge of the music business. The majority were panel discussions led by a moderator who initiated discussions with specific questions to the panellists who provided answers that very much drew on their own personal experiences. Others were more straightforward presentations.
The first talk I attended was a by Matt Parsons ( a CEO from Ditto music) who gave a well-structured presentation on
How to get a job in the music industry. He was one of many who emphasised that a career in music must be a passion rather than a means to an end. That you need to know what you want to do and develop the highest levels of skills you can. He also made it clear that successful candidates for jobs were those who were up for a challenge, who used all the time and opportunities they could and made extra effort to talk to people who worked in the fields they were interested in.
Perception is Everything was specifically concerned with how a band or musician can get their music noticed. The panellists were Andy Kettle (Steaming Kettle PR), Shakuntla Joshi (Moshi), Sarah Jamieson (DIY) and Victoria Turnbull (Silent Radio) and were moderated by 6 Music's Elizabeth Alker. They were in mutual agreement that musicians should see themselves as a brand when approaching music labels or producers. They need to know exactly who they are and what they are selling. Shakuntla gave an excellent piece of advice that would work for anyone trying to get on in the creative industries, that you need a sound bite - a simple sentence that explains exactly what you are along with information on how your music or band can be heard. They had a clear message on how you approach people who are receiving hundreds of inquiries from artists; that simplicity is key. Write in a straightforward but personable manner and make sure your link to Soundcloud etc should be at the top of the email. Also to make sure everything is ready and of as good quality before presenting it and research so that you approach the appropriate person.
As we all know, musicians make less money from CD's and Vinyl so touring and selling merchandise can be vital to their sustainability. In
Making Money From Merchandise, the panellists gave some simple, sound advice. the key was to know your fan base and spend time on collecting data about what they wear, what they buy, sizes, style etc that would channel you into investing in the right merchandise. There were many useful tips, for example, Lee Burges (Century Management) explained how using Print to Order first before buying in quantities was a good way to begin and Cimone Fagan (Hospital Records) suggested that printing several designs on stickers first before creating t-shirts would give you a good indication from sales which designs were preferred. ShaoDow was a great example of someone who has invested well into his merchandising so that he now has excellent insight into the manufacturing side of his products and does a lot designing himself. In his words – bands are missing out if they don't merch – start small and then use the money you make to invest in the next set of merch and build up.
How to break a band in 10 weeks was a bit different to the other sessions as it was a presentation of a project set up to see if this was indeed possible. Mark Knight and Sophie Neville from MEC Wavemaker set themselves a challenge, that was not to cost money but utilize different partners in their aim, to make an unsigned band successful. What emerged was that they were able to do this by a clever use of social media. By flooding every possible forum with photos, film, stories, fans quotes so that the band, Broken with Rebels, gained a lot of views and listens, enabling them to gain recognition. Ultimately they were offered contract from two record label, they are now signed to one with an album on the way next year. They have now toured outside the UK and prospects look good.
One of the most interesting discussions for me was
ReBalance, which questioned the still low numbers of women involved in the music industry especially in bands and production. The three panellists were Lucy Wood (Festival Republic), Grace Banks (a studio producer), Rebecca Hawley (vocals and keys of Stealing Sheep), moderated by Katie Chatburn. They were asked first to comment on why there are so low numbers of women in the music industry. They all agreed that cultural messages from birth still affect people's assumptions about gender. For example, Grace said people often assume she is the singer despite the fact is plugging things in etc. Rebecca agreed and said often men would assume they do not know how to set up their own equipment and also explained that in 7 years, Stealing Sheep have supported many very prominent bands, such as Maxїmo Park, but never had own their headlining tour. That they had begun to question their own content- is it that the audiences are mainly male? Another example being in an interview, what was reported were clothes nails they were wearing and not what they said about music. However, these are general themes and not just seen in the music industry.
Responding to the question of positive discrimination, Lucy explained that in her position she had little choice. Festivals go on ticket sales so you can only positively discriminate when the act has near to a number of ticket sales desired for a headline act. Grace felt that there needed to be an element of positive discrimination as men have an upper hand anyway. Where it is wrongly used is when you are asked to do something because you are a woman.
They all felt there had been changes in recent years, like seeing more women at gigs and in music careers but there was still a need for targeted projects like ReBalance which provides small but realistic support: 1 week studio time with a female producer and engineer.
In
New Kids on the Block, Kali Bradford (Distiller Records), Coral Williamson (PRS for Music), Emily Foreman (Lateral Management) and Lee Kershaw (Sunday Best) reinforced much of what Matt Parson and the
Perception is Everything panel about how to break into the music industry. This was a young group of enthusiastic and articulate people who agreed strongly that passion and putting yourself out are the way to get success. All had come through the route of university but explained that this was not the most important criteria although it gave a great insight into the industry. They felt it was all about meeting people, proving your passion and going above and beyond to make a good impression. Kali was keen to point out that doing your research about a company or individual was paramount- knowing the company, how it works and how you can fit in is vital. Their overall message was to believe in yourself, have confidence, don't being scared to talk to people, be memorable, invest in people and remember to say thank you.
There were also two conversations with bands who have had major successes this year. One of these was False Heads In
A Conversation with False Heads, I was impressed with the perseverance of the band members especially Luke Griffiths, who never gave up and kept pursuing a music career despite some very adverse experiences- what started so badly ended up with success. Persistence along with a good deal of talent secured the approval of Ramones manager, Danny Fields, and Iggy Pop, which then, in turn, brought a good manager Adam Fazakas and a change for the positive.
The key points that came out from False Heads experiences which - I feel also sums up the whole conference were:
Keep going
Accept rejection
Believe in what you do
Work hard – not just at creating music but also emailing – meeting people – organising gigs etc.
For 100 emails 1 may be an acceptance
Use professionals e.g. managers, lawyers
Be personable
Talk to people
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One of the most interesting discussions for me was ReBalance, which questioned the still low numbers of women involved in the music industry especially in bands and production. The three panellists were Lucy Wood (Festival Republic), Grace Banks (a studio producer), Rebecca Hawley (vocals and keys of Stealing Sheep), moderated by Katie Chatburn. They were asked first to comment on why there are so low numbers of women in the music industry. They all agreed that cultural messages from birth still affect people's assumptions about gender. For example, Grace said people often assume she is the singer despite the fact is plugging things in etc. Rebecca agreed and said often men would assume they do not know how to set up their own equipment and also explained that in 7 years, Stealing Sheep have supported many very prominent bands, such as Maxїmo Park, but never had own their headlining tour. That they had begun to question their own content- is it that the audiences are mainly male? Another example being in an interview, what was reported were clothes nails they were wearing and not what they said about music. However, these are general themes and not just seen in the music industry.
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