Brighton Music Conference (BMC18) has just announced Irvine Welsh, Eats Everything, Friction and Sam Divine will join 160 speakers from across the music, nightlife, tech and digital industries from April 25th to 28th at Brighton Dome.
Among the representatives are “PRS For Music”, BPI, AIM, Association For Electronic Music (AFEM), AIF, ACS, LNADJ, Help Musicians, BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat, Fabric, SoundCloud, Virgin/EMI, Believe, SW4, Defected, Toolroom, Hospital Records, Ram Records, Tru Thoughts, Beatport, Women Produce Music, BIMM, DJ Mag, MusicTech, AEI, Funktion One, Pioneer, Label Worx, This Is Global, Boiler Room, Friction, KRPT, Horus Music, Decoded Magazine, Data Transmission, Skiddle, SharpStream, KRPT, GRM Daily, LWE, Fuse, Mark Knight, Waze & Odyssey, Luke Solomon, London Elektricity, Illyus & Barrientos, Dean Marsh, Jules O’ Riordan, and many more.
See full programme below!
BMC Academy Programme 2018
Thursday 26th April 2018 – Academy Theatre:
11.00 – 11:40 Getting Paid For Your Creativity (in association with “PRS for Music”) MODERATOR: Ashley Howard (“PRS for Music”) with Adrienne Bookbinder (Defected Records) Soraya Sobh (The Bakery) Adam Woolf (Critical Music).
Starting to think seriously about a career in music? Everything you need to know to get a business locked down and sustain a living. From downloads and streams to DJing and live to TV and radio to vinyl and CD, how to ensure you are rewarded for the music you make and understanding all the different income streams.
11:45 – 12:25 How to get your music signed to the right label – Moderator – Timo Garcia, Luke Solomon (A&R for Defected & Classic Music Company), Matt Tolfrey (A&R for The Martinez Brothers ‘Cuttin Headz’ label and Kaluki, Do Not Sleep and his own Leftroom Records), Just Her – artist (Crosstown Rebels/Constant Circles), Sophia Margerison (Virgin/EMI). Timo Garcia (aka Nolan) talks to industry professionals about the best way to get music signed by the right labels. With his own music released on over 130 labels worldwide from Get Physical, Kittball & Mother Recordings to Toolroom, Cr2 & MadTech Timo has a wealth of experience (good & bad) in sending out demos in hope of getting signed.
12:30 – 13:10: Label Q&A – Tru Thoughts – Speakers – Robert Luis – Label Co-Owner and A&R, Jonny Halliday – Label Manager, Trevor Heath – Full Thought Publishing, Hannah Petter – Press Officer. A chance to delve into the minds of one of the UK’s most successful labels, now in its nineteenth year the label continues to go from strength the strength and is a perfect example of how to grow your business and stay true to its roots.
13:20 – 14:10: Uplifting Audio Experiences Workshop with Tony Andrews – founder of loudspeaker manufacturer, Funktion-One. An opportunity to delve into the mind of the man behind the world’s leading loudspeaker and sound system provider. This will be a masterclass in best practices and how to perfect your sound.
14:15 – 14:55: BIMM Institute Modular Synthesis Masterclass – You are invited to this exciting BIMM Institute Modular Synthesis Masterclass hosted by the (BA Hons) in Music Production Course Leader, Matthew Hodson. Matthew will take you through all the key techniques and essential elements in producing music using a modular synthesiser. Join him as he creates music from scratch, building a custom patch, which is discussed and taught throughout, giving you a first-hand insight into the world of modular synthesis.
15:00 – 15:45 Sharpstream – Sharing your creation with the world. The access and benefits of Internet radio. Moderator: Dane Streeter (Sharpsteam). Speakers: Nats Spada (Totally Radio/Platform B), Ben Liebrand, Dom Robinson (id3as media) and more TBC. Radio is a major source of music discovery, yet traditional broadcast radio consumption is in decline. Internet radio is growing faster than ever, helped in part by the launch of connected smart speakers and a generational leap toward IP first media consumption. This panel focuses on how to approach starting an Internet radio station of your own. The discussion will look at the benefits and challenges of Internet radio, revealing the best practices from existing success stories of the Internet radio landscape.
15:50 – 16:30 DJ Q&A – Moderator Chad Jackson – DJ’s Mark Knight, Sam Divine, Rich Wakely and a very special guest.
16:35 – 17:15 BPI PRESENTS – MUSIC PIRACY & CONTENT PROTECTION STRATEGIES. Speakers: Kiaron Whitehead (BPI General Counsel), Clare Miller, Chris Sheehan, Christian Ivanoski-Nichol, Alex Baker, Kate Whitmarsh (BPI Content Protection Team)
17:20 – 18:00 How much is your hearing worth? Moderator: Mark Jones (Wall of Sound). Speakers: – Oli Katz (Watch the hype), Jono Hale (ACS), HMUK (Speaker TBC).
Friday 27th April 2018 – Academy Theatre:
11.00 – 11:40 Giz a job… A chance to get yourself an internship with a leading UK label – Full details TBC
11:45 – 12:25 Label Q&A – RAM Records – Moderator Sarah Cole
12:30 – 13:10 Education – is college really worth it? Moderator – Inder Phull (Founder & CEO at KRPT). Speakers: Lauren Pavan (COO at GRM Daily), Alice Favre (Co-Owner at A Man About A Dog, Ticket Tannoy and Head of Operations at LWE), Archie Hamilton (Producer, DJ & Label Owner, Fuse, Arkityp), Toby Oxnam (Creative Director at Netil Radio, Head Booker at Joshua Brookes and Director at Ossia Music).
The cost of attending a UK university as an undergraduate in 2018 could cost up to £9000 a year, which equates to almost £30k over a 3-year university tenure. Imagine what that investment could yield for during the same period of time, if chosen instead to use it to build a studio, set-up an event or launch a record label. Or would you lack the necessary skills and acumen required to achieve any of the aforementioned, without having cut your teeth on a university degree first?
We’ve curated a diverse panel of industry professionals & entrepreneurs to discuss just that. Our panelists will be guiding us through their respective journeys in education, before debating if these had any impact on their current position in the music industry, and concluding whether going to university is really worth the time, cost and effort. The aim of the panel is to give the audience an insight on how to reach their career aims as well as practical tips for future entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
13:15 – 14:05 Producer Q&A, Moderator – Katia Isakoff – Women Produce Music, London Elektricity, Illyus & Barrientos, Luke Solomon, Rachel K Collier.
14:10 – 14:50 Horus Music Seminar – Letting it Sync In: Why Music Supervisors love Electronic Music – Moderator: Deborah Smith (Anara Publishing), Speakers: Rupert Hollier (Music Supervisor), Luke Jackson (Composer), Rachel Menzies (Music Supervisor), John Meredith (Owner of Production Music Library ‘Arms Production Music’). Taking you through the fundamentals of how synchronisation works when a song is used in a film, television show, advert or video game. The discussion will then take a deeper look into the use of electronic music in recent projects from both a music supervisor and composers’ perspective and will take a look what challenges lie ahead for songwriters today.
14:55: Multi-tasking in the music business with D&B legend Friction!
Brighton’s very own drum and bass legend Friction talks through the need for multi-tasking in the modern day music business. From producing records, touring, broadcasting and running a label.
15:50 – 16:30: (40 Mins) – AEI / BEC panel – Creating & Maintaining Online Communities. Moderator: Sarah Cole (Director of Talent at AEI Group). Speakers – Tom Dunn: (AEI Special Projects Manager), Kate Osler (AEI Festival Director / Weird Science), Nick Sadler (Manager), Lewis Sinclair (CEO Cygnus Music). What good is a Facebook event page if no one actually sees it? As the internet echo chamber gets louder and algorithms make it harder to reach fans online, it’s more important than ever to understand exactly how to use digital platforms properly to promote your event. This panel, hosted by AEI Group, will break down all aspects and means of digital promotion and analyse exactly how to get the right message across, in the right way, to the right people at the right time. From fine-tuning your tone of voice to fit your audience to understanding when to push for those final ticket sales, this panel will cover it all.
BMC Professional Programme 2018
Thursday 26th April 2018 – Professional Theatre:
11.00 – 11:50 DJ Mag – Times up for sexual harassment. Following the Harvey Weinstein revelations and the #MeToo campaign, stories have begun to emerge from the electronic music industry about sexual harassment and misconduct. This panel will examine the issues involved, and look at ways to stop abuse like this happening in the future.
11:55 – 12:45 SoundCloud Presents – (content TBC)
12:50 – 13:40 Diversity Is A Reality, Inclusivity Is The Goal (in association with “PRS for Music”) – Moderator: Fiona McGugan (Music Managers Forum). Speakers: Amanda Maxwell (SheSaid.So/ Boiler Room), Steven Braines (The Weird & The Wonderful), Natalie Wade (Small Green Shoots), and Claire Rose (“PRS for Music”). From the Wireless festival line up to the Grammy nominations, the rate of change in respect of diversity is off pace, not just within dance music but also across the industry. This panel asks what it means to be a diverse business in 2018, discussing practical inclusion strategies and looking at some of the initiatives that exist today.
13:45 – 14:35 is the underground underground anymore? Moderator: Sammy Verghese (The Arch, Brighton), Judy Griffith (Fabric), Firas Waez & Serge Santiago (Producers Waze & Odyssey), Jack Bridges (Beatport). Has the mainstream success of dance music artists resulted in dance music becoming a corporate product? Have artist’s demands, such as 5* hotels and limousine pick-ups made dance music resemble pop artists? Do ever inflated fee’s have a knock on effect for festival and club shows having to charge high ticket prices and therefore alienating access to music on financial grounds? What’s the future of the underground?
14:40 – 15:30 AFEM Presents – Mental Health & Music In The Mix moderated by Greg Marshall (Head of Membership, AFEM) Panelists include Help Musicians UK, Mike Hollingbury (Owner, Bozboz), Dan Tait (Pioneer DJ Sounds). More panelists TBC. As new studies shine fresh light on the prevalence of mental health issues in our industry, it’s clear that the need to care for yourself and those around you has never been so vital. AFEM brings together a range of professionals to hear their experiences, share advice and see how wellbeing and success can both be achieved in our 24/7 industry. With almost a third of UK electronic artists having been impacted by mental health issues, caring for yourself and those around you has never been so vital. AFEM teams up with a range of industry experts to explore how success and mental wellbeing in a 24/7 industry can both be achieved. More panelists to be announced soon.
15:35 – 16:25 A Journey in Sound – Tony and Ann Andrews from Funktion-One. An in-depth interview with a couple who have committed their lives to each other and to the pursuit of audio excellence, founding and growing loudspeaker manufacturer Funktion-One in the process. A unique opportunity to hear from the true pioneers of professional audio.
16:30 – 17:15 LNADJ Presents Social and Corporate responsibility in the dance music industry. Moderator: Ellie Talebian. Speakers: Eats Everything, Jim McNulty, Ann Andrews and Nico De Transilvania. The dance music industry has traditionally not been known for its focus on social responsibility yet through the example of a small number of trailblazers we are now seeing a positive change in attitude. Why is this happening now and what can be done to expand on their work?
17:20 – 18:00 AIF – How best to get your artist on the stage? Moderator: Jim Mawdsley (Generator). Speakers include Ami Lord – (General Manager & Laundry Meadows Stage Booker, Standon Calling) Emma Zillman (Programme Director, Fields Festival).
Friday 27th April 2018 – Professional Theatre
11.00: Brands in Music
A selection of huge brands work alongside record labels and artists, find out what they look for, how do they allocate budget and what the end game is for them?
Speakers TBC
11:45 – 12:25 Creative Law presents – ‘How not to get into hot water when re-making music.’ Moderator: Dean Marsh (MD – Creative Law & Business) Andrew Sharland (Leading Partner, Clintons), Peter Oxendale (Forensic Musicologist), Alison Hook (Head of Sampling & Copyright Infringement Sony/ATV Publishing), Jules O’Riordan AKA Judge Jules (Global DJ/Lawyer, Sheridans), Saranne Reid (General Manager, Crown Management/MD Sample Clearance Services). This year’s legal panel will be dissecting two topical subjects. (a) Re-records. Many producer/artists seem to be re-recording their old hits (sometimes in conjunction with a publisher), so they then can exploit themselves. How do you avoid breaching the terms of the original record contract? In which ways might a re-record infringe the copyright or performers’ rights in the original recording, particularly if it’s a near identical recreation? (b) Covers There’s been a recent trend towards crossover success for dance producers covering or interpreting existing compositions. What legal right does an artist have to make and release a cover version? What constitutes a “faithful” cover version and what doesn’t? What rights do publishers have to insist that a new composition is a cover when it’s not?
12:30 – 13:10 BPI Presents – Subject TBC.
13:15 – 14:05 Streaming – Best practices and how to make it work for you. The panel will explore the tools and best practices for some of the worlds leading streaming services. How best to use these tools and how best to maximise your presence and reach your fans. Speakers – Sam Lee (Songular), Leigh Morgan (Believe), Achille Nanopoulos (Artist Marketing Manager – Independents – Deezer), Dominic Kerley – (Label Worx).
14:10 – 14:50 DJ Mag – An interview with Irvine Welsh. The renowned Trainspotting author talks exclusively to DJ Mag editor Carl Loben about the thread of electronic music that runs through much of his work, and his new book Dead Men’s Trousers — featuring all the much-loved Trainspotting characters — in which Renton becomes a DJ manager.
14:55 – 15:45 Sharpstream Panel. Monetize your content in ways you haven’t heard of. Moderator: Dane Streeter (Managing Director – SharpStream). Speakers: Katie Sedler (Head of DAX Partnerships (This is Global) Nick Pitts (Commercial Director – Jazz FM), More TBC.
Audio content is exploding world wide on more platforms than ever before. How can audio content creators get the best return on their investment? This panel explores the options available to audio content creators, focusing on the approaches to implementing monetisation strategies for different audience scales in order to achieve the best results
15:50 – 16:30 Trial by social media: dealing with a PR disaster. Moderator: Lee Smith (Leak Delete), Anna Wall (PR), George Hull (Bloc), Angie Towse (The Rest is Noise). Following a string of widely publicised controversies in dance music, we ask: are we right to call out offensive behaviour online? Who do social media scandals benefit? And how are careers controlled by social media audiences?
Mezzanine level
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat panel – 17:00 – 18:00 (17:45 show goes out)
BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra’s Newsbeat will be hosting a discussion and broadcasting from BMC and discussing topics including Brexit and drug testing at venues and events in the UK. – Hosted by Newsbeat’s politics and music team. Speakers include Jimmy Blake (BBC1 Radio Newsbeat), Mark Lawrence (CEO AFEM), Danny Howard (BBC Radio 1), Judy Griffith (Fabric), and more TBC.
Seminar area 3
Thursday 26th April
13:00 – So you want to be a DJ… Speakers include Pete Gooding (Pete Gooding Management), Ben King (Radius Artists), Graham Farmer (Data Transmission).
An insight into the best practices for artist development and representation, a master class of the do’s and don’ts in order to succeed.
3PM – Beatport invite only
4PM – Beatport access all areas
Friday 27th April
11:30-12:30pm BMC Session Description – Rachel K Collier
Rachel K Collier – From the Studio to the Stage using Ableton Live 10
Rachel K Collier will demonstrate her approach to taking a full song production to stage. Using her song Paper Tiger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGMrAvr0g5s as an example, she’ll show her own techniques for breaking down song parts into clips and scenes for performance. Collier will cover the process from the beginning and provide tips and tricks for balancing the fun of impromptu performance with recreating the structure and elements of a song.
12:30-1:30pm BMC Session Description – Simon Lyon
Ableton Live 10 and Push – Capture, Create and Manipulate
Ableton Certified Trainer Simon Lyon takes you through some of the new features of Live 10 whilst exploring many ways to create ideas and harness the creative power of Live and Push.
Whether you are new to music production or seasoned musician/DJ/Producer, Live gives you many options for starting either the initial workings of your music or performing and manipulating beats, grooves and textures for your shows.
1:30 – 2:30 – Sound Healing Workshop – Speakers include Jamie Catto (Faithless producer and film maker ‘One Giant Leap’), Tracie Storie aka DJ 10 Sui (Tama-Do Sound Therapist). More panelists from the world of academia, physics and music production to be announced
The Universal Power of Sound – In 2018 more and more people are using music and sound to complement their personal development practices, and with good reason. Science is now proving that sound resonance and frequency has an effect on physical matter, including the human mind and body. We will discuss this development and how it is being incorporated into events, music production and consumption.
2:30 – 4:30 TBC
Deadwax Social Theatre
Thursday 26th April
Tooroom Academy production and DJ classes
Friday 27th April
10-11: Demo Drop
11-12.30: Ben Remember
12.45-13.45: Mark Knight
14.00-15.30: Tuff London
15.45-17.15: Illyus & Barrientos
17.30-18.30: A&R Feedback
Hospital Records Sonic Surgery
10.00-11.00: Meet The Team / Demo Drop
11.00-12.00: London Elektricity: Obsessive Sound Collecting
12.00-13.00: Nu:Tone : Words & Pictures – The Vocal 1, 2, 3
13.00-14.00: Demo Drop / Lunch
14.00-15.00: Keeno: Strings & Shimmering Things
15.00-16.00: Danny Byrd: MPC vs. DNB
16.00-17.00: A&R Feedback
Watch the BMC 2017 Roundup video below!
Grab tickets here!
