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Day 2: Stay West - Go East?

Directions & accessibility

Day 2 in Dartington will look at the music industry at a higher level; how to successfully build on an existing career, what success actually means, can careers be sustained without moving to London? As well as current changes in record companies and the ‘360 degree deal’, protecting rights, and the music industry and its impact on the environment.

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    • 10:00 - 11:00

    • Registration

    • 11:15 - 12:00

    • The Role of the Artist Manager in the Changing Climate of the Music Industry

    • Chris Morrison has been in the music management business for over thirty years. His company, CMO continues to adapt to the ever-changing industry over time but the core strengths and ethos remain the same. Since the beginning CMO have always had major artistic and commercial success in each decade representing the best in cutting edge music at that time whether with Thin Lizzy and John Cale in the 1970’s or with Ultravox and Visage at the vanguard of the new wave/new romantic Dead or Alive, The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Beloved. Through the 1990’2 it has been Blur, Elastica, Gorillaz, Morcheeba and Turin Brakes. The company have had gold and platinum success in the States with Thin Lizzy, Dead or Alive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Elastica, Blur and Gorillaz.yhb

      Chris Morrison, CMO Management

    • 12:15 - 13:00

    • The Music Industry and the Environment

    • Melvin Benn had a ten year background of producing political and campaigning festivals throughout the UK before establishing The Festival Office Ltd in 1989 to create and produce festivals for the Mean Fiddler. This was the same year that the Mean Fiddler took over the Reading Festival, which has sold out ever since. In 1999, Benn took the event to Leeds. In 1996 Benn took ‘The Festival Office’ to be part of the Mean Fiddler Music Group and became Managing Director of the Group. In 1999 he became CEO of the group taking Mean Fiddler and its associated companies into a plc structure. This made Mean Fiddler the first publicly quoted music company on to the UK Stock Exchange. Benn is also the licensee for all Finsbury Park outdoor shows and sits as a representative on the Concert Promoters Association (CPA). He was influential in re-writing the Guide to Health and Safety at Outdoor Events (‘the Pop Code’), and regularly makes presentations to the Emergency Planning College, the police and other bodies. In August 2007 Benn sold the majority of the Mean Fiddler Music Group venues as well as the Mean Fiddler Music Group name to concentrate on the full festival portfolio ; Carling Weekend Reading & Leeds, Latitude, Rise, St Patrick’s Day, Fleadh and the involvement with Glastonbury Festival under the new name of Festival Republic. Festival Republic aims to do as much as possible to reduce the impact its business and festivals have on the environment. They strive to use innovative solutions to fundamental areas of impact such as energy, waste and transport. They also delve deeper into specific areas of their events, looking for ways to minimise impact, often including festival audiences in helping make these changes happen.Apart from the immediate benefit in ‘going green’ Festival Republic hopes that its focus on sustainable practices will impact the industry through their suppliers and contractors.

      Melvin Benn, MD Festival Republic, with Julie’s Bicycle

12:00 - 13:30 Morning Session

    • 13:15 - 14:30

    • Stay West - Go East? What does it mean to be a musician in the South West?

    • A panel discussion that will hold a mirror up to the music industry and ask whether you actually have to get involved in the London based industry at all to have a long-term career, how you can sustain a career as a musician or entrepreneur within the South West, and what does artistic and commercial success actually mean.

      With David Prior (Dartington College of Arts, chair), Trevor Wiggins (DCA), Stu Barker (Kneehigh Theatre), Jaqui Haigh (MusicLeader SW), Phil Patterson (UKTI), Vaughan Pierce (Show of Hands), plus an environmental facilitator

    • 13:15 - 14:30

    • My head is spinning 360º

    • You have probably heard talk of nothing but of late. Come along and find out what exactly the 360 degree deal means, what changes are being made in the industry, how city investors are becoming involved, and is the power going back into the hands of the managers. A panel of experts from the recording and publishing industry, and artist management, will discuss how it is affecting them and look at what deals will be done in the future.

      With Caroline Elleray (Universal Publishing), Tom Bywater (Power Amp Music), Matthew Rumbold (EMI Records), Helen Searle (Searle Law, chair), Tope Ajani, John Empson (Emperor Management), plus an environmental facilitator.

13:30 - 14:30 Lunch

    • 14:00 - 14:30

    • Formal Networking

14:30 - 16:00 Early Afternoon Session

    • 15:30 - 17:00

    • Open Forum

    • Picking up from the morning sessions, this facilitated session is the opportunity for all delegates to discuss the issues raised in the morning, to look at how the South West is networked with itself and with the national music industry, and most importantly what delegates and speakers would like to see happen to improve the lot of everyone working in music in the South West.

16:15 - 16:45 Late Afternoon Session

    • 17:15 - 18:00

    • SWS 08 closing discussion

    • Select speakers from the day, and from the SWS 08 organisers, discuss what the event in 08 has meant for them and where do we all go next before reporting back in 2009?

Evening

  • 18:00 - 21:00

  • SWS Networking Dinner

  • Fri 25 Apr '08
  • The White Hart:
    Dartington Hall , Dartington , Devon , UK
    tel: 01803 847111
    The White Hart site

    The White Hart Dining Room is situated within the fourteenth century kitchen of the Dartington Hall range.

Each night of SWS delegates, speakers and hosts get together to find out more about each other and their respective work, build new contacts or cement existing ones and to eat, drink and make merry.

If you’d like to join us at in Bristol or Dartington, please book for these dinners using your delegate booking form or our online booking service.

Book Now! to reserve a place.