Published: 22 Mar 2018
Wide Days has unveiled the latest additions to its conference programme with streaming, gender balanced festival bills and secondary ticketing among the themes set to be discussed at the award-winning music business convention, which is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
The topics form part of a packed schedule, which is hosted at Edinburgh’s Teviot Row House on Friday 20 April and is followed by an evening showcase featuring seven of Scotland’s most exciting emerging acts.
Wide Days’ panel sessions get to the heart of what matters in music right now, as well as defining what will shape it in the future.- Alan Morrison, Head of Music
Moreover, to coincide with Record Store Day on 21 April, Kim Bayley, the long-standing CEO of the Entertainment Retailers Association, will reflect on her career and how her business has developed since she took the helm at the trade body in 2004.
“This year sees us host more panels, presentations and talks than ever before and it is great to be able to add so many topics to the sessions we announced last month, which includes panels on metal, improving disabled access at music events and a focus on new music label models, ” says Wide Days founder, Olaf Furniss. “Most topics will be as relevant to industry veterans as they are those starting out in the business, which reflects the constant evolution of our industry."
He cites the Streaming To Success panel as an example, with new media experts set to provide invaluable insights including a look at the do’s and don’ts for getting onto playlists, as well as the role of services such as Spotify, Apple and Deezer, in promoting releases and developing artists.
Streaming also forms part of a strand of practical sessions for new artists presented by music business education programme CMU:DIY in association with digital distributor EmuBands. ‘Making Money From Streams’ will explain how different streaming services, including Spotify and YouTube, pay artists and songwriters. Other CMU:DIY sessions will look at building a fanbase through gigging and what role labels and publishers play in an artists’ career.
CMU’s consultancy unit will also present a session at this year’s Wide Days. In ‘Tackling The Ticket Touts: The Story So Far, CMU Insights MD Chris Cooke will unveil a specially commissioned report which reviews and compares the different approaches employed to regulate the secondary ticketing sector in Canada, France, the UK, Italy, the US and Australia.
Having recently become the first Scottish event to sign up to the Keychange initiative, which commits participants to having gender balanced line ups by 2022, this year’s Wide Days will host a panel exploring what practical steps the industry as whole can take to achieve this at festivals.
Other live sessions include a look at staying healthy on tour, hosted by Wide Days charity partner, Help Musicians Scotland, as well as a tongue in cheek session entitled What I Hate About You! where promoters and booking agents have a chance to vent their respective bug bears about each other.
This year Wide Days features media partnerships with industry magazine Live UK and DIY Mag, with the latter also sponsoring a showcase stage with Jägermeister.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said: “Our music industry provides a significant contribution to Scotland’s culture and economy and I commend Wide Days for their work in organising this business convention, enhancing the profile of Scotland’s music industry.
“Over the years, Wide Days has established itself as a valuable event for those working, or looking to work, in the music and culture sector in Scotland. I welcome the news that this is the first Scottish event to sign up for the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative, which aims to create real and noticeable change in the gender balance of music festivals by 2022.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, said: “It’s great to see a conference based in Scotland leading the way when it comes to the issues that affect the music industry at a global level. Wide Days’ panel sessions get to the heart of what matters in music right now, as well as defining what will shape it in the future.
"This is only possible by bringing internationally respected guests together in the same place at the same time to share their extensive knowledge, and Creative Scotland is proud to support an event that by the very nature of its speaker and showcase line-up tackles important topics such as gender balance. The fact Edinburgh plays host is a massive boost for Scottish-based musicians, emerging and experienced alike.”
Claire Gevaux, Director of Help Musicians Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to be Wide Days charity partner for the second consecutive year, and will be offering our expertise and advice on panels and sessions during the conference. Following the recent launch of Help Musicians Scotland, we continue to be #RootedInScotland through supporting events such as Wide Days. It is such a significant event in the national music calendar in Scotland, and offers the opportunity to access a broad range of insights, from streaming to staying healthy on tour. We’re delighted that we’re able to make the conference even more accessible by offering discounted tickets to Scottish musicians and industry professionals of all levels who would not otherwise be able to attend.”
Vanessa Reed, CEO, PRS Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Wide Days showcase programme through our Open Fund,” she says “It is a fantastic platform for Scotland’s most talented emerging music creators and has a strong track record with artists we have been proud to support, including Kathryn Joseph and Be Charlotte. I look forward to seeing this year’s line-up seize this brilliant opportunity.”
Peter Leathem, Chief Executive at PPL, said: “It is always a pleasure to return to the Wide Days convention and in 2018 we will once again be sponsoring the event, as well as hosting a special ‘Understanding PPL’ masterclass. Scotland continues to provide an incredibly valuable contribution to the UK music industry with a wealth of inspiring musical talent from across all genres and backgrounds. We look forward to another productive Wide Days event this year.”
Katie McPhee, Eventbrite head of marketing UK & Ireland, said: “Wide Days is one of the most important voices for Scottish music. We applaud all the great work they do in championing the best of Scottish talent and are very much looking forward to meeting our partners, customers and new artists at the convention."
Chris Cooke, CMU MD, said: “CMU was set up by three Edinburgh University graduates twenty years ago so it’s great to return to the Scottish capital to share our knowledge and insights with the Wide Days audience. And even better that we will be sharing some brand new insights on the secondary ticketing market, as well as CMU:DIY sessions for new artists on streaming, fanbase building and label deals”.
Wide Days 2018 takes place in Edinburgh on 20-21 April.
