2024 Conference Programme
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2024 Conference Programme ~
The Wide Days conference brings together the full spectrum of music professionals - from leading international industry figures, to emerging artists, fledgling companies and supporting organisations.
All conference sessions take place at Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh (54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR) from 12.00-17.00 on Wednesday 1 May and 09.00-18.00 on Thursday 2 May.
Music Hall
Computer Says Yes
Wednesday 1 May
13:15-15:15
A round table, exploring the creative opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence and other tech, and how to address the challenges. The session combines short presentations with an open forum for delegates to contribute perspectives and raise questions.
West Drawing Room
PPL: Get Played, Get Paid!
Wednesday 1 May
13:15-13:45
Starting and sustaining a career in music can mean a lot of hard work, so understanding your revenue streams is vital for any new artists. Whether it’s money from radio play, television, or your music being played in public, we’ll be discussing how revenue flows back through to the performer and rightsholder or record label, featuring insight and practical advice from PPL experts.
Speakers:
Mel Cameron (PPL)
West Drawing Room
Local Heroes: EHFM
Wednesday 1 May
14:00-15:00
Local Heroes celebrates those providing a platform for domestic talent and this year features Edinburgh radio station EHFM, an essential focal point for the city’s diverse club scene.
Speakers:
Feena McKinnell (EHFM)
Jamie Pettinger (EHFM)
Moderator: Tallah Brash (The Skinny)
West Drawing Room
Meet The Funders
Wednesday 1 May
15:15 - 16:15
Whether you make music or work with musicians, it is crucial to know the support that's available to you. UK Funding Organisations are on hand to give a round up of how they operate, the funds and grants they have available and what support systems they have for emerging musicians across Scotland.
Speakers:
Elizabeth Sills (PRS Foundation)
Jamie Houston (Creative Scotland)
Music Hall
Sync or Swim
Wednesday 1 May
15:30-16:45
A rare opportunity to get feedback from a panel of music supervisors and sync agents. Submissions open soon, priority will be given to delegates who attend the Becoming Sync Ready Workshop. For more details on how to submit a track email hello@widedays.com.
Music Hall
A&R You Brave Enough?
Thursday 2 May
10:00-11:00
Artists are invited to submit tracks for feedback from media and music professionals.
Speakers:
Alejandro González Castillo (Marvin)
Malte Tabeling (NEUBAU Music / Humming Records)
Additional speakers TBC
Music Hall
Accessibility in music
Thursday 2 May
11:15-12:15
With 19% of the working-age population of the UK affected by a serious impairment, we host a dedicated strand with charity Attitude Is Everything highlighting a range of case studies and initiatives to make the music industry more accommodating for music professionals, artists and audiences with disabilities.
Music Hall
Meet The International CEOs
Thursday 2 May
12:45-13:45
The heads of international music industry member organisations outline their respective visions for the future, the key challenges facing their members and how these should be addressed.
Music Hall
Agents Across The Water
Thursday 2 May
14:00-15:00
How do the approaches of booking agents vary between North America, Continental Europe and the UK? Panelists discuss how they do things and what artists can expect depending on the market.
Music Hall
Country Market Focus: Czech Republic
(in partnership with SoundCzech)
Thursday 2 May
15:15-16:15
Located in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic combines an established label infrastructure with a vibrant live market, comprising over 400 festivals, many of which are international leaders in specialist genres.The panel outlines what makes it unique and the opportunities for connecting with neighbouring countries.
Music Hall
Local Heroes: Hidden Door
Thursday 2 May
16:30-17:30
For the past decade Hidden Door has reclaimed forgotten urban spaces to provide a platform for music, visual and dance. We find out how this unique festival started, the challenges of finding a new location every year and what lies ahead.
West Drawing Room
15 Minutes of Knowledge
Succinct presentations covering a broad range of music-based topics, initiatives and services.
West Drawing Room
Festival Doctor
(in association with BAPAM)
Thursday 2 May
11:00-11:15
Dr Arun Castro outlines the role of the music festival doctor and provides tips for artists, crew and promoters to ensure they don’t end up in his tent.
Speakers:
Dr Arun Castro (BAPAM / RoadieMedic)
West Drawing Room
Music Venue Trust
Thursday 2 May
11:30-11:45
Since its launch in 2014, the Music Venue Trust has fought tirelessly to protect our grassroots live music infrastructure. Co-founder Beverly Whitrick outlines the charity’s origins, its major milestones and its forthcoming initiatives.
West Drawing Room
American PR
Thursday 2 May
12:30-12:45
New York-based publicist Becky Kovach, outlines 11 essential things you need to know before initiating a campaign in the US.
Speakers:
Becky Kovach (Big Picture Media)
West Drawing Room
Pitching for sync
Thursday 2 May
13:00-13:15
Music supervisor Paty Carrera (Control Freaks) outlines 11 essential tips for pitching for sync, including the initial approach, best practice for metadata, meeting the brief and becoming a trusted source.
Speakers:
Patricia Carrera (Control Freaks)
West Drawing Room
Tooling Up For AI
Thursday 2 May
13:30-13:45
Join artist, producer and composer Bishi, for a round up of her favourite music-based AI tools and how they can be creatively deployed.
Speakers:
Bishi Bhattacharya (Gryphon Records)
West Drawing Room
Made in Scotland
Thursday 2 May
14:00-14:15
This year marks the launch of a new partnership between Made In Scotland and Wide Days, to present a snapshot of emerging Scottish acts at the Fringe. Find out more about the initiative, which provides a platform for artists of all genres, to showcase to both international and local audiences.
Speakers:
Matt Lord (Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society)
West Drawing Room
Creative Carbon Scotland: Green Arts Initiative
Thursday 2 May
14:30-14:45
Initiated by Creative Carbon Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh in 2013, the free-to-join Green Arts Initiative supports Scottish arts and cultural organisations to reduce their impact on the climate and environment, and to be at the forefront of creating a sustainable future for our sector and beyond.
Speakers:
Romane Boyer (Creative Carbon Scotland)
West Drawing Room
Sounding Off - the changing use of music in elections
Thursday 2 May
15:00-15:15
As a general election approaches, Dr Adam Behr explores how the use of music has changed in campaigns and what kind of compositions are likely to be used this year.
Speakers:
Dr Adam Behr (Newcastle University)
West Drawing Room
Releasing on Vinyl
Thursday 2 May
15:30-15:45
An essential guide to releasing on vinyl, including lead times, cost effectiveness, technical considerations and how to get the records stocked and distributed.
Speakers:
Eva Davies (Come Play With Me)
West Drawing Room
Touring in the EU
Thursday 2 May
16:00-16:15
Practical considerations for touring in the EU, including visa considerations, touring costs and market-specific details.
Speakers:
Juan Velez (Pianola Music)
West Drawing Room
Digital Ads - The Basics (and when not to use them)
Thursday 2 May
16:30-16:45
Nick will run through a crash course on digital ads that above all will aim to share when to use ads, how to run them efficiently, and whether you should use them at all.
Speakers:
Nick Roberts (Aimless Play)
West Drawing Room
Tooling up for streaming with EmuBands
Thursday 2 May
17:00-17:15
How to make the most of the tools available for artists on streaming services (inc Spotify for Artists, Canvas, Spotify Tools, Apple Motion). Providing an overview of all the things you should do to make your profiles shine.
Speakers:
Toni Malyn (EmuBands)
Delegate Hub
Connecting with Delegates & Industry
A dedicated meeting strand to connect agents and managers from outside Scotland with Scottish promoters, bookers and venues.
Option to book 15-minute meetings with speakers, industry specialists and other delegates.
Meet The Diaspora initiative connects expat Scots working in the music industry, with their peers back home.
Confirmed specialists and partners available for meetings.
1:1 Meeting Hosts & Strands:
to be announced…