logo

Full schedule for Sound City+ 2018 revealed

Full schedule for Sound City+ 2018 revealed

A diverse range of industry execs and experts will discuss artist development, new tech, mental health and more at the British Music Experience.

Full conference line-up at plus.soundcity.uk.com

The full schedule for this year’s Sound City+ conference in association with Bruntwood has been revealed.

The annual Sound City + business event is the UK’s leading independent conference for new music – founded to champion the rich and diverse creative output of the North of England, in particular, but welcoming and celebrating exciting artists and leading executives from all over the world every year.

Kick starting the bank holiday weekend on Friday 4th May, the 2018 edition of Sound City+ will take over the British Music Experience and Signature Living’s Cunard House, which celebrates the UK’s finest musical exports from the last century inside Liverpool’s historical Cunard Building.

The event will welcome music industry faces from all over the world, including representatives from member festivals that make up the Innovation Network of European Showcases (INES) which is supported by Creative Europe. They’ll be discussing the opportunities open to UK and European artists, how the live industry differs in each and how to secure gigs beyond an act’s native borders.

Sound City+ will also host a series of workshops aimed at helping young talent make strides in every aspect of their career from sync to distribution to production, as well as personal development in terms of mental well-being and self-confidence.

This includes a discussion about imposter syndrome and how to overcome it between Tawiah, an artist from South London, and Fiona Buckland, a life coach whose roster of clients include Google and Soho House.

The session is co-hosted by PRS Foundation’s Keychange and Brighter Sound’s Both Sides Now programme.

Both Sides Now is a three-year project for young and emerging female artists and industry professionals from the North of England that aims to bridge gaps in access, opportunities and career progression through residencies, commissions, national and international showcases, education and training.

PRSF’s Keychange, meanwhile, is a pioneering international initiative that empowers women to transform the future of music and encourages festivals to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. A special breakfast reception will be held at Sound City+ to support and celebrate the drive.

Elsewhere in the programme, Help Musicians UK will support a panel looking at how the music industry and touring can affect the mental health of musicians and managers, and what they can do to improve it for the wellbeing of themselves.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram will also be in attendance, discussing the newly formed Liverpool City Region Music Board, and its ambition to make music an essential thread of the city’s “fourth industrial revolution economy”.

Also announced are special In Coversation sessions with legendary label owner and manager Alan McGee, who will be talking about his work with Musicians Against Homelessness, and prolific promoter Vince Power.

They are among a diverse list of panellists and speakers including Craig G Pennington (Bido Lito!), Chris Hawkins (BBC 6 Music), Katia Giampaolo (artist manager), Laura Bohn (artist manager), Guna Zucika (artist manager), Becky Ayres (Sound City), Andraz Kajzer (MENT), Silvia Sardeira (Live At Heart), Delphione Grospiron (Midem), Thomas Heher (Waves Vienna), Casandra Govor (BPI), Kameil Sattar (Proper Music Distribution), Holly Ashmore (7digital), Matt Ross (11 Entertainment), Kirsty Booth (Music Publishers Association), Gareth Smith (Sub Pop Publishing), Dan Moore (BASCA), Dave Connolly (Molecular Sound), Mike Murphy (Ditto Music UK), Andrew Hunt (Music Producers Guild), Dan Cox (producer), Bruno Ellingham (producer), Alex Pilkington (Funnel Music), Tawiah (artist), Giorgio Serra (Exit Live) Fiona Buckland (life coach), Queen Zee (artist), Aidan Culley (Help Musicians UK).
Previously announced Sound City+ panels will discuss topics including the modern-day artist entrepreneur, making the jump from local gigs to wider tours, and the potential opportunities of successful sync.

Full information about panels, workshops and networking sessions can be found on the website.

Sound City+ Director Jo Whitty said: “This year’s conference line-up is one of the strongest we’ve ever had at Sound City+. We’ve tailored our panels, workshops and networking events to really tackle the issues and obstacles that young musicians, managers and music entrepreneurs are faced with in 2018. We’ve a real mix of speakers from all sides of the industry and a range of backgrounds who will be sharing valuable insights and expertise.”

The conference is a precursor to the Sound City festival, which will take place across numerous venues within Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle and Baltic Market. More than 250 artists will perform during the two-day festival on 5th and 6th May, with the first wave of acts having already been announced including, DMA’s, The Slow Readers Club, Picture This, Idles, Wye Oak and Black Honey, Peace, Sunset Sons, Yellow Days, Baxter Dury, Jaws and Dermot Kennedy.

Conference Only Tickets: £22

Conference and Festival Tickets: £77

Tickets are available from See Tickets here.