FM is a music industry social networking night. Or if you want the less stuffy description, drinks in a pub.

FM Stands for First Monday – so everyone knows exactly when it is (although people do sometimes still ask when the next FM is).

It’s not stuffy in any way; no badges or bossy organisers – if it was like that, we wouldn’t come!!

FM is a very relaxed get together with people from the industry, in a bar, all there to meet other people in the industry and possibly do business. And it’s totally free.

We have been running in London for just over 2 years and in the autumn of 2009, FM will go online as well as see monthly events kicking off in Liverpool and New York. As of June 2009, we have 630 people on the mailing list and generally the events attract between 10-40 people.

So much business is now done by email and online, we wanted to do things on a more personal level. There area also a number of new businesses of 1 or 2 people setting up who enjoy the chance to meet other people from the industry.

We don’t bombard you with endless emails – apart from anything we don’t have the time! FM starts from 6.30pm and runs until people go home – not always early… You can arrive early then go off to a gig or come along after – you don’t need to RSVP – just turn up.

People who come are; MANAGEMENT – LABELS – ARTISTS – PROMOTORS – PUBLISHERS – PRODUCERS – LAWYERS – ACCOUNTANTS – PR’s – PHOTOGRAPHERS – VIDEO PRODUCERS – CHARITIES – TRADE BODIES SUCH AS MMF, BPI, AIM, MPA ETC, UKI TRADE AND INVESTMENT AS WELL AS STUDENTS LOOKING FOR INTERNSHIPS

We take a break in January and August.

Evening to you all.

Hope you’ve got some serious air conditioning or large open windows to help with the heatwave we’re going to enjoy/endure this week – well done to those of you who’ve got time off and are heading to the beach!!

Last week was a busy one kicking off last Tuesday with a UK Music reception at No.10 Downing Street hosted by Sarah Brown. Whilst the heat wave officially starts this week, the weather that evening was sunny and warm enough to allow us to enjoy the Downing Street Garden. Ben Bradshaw and Feargal Sharkey addressed the guests made up of around 100 managers, labels, publishers, the live sector, music charities, composers, a very small number of artists as well as technology companies and key politicians.

I tried to find people who would be happy to join me on the trampoline in the garden….no one was brave or game enough which in hindsight was probably a good thing….

Glasto’s been and gone – sadly I wasn’t there but first hand reports are unsurprisingly glowing and from what I saw and heard, it’s easy to see why.

If you haven’t already done so but would like to have lunch with Take That, please don’t forget you can still get the last few tickets to the Nordoff Robbins Sliver Clef lunch this Friday 3rd July at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane.

Take That are the winners of the prestigious Silver Clef Award this year and if last years event is anything to go by, it will be a wicked afternoon. Amongst other award winners who will be there on the day to receive awards are Madness, Brian Wilson and La Roux.

All proceeds go to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy; a charity that does incredible work but doesn’t have the exposure that perhaps it deserves.

I know times are tight at the moment but if you pull anything more than a hairy toffee out from the back of the sofa that comes close to £295, you’ve got yourself a ticket.

If you would like to attend, please contact Nordoff-Robbins directly; Rachel on 020 7371 8404 or emailrachel@nrfr.co.uk

FM will be kicking off in Liverpool in September so if you would like to attend and haven’t already been in touch, please let me know.

We’re also going all international and launching an FM in New York this autumn too!!! If that’s something you’re interested in getting involved in, please reply and put New York in the subject line. I already have some people who will help organise the night out there but as with all get together’s, they work so much better with lots of people so please do pass this mail on to anyone you know who lives/works in the big apple. Now, I’ve just got to find a way to justify going to the big apple for that one….

The next London FM is on Monday 6^th July – that’s next week and the last one before our summer break.

We’re back here

UPSTAIRS

Duke of York, 47 Rathbone St, W1T 1NW

Map here

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=W1T+1NW&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=A

Nearest tubes – Goodge Street or Tottenham Court Road with Oxford Street not too far.

We had a great turnout last month so hope to see as many of you again next week.

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Sybil

sybil@fmfirstmonday.com

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Thursday afternoon got off to a great start, meeting up with a couple of people whom I’ve been in contact with but not met before in person. Putting faces to blogs and tweets is always a nice thing, and at a relatively small event like this, it is easy to go around and introduce yourself to new faces too.

The artist’s panel on Thursday afternoon was a lively one. The discussion seemed to start from building a buzz around your music / band / etc, touching on PR companies and if they offer value for independent artists. Cutting through the networking and get those CDs to the all-important ears of magazine and radio tastemakers is an crucial matter. Personally, I would say that if you are truly dedicated to your niche genre then you should already have been in touch with these people directly. You listen to the specialist podcasts and shows with similar sounding artists, go direct, send an mp3, send a CD, chase it up, meet the people at shows and events, build a relationship DIRECTLY with your industry peers and the job of PR companies is not only defunct , but you can do a better job by being genuine and approachable.

The topic of musicians ‘working’ for ‘nothing’ was brought up; in other words, free downloading. I have to say that I think a couple of the artists missed the point of how to reap not only useful information but also indirect revenue from free downloading, be that legal or otherwise. Some of the older artists (no offence, but there is a certain amount of generational differences relating to how to conduct your online strategies), were sticking to the old mantra of ‘if you don’t pay for the musician’s music then they will not / can not make any more music’; believing that you cannot build a successful project from giving your music away for free means that you should re-evaluate your ideas of ’success’. Success is not just about selling records anymore. If you do not consider other factors such as building extensive mailing list, concert ticket sales, a busy gig diary, steady merchandise sales and a strong online presence (be that youtube views, twitter followers etc), then you are missing out on great opportunities to build your reputation and career. As an independent artist, you should relish the fact that you can distribute 10,000 digital copies of your song for the same cost as distributing just 1. The tools and advice are all available online to help you promote your music to an immense audience, and you should try and learn to see success in the fact that if, after giving away 10,000 copies, some of those will pass onto friends, create further fans and so on, to the extent that your music can reach more people in more places than ever before. Just because you don’t receive a measly sum from a profitable record label in return doesn’t mean that you are not achieving results (many of them tangible, too). Following the artists panel, I stuck around for a few of the bands, chatted with the Un-convention Belfast contingent for a while, and then headed off for dinner.

On a side note, I didn’t quite expect so much swearing at the discussion – not that i’m adverse at all, but our venue for the discussion is The Sacred Trinity Church in Salford(!) Then again, I had been drinking beer throughout. Stay Tuned for Friday’s thoughts

Lee Jarvis.

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Welcome to our new series of Q&A’s with music professionals from all walks of the industry. The idea of this series is to provide you with advice and insights into working in the UK Music Industry.

Tony Platt is a freelance Music Engineer/Producer based in the U.K. His career in the music business started at Trident Studios in London but he made his name as an engineer at the now legendary Island Studios and has worked in most of the best studios around the world recording some of the best artists including Bob Marley, AC/DC, Buddy Guy and more recently The Bad Plus.

Q1. What made you want to get into the music industry?

Mostly just a desire to do something that entailed music and tape recorders.

Q2. How did you begin your career in music?

I got a job as a tea boy at Trident studios beofre moving on to Island Studios as a tape operator.

Q3. What was your first experience of success in the industry and how did you build on it?

My first realisation that I had done something that had been noticed was when a person i knew from school stopped me in the street to tell me he had seen my name on a Bob Marley album – and he liked the album! I didn’t build on it because I had no concept of self promotion in those days. It was very much a case of good work got you noticed.

Q4. How has networking with other musicians and in the music business helped you?

In later years networking has been essential – people need to know you are there.

Q5. What sort of networking do you find the most effective for you?

I share a project studio within a larger complex which enables me to meet people just by going to make a cup of tea – you see tea features again! Being a member of the Music Producers Guild is useful too.

Q6. Are you a member of any music industry organisation or professional body?

I am a member of Music Producers Guild and JAMES (Joint Audio Media Educational Services). Both these help me to keep in touch with the trends and attitudes that drive the industry.

Q7. What would you recommend as the most effective method of breaking into the industry or gaining experience?

This depends very much on who you are. I think the most effective way nowadays would be to take a course and use the time there to build yourself a profile and portfolio.

Q8. What would you describe as the best thing about working in the industry?

Music

Q9. What’s the best bit of advice you have even been given about working in music?

Work with it – don’t fight it.

Q10. Who do you admire most in the industry?

I can’t honestly come up with just one person – there is a list that still gets added to year by year.

To view Tony’s UK Music Jobs profile please click here;http://uk.music-jobs.com/fview1.php?uid=753139&type=&start=&position=0&search_uid=&uploads=

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