January saw a “highly productive and optimistic” MIDEM 2010 conference take place in Cannes. The event had kicked off with the “New Models At Work” panel session, with Amanda Palmer speaking about her 2009 self-funded solo album, and her online community of fans. Hal Ritson from The Young Punx added that artists need to “get some emotional contact with [the people listening to their music]” and that music bloggers giving away free downloads should be viewed as the modern equivalent of radio promo. Starting with an inspirational DIY discussion is great, but I’m sure people were looking for other ways to get involved, as each artist’s strategy will be completely different.

Luckily, there was a diverse set of panelists and topics; with video games and mobile device apps being two major industries in the future of music, as well as possible revenue streams for artists, I am glad to see that those topics were of great importance, and even had specific discussion panels (see below). One of the quotes from the ‘Apps’ panel became the most retweeted live posts of the conference… the news that “Shazam #App is selling 300,000 songs a DAY via iTunes”.

(more…)

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Afternoon to you all.

I have to say it was a little strange not heading off to the pub last Monday for an FM. Strange but good to have a break.

The number of out of office replies I am currently getting suggests the rest of the industry is off at the moment but can I please request that there really is no need to say where you are going in your message. I don’t really want to know about those of you in Barbados, St Lucia, Thailand or Australia.

It really is quite enough just to say you’re away – for those of us without holiday plans, it’s more than enough to bear!

Despite the exodus, there is still plenty of news.

Before I update you all, I really wanted to get something off my chest. Not quite my Friday rant about the difference between the Music industry and the Record industry. But a little rant non the less.

I think we have developed Cultural ADHD.

I know we have a history in this country for building people up and then knocking them down; the reasons for which seem inexplicable to me. However, as technology continues to change the way we live our lives, it seems we have developed an insatiable appetite not only for the technology but also what we consume through it.

This year, we have the highest number of female artists nominated for a Mercury. On this basis, there is already talk that labels are no longer signing female artists as they’ve ‘had their time’. Increasingly we give a band 2 albums at best before we get entirely bored of them (or is it the case that actually the quality of music being made is actually dropping?). The proliferation of electronic bands seems to have been and gone too. And what next – folk?

Align this with our insatiable appetite for technology. Myspace is so last year, Facebook so last month – Twitter – well that’s so yesterday. Spotify – how long will the enthusiasm for that last – some say the bubble has already burst. Rightly or wrongly, I am not a big myspacer, facebooker or twitterer. As you should know, I value personal relationships – it’s the very reason for the creation of FM.

It seems to me we are so obsessed with what’s next, we don’t seem to take much stock of what’s now and make much of an effort to enjoy it. Whatever happened to letting things develop and grow – good old fashioned nurturing?

People continue to demonstrate their love of being part of something real – festivals, gigs and so on. But now some of the festivals are suffering – is that because there are too many? Yes others are selling out like Glastonbury, Bestival etc

All I know is that our ability to enjoy something for a reasonable length of time seems to be diminishing as we have greater expectations from technology and what it delivers.

That this is spilling over into the way we enjoy music I think is a real concern. I think we need to take a collective deep breath and take a little more time to enjoy what so many people have spent so much time, effort and energy into making.

OK, so now on to other things.

O2 and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity are proud to announce a one off concert, featuring unique collaborations from some of the UK’s greatest music talent at London’s most celebrated music venue, The O2.

Taking place on 11th September, O2 Rockwell in aid of Nordoff-Robbins will see influential musicians including Robert Plant and Tom Jones, sharing the stage with some of the best new talent to come out of the UK in recent times. This unique event will be a celebration of the amazing contribution that Nordoff-Robbins has made to Music Therapy and the music industry over the past 50 years.

The artists confirmed to play the event, with more to be announced, in no particular order include…

Razorlight

Tom Jones

Robert Plant

Joss Stone

Ronan Keating

Gaz Coombs & Danny Goffey (performing as Hot Rats)

Gabriella Cilmi

Beverley Knight

Lulu

Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling)

David Gray

… with more artists coming together to plot and plan a very special Super Group to play for one night only, and legendary collaborations amongst the other artists, it truly will be the musical spectacular of the year.

One hundred percent of proceeds from the show will be donated to Nordoff-Robbins.

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy has established itself as THE charity of the music industry, with support from across the globe and patron’s that include David Bowie, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, George Michael, Cliff Richard, Keith Richards, Sting, Rod Stewart, and Paul Weller to name but a few. Since its inception back in 1959 when Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins put their individual talents together for a fantastic cause that has helped millions, it has gone on to host and benefit from some fantastic events.

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy is the UK’s largest music therapy charity and the O2 Rockwell event is part of its celebrations marking 50 years of the Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins collaboration. It provides over 35,000 music therapy sessions to children, young people and adults who are challenged by disability, illness or injustice, through its national centre in London and over 70 national projects. Nordoff-Robbins does not receive statutory funding and needs to raise almost £3 million a year to continue to operate.

Ticket prices for Rockwell range from £40 to £65, and further information can be found at www.o2rockwell.com.

Tickets are on sale now from the following outlets:

The O2:         www.theo2.co.uk

Kililive.com:   www.Kililive.com

Ticketline:     www.ticketline.co.uk

Stargreen:      www.stargreen.com

Gigantic :      www.gigantic.com

Now, for those of you worried about how to make money from your music, Own-it www.own-it.org are holding a free event called ‘How Not to Get Ripped Off’ as an introduction for creative businesses on how to protect and make the most of their creative work.

When: 19.08.09 at 18:30

Where: Street Lecture Theatre, London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle, London , SE1 6SB

Please visit http://www.own-it.org/events/how-not-to-get-ripped-off for details and to register

Going back briefly to holidays, I have come across a pretty spectacular resort in Goa. Now we are not a travel agent so you really do have to go through to the link and do all the necessary checks but this place does look stunning and if you think a healthy retreat but be just what you need, maybe in the New Year, then this seems like an ideal spot. You can check all of the details out here

http://www.sandawellness.com/india/main/index.html

and if you want to find out more, please contact them directly here anna@essence-communications.com

With so much covered in this mailing, I’m going to leave it at that for now but details will follow later this week of September FM events in London, Liverpool and New York.

Enjoy your week folks.

Sybil

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The weekly newsletter from the UK’s favourite entertainment gossip site Popbitch threw up an interesting snippet about the current state of the UK music industry.  Valid points all round highlighting that some of the blame for the ‘hear now, gone tomorrow’ shelf life of artists can be attributed to the those influential media folk who insist on hyping up acts before they’ve actually achieved anything.

While those in the know can big up acts in print & online and insist we pay attention its obvious that without (a) the goods & (b) support of major radio stations the likelihood of real success is minimal.  The UK music consumer is a fickle soul and while many like to keep up with trends others are not so easily manipulated by being told what they should like.  Music is too subjective for any one person or even small group to determine what will make someone go download or buy a track.  Its all a gamble and some get it right but more often they don’t and the artist is the one that suffers.  The industry needs to back off and let the music speak for itself.

”Stop the hype! Save our future pop stars….”

It’s time to put a stop to the Critics Choice “these are the bands you WILL like next year” lists. Not only does it narrowcast music taste to a sheep-like following of what music bullies say you “should” like but it’s counter-productive, placing an unfair burden on the shoulders of artists who haven’t yet had time to develop a fan base or nurture their talent.

Everyone who writes about music falls over themselves to praise the newly-annointed, in a Emperor’s New Clothes desperation not to look uncool. And music fans who might have enjoyed discovering a new artist see the acres of hyperbolic newsprint, and then when they eventually hear the albums inevitably think “Is THAT it?”

Let’s look at this year’s annointed few:

Little Boots’ album entered the chart at five, but then dropped to 40 and right out of the charts. Florence and The Machine – no album yet, and not even a top 10 single. White Lies – two weeks in the top 10 before dropping straight out of top 40. Empire of the Sun peaked at 19; Frankmusik can’t get arrested. VV Brown is written about like she’s Beyonce but hasn’t yet had a hit.

Little Boots

So three cheers for La Roux. We don’t have to love it to be pleased that the UK music industry has one artist that’s actually selling. We only wish it sounded more creative than a copy of early 1980 synth pop. As a fanfirst time round of 80s synth pop, popbitch now knows how original 60s rockers felt when Shakin’ Stevens started topping the charts in the 80s with his erzatz “Green Door” charm.

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If you’re in a band, or a producer, there is always one important question – how am I going to get a record deal?

It used to be a simple formula but things have changed. The onus is now on the band to work it themselves – to come to the label with a finished product. In the past, a band would get signed on a demo and the record company would pay for the band to go into the studio. Not anymore – the music business landscape has evolved so quickly that the industry has struggled to keep up.

(But this is not just a music industry problem. Any industry who experienced such a dramatic shift in the way they do business in such a short period of time would be left playing catch up).

My name is David Silverman and I own one of the leading music PR companies in the UK, Outpost. This isn’t the time or place to go into how I actually came to work in PR, but lets just say it came from being an artist myself – being in a band, a producer, a DJ. I also own a record label and music publishing company, 3 Bar Fire.

I’ve been on the frontline of the industry for the last 10 years and I’ve seen the changes in the industry first hand. I want to share my 13 GOLDEN RULES to make it in the music biz if you’re an up and coming band (or established for that matter!), a manager, distributor, DJ, agent or anyone else that would be interested in knowing how to generate the kind of promotion you need to get noticed…

The number 1 rule. If you haven’t got a great product to sell, then people are unlikely to want to buy. I think the polite phrase is you can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silver purse – or words to that effect. Go away and come back when you have some decent, new, relevant music to play – not a copy of someone else’s and not something that’s dated. Don’t trust what your friends/girlfriends/brother/mother/sister says. You need proper honest feedback.

Just set one up. How? – because I just set up a record label and its called ‘This is My Record Label’. It’s that simple. You get a website saying www.thisismyrecordlabel.com, you get a myspace with the same name. You set a release date and you get 200 promo CDs made up (you can do this yourself, just make sure they look good!). Then you start sending them out (see sections below).

Now instead of being unsigned, you are signed to ‘This Is My Record Label’ or whatever name you choose, and you’ve immediately lost the stigma of ‘unsigned’ which is loaded with negativity.

What tracks do you put on the promo CD? Release a single – one main track plus one other, 2 tracks in total. If you can get any remixes done then do so, no more than 2.

This needs to be 2 MONTHS away (see later for why). Say today is March 1^st, then set your release date for the first Monday in May (records are always released on a Monday, don’t ask why, that’s the way it is).

If you’ve got some music to play, then get some kind of show/live date lined up to play it. Tell people about the dates. Hell you can even sell some of your CD’s from your new record label there. Set the gig up as close to the release date of your single as possible.

If you’re in a band you need to look cool. You’re aspirational, you’re a product and consumers need to believe that what they’re buying into is some way going to rub off on them.

And this isn’t you against a graffiti strewn derelict house/disused railway line. If you can get some great, creative shots done then this is a big advantage – magazines and websites need their pages to look great. If you’ve got great shots…..then you’re doing their job for them.

Pick up the mags that are relevant to you and your music. Pick out the reviews editors, news editors and features editors. Send them the promo CD with a PRESS RELEASE (a one page description of the music with the date it will be released, short background on the track, the band/DJ and anything else that is interesting or newsworthy).

Now, this is the reason you have set your release date 2 MONTHS away – monthly magazines have a minimum 6-8 week leadtime. That is, they need to get your CD, listen to it, send to their reviewers, get the written review back, send to designers, add pictures, get mag signed off, get to printers, get to distributors, get in shops, BEFORE the record is out! That takes about 6-8 weeks. Hence if you send a release to a monthly mag with a release date only 4 weeks away, they probably won’t do it. For a weekly mag, you’re looking at about 4 weeks leadtime, for a daily publication around 3 weeks.

NB – Send CD’s to magazines, not MP3’s. Make sure full details and contacts are on there. Make it stand out from the crowd – make it look like they should listen to it.

You need to listen to the radio and pick out the shows that play your type of music. Then, you need to find out who PRODUCES that show, and send them the CD, not the DJ – the producers decide what gets played. Include your press release as described in point 7 above for press. Lead time here is 4-5 weeks before release date! So send this AFTER you have sent your copies to press.

Goes without saying these days – get your videos/filmed performances up on YouTube and keep your Myspace up to date. Make a ‘Fan’ page on Facebook. Twitter to your friends. Which web magazines do you need to hit? The ones that cover your genre so hit them with your promo CD from your label (with press release). They will take it seriously because it’s not a ‘demo’.

Sell your downloads on your website, Myspace – have a look into digital distribution (sometimes called digital aggregators) to get your music distributed to download stores all over the web.

Flyering. You’ve got to promote your gig and your releases – invest in some help from some friends. Pick gigs of similar artists and flyer outside after the gig. Put in shops and bars. If you don’t market yourselves and don’t have a marketing plan, then no one is going to know about you, simple as that.

Hit them up – not all the time so you annoy them, but maybe once a week or once a fortnight – make sure you have something interesting to say so people want to read it and not just delete it.

Take strategies from the business world and translate them into a musical context. You’re a product – you need to market yourself like the brands market their products. You may not have their budgets, but if you get into this way of thinking, you can find lots of cost effective ways to promote yourself.

What your trying to do is to get everything to happen at the same time. Radio, Press, Online, flyers, e-mails, gigs – you need to CO-ORDINATE your campaign – just as you would if you were running a business. You need everything running in snyc – create a diary, plan it out – and in this way, you will be able to build your profile, develop new and beneficial relationships and get the coverage you want.

Not famous yet? It takes time. You need to do this over a period of years – its rare people just become stars over night – it happens but is the exception rather than the rule. The ones that appear to have come from nowhere have actually been following the above rules for a long time…They’ve paid their dues, nothing comes easy.

David Silverman
www.outpostmedia.co.uk

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Is the music industry in serious decline or is it booming? Well… both.

‘Economy’, ‘Credit Crunch’, ‘Recession’. All very real to some people, but at the same time as the job cuts, the music industry is reaching more people who are consuming more music and more artists are making a living from it (some are even selling downloads and merchandise by the truckload). So what IS going on?

Forward thinking music 2.0 businesses that should be expanding are being forced to cut back.
Sirius XM laid off 50 staff including some disc jockeys, Pandora had to cut their team from 140 to 120.

These businesses are thriving in one sense, with more members, fans and subscribers every day – Pandora also stated that their listenership is ‘growing rapidly’ – and yet they are still struggling to fund their staffing costs. I think that this is because their ideas and business models are sound, but the market and industry as a whole is just not ready for them. Not just yet. The ones that aren’t adapting are looking even gloomier; Time Warner is expecting to cut 1,250 jobs across the media and entertainment sectors following it’s recently reported fourth quarter loss.

Then there are the small music businesses that are doing well, making a successful living from the music industry (isn’t that what it’s all about?). More people are doing so every year. They are selling downloads, CDs, T-shirts… it’s great!

Music businesses are split into two sections in my mind. There are the businesses of old, who have always relied on selling huge numbers of a physical product and ignoring the new ways of connecting with music fans. You’ll hear from them that ‘pirates’ are causing job losses, but in reality, they are selling less physical products than they were 10 years ago because 10 years ago people were still buying CDs in bulk to replace their out-of-date cassettes and vinyl. Those figures were unsustainable and it was unrealistic to expect that surge of purchasing to continue. The other trouble with that strategy in today’s digital world is of course, single song downloads. Why buy a turkey of an album for $15 when iTunes offers the best song for $.99? So yes, Sony’s music profits have declined 41% and Warner music can increase digital revenue yet the total revenue slides 11%. These companies are struggling to find a new way. We all know that.

The other section of businesses I would call music 2.0 businesses. People and teams who are looking for new models for success in the music industry. They may be online distributors or sell music-related products or services. They may be websites streaming to consumers for free (gasp(!)) or an artist giving their tracks away. What sets them all apart is how they look at building a community and reaching out to fans, with a view to creating real interaction, enjoyment and value for the consumer. Often on a personal level, because blogs and websites may be run by independent bands, and therefore often it’s the artists themselves answering the emails. This makes their music genuine, appealing, and because they don’t blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on old media marketing of average artists, they can (and do) succeed woth a small yet loyal fanbase. You could even put a band such as Radiohead in this sector, because although they are affiliated with a major label, their idea of branching out with a new concept and a ‘name you own price for our album’ strategy created a stir as it tried to push music consumerism forward.

Many successful careers and companies are crafted during tough economic times, let’s face it, people can’t throw money around so they only make the smart decisions (Gary Vaynerchuck taught me that). The smart advertisers and investors are siding with the ‘future’ of the music business, and shifting away from the dinosaurs, hence the split in the news headlines.

Maybe you should think about where your music career is now, where you want to be, and how you can appeal to fans and investors alike in these tough times, in order to create a relationship that you can both benefit from.

Lee Jarvis.

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Tim Donaldson is the Technology Operations Manager for Global Radio, the home of the UK’s leading commercial radio brands including Heart, Capital FM, LBC, Classic FM, Gold and XFM.  

Here are Tim’s Top Tips for getting an applicaton noticed:

”I cannot emphasise how important your first approach to an employer is, and you have to give it your absolute best shot.  If you mess it up you won’t get a second chance.  Adopt an approach adapted from Formula One (where the only question that’s important is ”Will what I’m doing make the car go faster?”), and ask yourself at every stage of preparing your initial email or letter ”Will what I’m doing give me a better chance of getting noticed?”.  Remember that the employer has what you want (a job), but he/she knows NOTHING about you, and so he/she needs to know that you want to have it (as well as, of course, knowing that you are suitably qualified for it).”

(1) Read the advert.  That sounds SO basic, but I am amazed by the number of applications I receive where it is blatantly apparent that the writer has not done so.

(2) Respond to the advert.  Don’t use a generic email application that could have been sent to anyone. It’s so transparent and will get binned. If you have an automated system for applying for jobs, don’t use it.  You might be lucky enough to find an employer who’s courteous enough to reply and clarify, but I suspect they’re few and far between.

Editor note – When applying for jobs through UK Music Jobs do not forget to tailor your covering letter and CV. You can now add as many CVs to your profile as you like and then chose which one accompanies your tailored covering letter.

(3) At least TRY to tailor your initial response to what the ad says. Pick out a few points and write about how well you would meet them. Remember, you have to tell your prospective employer the story of who you are, and, in the end ’sell’ yourself.

(4) Spell check carefully.  Don’t rely on your computer to do it for you.  Read and re-read your initial approach before you send it.  Spelling and punctuation errors make your application look sloppy and, whatever you might like to think, it really makes a difference.

(5) Make it ABSOLUTELY clear what you are doing in your initial approach – are you applying for the job there and then, or are you asking for more details? I would always advise the latter – job adverts are often no more than thumbnail sketches of what is contained in the Job Description. Your application should therefore be based on the longer document.

Editor note – Following the job description is always best however always take note of what the employer is requesting in the particular advert.

(6) Make sure that you can provide evidence for everything that you put in your application as you may be asked for it.  If you tell lies you will be found out sooner or later.  For example, if you say you are confident and outgoing and turn out, at the interview, to be shy and monosyllabic, or if you say you have skills which (it later transpires) you don’t you will have wasted your time as well as that of your potential employers.  You won’t be invited back next time there is a job going.

(7) Most jobs are in a particular location.  If you live miles away, make it clear that you are happy to relocate.

(8) If you are foreign applicant, make sure that you have the right work permits to work in the host country, and say so in your initial approach. Questions about this left undealt-with head on at the outset only present your possible future employer with a problem when he/she wants only solutions.

(9) If English is not your first language, ask for help in preparing your application, or get it checked.  A letter written in poor English will not reflect well on your undoubted abilities.

”Finally, the jobs that I, as a very specific type of employer, have rely on team work and communication as key skills.  It is useful (and something that I look for) that you demonstrate those.  Team work can be demonstrated not only by your past employment history but also by your hobbies and interests.  I am naturally going to be more attracted to someone who plays in a band, a football team or who does amateur dramatics than someone whose interests are more solitary.  That’s simply because people who take part in team based activities know better how to pay their part to a greater goal, and can understand how to take direction, again for the benefit of all.  If you don’t have such an interest take one up!!”

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Does it still happen? Well, no.

It may SEEM like someone gets a lucky break now and then, but trust me, that particular gig where the (insert national newspaper) reviewer pops along and likes what they hear – that’s because it’s your 1052nd gig and they are there because you’ve contacted them through the whelm of social networking sites. They checked out your UK Music Jobs profile (which is in all your signatures) before replying, which was up to date with info, press shots, new music and carefully crafted branding. Someone in their office had actually heard of you already because you are always chiming in on (insert blog) with insightful comments and linking back to your own regularly updated tour blog. Their friend had won free tickets to your last gig that you’d offered to the local radio station (along with a CD and biog for the specialist genre DJ there).

Here’s the good news, and the bit to focus on. Your career is now in YOUR hands. You don’t have to rely on the top A&R gurus listening to your tape and throwing the other 1,000 away on that particular day.

YOU record your own ideas, dreams and emotions. YOU build your fan base. YOU start your own label and YOU sell the records through YOUR website. YOU do the marketing, publishing, live performances and cost scheduling.

It’s hard, but in today’s model, it’s all very achievable. You may not get it all right first time, and you may need to research for some advice. That’s where I come in

The internet is incredible, and web 2.0 is all about providing free content. There’s hundreds of helpful blogs providing expert help and advice, here’s a few I recommend;

www.leejarvis.blogspot.com (The Digital Revolution, Music 2.0 and tips for Indies and Freelancers; we all get one free plug, don’t we?!)
New music strategies (Does what it says on the tin. Change the way you think if you want to make it in the future music industry)
Berkleemusic (Top US college with some amazing tutors, offering help on all kinds of music careers. Alumi include Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock)

Now that you have control over you own career, go make it happen! Ooh, but before you go, leave a comment and check back soon

Lee.

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I’ve come across this great talk by a rather clever chap called Gerd Leonhard. Leonhard is a Media Futurist, which basically means he will tell you how sell your album / market your record company / become a top-earning publisher, whilst moving forward, and avoiding becoming extinct or viewed as untrustworthy by your consumers. He was filmed at this Google Tech Talk in London last month, covering topics such as the way that the internet is the biggest change to the music industry since radio, current and future predictions of social trends, and the way music may be sold online in the near future and how it will affect artists.

Anyone serious about the Music Industry really should watch this – It’s bang on the money, with his points regarding the UK Radio industry, the BPI, RIAA and many more. Plus, at just over 60 mins, it will fit nicely into your lunch break

The slideshow is also available here in a larger and clearer form, but i was focussing so much on his theories that i’d rather go out and buy his book

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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.

This interview is with singer/songwriter Kelli-Leigh Henry Davila lead singer of the band ‘KI’. 22 year old Kelli is an accomplished vocalist and trained at the renowned Brit School alongside Leona Lewis, Katie Meula and Luke Pritchard of The Kooks. In this interview Kelli tells us how she finds working in the UK music industry and her advice/tips on how to survive.

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

I don’t remember how old I was when I specifically said to myself I want to be a professional singer but my family are very musical. My uncle is a professional drummer, my other uncle is a professional singer and my mum is a singer/songwriter amongst other artistic skills. So I grew up quite musical, and I would love to sing along and dance to; I think it was Eternal at the time and try and hit all the high belts that Easther Bennett would sing.

Q2. How did you begin your career in music?

I started after I left school. I had started helping other younger students with their voices for upcoming shows and I kind of got a knack for it and started as an assistant to a singing teacher, which then developed into me becoming a professional singing teacher myself. I then met my other half and in doing original material gigs this managed to manifest into doing paid gigs, realising I could also do covers very well, began getting bookings for bars, clubs, weddings and more.

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

Mmmm, this is a difficult question as in my eyes I haven’t had the industry success that I desire, but in terms of basic working within the music industry I suppose I am very successful. I do music full time, as a teacher and doing gigs, function bands, private events, my own band bookings, session work and now co-own my own disco company with my partner IBP Music…which is now doing very well.

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

Networking is a weird but often wonderful thing. But I think it’s a little bit different then going up to someone and saying ..’what do you do?…oh well you can book me for this then’. Its getting to know other people in the industry and being honestly yourself with them and if you make a friendly connection then passing each other your details is great as you are going to remember and want to work or pass work to that someone you get on with and respect.

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

I think its through doing gigs and meeting other musicians and singers. There you can get to know someone as a person but yet see their skills first hand. The worst thing is getting on with someone then putting them up for a gig that they are just not right for.

Q6. Are you a member of any music industry organisation or professional body and how has it helped you?

We are members of PPL as our company IBP Music is also a registered label. This enabled us to release our debut album independently. We also need to be members of MCPS AND PRS…infact I really need to that in a bit.

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

Make sure you are confident in your instrument or skill and that you know yourself and how you will cope in stressful and individual situations then go go go for it. If you want to be a professional singer then get some good demos, pictures and CV and apply for singing jobs you see on places like UK music jobs. Do backing vocals for other singers you may know. Get a repertoire together as with lots of function gigs you need to now a lot of songs (in my ones its mainly disco classics, pop and popular modern tracks) or basically get together covers that suit you …e.g- if you want to be a jazz singer, then you need to know your jazz standards! If you only want to do your own original material then there’s not much to suggest but go out and do live live live gigs and build your fanbase, but unfortunately until you hit it big, it may not pay your bills in the mean time.

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

I like being able to see the sun on a sunny day like today and managing my own time. The worst thing when I worked in an office job for half a year was the strictness of it. The early mornings and then the evenings being gone by the time you got home and had dinner, and not seeing the light of day especially in the summer! Also I am not very good and being told what to do unless in a music work situation…honestly it felt like a grown up version of being at school!

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

Be honest and work hard. Don’t get a gig and then turn up not knowing their songs or be late on your first job, they will remember it and you wont get a 2nd job. In singing world…look after your voice, not only is this your prized possession if it goes, what singing work can you do?! Be versatile and smile a lot, it makes you happy and other people whom are looking at you. And if you do something wrong like mess up lyrics or sing bum notes, it happens to everyone just keep going and most importantly when you sing or play an instrument or produce or DJ etc.. have fun that’s why you started doing it the first place right?!

Q10. Who do you admire most in the industry?

There are a lot of artist I love and really like but the people I admire are the ones that you probably don’t know. They are other musicians and artists I have met that work their backsides off getting further into their career and trying to reach their dream goal. I admire them!

For more information on Kelli-Leigh please view her UK Music Jobs profile by clicking here;
http://uk.music-jobs.com/fview1.php?uid=634044&type=&start=&position=0&search_uid=&uploads=

For more information on ‘KI’ please click visit their website;
www.myspace.com/worldki

For more information on ‘IBP Music’ please visit their website;

http://www.ibpmusic.co.uk/

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By Earl Okin

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