Brands in Music 5: Levi Strauss and the MC5 got it right
Also on the Brands in Music Panel at In The City was Andrea Moore, Marketing Director of Levi’s UK. At a personal level, Andrea is passionate about music. At a business level, I believe that she has been involved in one of the most credible examples of Brands and Bands coming together over the last...
Brands In Music 4: A word from a major record label…
Given Jazz Summer's intense attack on record labels at the In The City conference, it was no mean feat by Marcus Engh of Sony BMG Europe to defend the label’s position robustly. With impeccable calmness, he stepped in to rain on Jazz’s parade. He referenced a host of deals that SonyBMG have constructed with brands...
Brands in Music 3: Just do it
Ian Grenfell, founder of Silentway Management, was also on the panel that citizensound ran at In The City this year. Representing such artists as Simply Red, Ian has distanced the artist from a major record label, with the artist having greater control (and responsibility) for their future success and development. So, with a little glint...
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Brands in Music 2: Who do they talk to…the Managers?
The answer to this was pretty clear from Jazz Summers. For him, brands waste their time with anyone other than the Band Manager. Everyone else is a messenger as far as he is concerned, often with little to add except their percentage. In the end, the brand would have to talk to the manager, so...
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Brands in Music: Selling Out or Buying In?
citizensound organised and moderated a panel that goes to the heart of what we do. Bringing brands and artists together with one thing in mind: ensuring that Brand, artist and fan all benefit from any deal constructed. We convinced the In The City organisers that the growing links between the Brand music worlds needed to...
Lloyd Bradley at In The City
The music journalist Lloyd Bradley interviewed Jazzie B at In The City this year. Great conversation (see recent post). I had to have a chat with Lloyd about how it was his fault I nearly went broke, thanks to him writing Bass Culture. What a book. The definitive guide to reggae. You read it and...
Officially ‘The Hardest Working Band in the Business’ – Red Star Rebels
So many young bands were looking for their first break at In the City. Many paid their own way there to showcase their art, in the hope that some music industry person will spot the talent and sign them up. I have heard at recent panels on the future of the music industry, where someone...
Tim and Sam’s Tim and The Sam Band with Tim and Sam…yes really…
Saw these guys at In The City. Beautiful sounds floated around the venue, almost cinematic. And they used an ironing board on stage too – great music and practical…what a mix! On top of that a name that defies logic: Tim and Sam’s Tim and The Sam Band with Tim and Sam
Jazzie B at In The City – An example of a Music Brand or the epitome of community music?
Saint Jazzie of B was a highlight at In The City. He was interviewed by Lloyd Bradley (more in him later!) and talked about how Soul2Soul started out. Two things struck me whilst he was talking. Firstly, that Soul2Soul was very much music of the community – created, produced, refined and promoted by the community....
Daniel Miller at In The City – DIY Music is cyclical
A great Keynote Panel at In the City, with Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records. He was asked for his views on the future of the record industry given the recent news about Radiohead asking their fans to pay what they wish for their music and Madonna doing a deal with Live Nation. For Daniel,...
Unsigned at In The City: The Rosie Taylor Project
Great night out with Nick where we took in a number of bands at In The City. On Sunday night we accidently stumbled across one bar where some sweet sounds of trumpet were making their way out on to the street. Inside we found The Rosie Taylor Collective, providing an enjoyable evening for all there....
DIY Music – So what kind of artist wants to go DIY?
At In The City, the DIY Music panel that Nick and I ran centred around young artists trying to break through, rather than the established artists that the press write about all the time. As a focus for the panel, we invited the talented young musician Rob McCulloch (apologies for the red eye look Rob,...