This week RAMzine attended the first rock music industry conference in the UK. The event took place in Shoreditch, London – showcasing many big players within the music industry in a legion of panel discussions on a range of rock music topics.
The annual conference is not just for bands, but also for anyone currently in the industry or looking to join it. Seeds were planted and dreams made into plans. We shared ideas, and debated situations – providing us all with plenty of fresh knowledge.
A few points that were made…
- Tour! Tour! Tour! – Bands that want to break onto the UK scene need to be touring a minimum of 50 shows per year. Get out there, meet new people, spread the word! Before you approach a press agent you need to be building up your own momentum, and touring is a great way to do so.
- Worried you can’t automatically get into the main stream press? Not to worry there are pleantly of zines, local newspapers and more out there for you to submit to. Regional press are really important and can build your band up nicely. Got a show in a certain town? Start with the local student media streams, and local papers etc.
- Make your emails stand out! More often then not everyone gets too many emails to be able to read every single one. You want to stick to the facts, whilst giving the information that you need. Sharon Richardson from Factory Music said “If you send an email make sure you address who you are talking to”. This makes it a bit more personal, and shows they are not just part of a mass mail-out. Weather you are emailing a potential manager, agent, or the press – do your research on the company before emailing, tell them why you want to make an enquiry with their company.
- If your band has a large following, work with brands that could help raise your awareness. Think about how you could help this brand whilst they are helping you.
- Did you know that YouTube has 1 billion users per month? Believe Digital gave a short talk on how to collect revenues from Youtube and Vevo . They told us “40% of YouTube users will watch videos over 20 minutes long, are you catering for them? Think of creative ways to make longer videos – Tour videos, studio diaries etc”.
Rockcomm, not only fueled by free food and drink (always a bonus), also hosted many networking opportunities throughout the 2 days. Rockcomm is sure to become a staple in the diaries of all current and aspiring rock music industry employees. For more information visit: http://rockcomm.co.uk.
