Do you want to turn your passion into a career and make money doing what you love? Whether you’re an artist or a label or both it can be difficult to know where to start, how to grow your business and who to choose as your commercial business partners.This panel will give you the practical tips you need to build your independent music business.
There is a multitude of different educational routes into the music industry. This session will investigate the different paths on offer, from the traditional academic model to a variety of community approaches and others. In addition, the panellists will reveal their own unique journey so far.
This session will focus on the live music industry, delving into the different areas that contribute to the sector. Each panellist represents various aspects of the industry, so they will provide an account of their experiences and answer questions from those wanting to make their career in that area.
It is important for the industry to be forward thinking and progressive so this session will discuss contemporary concerns facing the industry and debate current initiatives driving the industry ahead. The panellists will discuss the issues relating to their field and provide some insight into how to overcome the challenges they encounter. This session was curated by Glassic Records, an up and coming student initiated record label.
As we all adopt different creative approaches, this session will explore the creative perspectives of each panellist and, in turn, it will discuss ensuring well-being prior to the commencement of the creative process, the environment in which we create and the examination of innovative creative practices.
It can be difficult to make a living as a musician and songwriter, so it is important to understand how to promote oneself, how to generate income through the various revenue streams and how to sustain a living. This panel will explore the experiences of the careers of musicians and songwriters from different perspectives with the aim of providing helpful information which will enable the panel of industry professionals to identify success.
This is a platform for the burgeoning Scottish Hip Hop community to collectively participate in. Led by Creative Scotland, this session welcomes all contributors to Hip Hop with the intention to debate how the scene can gain more recognition, implement a regional infrastructure and discuss how to further develop the scene.
KOR! Records are an independent record label who run experimental music and noise projects with people with additional support needs and release their output. This workshop will be a drop in session for musicians of all abilities to come and find ways of collaborating together. People will be encouraged to try new things. If you usually play bass, have a go on a flute, if you've never played an instrument choose the one that looks most interesting and work out how you can get sound out of it. The workshop will be relaxed and playful and probably quite noisy. (We will have some ear defenders on hand).
11.30 - 12.15
Sensatronic Lab: an introduction to multi-sensory instruments
Sensatronic Lab is a project, run in association with Sense Scotland, which aims to make digital music accessible to all, run by a team of digital artists and musicians. Sensatronic Lab have established a way of working that includes building instruments that are inclusive, tactile and fun. The session will include an overview of the project and the ethos behind it. We will give an outline of the technology involved and introduce some of the instruments created through the project, followed by a chance to try them and have a jam!
PioneerDJ will be joining us for an exclusive demonstration on the new DJM-V10. Tech specialist Sam Shepherd will take us through the new 6 channel mixer and all its elements, creating unique soundscapes from multiple audio sources, using CDJ’s to live production equipment. With independent send/returns, 4-band EQ’s, master isolator, a compressor per channel and a brand new digital effect, Sam will create an individual demonstration which is not to be missed.
This engaging workshop will detail the importance of a PR and marketing campaign for a music product. It will give attendees the opportunity to learn new skills and apply them in an industry context. The function and deployment of a press campaign will be explored, allowing practitioners to demonstrate their involvement at each stage.
15.00 - 17.00
SMIA Workshops: An Introduction to Events Management
As part of the SMIA's innovation-led development programme, designed to help nurture business talent and build infrastructure in Scotland's music industry, they will be delivering a workshop that will focus on:
The key skills required to plan, organise and deliver an event
Working with an event team
How to delegate and prioritise in order to effectively manage resources and meet your deadlines
Creating an event schedule and budget
How to find best deals and venues through research and networking
Rachel K Collier is an accomplished producer, songwriter, performer, entrepreneur and performer. Join her at Question Session to hear her journey from starting out to her debut album release and tour. Being a solo artist in the 21st century consists of spinning many plates including marketing, events organising, communications, production, stage-tech, law and more. Rachel will be on hand to discuss how she navigates the industry, meets new contacts, effectively promotes whilst still leaving time to make music!
12.10 - 13.00
Everything is Music: Making Music from the Data Universe
For centuries. composers have been reaching out beyond the musical world into nature, science and other disciplines for inspiration. Pythagoras conceived of a harmony created by the orbiting planets (The Music of the Spheres), Newton attached 7 colours of the rainbow to the notes of a scale, composers like J.S. Bach encoded their names into musical motifs, and Villa Lobos wrote melodies tracing the New York skyline. This workshop enables musicians of all styles to tap into this vast and profound craft of ‘data-music’. This long-established but niche craft has now been given a profound renaissance with contemporary technology: Ableton Live with bespoke Max for Live devices (available to participants in the workshop and distributed online) allow a world of real-time music creativity beyond the limits of human imagination. We will demonstrate such techniques as the automatic translation of your name into melodies, works of art into rhythms, spider webs into virtual harps, live weather reports into MIDI controls and countless other possible translations. This approach provides a uniqueness and profound meaning to your music-making whatever your stylistic interest, allowing you to tap into the infinite and uncharted universe of musical creativity.
Circle Of Live is an experience unhindered from any formal structure, allowing both the performers and audience to explore the boundaries of electronic music improvisation in all of its raw beauty. Sebastian Mullaert curates a collective of acclaimed, electronic live artists who express themselves and interact at leading venues around the world. Join Sebastian and Johanna Knutsson of Circle of Live for a talk concerned with their formation and the philosophy of improvisation as it relates to: liberation and creative flow, methods that encourage rich experiences while improvising, strategies specific to electronic music and software, and collaboration with other musicians. Joined by Ableton's Joe Joyce, they will discuss improvisation, and the roles creativity and collaboration play in this collective endeavour.
Getting 'Stuck in the Loop' happens to all of us making electronic music. Join subSine | Academy of Electronic Music boss and Ableton Certified Trainer Simon Stokes as he shows creative methods and workflows for progressing your music and getting out the loop using software and hardware.
Joe is a drummer and musical director based in the UK with a plethora of credits which span from playing drums live and in the studio for Ellie Goulding to working as musical director for Years & Years, Sigrid, Aurora, Alunageorge, Becky Hill, DJ Fresh, and Ben Khan. In 2019 he launched his first online video training series ‘You’re So Hybrid - Ableton Live for Drummers’. Always keen to pass on his experience, Joe has taught masterclasses at music colleges and events internationally and now brings his experiences and insight into the industry to Question Session 2020.
Is this workshop, Ableton Certified Trainer Phelan Kane will guide participants through the creation of a Dub Delay audio effect device via Max For Live and Live 10. Designed for experiential audio manipulation, the Dub Delay device provides tempo sync and filters to sculpt audio into new rhythmical forms.
Circle of Live is one of the most exciting event concepts in the electronic music scene right now. “Honouring the values of spontaneity and improvisation,” it focuses entirely on improvised live electronic performance without ever losing touch with the values of the dancefloor and collective expression that are the life blood of club culture. Join Sebastian Mullaert and Johanna Knutsson from Circle of Live for a demonstration of their live setup.
Beginning your digital music journey need not be daunting and complex, join Anna and Mel at Question Session to see how Ableton live and Push are changing the music making process. Learn how to express your musical ideas and get creative with Live's key features in this introductory Ableton Live 10 Workshop featuring Ableton's Push 2 controller with two Ableton Certified Trainers who are on hand to showcase the endless music-making possibilities. Bring along your laptop with a downloaded copy of the Live 10 Suite Trial to get started or utilise one of the limited availability imacs on hand in the workshop lab.
15.00 - 16.00
Everything is Music: Making Music from the Data Universe
Participants of the workshop will be given the tools to make music from anything. You will learn how to translate your names, planetary motion, ocean tides, weather systems, sleep cycles, animal behaviour and endless other forms of ‘non-musical data’ into your music. This will offer a profound shift in musical mindset about what music is and can be – everything is music. The workshop will be perfectly suited for online content including demonstrations and resources for a wide range of music making and beguiling impact.
This seminar will look at some of the key differences between interactive audio compared to linear and introduce the process of creating and implementing sound into a game using the Unreal Engine. Participants will be able to engage with the sound capture, learn how it is added to the game engine and hear their sounds used in gameplay.
11.00 - 11.30
Scottish Music Industry Association Drop – in
The Scottish Music industry Association team will provide an opportunity to discuss topics and concerns in relation to their organisation. For more information, please visit their website HERE.
This session will discuss the importance of synchronisation deals for composers and sound designers. The licensing of music will be considered from different perspectives in order to provide an in-depth account of the sector.
Having your music selected on a playlist can potentially increase plays and hence generate revenue. This session will provide an understanding of the process of getting your music onto the right playlists for your genre of music.
15.00 - 15.30
Help Musicians UK drop-in
The Help Musicians UK team will provide an opportunity to discuss topics and concerns of musicians in relation to their organisation. For more information, please visit their website HERE.
15.35 - 16.05
DIY Mag drop-in
The DIY Mag team will provide an opportunity to discuss topics and concerns in relation to their organisation. For more information, please visit their website HERE.
16.15 - 17.00
Introduction to Game Audio middleware and Audiokinetic Wwise
This seminar will look into the basic functionality of audio middleware software, in particular Wwise by Audiokinetic. Participants will get an overview of the features of Wwise, insight into game audio practice and follow the process of implementing a sound into Unreal Engine using middleware.
