Brighton Music Conference (BMC) has announced the first speakers and talks for the 2016 event, which returns to the Brighton Dome on Thursday 14th April & Friday 15th April for its third year.
The event features two days of master classes, panels and talks, from leading brands and industry figures including including Beatport, PRS, AFEM, Toolroom, Hospital Records, NTIA, DJ Magazine, Shogun Audio, BIMM, Mobilee Records, Skint Records, Believe Digital, Crazy P, Prok & Fitch, Yousef, Safehouse Management, Intec Digital, Friction, Amon Tobin, Rockwell, Icicle, Critical Records, Wunderground, Republic of Music, Dean Marsh and GAK Audio.
Highlights announced include the Beatport Label Summit, hosted by Terry Weerasinghe (Vice President of Music Services) and Jack Bridges (Beatport European Account Manager), discussing the latest developments and trends affecting the key online music sales portal. Also confirmed is a label Q&A with drum & bass label Shogun Audio featuring Keir Tyrer (Managing Director), Friction (DJ/Owner), Richard Snow (Label Manager), Rockwell (Artist), Icicle (Artist) and Amon Tobin (Artist); they’ll be discussing how they look for new artists and help them develop their talent.
Brighton Music Conference launches it’s new website on 14th January and tickets are now on sale: Academy £15 and Professional £99. http://www.brightonmusicconference.co.uk
BMC Professional aims to connect music with business, bringing together industry thought leaders through a series of panels to discuss the future sustainable growth of the Electronic Music Industry, targeted networking events and access to an evening schedule of events and parties across Brighton. BMC Academy is about plugging in the next generation and fostering new talent via a series of master classes, panels and talks. Both tickets give access to a two-day exhibition with tech showcases panels and interviews.
Already confirmed to speak at this year’s conference are Adam Woolfe (Label Manager; Critical Records), Alan Miller (Chairman; NTIA), Andy Singh (Director; Republic Of Music), Ayah Marar (Artist), Carl Loben (Editor; DJ Mag), Chris Goss (Co-Founder; Hospital Records), Chris Todd / Crazy P (Artist), Dean Marsh (Managing Director; Creative Law & Business), Emily Moxon (Label Manager; Brownswood Records), Jon Rundell (Director; Intec Digital), Lee Morrison (General Manager, UK; Believe Digital), Lucy Blair (Journalist; Motive Unknown), Lynn Cosgrove (Director; Safehouse Management), Marcus Nasty (DJ; Rinse), Mark Lawrence (CEO; AFEM), Matt King (BMG/Skint Records), Mikey Maguire (Editor; Wunderground), Prok & Fitch (Artist), Ralf Kollmann (Label Manager; Mobilee Records), Sarah Cole (Owner; Yes You Do), Steve King (Safehouse Management), Steve Mac / Rhythm Masters (Director/Artist; Black Rock Records), Stuart Knight (Managing Director; Toolroom Records), Tom Nettleton (Agent; Paramount), Yousef (Artist).
This year’s event charity partner will be Last Night A DJ.
BACKGROUND TO BMC
Aimed at industry professionals, students and the next generation of creative and business talent, BMC 2015 welcomed representatives from YouTube, BPI, Kiss, Beatport, DJ Mag, Music Week, Kobalt, Defected Records, Coda, Ibiza Rocks, Back To Basics, Native Instruments, Involved management, Dave Clarke, BBC Radio 1/BBC 1Xtra, Ableton, AFEM, Novation, Hospital Records, Icicle, Robert Owens, Mobilee, BIMM, Point Blank, PRS For Music, PPL, AIM, MPA, Access to Music, Youth Music, SoundCity Brighton & Hove, and many more.
Highlights from the 2015 event’s BMC Professional programme, which included partners AFEM, BPI, MPA and Beatport, were the BMC Keynote ‘Protecting the Dance Floor’, hosted by AFEM CEO Mark Lawrence and featuring Stuart Knight, Director of Toolroom Records, and the NTIA’s chairman, Alan D Miller; Beatport’s UK label seminar, The Big Stream Debate; and Innovation / Inspiration: new revenue streams.
The BMC Academy programme, with Academy Education Partners BPI, PPL, PRS for Music, Pointblank, BIMM, Access To Music, and Northbrook College, saw capacity attendances on both days for talks including the Q+A session with Terry Weerasinghe (Vice President of Music Services at Beatport), YouTube’s Academy workshop which covered topics including how to optimise videos, drive longer viewing sessions and how to retain subscribers; and BIMM presents: how to start a label.
The exhibition floor featured over 50 exhibitors, and saw a number of exclusives, including the first opportunity in the UK to get ‘hands-on’ with Novation’s latest product – the Launchpad Pro. Native Instruments’ had their update to MASCHINE Groove Production studio, and KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards. BMC pass holders were also given the chance to get their hands on Stems, a new multi-track audio format that allows DJs and live performers to incorporate individual parts of a track in their sets. All of this and more was on show in the NI KONTROL room.
Next Audio Labs gave attendees the chance to experience Rekord Buddy 2.0, the revolutionary system for professional DJs. Steinberg showcased their latest version of their flagship DAW Cubase 8 Pro. Funktion One offered the opportunity to experience the PSM318 professional DJ monitors, and showcased its new self-powered bass system - designed for smaller applications, including studios and home environments. FBT Audio showcased their brand new entry level ‘X’ Series portable active speaker range. While JAMM, the innovative new anti-piracy company also launched at BMC.
Visitors to Ableton’s BMC Academy checked out Live 9 and Push in the company of Ableton Certified Trainers and got creative insights and inspiration from artists via a series of workshops and panels including one of the event’s busiest sessions Ableton presents: Creative Strategies for Electronic Producers hosted by Dennis DeSantis – Author of ‘Making Music – 74 creative strategies for Electronic Music Producers’, with Evil Nine, Alex Banks and Max Wheeler.
Retailers such as GAK, DJ Kit, and Gear 4DJs presented some of the biggest names in audio equipment, with brands including Roland, Korg, Steinberg, Shure, Numark, Denon, Akai and a host of other music businesses and equipment including American DJ, Liteconsole, KAM, PRS for Music and ACS Custom.
BMC’s tech education partners included Ableton, Native Instruments, Focusrite, Novation, Audio Technica, and Pioneer DJ. All of these brands held showcases, with Native Instruments presenting a guide to creating and performing live with STEMS with Prime Cuts. Novation held an intimate tech showcase with Paul Hartnoll, formerly one half of pioneering electronic dance music duo, Orbital.
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