I am writing to let you know the second Liverpool Sound City takes place May 20th to 23rd. www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Last year we welcomed an audience of over 25,000 people and put on over 300 bands in over 20 venues.
We brought in speakers from over 10 different countries and held a world class conference in the amazing 4 star superior Hard Days Night Hotel.
This year we have teamed up with Musexpo and British Underground to deliver an even bigger and better conference and a brand new initiative called The Trial which will take place in the Victorian Law Courts of St Georges Hall. We will welcome over 400 business delegates from all over the world.
The theme as ever will be the mavericks, new thinkers, entrepreneurs, chameleons, svengalis helping to shape the modern music business. Effectively the DIYers!
We will present over 400 bands in 30+ venues and we will host parties and events with over 10 different territories including USA, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Japan, China, Ireland, Caribbean and Nigeria.
Speakers confirmed so far include: -Steve Schnur, Worldwide Head of Music & Marketing, EA Games and President, Artwerk Music Publishing. -Jamie Nelson, Head of A&R, Parlaphone (UK) -Benjamin Groff, Sr. VP, Kobalt Music Publishing (USA) -Ajax Scott (MD, Woodshed Media, UK) -Frank Takeshita, General Manager, Creativeman (Japan) -Mike Walsh, Head of Music, Xfm (UK) -Steven Stewart, Nokia Music -Stephen Taverner (manager of Ting Tings) -Andy Hipkiss, AAA Media -Joe Taylor, A&R Field Recordings and Nuxx Music Publishing -Sarah Stennett, Partner SS Law (represents Sugababes, Keane)
Zeitgeist artists confirmed so far include: Little Boots, Black Lips, Biffy Clyro, Glasvegas, White Denim, Deerhunter, Screaming Lights, Sound of Guns, Hot Melts, Courteeners and many more every week.
We would love you to take part in the Sound City experience. We have some amazing deals that allow you to host panels, get your artists involved, put on your own event or party or just simply come along to Liverpool for 4 days and 4 nights to DIY for!
What is your view of the West Midlands’ music industry? In particular, what are our strengths and weaknesses?
Here’s something I wrote in 2007, if anyone would like to take the title of this blog post and write their own version then please do, the more thoughts and opinions the better. I don’t know it all, I am only familiar with my small area of activity within the so called “Music Industry.”
Written by Mark Iron Man Records, Birmingham, June 2007
Wikipedia defines the Music Industry as “the business industry connected with the creation and sale of music. It consists of record companies, labels and publishers that distribute recorded music products internationally and that often control the rights to those products. Some music labels are “independent,” while others are subsidiaries of larger corporate entities or international media groups. The world music market is currently dominated by the “big four” record groups, Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner, each of which consists of many smaller companies and labels serving under different regions and markets.“ (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry) As far as the West Midlands is concerned, I would suggest that The music industry is a term most people use to describe a range of music-related businesses and organisations including community groups and not-for-profit organisations and others such as Musicians’ Unions and writers’ copyright collectives and performance rights organisations.
In order to look at the West Midlands Industry I sometimes find it helpful to imagine what the “West Midlands Music Industry” might consist of (in general terms) in a simplistic, imaginary world and then look to see if this is demonstrated to be true in practice.
Over the next week the Cubans will be recording a new AA single with Head Producer Si Reeves at Framework Studios – part of the Musoplex family of music lovers.
Please Don’t Start Again is in a style that has got them recognised across the Midlands and beyond as a distinctive indie band that stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
Face to Face will see a slightly heavier leaning with a departure from other material and a bass-driven monster-beat of a song that has been the star of recent live performances.
The success of the last single (now sold out on hard copy but available on iTunes) and the remastered album of earlier work saw them sell out the Little Civic in Dec 2008 and get a joint headline in March 2009 (7th!!) with the legendary reformed Bluetones.
The new single will be released in time for their biggest gig to date but just so you know what you might miss – the review from the Little Civic…. The rise continues…
RYANS GIG GUIDE – ISSUE JAN 09 – REVIEW “LITTLE CIVIC GIG” Early on it was clear to see why they are called The Cubans. The Latin feel to the music, combined with some harder guitar riffs was a unique sound base which instantly draws you to them. Song titles, such as ‘Ron’s last Act’ and ‘Women Tennis’ are especially quirky, and apparently the latter is best not questioned! During the 45 minute set, the band treated us to a first live hearing of new track ‘Flow’ with quick fire vocals and an addictive bass line. Most enjoyable and reflective of range was ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ which had the big boned man in front of me waggling stuff I didn’t need to see, and the whole room bouncing happily. There is a cultural feel to their verses, flattered by catchy choruses and an eclectic mix of influences to ensure each track is different. On stage, the band play as a solid unit, with a clear respect for each other’s input and space. There was great movement by the band and some of the gutsiest bass playing I’ve heard in years. They looked comfortable on stage with a performance that reflected their touring experience, whilst showing no arrogance. Many bands brag to love what they do, but few prove it so intensely. This band is not to be missed!
The culinary delights from Mr Sizzle brought my evening to an end, with The Cuban’s excellence still ringing in my ears. There were many surprises and I give thanks to whoever it was that recommended The Cubans to me. Breaking news is that they are set to headline at The Wulfrun in March, so there’s an opportunity for you, but don’t leave it too late as this band have a reputation for selling out wherever they play. I’ll be front row with my glow sticks.” Meriel Flavell 2008
at The BCU Technology and Innovation Centre(TIC), Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG. (directions/info tel: 08712 262725)
The next meeting is open to all on Thursday 29th Janauary 2009 4pm til 6pm at The TIC, Birmingham.
The Birmingham branch of Musicians Union will be supplying luxury chocolate biscuits and good coffee for all. There’s food and drink afterwards supplied by the creative networks lot too. Come and talk about music and what you’re up to and meet some new people, you know it makes sense.
The Music Network organises the meeting for the benefit of music related businesses in the West Midlands region. If you have news to report, a presentation to give, an event to promote, any new points for discussion, a pitch to make, a new website or online music business to talk about, business cards or flyers to hand round, an appeal for help, advice or guidance or even if you just want the free tea and biscuits and some quality entertainment…you are all invited.
STOP THE WAR National Demonstration: Saturday 10th January 2009 – PASS it ON
Assemble 12.30pm Speakers Corner, Hyde Park
March to Israeli Embassy High St Kensington, London
Bus from Birmingham: 8.30am opposite moor st station. Please call Helen on 07905 212 297 for tickets.
Shoes for the widows and orphans and all those killed – In the spirit of Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who used his shoes to protest over George Bush’s war crimes, we will deliver shoes to the Israeli Embassy at Saturday’s demonstration. Please bring old shoes, so we — like Muntadar al-Zaidi — can say, “This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed.”
Here is the latest video:
Anyone with a semblance of humanity watching this video, hearing what the doctor in a Gaza hospital says, will know the extent of Israel’s barbarity.
“This is Dante’s Inferno, hell. There are injuries here you just don’t want to see. Children with their abdomens open and legs cut off. We just had a child and we had to amputate both legs and an arm. Their only crime is that they are civilians, Palestinians, living in Gaza. The bombing has to stop immediately. This cannot go on. Anyone who portrays this as a clean war against another army is lying. This is an all out war against the civilian population in Gaza. They cannot flee as other populations can in war time because Israel has them trapped in a cage. Israel is bombing one and a half million people trapped in a cage.”
Gaza has a population 1.5 million. Israel has slaughtered 650 Palestinians and injured 3000 more in the last eleven days. A proportionately similar death toll in Britain, with a population of 60 million, would be 26,000 dead and 120,000 injured. If Britain was Gaza, Israel would be condemned by the whole world for monstrous crimes against humanity and forced to stop the carnage. The mealy mouthed statements by governments so far are pitiful. Israel is only able to act in this barbaric manner because of the support it gets from governments who habitually turn a blind eye to its war crimes.
Join the national demonstration: Stop the War is asking all its local groups outside of London to book coaches or arrange other transport to help make this the biggest demonstration yet seen in this country.
Mass slaughter and devastation in Gaza shows barbarity has no limits. Half of Gaza’s one and a half million people are children, dozens of whom have been killed or injured. Hospitals in Gaza are overflowing with dead and wounded while facing severe shortages of essential medical supplies and spare parts.
The full horror of war crime is not being shown by the British media. Stop the War has been sent these pictures which capture what happens when the fourth most powerful military in the world unleashes its arsenal of terror on people trapped in the most densely populated area in the world.
Demonstrations across the world call for an immediate stop to the carnage. Every country in the world bar one wants the killing and destruction to stop now. But just as it did in the Lebanon War in 2006, The United States has given the green light to Israel to intensify its barbarism.
The US is blocking all UN diplomacy for an immediate ceasefire with the tacit compliance of the British government, which calls for an immediate ceasefire while at the same time endorsing America’s refusal to allow any discussion in the United Nations to achieve this end.
When Israel broke the six month ceasefire on November 4, it was the trigger for this long planned invasion, deliberately timed for the last few weeks of George Bush’s presidency and a few weeks before Israeli elections, in which all the leading politicians are competing as to how many Palestinians they can kill.
Stop the War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament are organising continual protests in the next week, culminating in a national demonstration marching to the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday 10 January.
We urge all of our supporter to do all keep informed about our activities via out website and by subscribing to our regular newsletters. Everyone who is shocked and outraged by Israel’s barbarity, and the prospect of hundreds more Palestinian civilians being killed by the fourth most powerful military in the world, should commit themselves to helping mobilise for the protests in the coming week and for making the national demonstration on Saturday 10 January the biggest yet seen in this country for the freedom of Palestine.
“We speak out for the people of Gaza. What is happening there is a crime against humanity. We are asking everyone to be at Speaker’s Corner in London at 12.30 pm on Saturday, 10 January, and join the march to the Israeli Embassy.”
