Friday 3rd May 2019 - Leeds College of Music & The Wardrobe
A day of panels, workshops, presentations and networking for those working in, or aspiring to work in the music industry.
Jonny Simon
Jonny started in A&R at B-Uinque then Mercury records and Wall of Sound.
Moving into management Jonny’s clients have included Charli XCX, Carl Barat, Trevor Sensor and Joan as well as brand new Leeds band Loners who play their debut show at Live At Leeds.
Henna Angus
Henna Angus is the founding director of Paramount Music; a platform offering opportunities, access to resources and access to the industry for unsigned artists and communicator to industry organisations consulting on how to develop and access unsigned talent.
Tom Smith
Tom Smith is the co-founder and project director of MAP Charity. He started the charity with Charlie Stobbart and Kat Soutar in 2008, who at the time were all in their early 20s. With a background in music production and social work, Tom wanted to explore ways in which arts and education could interact to create positive social change.
Tom is also an audio engineer and DJ, and has spent years hand building and fine tuning what is now regarded as one of the finest high fidelity club systems in the country, the Cosmic Slop Soundsystem, now used by resident and international DJs in-house to raise funds for MAP Charity.
Tom’s varied interests range from hydroponics and permaculture to carpentry and print-making; he passionately applies his skills to the charity’s programmes, continually providing new inspiration and opportunities for young people.
Roisin O'Connor
Roisin O’Connor is Music Correspondent at The Independent - writing features, live gig reviews, festival coverage, interviews with established and up-and-coming artists, and a weekly column about new music.
She created Music Box sessions - stripped-down sessions filmed in a studio on-site - to give emerging artists a better platform to showcase their talent.
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Emily Marlow
Emily is a founding member of Girl Gang Leeds. Along with the rest of the core team, Emily works on all aspects of the organisation, this includes everything from event production, marketing and business management to sitting on the door at events, admin and cleaning up after everyone’s gone home.
Prior to Girl Gang Leeds, Emily worked as a Festival Assistant with I Like Press working on events such as Live at Leeds, Slam Dunk, Long Division and Beacons Metro.
Tony Ereira
Tony Ereira is the founder of Come Play With Me, a social enterprise established in 2015 to help people in the Leeds City Region that are looking to create sustainable careers within music.
Tony is also one of the founding directors of Hatch Records, a Leeds-based record label / publisher that has seen releases from Deadwall, Then Thickens, Nine Black Alps, The Spitfires and The Wedding Present.
Harry Ridgway
Harry Ridgway is a music PR and promoter based in Leeds. He currently works at I Like Press and is the co-founder of High & Lonesome festival. Growing up in sleepy Lincolnshire, Harry settled in Leeds after a short and misjudged period spent in a bedsit in West London. Once in Leeds he began promoting shows as part of the team that delivered Communion Presents shows in the city.
In his career he has worked with Communion presents, Music Glue, a festival that took place during the Tour de France Grand Depart that we don’t talk about, High & Lonesome Festival, Oporto and I Like Press. He also writes miserable songs as Altar Hanglands and played a short tour of Germany with Bear’s Den where he got to go on a tour bus.
Dorothea Thompson
Dorothea is a solicitor working across all areas of the commercial music and entertainment practice at Bray & Krais, with a particular interest in working with emerging talent and developing projects.
She is based in London but with eyes and ears on the scene outside the capital, including connections to the north of England. Her clients include British, European and international artists, songwriters, producers and performers, for example, who she looks to assist on a long-term basis. She regularly advises on management, recording, publishing and producer/mixer agreements, as well as providing bespoke advice on new and innovative business models and commercial arrangements.
Dorothea also writes for various publications and speaks at events on issues related to music, entertainment, copyright, and branding, as well as supporting women and young people in their careers in the creative industries.
Dan Jones
Based in Manchester, Daniel Jones is PRS for Music’s Education and Outreach Manager for the North of England. Daniel has worked in the Membership department at PRS for Music for over a decade, and his role is to engage with music educators, organisations and professionals in order to raise awareness and a better understanding about PRS for Music and be a key point of contact for our members in the region.
Daniel provides talks and lectures at educational establishments, is involved at music industry events and develops and hosts PRS for Music events and advice sessions throughout the north of England. As a keen musician, Daniel is also a PRS writer member, who has played guitar and bass in a number of bands and has contributed as a writer to numerous online and print outlets.
Alan Raw is currently is his 16th year as a multi-award-winning BBC Radio DJ, Producer & Music Photographer, and has been hosting the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds Festival since he started it over a decade ago.
Alan presents BBC Music Introducing in West Yorkshire & Humberside. He is also CEO of Creative & Cultural Co managing Arts Education Centres & galleries in Hull; Creative Director of the Hull International Photography Festival; Curator of the HIP Gallery in Hull and Photo City London; patron of Hull Folk Festival; drummer in the band Celtarabia; much sought after session percussionist with Rhythm Tech & Regal Tip; Chair of the World Drumming Network; and has previously produced and location-managed for MTV, BBC2 and BBCi.
Alan is known for picking great music and he DJ's at Lending Room Leeds for #360RAW supported by Denon DJ. #360RAW offers not-for-profit support to new bands and artists in the North, with advice, promotion and performance opportunities.
As front man for arch miserablists I LIKE TRAINS, David Martin has released
music on a number of distinguished independent record labels including Beggars
Banquet, Fierce Panda, Fantastic Plastic and Leeds’ very own Dance To The
Radio.
I LIKE TRAINS have gone on to set up their own record label with
international distribution and continue to release music, albeit very slowly. Alongside
his rock duties, David Martin wears several hats at The Leaf Label, mostly
concerning himself with digital marketing and social media.
Jemma Freese
Jemma Freese is a keyboardist, vocalist, poet and composer involved in several projects; J Frisco; freese trio; JOULE & DOMI. These include a variety of genres such as; genre-fluid improv; triphop/grunge; glitch/sad-dance and dark electronic pop. She writes poetry about mental health issues inspired by her own life, lives around her and her favourite authors such as Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Bukowski and Irvine Welsh, which is the basis of the lyrics she writes.
Jemma has been selected at Jazz North’s Introducing Artist 2017 with J Frisco, and as part of these different projects has been on KMAH radio, Chapel FM, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, NTS radio, and performed at Sounds Like THIS festival, Lancaster Jazz Festival, Marsden Jazz festival, Vortex Jazz Club, The Basement (York). She is soon to perform at Gateshead International Jazz Festival, Rough Trade Records (Bristol) and a week-long tour in Holland performing at venues, radio’s and DJ-ing.
Jamie Hutchinson
A continual passion of mine is to provide a free, accessible multifunctional space for people of Leeds. Where people can access the latest industry developments. A space that allows people to grow, develop and find a way into a positive and fulfilling role within the audiovisual media arts. We are in a lucky in Leeds to have such a forward thinking Library Service and to have such a place with Studio12 that i have been running for the past 14 years.
Each year I open my door to 1000’s of young people with the expectation of discovering the latest groundbreakers from this city. To be in a position where I can offer opportunities to young people to reach their full potential fills me with great honor and I champion the talent we have, the great creativity and the great richness in this city.
PRS Foundation, Programme Manager
PRS Foundation is the UK's leading charitable funder of new music and talent development. Since 2000 PRS Foundation has given more than £29.5 million to over 6,300 new music initiatives by awarding grants and leading partnership programmes that support music sector development. Widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, PRS Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity – from composer residencies and commissions to a network of talent development partners and showcases in the UK and overseas. www.prsfoundation.com | @PRSFoundation
Rob Eaglesham
Rob has worked in and around the Leeds music scene on and off for many years in various guises and currently manages Marsicans.
Joe oversees all health and welfare activities and is responsible for the development of new support services within the team.
He was instrumental in facilitating the delivery of the Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme, which to date has had an intake of 4,700 musicians accessing state-of-the-art hearing advice and protection.
Joe has recently been busy working alongside colleagues to create and deliver the Music Minds Matter support line, which launched in early December 2017.
Joe is particularly keen on looking to develop services that support healthy careers for musicians. He also composes music for film in his spare time alongside playing various instruments for fun.
Performer Development Specialist, PPL
Davy works for PPL, the music licensing company that collect and distribute royalties for performers and record companies when their music is played in public. He provides direct support for high airplay emerging artists to ensure they maximise their income from UK and international airplay. Davy also has a background as a guitarist and has played in various grunge / post-hardcore bands.
Richard joined Arts Council England in the North of England in November 2015.
Before joining Arts Council England, Richard served as Manager of the Hebden Bridge Picture House (2014 – 2015), Managing Director of Arts & Business Yorkshire (2007 – 2013) and previously spent 12 years (1995 – 2007) leading Scotland’s independent record company and publisher Soma Recordings (Daft Punk). He served as Board and Council member of the Association of Independent Music (AIM) from 2001–2007, worked with Creative and Cultural Sector Skills on their National Music Advisory Panel and their Scottish Employers Group (2005-2007) and was Chair of the Calderdale Cultural Partnership from 2008 to 2013. Richard’s commercial and artistic experience at senior levels make him expert at understanding the objectives and challenges of music and creative companies alike.
Whiskas / Sam Nicholls
Samuel Nicholls is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Beckett University, where he research and on the music industry and employability issues including sustainable career pathways. His role also involves working with and engaging external partners such as UK Music (through the Music Academic Partnership), Futuresound / Live At Leeds and Leeds City Council.
Sam, or whiskas as he is mainly known in the music industry, played in local bands, worked in venues and helped with promotion for a host of indie labels until 2004 where he stumbled upon The Vine pub in Leeds City Centre. Over the next 2 years, he created a promotions company called Transmission, with his partner Andy Roberts, and established The Vine as a stepping stone venue locally and nationally, with visiting acts like Arctic Monkeys, The Subways, The Noisettes and regular appearences from locals such as The Pigeon Detectives, The Sunshine Underground and I Like Trains.
In 2005, buoyed by the success of his own band, ¡Forward, Russia! - Transmission spun off the record label Dance To The Radio releasing a host of acclaimed 7" and compilation records, and in 2006 Top 40 singles and albums from ¡Forward, Russia! and The Pigeon Detectives. The label signed worldwide distribution with Co-Op Music (the team behind Bloc Party's success), while ¡Forward, Russia! signed to Mute / EMI Records in North America.
The label went on to great sucess with The Pigeon Detectives, and further compilation and vinyl releases from bands such as Pulled Apart By Horses, while ¡Forward, Russia! released their second album on Cooking Vinyl, as well as Mute. With the band having gone on hiatus in 2008, they reformed in 2013/2014 to a sellout show as part of Brudenell Social Club's 100 year anniversary and headline the Leeds Town Hall stage for Live At Leeds 2014.
Both the band and the label wound down by the end of 2008, and Sam undertook an MA Music Production degree at Leeds Beckett University, while being approached to speak at a host of industry events on DIY Music attitudes. Sam has taken part on numerous panels, talks and workshops on BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq Roundtable), In The City (conversation with Sean Adams (Drowned In Sound), Geoff Travis (Rough Trade) and John Robb), Liverpool Sound City and more. In 2010, Sam began curating the annual Live At Leeds Unconference event, attracting speakers such as Tom Robinson, Simon Rix (Kaiser Chiefs) and James McMahon (Kerrang! Editor), continuing the programming to this day as well as the Live At Leeds Extra Time event which features a 5-a-side Football Tournament of local music organisations.
Sam joined the staff at Leeds Beckett in 2012, and has written on subjects such as fan-funding, diversion of streaming revenue, and is currently writing a book chapter on audience engagement and alternative revenue streams for Bloombury Academic. At the sametime, he continuted to produce albums for acts such as Jon Gomm, Sam Airey and You Animals, as well as completing a solo album under the Honour Before Glory moniker, with tracks featured on programs such as Skins and Hollyoaks. In 2014, the University recognised his Outstanding Contribution to Innovation & Enterprise at their annual Achieving Excellence Awards and he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
As an extension of the work mentoring young artists, he is now working with numerous organisations to provide a sustainable platform & structure for this activity within Leeds. He has been granted funding from Unltd and PRS For Music Foundation to facilitate this, and now sits on awarding panels for PRSF as well as Arts Council England for their Momentum Fund. He is a director of Leeds Music Hub and Come Play With Me CIC’s, and is on the steering group for the Yorkshire Festival, BBC Music Day Leeds, Under The Owls (a collaboration between East Street Arts and Leeds City Council) and on the Artistic Programme Group for the Leeds bid for European Capital of Culture 2023.