2024 Conference Programme

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2024 Conference Programme 〰️

The Wide Days conference brings together the full spectrum of music professionals - from leading international industry figures, to emerging artists, fledgling companies and supporting organisations.

All conference sessions take place at Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh (54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR) from 12.00-17.00 on Wednesday 1 May and 09.00-18.00 on Thursday 2 May. Register for a delegate pass to access all conference and networking sessions.

Music Hall

Computer Says Yes

Wednesday 1 May
13:15-15:15

A round table, exploring the creative opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence and other tech, and how to address the challenges. The session combines short presentations with an open forum for delegates to contribute perspectives and raise questions.

Speakers:
Arnold Travieso (Crypto Música Récords
Camilla Waite (PPL)
Leif Coffield (Artist)
Sam Taylor (CMU)
Plus more to be announced…

West Drawing Room

PPL: Get Played, Get Paid!

Wednesday 1 May
13:15-13:45

Starting and sustaining a career in music can mean a lot of hard work, so understanding your revenue streams is vital for any new artists. Whether it’s money from radio play, television, or your music being played in public, we’ll be discussing how revenue flows back through to the performer and rightsholder or record label, featuring insight and practical advice from PPL experts.

West Drawing Room

Local Heroes: EHFM

Wednesday 1 May
14:00-15:00

Local Heroes celebrates those providing a platform for domestic talent and this year features Edinburgh radio station EHFM, an essential focal point for the city’s diverse club scene.

West Drawing Room

Meet The Funders

Wednesday 1 May
15:15 - 16:15

Whether you make music or work with musicians, it is crucial to know the support that's available to you. UK Funding Organisations are on hand to give a round up of how they operate, the funds and grants they have available and what support systems they have for emerging musicians across Scotland.

Speakers:
Elizabeth Sills (PRS Foundation)
Jamie Houston (Creative Scotland)

Music Hall

Sync or Swim

Wednesday 1 May
15:30-16:45

A rare opportunity to get feedback from a panel of music supervisors and sync agents. Submissions open soon, priority will be given to delegates who attend the Becoming Sync Ready Workshop. For more details on how to submit a track email hello@widedays.com.

Music Hall

A&R You Brave Enough?

Thursday 2 May
10:00-11:00

Artists are invited to submit tracks for feedback from media and music professionals.

Music Hall

Accessibility in music

Thursday 2 May
11:15-12:15

With 19% of the working-age population of the UK affected by a serious impairment, we host a dedicated strand with charity Attitude Is Everything highlighting a range of case studies and initiatives to make the music industry more accommodating for music professionals, artists and audiences with disabilities.

Music Hall

Meet The International CEOs

Thursday 2 May
12:45-13:45

The heads of international music industry member organisations outline their respective visions for the future,  the key challenges facing their members and how these should be addressed.

Music Hall

Agents Across The Water

Thursday 2 May
14:00-15:00

How do the approaches of booking agents vary between North America, Continental Europe and the UK? Panelists discuss how they do things and what artists can expect depending on the market.

Speakers:
Ben Buchanan (CAA)
Kat Dryburgh (ATC)
Giulia Spadaro (WME)
Romain Piquerez (Ensemble Concerts)
Moderator: Aja Garrod Prance (SMIA)

Music Hall

Country Market Focus: Czech Republic

(in partnership with SoundCzech)

Thursday 2 May
15:15-16:15

Located in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic combines an established label infrastructure with a vibrant live market, comprising over 400 festivals, many of which are international leaders in specialist genres.The panel outlines what makes it unique and the opportunities for connecting with neighbouring countries.

Music Hall

Local Heroes: Hidden Door

Thursday 2 May
16:30-17:30

For the past decade Hidden Door has reclaimed forgotten urban spaces to provide a platform for music, visual and dance. We find out how this unique festival started, the challenges of finding a new location every year and what lies ahead.

West Drawing Room

15 Minutes of Knowledge

Succinct presentations covering a broad range of music-based topics, initiatives and services.

West Drawing Room

Festival Doctor
(in association with BAPAM)

Thursday 2 May
11:00-11:15

Dr Arun Castro outlines the role of the music festival doctor and provides tips for artists, crew and promoters to ensure they don’t end up in his tent.

West Drawing Room

Music Venue Trust

Thursday 2 May
11:30-11:45

Since its launch in 2014, the Music Venue Trust has fought tirelessly to protect our grassroots live music infrastructure. Co-founder Beverly Whitrick outlines the charity’s origins, its major milestones and its forthcoming initiatives.

West Drawing Room

American PR

Thursday 2 May
12:30-12:45

New York-based publicist Becky Kovach, outlines 11 essential things you need to know before initiating a campaign in the US.

West Drawing Room

Pitching for sync

Thursday 2 May
13:00-13:15

Music supervisor Paty Carrera (Control Freaks) outlines 11 essential tips for pitching for sync, including the initial approach, best practice for metadata, meeting the brief and becoming a trusted source.

West Drawing Room

Sounding Off - the changing use of music in elections

Thursday 2 May
15:00-15:15

As a general election approaches, Dr Adam Behr explores how the use of music has changed in campaigns and what kind of compositions are likely to be used this year.

West Drawing Room

Releasing on Vinyl

Thursday 2 May
15:30-15:45

An essential guide to releasing on vinyl, including including f lead times, cost effectiveness, technical considerations and how to get the records stocked and distributed.

Speakers:
Eva Davies (Come Play With Me)

West Drawing Room

Touring in the EU

Thursday 2 May
16:00-16:15

Practical considerations for touring in the EU, including visa considerations, touring costs and market-specific details.

Speakers:
Juan Velez (Pianola Music)

West Drawing Room

Aimless Play: Digital Advertising

Thursday 2 May
16:30-16:45

Speakers:
Nick Roberts (Aimless Play)

West Drawing Room

Tooling up for streaming with EmuBands

Thursday 2 May
17:00-17:15

How to make the most of the tools available for artists on streaming services (inc Spotify for Artists, Canvas, Spotify Tools, Apple Motion). Providing an overview of all the things you should do to make your profiles shine.

Delegate Hub

Connecting with Delegates & Industry

A dedicated meeting strand to connect agents and managers from outside Scotland with Scottish promoters, bookers and venues. 

Option to book 15-minute meetings with speakers, industry specialists and other delegates. 

Meet The Diaspora initiative connects expat Scots working in the music industry, with their peers back home.

Confirmed specialists and partners available for meetings.

1:1 Meeting Hosts & Strands:
to be announced…