Wednesday 6th June 2012

11.00am -11.45am MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
SMIA OPENING ROUNDTABLE
How Should the Scottish Music Industry be Structured in the Event of Scottish Independence?

12.00pm -1.00pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
DO WE HAVE A VIDEO?
The M in MTV might be redundant, but the rise of YouTube and similar platforms has led to a resurgence of the music video as a promotional tool. At the same time, affordable technology means that clips which ten years ago would have cost tens of thousands, can now be made on a shoestring. How do you come up with a winning budget video, use it to promote your act and make money in the process?

1.45pm – 2.45pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
MARKET FOCUS GERMANY: Musical Wunderbar In Deutschland – The World’s No.2 Music Market
Germany has been a leader and innovator in technology, automotive and manufacturing. It is also rapidly emerging as a serious contender in the global music market. With an extremely healthy creative energy fueling the German music market – mobile, live, media, online, retail, synch and brands as well as traditional recording and publishing are all very healthy. In addition, Germany is a market that fosters a healthy multi-format experience musically- rock, indie, dance, electronic, pop, hip-hop, jazz, classical and other genres are all readily embraced. We give you a snapshot into the current and future landscape of the world’s second strongest music market, and discuss the realities for UK based artists, managers and music businesses looking to break into the buoyant German music market.

3.00pm – 4.00pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
PITCH AND SYNCH
With the continued contraction of revenue streams in the traditional music industry, artists are increasingly looking towards secondary uses for their music, and one key area where they are looking for new opportunities is synchronisation. But how does this area of the industry work, how can you pitch into a project, who are the decision makers, and how do they like to be sent music? In this unique event, a team of national and international synch experts will pull back the curtain by pitching music towards a scene in a film and simulating the process of music supervision in television and film.

4.15pm – 5.15pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
BREAKING OUT
With regional artists like Emeli Sande and Maverick Sabre enjoying chart success, this panel discusses how you can go from being a locally hot artist to a national and/or internationally known top talent. The panel consists of a number of Industry Insiders and some of the top regional acts in the UK, who will let you know what you can do to get noticed and break out.

Thursday 7th July

11.00am – 12.00pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
MUSICIANS’ UNION: FAIR PLAY
The Musicians’ Union have launched the Fair Play guide to tackle musicians being misled by gigs, competitions and other events which appear at first to be a great opportunity but that can turn out to be a costly mistake.  The panel will debate the value of the opportunities available to musicians in the UK and help you work out what is worth it and what is not!

12.00 -1.00pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
SMIA LUNCHTIME MEET UP: Behind the SAY Award
Developing and Delivering a Prestigious Arts Prize

1.15pm – 2.15pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
THE PRODUCERS
Getting a “name” producer can act as a great signpost for a new act as well as developing a sound which increases the chance of success. This panel brings together a broad range of perspectives to discuss what the role involves and how you find the right people to work with. It will also focus on the part mastering, mixing and engineering play in the recording process and ask why this sector of the music industry is still dominated by men?

2.30pm -3.30pm  MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
DIY IS DEAD, LONG LIVE DIY
In recent years, to what extent has the locus of power really shifted from major entities to individual artists, managers and small labels? How are traditional artist development and management practices (A&R, sales, distribution, live, marketing, brand partnerships etc) changing and being repurposed to achieve long-term success without major backing? Is it now possible for so called ‘DIY’ outfits to compete and win on their own, or does there still need to be outsourced architects and general managers of these enterprises in order to reach significant milestones?

3.45pm – 4.45pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
Overpriced cooking lager, a tenner just to get a timed line up and the same headliners on rotation. With new acts increasingly looking to develop their audience further afield, what international alternatives are there to the large UK festivals, what opportunities do they offer emerging artists and how do you secure a slot?

5.00pm – 5.45pm MERCURE INVERNESS SUITE
MUSIC WEEK KEYNOTE