Brighton Music Conference 2018 – The Full Programme of Speakers and Acts

Brighton Music Conference 2018 is here and boasts a plethora of fantastic talks, seminars and showcases, so we thought we’d collate everything in one place for your ease. Tickets are still available so if you’ve got the chance to be there then don’t miss out.

Here’s the full story from BMC:

Brighton Music Conference (BMC18) has announced the full programme schedule for its 5th Anniversary year taking place Wednesday 25th to Saturday 28th April 2018.

The UK’s foremost conference will host its biggest ever event with over 200 speakers in 8 theatres from across the music, nightlife, tech and digital industries during the conference at Brighton Dome on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th April. This as well as 5 days of networking parties and club events across the city.

BMC has announced programme additions including Felix Burton from Basement Jaxx speaking on ‘Universal Sound and the Power of Frequency, Vibration and Resonance’; a SoundCloud panel presented by its Directors with artist DNMO; Olly Burke from Loopmasters discussing the release of their new sample platform at BMC18, and Tristan Hunt from AFEM moderating the topical panel of Mental Health & Music In The Mix.

Aside from the specialised DJ and music tech exhibition hall and Focusrite/Novation inflatable theatre, Pioneer and ableton will be hosting workshops, andthere are new product launches at BMC18 including Loopmasters’ Loopcloud 2.0 producer platform at 5pm on Thursday in Seminar Area 3, and Steinberg’s UR-RT2 & UR-RT4 audio interfaces with switchable Rupert Neve Design transformers.

Also new for 2018, the Women in Dance Music Collective (WDM) will host their launch event at Brighton Music Conference on Thursday 26th April. Sponsored by Native Instruments, the first of 4 events in 2018 is an invite only event at Hotel Pelirocco providing an opportunity for the first members of the Collective to meet and network. The Women in Dance Music Collective was founded by Jude Thompson of Indigo Talent and Sacha Wall from Data Transmission.

Organisations and individuals confirmed to speak at BMC18 include Irvine Welsh, Eats Everything, Friction, Felix Burton (Basement Jaxx), Sam Divine “PRS For Music”, BPI, AIM, Association For Electronic Music (AFEM), AIF, ACS, LNADJ, Help Musicians, BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat, Fabric, SoundCloud, Steinberg, Virgin/EMI, Believe, SW4, Defected, Toolroom, Hospital Records, Ram Records, Tru Thoughts, Beatport, Women Produce Music, BIMM, DJ Mag, MusicTech, AEI, Funktion One, Pioneer, Label Worx, This Is Global, Boiler Room, KRPT, Horus Music, Decoded Magazine, Data Transmission, Skiddle, SharpStream, KRPT, GRM Daily, LWE, Fuse, Mark Knight, Waze & Odyssey, Luke Solomon, London Elektricity, Illyus & Barrientos, Dean Marsh, Jules O’ Riordan, and many more.

Academy Theatre – Thursday 26^th April

• 11:00: Getting Paid For Your Creativity (in association with PRS for Music)
  • Moderator: Ashley Howard (PRS for Music)
    • Adrienne Bookbinder (Defected Records)
    • Soraya Sobh (The Bakery)
    • Adam Woolf (Critical Recordings)
    • Sam Heerey (PPL)

• 11:45: How to get your music signed to the right label
  • Moderator – Timo Garcia, Timo Garcia (aka Nolan)
    • Luke Solomon A&R for Defected & Classic Music
    • Matt Tolfrey (Leftroom Records)
    • Just Her (Crosstown Rebels, Constant Circles)
    • Sophia Margerison (Virgin/EMI)

• 12:30: Label Q&A with Tru Thoughts
  • Robert Luis (Label Co-Owner and A&R)
  • Jonny Halliday (Label Manager)
  • Trevor Heath (Full Thought Publishing)
  • Hannah Petter (Press Officer)

• 13:20: Uplifting Audio Experiences Workshop with Tony Andrews – Founder of loudspeaker manufacturer, Funktion-One

• 14:15: BIMM Institute Modular Synthesis Masterclass hosted by the (BA Hons) in Music Production Course Leader, Matthew Hodson.

• 15:00: Sharpstream – Sharing your creation with the world. The access and benefits of internet radio
  • Moderator Dane Streeter (Sharpsteam)
    • Nats Spada (Totally Radio / Platform B)
    • Ben Liebrand
    • Dom Robinson (id3as media)

• 15:50: DJ Q&A
  • Moderator Chad Jackson (DMC World champion)
    • Sam Divine (Defected)
    • Rich Wakely (Drum Code)
    • Mark Knight (Toolroom Records)

• 16:35: BPI Presents – Music Piracy and content protection strategies
  • Kiaron Whitehead (BPI General Council)
  • Claire Miller (BPI Content Protection Team)
  • Chris Sheehan (BPI Content Protection Team)
  • Christian Ivanoski-Nichol (BPI Content Protection Team)
  • Alex Baker (BPI Content Protection Team)
  • Kate Whitmarsh (BPI Content Protection Team)

• 17:20: How much is your hearing worth?
  • Moderator: DJ RAE
    • Oli Katz (All Ears campaign)
    • Jono Hale (ACS)
    • Gladys Akinseye (Harley Street Hearing)
    • Aiden Culley (HMUK)

Academy Theatre – Friday 27^th April

• 11:00: Gizza job… A chance to get yourself an internship with a leading UK label

• 11:45: Label Q&A with RAM Records
  • Moderator Sarah Cole
    • Speakers TBC

• 12:30 – 13:10: (40 mins) – Education – is college really worth it?
  • Moderator Inder Phull (CEO at KRPT)
    • Lauren Pavan (COO at GRM Daily)
    • Alice Favre (Co-Owner at Ticket Tannoy, Head of Operations at LWE)
    • Archie Hamilton (Producer, DJ & Label Owner Moscow Records // Moss Co. // Arkityp)
    • Toby Oxnam (Creative Director – Netil Radio, Head Booker at Joshua Brookes, Ossia Music)

• 13:15: Producer Q&A
  • Moderator – Katia Isakoff – Women Produce Music
    • London Elektricity (Hospital Records)
    • Illyus & Barrientos (Toolroom Records)
    • Luke Solomon (Defected/Classic)
    • Rachel K Collier (Ableton)

• 14:10: Horus Music Presents “Letting it Sync In, Why Music Supervisors love Electronic Music”
  • Moderator Deborah Smith (Anara Publishing)
    • Rupert Hollier (Music Supervisor
    • Luke Jackson (Composer)
    • Rachel Menzies (Music Supervisor)
    • John Meredith (Owner of Production Music Library ‘Arms Production Music’)

• 14:55: Multi-tasking in the music business
  • Moderator tbc
    • Friction (Shogun Audio)

• 15:50: AEI / BEC panel – Creating & Maintaining Online Communities
  • Moderator Sarah Cole (Director of Talent at AEI Group)
    • Tom Dunn (AEI Special Projects Manager)
    • Kate Osler (AEI Festival Director / Weird Science)
    • Nick Sadler (Manager)
    • Lewis Sinclair (CEO Cygnus Music)

Professional Theatre – Thursday 26^th April

• 11:00: DJ Mag presents Times up for sexual harassment
  • Moderator: Carl Loben
    • Speakers TBC

• 11:55: SoundCloud Presents TBC

• 12:50: Diversity Is a Reality, Inclusivity Is The Goal in association with PRS for Music)
  • Moderator: Fiona McGugan (Music Managers Forum)
    • Amanda Maxwell (SheSaid.So / Boiler Room)
    • Steven Braines (The Weird & The Wonderful / He.She.They)
    • Natalie Wade (Small Green Shoots)
    • Claire Rose (PRS for Music)

• 13:45: Is the underground underground anymore?
  • Moderator Sammy Verghese, (The Arch Club)
    • Judy Griffith (Fabric)
    • Firas Waez & Serge Santiago (Producers, Waze & Odyssey)
    • Jack Bridges (Beatport)

• 14:40: AFEM Presents – Mental Health & Music In The Mix
  • Christine Brown (Director, Help Musicians UK)
  • Mike Hollingbury (Owner, Bozboz)
  • Dan Tait (Pioneer DJ)

• 15:35: A Journey in Sound with Tony and Ann Andrews from Funktion-One

• 16:30: LNADJ Presents Social and Corporate responsibility in the dance music industry
  • Moderated by Ellie Talebian (Juice Radio)
    • Eats Everything (DJ/Producer)
    • Jim McNulty (LNADJ)
    • Nico De Transilvania (DJ/Producer)
    • Ann Andrews (Funktion-One)

• 17:20: AIF presents How best to get your artist on the stage
  • Moderator Jim Mawdsley
    • Ami Lord (General Manager & Laundry Meadows Stage Booker Standon Calling)
    • Emma Zillman (Programme Director, From the Fields Festival)

Professional Theatre – Friday 27^th April

• 11:00: Brands in Music
  • James Sutcliffe (Relentless Brand Manager)
  • Jack Thomas (Global A&R Manager, Focusrite / Novation)
  • Sandira Blas (Partnership / Brand Culture Marketing Denon DJ & Akai Pro)
  • More speakers TBC

• 11:45: Creative Law presents – How not to get into hot water when re-making music
  • Moderator Dean Marsh (MD – Creative Law & Business)
    • Andrew Sharland (Leading Partner Clintons)
    • Peter Oxendale (Forensic Musicologist Peter Oxendale Musical Services)
    • Alison Hook (Head of Sampling & Copyright Infringement Sony/ATV Publishing)
    • Jules O’Riordan (AKA Judge Jules Global DJ / Lawyer at Sound Advice)
    • Saranne Reid (General Manager Crown Management. MD Sample Clearance Services)

• 12:30: BPI Presents Sync Licensing For Electronic Music
  • Moderator – Vanessa Higgins (Regent Street records / BPI Council Member)
    • Gary Welch (EyeHear Music)
    • Rachel Menzies (Native Music)
    • Megan Bean (Hospital Records)

• 13:15: Streaming, Best practises and how to make it work for you
  • Sam Lee (Songular)
  • Leigh Morgan (Believe)
  • Achille Nanopoulos (Artist Marketing Manager, Independents/Deezer)
  • Dominic Kerley (Label Worx)

• 14:10: DJ Mag presents an interview with Irvine Welsh

• 14:55: SharpStream presents Monetize your content in ways you haven’t heard of
  • Moderator: Dane Streeter(Managing Director – SharpStream)
    • Katie Sedler (Head of DAX Partnerships – This is Global)
    • Nick Pitts (Commercial Director – Jazz FM)

• 15:50: Trial by social media: dealing with a PR disaster
  • Moderator Lee Smith (Leak Delete)
    • Anna Wall (PR, /DJ Mag)
    • George Hull (Bloc)
    • Angie Towse (The Rest is Noise)

Mezzanine level

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat panel – 17:00 – 18:00 (17:45 show goes out)

BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra’s Newsbeat will be hosting a discussion and broadcasting from BMC and discussing topics including Brexit and drug testing at venues and events in the UK. – hosted by Newsbeat’s politics and music team. Speakers include Jimmy Blake – Newsbeat, Mark Lawrence – CEO AFEM, Fiona Measham – Loop, Danny Howard – BBC Radio 1, Judy Griffith – Fabric

Seminar area 3 – Thursday the 26^th

• 13.00 – 13.50: So you want to be a DJ?
  • Speakers include:
    • Pete Gooding
    • Pete Gooding Management
    • Graham Farmer – Data Transmission
    • Anna Wall – DJ
• 14.00 – 14.50: AudioLock subject TBC
• 15.00 – 15.50: Beatport Annual report, Invite only
• 16.00 – 16.50: Beatport access all area’s

Friday the 27^th

• 11:30AM – 12:30PM – Sound Healing Workshop
• 12.30: Pioneer DJ Workshop: Dave Smith Toraiz SP-16 and AS1
• 13.30: Pioneer DJ workshop: DJS-1000
• 14.30 – 15.20: Ableton workshop: Rachel K Collier, From the Studio to the Stage using Ableton Live 10
• 15.30 – 16.30: Ableton Workshop: Ableton Live 10 and Push – Capture, Create and Manipulate

Focusrite/Novation Sessions – Thursday 26^th April

• Seminar 1: Hitting the Stage – performing your studio-based productions on the live stage
•  Seminar 2: Composition and processing technique with James Dymond
•  Seminar 3: TBC
• Seminar 4: State of the Art Synthesis with East End Dubs
•  Seminar 5: Mix & Arrangement Exploration with James Dymond
• Seminar 6: Standing out from the crowd – Mashup technique with South of the Stars

Friday 27^th April

• Seminar 1: Live by design with Alex Jann 
• Seminar 2: TBC
• Seminar 3: Create, Capture and Arrange with Alex Arnout
•  Seminar 4: Standing out from the crowd – Mashup technique with South of the Stars

Deadwax Social Theatre – Thursday the 26^th of April

Toolroom Academy production and DJ classes

• 10-11: Demo Drop
• 11-12.30: Ben Remember
• 12.45-13.45: Mark Knight
• 14.00-15.30: Tuff London
• 15.45-17.15: Illyus & Barrientos
• 17.30-18.30: A&R Feedback

Friday the 27^th of April

Hospital Records Sonic Surgery

• 10.00-11.00: Meet The Team / Demo Drop
• 11.00-12.00: London Elektricity : Obsessive Sound Collecting
• 12.00-13.00: Nu:Tone : Words & Pictures – The Vocal 1, 2, 3
• 13.00-14.00: Demo Drop / Lunch
• 14.00-15.00: Keeno : Strings & Shimmering Things
• 15.00-16.00: Danny Byrd : MPC vs DNB
• 16.00-17.00: A&R Feedback