Festivals these days aren’t just about hanging out in some sprawling greenfield site. Cities host their own versions too - they also have the advantage of being on the industry’s own doorstep, and therefore a great place to be seen by more people who can make a difference to your career.
Lisa Paulon is one of the driving forces behind one of Britain’s biggest events for new talent, the annual Camden Crawl.
‘The formula for us came about inadvertently. There was a bunch of us who had our own little record labels and were promoting shows – myself, Simon Williams of Fierce Panda, Paul Cox at Too Pure, Keith Cameron at the NME – and when the Crawl started we’d nominate all the good unknown acts we’d come across in the course of the few months leading up to the event.
‘That basic premise hasn’t changed but the committee now consists of about 30 people who do the same thing. We also have various specialists in the likes of cutting edge urban and dubstep, experimental folk, plus labels such as Moshi Moshi and Bella Union who all input into the line up.’
Any top tips? ‘Some acts don’t help themselves,’ says Paulon. ‘More than ever we deal directly with bands themselves rather than their agents, but one of the hardest things to do is to track some of these acts down. It’s amazing the amount of time and effort artists can spend creating their websites and MySpace pages, but a lot of them forget to include any method of contacting them. A simple email address can work wonders.’
Top tip: Network! A&Rs talk to one another and a word of mouth recommendation can go a long way. Showcase Nights have long been a great way to get yourself noticed. Find out more on our Showcase nights page.
Lisa Paulon is one of the driving forces behind one of Britain’s biggest events for new talent, the annual Camden Crawl.
‘The formula for us came about inadvertently. There was a bunch of us who had our own little record labels and were promoting shows – myself, Simon Williams of Fierce Panda, Paul Cox at Too Pure, Keith Cameron at the NME – and when the Crawl started we’d nominate all the good unknown acts we’d come across in the course of the few months leading up to the event.
‘That basic premise hasn’t changed but the committee now consists of about 30 people who do the same thing. We also have various specialists in the likes of cutting edge urban and dubstep, experimental folk, plus labels such as Moshi Moshi and Bella Union who all input into the line up.’
Any top tips? ‘Some acts don’t help themselves,’ says Paulon. ‘More than ever we deal directly with bands themselves rather than their agents, but one of the hardest things to do is to track some of these acts down. It’s amazing the amount of time and effort artists can spend creating their websites and MySpace pages, but a lot of them forget to include any method of contacting them. A simple email address can work wonders.’
Top tip: Network! A&Rs talk to one another and a word of mouth recommendation can go a long way. Showcase Nights have long been a great way to get yourself noticed. Find out more on our Showcase nights page.
