Earlier this week, PRS for Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance hosted the third annual Composers Seminar.
The event gathered industry experts to examine the current climate for classical music and the various revenue streams open to composers.
The first panel, Defining Composition, was led by Dominic Murcott, head of composition at Trinity Laban. He was joined by composers Gary Carpenter, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Harry Escott, plus Catherine Manners (Manners McDade publishers) and Aldeburgh Music’s chief executive Roger Wright.
The second panel was chaired by Harriet Wybor (pictured above), PRS for Music’s classical account manager. Entitled Music as a Business, it discussed how composers can earn a living and maximise potential earnings.
Panellists included Katie Ferguson (unCLASSIFIED), Sally Cavender (Faber Music), Mark Pemberton (Association of British Orchestras), Anne Rushton (NMC Recordings) and composer Kemal Yusuf.
We went along to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing composers working on the frontline in 2016…
Composition and collaboration
Ayanna: Being a composer means that you are a conduit for a form of unique musical expression.
Roger: We’re in a glorious age of composition in the UK due to the range and quality of work being produced. Crucially, composers need to be collaborators.
Harry: There is a necessity as a composer to think about how your music is received.
Mark: There needs to be a closer relationship to achieve more collaboration between composers and orchestras who are commissioning new work; there is a hunger for a richer relationship and to bring that to the creative process.
What publishers are looking for
Catherine: I’ve always looked for someone who has a unique voice. I don’t necessarily mind what that is, but they have to have the right personality to be able to work with others.
Sally: Write the best music you can; it’s really got to be unique. If you are a composer just quietly writing at home, you won’t attract any attention. Publishers are looking for people who are making a noise and who other composers and performers are talking about.
Self-publishing
Gary: The landscape has changed a lot: at one time if you self-published in the UK you would be looked down on, but that’s no longer the case. Composers are doing much more for themselves.
Harriet: It’s important to understand your rights as a composer; there’s more that composers can do now than ever before in terms of registering their works and keeping track of their royalties from PRS for Music, as well as promoting themselves and their music online. You have to be pro-active.
Composing as a business
Catherine: Approach it as a business from day one and ask yourself what sort of publisher you want to work with.
Kemal: It’s important to know your worth as a composer and not be afraid to negotiate when it comes to commissioning fees. If a fee isn’t enough, why not think about applying for funding? Remember you are a business, you are a sole trader.
Anne: Create relationships with performers and get your head around social media and websites so you can promote yourself. One of the biggest changes in recent times is that composers can do everything themselves: you have to be a marketer, an accountant and a publicist as well as a composer – more people are becoming aware of this.
Engaging with audiences
Sally: The public want the excitement of living composers.
Anne: There has been a dramatic rise in streaming; NMC Recordings has seen over 650,000 streams of contemporary British music.
Katie: Most people listen to a wide range of genres; playlisting fosters discovery and gives composers the opportunity to reach many more people than before who wouldn’t ordinarily listen to classical music.
The evening also included a networking session with representatives from the British Council, Arts Council England, the Royal Philharmonic Society, Incorporated Society of Musicians, BASCA, Musicians’ Union, Help Musicians UK, UK Music and the PRS for Music Foundation.
The event gathered industry experts to examine the current climate for classical music and the various revenue streams open to composers.
The first panel, Defining Composition, was led by Dominic Murcott, head of composition at Trinity Laban. He was joined by composers Gary Carpenter, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Harry Escott, plus Catherine Manners (Manners McDade publishers) and Aldeburgh Music’s chief executive Roger Wright.
The second panel was chaired by Harriet Wybor (pictured above), PRS for Music’s classical account manager. Entitled Music as a Business, it discussed how composers can earn a living and maximise potential earnings.
Panellists included Katie Ferguson (unCLASSIFIED), Sally Cavender (Faber Music), Mark Pemberton (Association of British Orchestras), Anne Rushton (NMC Recordings) and composer Kemal Yusuf.
We went along to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing composers working on the frontline in 2016…
Composition and collaboration
Ayanna: Being a composer means that you are a conduit for a form of unique musical expression.
Roger: We’re in a glorious age of composition in the UK due to the range and quality of work being produced. Crucially, composers need to be collaborators.
Harry: There is a necessity as a composer to think about how your music is received.
Mark: There needs to be a closer relationship to achieve more collaboration between composers and orchestras who are commissioning new work; there is a hunger for a richer relationship and to bring that to the creative process.
What publishers are looking for
Catherine: I’ve always looked for someone who has a unique voice. I don’t necessarily mind what that is, but they have to have the right personality to be able to work with others.
Sally: Write the best music you can; it’s really got to be unique. If you are a composer just quietly writing at home, you won’t attract any attention. Publishers are looking for people who are making a noise and who other composers and performers are talking about.
Self-publishing
Gary: The landscape has changed a lot: at one time if you self-published in the UK you would be looked down on, but that’s no longer the case. Composers are doing much more for themselves.
Harriet: It’s important to understand your rights as a composer; there’s more that composers can do now than ever before in terms of registering their works and keeping track of their royalties from PRS for Music, as well as promoting themselves and their music online. You have to be pro-active.
Composing as a business
Catherine: Approach it as a business from day one and ask yourself what sort of publisher you want to work with.
Kemal: It’s important to know your worth as a composer and not be afraid to negotiate when it comes to commissioning fees. If a fee isn’t enough, why not think about applying for funding? Remember you are a business, you are a sole trader.
Anne: Create relationships with performers and get your head around social media and websites so you can promote yourself. One of the biggest changes in recent times is that composers can do everything themselves: you have to be a marketer, an accountant and a publicist as well as a composer – more people are becoming aware of this.
Engaging with audiences
Sally: The public want the excitement of living composers.
Anne: There has been a dramatic rise in streaming; NMC Recordings has seen over 650,000 streams of contemporary British music.
Katie: Most people listen to a wide range of genres; playlisting fosters discovery and gives composers the opportunity to reach many more people than before who wouldn’t ordinarily listen to classical music.
The evening also included a networking session with representatives from the British Council, Arts Council England, the Royal Philharmonic Society, Incorporated Society of Musicians, BASCA, Musicians’ Union, Help Musicians UK, UK Music and the PRS for Music Foundation.
