Scotland's award-winning music business convention Wide Days has announced the latest additions to its 2018 event.
Taking place from 20 to 21 April in Edinburgh – coinciding with Record Store Day – Wide Days is the first Scottish event to sign up to PRS Foundation's Keychange initiative, where participants pledge to achieve or maintain a 50:50 gender balance by 2022.
Among the themes to be discussed are streaming, gender balanced festival bills and secondary ticketing.
Kim Bayley, the long-standing chief executive officer of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), will reflect on her career and how her business has developed since she took the helm at the trade body in 2004.
Alongside the packed daytime schedule, there will also be an evening showcase featuring seven of Scotland’s most exciting emerging acts.
Wide Days founder, Olaf Furniss said: 'This year sees us host more panels, presentations and talks than ever before and it is great to be able to add so many topics to the sessions we announced last month, which includes panels on metal, improving disabled access at music events and a focus on new music label models.
'Most topics will be as relevant to industry veterans as they are those starting out in the business, which reflects the constant evolution of our industry.'
Other newly announced panels will include staying healthy on tour, hosted by Wide Days charity partner, Help Musicians Scotland, as well as a light-hearted session titled 10 Things I Hate About You! where promoters and booking agents will have a chance to 'vent their respective bug bears about each other.'
Wide Days is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Partners of the conference include PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, PPL and CMU.
Vanessa Reed, chief executive officer at PRS Foundation said: 'We are delighted to be supporting the Wide Days showcase programme through our Open Fund.
'It is a fantastic platform for Scotland’s most talented emerging music creators and has a strong track record with artists we have been proud to support, including Kathryn Joseph and Be Charlotte. I look forward to seeing this year’s line-up seize this brilliant opportunity.'
Peter Leathem, chief executive at PPL commented: 'It is always a pleasure to return to the Wide Days convention and in 2018 we will once again be sponsoring the event, as well as hosting a special Understanding PPL masterclass.
'Scotland continues to provide an incredibly valuable contribution to the UK music industry with a wealth of inspiring musical talent from across all genres and backgrounds. We look forward to another productive Wide Days event this year.'
For tickets and further information, visit www.widedays.com.
Taking place from 20 to 21 April in Edinburgh – coinciding with Record Store Day – Wide Days is the first Scottish event to sign up to PRS Foundation's Keychange initiative, where participants pledge to achieve or maintain a 50:50 gender balance by 2022.
Among the themes to be discussed are streaming, gender balanced festival bills and secondary ticketing.
Kim Bayley, the long-standing chief executive officer of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), will reflect on her career and how her business has developed since she took the helm at the trade body in 2004.
Alongside the packed daytime schedule, there will also be an evening showcase featuring seven of Scotland’s most exciting emerging acts.
Wide Days founder, Olaf Furniss said: 'This year sees us host more panels, presentations and talks than ever before and it is great to be able to add so many topics to the sessions we announced last month, which includes panels on metal, improving disabled access at music events and a focus on new music label models.
'Most topics will be as relevant to industry veterans as they are those starting out in the business, which reflects the constant evolution of our industry.'
Other newly announced panels will include staying healthy on tour, hosted by Wide Days charity partner, Help Musicians Scotland, as well as a light-hearted session titled 10 Things I Hate About You! where promoters and booking agents will have a chance to 'vent their respective bug bears about each other.'
Wide Days is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Partners of the conference include PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, PPL and CMU.
Vanessa Reed, chief executive officer at PRS Foundation said: 'We are delighted to be supporting the Wide Days showcase programme through our Open Fund.
'It is a fantastic platform for Scotland’s most talented emerging music creators and has a strong track record with artists we have been proud to support, including Kathryn Joseph and Be Charlotte. I look forward to seeing this year’s line-up seize this brilliant opportunity.'
Peter Leathem, chief executive at PPL commented: 'It is always a pleasure to return to the Wide Days convention and in 2018 we will once again be sponsoring the event, as well as hosting a special Understanding PPL masterclass.
'Scotland continues to provide an incredibly valuable contribution to the UK music industry with a wealth of inspiring musical talent from across all genres and backgrounds. We look forward to another productive Wide Days event this year.'
For tickets and further information, visit www.widedays.com.
