Saul Klein, “If you’re an independent creative today, the economics have tipped in your favour. There are 3.5bn people with smartphones in the world; by 2020, that will be up to 5bn. If I look 10 years out, with all of the platforms we already have and imagining those which are yet to be introduced, I just can’t see a world of a dominant major label system.”

Since the birth of the internet and growth of streaming services, the barriers record labels once put up between consumers and creators have become diminished encouraging artists to take the more entrepreneurial approach to their careers. The only downfall with this is that many young bands don’t have the financial headstart that record labels are able to provide. This panel will evaluate being an independent artist in today’s music industry and what the future holds for the DIY approach.

Speakers:

Jennifer Otter Bickerdike (RocknRoll Historian, Author)

Julie Weir (Sony Music)

Mark Orr (LAB Records)

Tony Ereira (CPWM/Hatch Records).

Cath Hurley  (Modern Sky)