Resonate 2018 was an event etched on my mental calendar months before it took place due to volunteering at it. Shamefully, this was my first ever music conference so I wasn't entirely sure on what to expect from it, with this in mind it was good to get a behind the scenes look as well as getting to see the panels and workshops from an audience point of view.
Unfortunately I missed the opening keynote speaker Maggie Crowe as I was busy taking peoples names at the registration desk in exchange for a snazzy lanyard and tote bag. However, I did manage to tune my ears into what was being discussed at the "Benefiting from music conferences" panel a fitting way to start off my first music conference. Javier Lopez, Beck Ayres, Lee Morrison and Mike Nicholson raised some very interesting points on how to approach a music conference and the stigma of not wanting to socialise quite as much as would be beneficial for you. The recurring point throughout their talks was to just put yourself out there and talk to as many people in attendance as humanly possible, after all, its the reason behind this whole thing happening.
Next up, and my favourite panel of the day, was "Future of the Music Industries." Panellists Sammy Andrews, Jesper Skibsby, Nick Breen and Anna Xambo along with chair Dr Joe Lyske done very well to fit into an hour the ever changing landscape of the music industry and which potential paths it could take in future years. I learned a lot from these five industry professionals about where the music industry stands today in the grand scheme of things and what technology is being adopted by many large businesses within the industry, from streaming platforms to major record labels, in order to keep up with the ever changing climate outside our creative little bubble. As we halted proceedings for a lunch break, I left feeling considerably more worried about algorithms replacing songwriters in the not too distant future.
After a chat with the many people dotted around the courtyard over a Thai curry I made my way to the Tech hub, just around the corner from the main area. Starting here was "The Songwriting Workshop" hosted by Jamie Searls and Michelle Escoffrey who has written songs for major artists such as Tina Turner and also performed with big names like Stevie Wonder and George Michael. This workshop was basically a chance for songwriters to play their stuff and get some professional critique from Michelle and Jamie. Different genres of songs from home recordings to well produced tracks, everything was given a listen along with some constructive criticism and the compliments they deserved. There was great atmosphere surrounding this workshop, no comments were taken to heart, just everyone playing their tunes and taking on board how they could be taken up a level or two.
The last panel of the day I seen (and my first opportunity to have a pint as I was off the clock) was a very interesting one for me "A&R: Getting Picked Up." Chair, Alex Peppiatt along with panellists Dylan First, Caitlin Connor, John Thompson and James Harwood revealed the best approach to getting your acts noticed by A&R scouts working for record labels. They spoke a little about the techniques they themselves use for finding the metaphorical needle in the haystack in terms of new acts in the UK. Surprisingly for me their techniques aren't much more advanced than my own late night/ early morning Spotify binges which always seems to result in me closing the laptop armed with a new artist to type into my search bar in the morning. There were also some horror stories from the panellists, Caitlin telling a story about how a young artists dad called her every day for a fortnight to try to convince her to sign his child, I can't think of a bigger turn off from an A&R point of view. The main lesson I gained from this panel was to make emails to scouts seem personal to them, It's a little more effort than just copy and pasting a blanket email to them all, but these people have seen it all and an email written to them personally has much more chance of being paid attention to.
The conference ended on a very high note with a packed courtyard ready to hear the tales of all round industry legend Tim Abbot. It was fascinating to hear the guys story, from selling Northern Soul aged 15 while still at school to stumbling across (or should I say being dragged along to see) Oasis at King Tut's in Glasgow and all the madness that ensued from there. Surprisingly to me Tim spoke a lot about UB40, claiming that they took way more drugs than anyone else he worked with, I thought Primal Scream would have took that prize but hey, everyday's a school day. A personal highlight of Tim's talk was a story about how he, Noel Gallagher and Tupac Shakur ended up at a party in Gianni Versace's house in Italy, just a year before the two later were shot. You just can't write that shit.
Overall I was very impressed by the organisation of Resonate 2018, everything went without a hitch and everyone I spoke to at the event were really enjoying themselves. For a music conference virgin it was a real eye opener to the opportunities that can arise from attending such events and talking to as many people as possible. I will definitely be back for 2019!
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