Hull To Host Its First Ever Music Industry Conference

Prominent figures from the music industry are coming from all over the UK to take part in Hull’s first ever music industry conference.

The two-day event on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 August will see professionals including artists, technicians and producers discussing what it means to be part of the music industry in 2017.

The keynote speaker will be Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic.

From Hull originally, he is now one of the most prominent people in the industry when it comes to organising festivals both in the UK and abroad.

Benn has had an illustrious career becoming one of the most successful people in live music and promotion worldwide. Melvin will be in the hot seat at 53 Degrees North for a rare interview back in his home town.

Festival Republic organises Latitude, Reading & Leeds Festivals, Download, Wireless, V Festival and overseas events including Benicassim, Electric Picnic and Lollapalooza Berlin Festival.

53 Degrees North has been organised by The Warren Youth Project and Warren Records delivered in partnership with Hull UK City Of Culture 2017.

The event, at Hull Truck Theatre and The Albemarle Music Centre, will take place in the days ahead of the Humber Street Sesh – the UK’s biggest music festival for emerging talent, which this year is expected to draw crowds of around 40,000 on Hull Marina.

53 Degrees North will bring together panels from the music industry both locally and nationally.

Organisations taking part include – Spotify, Bandcamp, Drowned In Sound, The Orchard, Tunecore, Music Glue, PRS Foundation, PRS For Music, UK Music, Musicians Union, Sentric Music, Warren Records, HPSS, Off-Axis, Independent Venue Week, DMF Digital, Red Light Management, ICFilter. Futureproof PR, Brick London, AIM, AOO Studios, Prinitive Management, Kendall Calling, plus loads more.

The conference will discuss self-promotion, releasing, royalty extraction, artist branding, individuality, mental health and much more whilst also looking at the careers behind the artist through a dedicated to live production and touring area curated by HPSS.

Conference director Stewart Baxter is the Arts Development Officer at The Warren and is also one of the most prominent figures in Hull’s thriving music scene playing in the band LIFE.

LIFE will headline the Humber Street Sesh on 5 August.

Stewart said: “This is an incredibly exciting year for Hull and its thriving music scene and we’ve been working hard to tell the world. 53 Degrees North will see some of the biggest names in the industry come to Hull to offer advice and support to DIY artists and creatives.

“Every day we’re inundated with questions about this stuff so this is a huge opportunity to meet the people who have careers in this industry and believe you can too.

“Hull has a rich history of underground DIY music, which has built a thriving community in our city, and now it’s time to create links with the rest of the world to empower our artists and music workers to look at how they can build and sustain careers on their own terms.”

The event will consist of engaging panels, speed-meets, one-to-one advice, networking, masterclasses, keynotes, live performances and more.

Tickets are free and can be booked at www.hullboxoffice.com/events/53-north-music-industry-conference

Sam Hunt, Executive Producer at Hull 2017, said: “Hull is blessed with a wealth of talent, not just in the artists you see on stage but also in the army of technicians, producers and designers working behind the scenes to make the shows happen.

“Taking place a few days before the Humber Street Sesh, 53 Degrees North will give you a valuable insight into careers in the live music and event production industry, proving Hull is a great city in which to launch yourself into the music world.”