English Folk Expo announces Folk Talk Academy
03 May 2021 - Press releaseA new online learning hub for artists and industry launched today
Covid-19 has hit the music industry harder than most, with artist and industry careers largely put on hold as the world has grappled with the virus. Now as the green shoots of recovery emerge, English Folk Expo announces Folk Talk Academy, a virtual college campus providing a learning hub for artists and industry which gives them access to a broad range of music industry expertise to equip them for their career in a post-Covid world.
Folk Talk Academy is free and available to all, and all lectures will be closed captioned.
Central to Folk Talk Academy is a wide-ranging and ambitious series of nearly fifty Zoom webinar lectures running from May to August 2021, which feature presentations and in-conversation sessions by experts from across the music industry and beyond including Wozzy Brewster OBE on artist management, Bev Burton of Black Deer Festival on programming festivals, Dee Bahl, manager of Biffy Clyro, on working with record labels, Francine Gorman from Keychange on gender equality in music, Beth Morton from United Talent Agency on working with agents, David Johnson from Cause4 on funding opportunities for artists, Roger Wilson from BLiM discussing issues for black artists and industry, lawyers from both Simkins and Clintons tackling the intricacies of record, publishing and management deals, and a very special roundtable discussion with artists Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden and James Yorkston on their experiences of being signed to range major and independent labels.
Lectures will last for one hour, with most including a fifteen minute Q&A with online participants towards the end of the session. All lectures will be recorded live and be available to view again on the Folk Talk Academy website.
Funded by Arts Council England, Folk Talk Academy will also feature an online library which will hold extended pieces of writing on ten sectors of the music industry, as well as an online conference centre giving access to footage from English Folk Expo’s 2020 Folk Talk Live conferences. A Speakers’ Corner will allow registered Folk Talk Academy ‘students’ to access additional video content created by industry experts over the last year, and finally a virtual Students’ Union will ensure that anyone accessing Folk Talk Academy can also enjoy the social side of academy life.
The Folk Talk Academy webinar lecture series
May 2021
Wed 5th, 3pmBooking and routing tours with Phil Simpson, Nearfield Agency
Thu 6th, 12pmA&Rwith Tim Chipping, River Lea Label
Fri 7th, 3pmDo I need a manager? with Wozzy Brewster OBE
Tue 11th, 3pmPlaylists and playlisting with Brad Kulisic, Singing Light Music
Thu 13th, 11amMusic supervision and sync licensing with Sophie Urquhart, Tin Drum Music
Fri 14th, 3pmWhat does an artist manager do? with Wozzy Brewster OBE
Mon 17th, 4pmTouring the U.S.A. with Chris Colbourn, Concerted Efforts agency
Tue 18th, 3pmPR and radio plugging with Richard Wooton, RW Publicity
Wed 19th, 3pmJuggling multiple artist roles with artist Sam Sweeney
Mon 24th, 1.30pmMusic copyright explained with Chris Cooke, Unlimited
Thu 27th, 11amGrowing a live career with Matt Bartlett, Midnight Mango agency
June 2021
Tue 1st, 3pmMaking the most of your mailing list with Ariel Hyatt, Cyber PR
Tue 1st, 4.30pmMaking the most of your website with Ariel Hyatt, Cyber PR
Wed 2nd, 11amShowcases and showcasing Bella Hardy, Artist, in conversation with Tom Besford, EFEx
Thu 3rd, 3pmAdvanced social media with Owen Ralph, Greenwoodside
Tue 8th, 3pmVenue programming with Harkirit Boparai, The Crescent, York
Wed 9th, 3pmTouring Europe with Ian Smith, Frusion/ukeartswork.info
Thu 10th, 5pmSelf-releasing albums with artists Edgelarks
Tue 15th, 3pmBlack Lives In Music with Roger Wilson, BLiM
Thu 17th, 3pmLivestreaming platforms, ticketing and more with Andy Wood, Spiritland Productions
Fri 18th, 4pmFolk clubs, then and now with Chris Euseden, Black Swan Folk Club
Mon 21st, 3pmLivestreaming tips for artists with Tom Dibb and Mark Lewis, Northern Cowboys Films
Tue 22nd, 3pmVenue deals explained with Tom Besford, English Folk Expo
Wed 23rd, 3pmLivestreaming during a pandemic with David Farrow, DFM Music
Thu 24th, 11amSafeguarding all with Rachel Elliott, English Folk, Dance & Song Society
Tue 29th, 4pmUnderstanding and using your data with Jack Davies, Just Be Nice marketing
July 2021
Thu 1st, 5pmRecord deals with Nick Eziefula and Rachel Heeley, Simkins
Fri 2nd, 11amTouring Australia with Fran Daly, Troubadour Presents
Mon 5th, 3pmStrategic planning: a personal story with artist Fay Hield
Tue 6th, 5pmDo I need a publisher? With Stuart Ongley, SGO Music
Thu 8th, 2pmNegotiation from scratch with Craig Wylie, I love that band
Fri 9th, 3pmPublishing deals with Alastair Kenwood, Clintons
Mon 12th, 3pmPromotion from on sale to show day with David Agnew, EFEx/So It Is
Tue 13th, 10am Funding for artists with David Johnson, Cause4
Thu 15th, 12pmLabel experiences with Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden and James Yorkston in conversation
Mon 19th, 4.30pmLooking after your mental health with Tamsin Embleton and Jodi Milstein, Music Industry Therapists & Coaches
Mon 26th, 3pmMusic without barriers with Gideon Feldman, Attitude Is Everything
Tue 27th, 3pmDo I need an agent? with Beth Morton, United Talent Agency
Thu 29th, 3pmMaking the most of your marketing budget with Katie Whitehouse Fromthewhitehouse
August 2021
Wed 4th, 11amTouring Canada with Tom Kemp, Feldman Agency
Thu 5th, 3pmFandom and what you need to know with Jo Kay, Jo Kay Consultancy
Fri 6th, 3pmKeychange for gender equality in music with Francine Gorman, Keychange
Tue 10th, 4pmDo I need a label? with Dee Bahl, 1554 Management
Tue 17th, 10amWorking in China with Julie Zhang, Creative China TBC
Wed 18th, 3pmProgramming festivals with Bev Burton, KillerB Music
Thu 19th, 3pmShow advancing and repping with Kate Kyle, English Folk Expo
Fri 26th, 5pmManagement deals with Nick Eziefula and Rachel Heeley, Simkins
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