Last night was the first of our new Industry Takeover Seminar series, in our brand new Talent House, in east London. This seminar explored The Music Industry: A Blueprint and took place on Thursday 21st April, with host Chris Cooke (CMU) joined by Ella-Bonai Gordon (Manager), Dan Owusu (Co-President), Wale Kalejaiye (Lawyer) and Adam Ryan (Head Booker) discussing how to monetize your music. Maria Hanlon reports back on the night…
The room starts to fill whilst the speakers are given a tour of the stunning state-of-the-art Talent House and its facilities. Chris Cooke is the host for the evening and is the perfect person for the job as he’s Co-Founder and MD of CMU, a company that helps people navigate and understand the music business. Chris explains that the evening will be split into three sections, firstly his presentation, followed by his conversation with the speakers and ending with an audience Q&A. He begins his interesting and informative fifteen minute presentation, exploring the main ways you can make money from your music.
Next up is Chris’s conversation with the industry experts. All four of them have already achieved so much in their careers and it’s incredibly inspiring to hear how they got to where they are today. Chris asks them about their experiences in the industry and as a result words of wisdom are shared. Dan Owusu who is the Co-President of Dream Life Records says “One thing I’ve learnt about the music business in 2022 is they’ll find the money somewhere. There’s money to be spent on the right things”. We also learn about the purpose of lawyers in the music industry from Wale Kalejaiye, a lawyer from Associate Music Group, Sheridans, “The main goal for lawyers is to futureproof the artist”. Chris asks Talent Manager Ella-Bonai Gordon, “What made you decide that you were ready to launch your own talent management business?” Ella answers “It’s not about being ready because you never know you’re ready until you’re ready”. Adam Ryan, who is the Head Booker for The Great Escape festival, also dissects the role of the promoter for us, “The promoter is taking the risk on the show and trying to make money and sell tickets”.
The seminar ends with a Q&A. The audience ask really well thought out questions such as “How does an artist not sell out or become too commercial?” Ella takes this one and explains, “Before anything, the artist has to know who they are, who they speak for and what they represent”. The Q&A comes to a close and everyone is invited for networking and drinks in the Members Hub, leaving the Music Room equipped with advice from the best in the business.
Our next Industry Takeover Seminar is on Thursday 5th May, registration 6pm.
Panel discussion 6.30-9pm
Talent House, 3 Sugar House Lane, London E15 2QS
Tickets £10, £5 for members, www.udtickets.com
Find out more about memberships HERE.
Words & photos by Maria Hanlon. Listen to Maria Meets on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month, 3-5pm on voicesradio.co.uk @mariahanlon
