Industry Talks + Q&A
Wednesday 26th June 2019, 4.15pm – 8pm
FREE ENTRY
This Summer MMC returns with Music Explosion, its long-standing evening of free music industry chats, advice and Q&As with the UK’s top movers and shakers. Designed to support new and developing artists, bands, producers, or those creatively inspired, Music Explosion will help you to navigate all areas of the industry.
Join us for an evening of insights where speakers focus on a different aspects of music business to inspire, inform and fire up your creativity.
Featured panelists
Chris Tams
Director of Membership and International & MEGS, BPI
Chris Tams is the Director of Membership and International at the BPI – the Trade Association for Record Labels in the UK. BPI champions the UK’s recorded music industry, safeguarding the rights of its members and of the artists, performers and label members of collecting body PPL. BPI’s membership consists of over 400 independent labels and the UK’s three ‘majors’, which account for 85 per cent of legitimate domestic music consumption.
BPI promotes British music overseas through its trade missions and the Music Export Growth Scheme. It provides insights, training and networking with its free masterclasses, Innovation Hub, Insight Sessions, and reports. The BPI administers the Certified Awards, co-owns the Official Charts, organises The BRIT Awards and is also home to the Mercury Prize.
Chris is responsible for running the BPI’s Membership activities which cover the entire spectrum of events and training to help Independent Labels.
He also runs BPI’s Trade Missions which recently have expanded from the more traditional markets such as the USA and Europe into the exciting fast growing overseas music markets such as China, India and South Korea. He also is responsible for running the Department for International Trade’s Music Export Growth Scheme which helps UK based Acts with International touring.
Laura May
Director, May Music Publishing
Laura May founded independent music publishing company May Music in 2017 after many years working in different roles around the industry. Beginning her career at Eaton Music after being chosen from the MPA job seekers list, Laura moved into auditing, forensic royalty tracking and royalty accounting at an accountancy firm five years later. After a break due to illness Laura returned to work part time as a finance manager at Rewind Festival while simultaneously starting her own business providing royalty analysis services for auditors and royalty accounting for producers, small labels and publishers including Turnfirst Artists. Laura joined Turnfirst Artists full time in 2015 to work in the finance team, also joining new venture First Access Entertainment when it launched at the end of that year.
As well as continuing to expand the May Music roster and look after a growing number of royalty clients, Laura is currently consulting for The Music Royalty Co, running the finances and co-ordinating royalties for the Cooking Vinyl group
Nixon Rosembert
Musical Director, Studio Owner, Freelance Musician
Nixon has a wealth of experienced as a musician, tutor, composer, technician, and mentor. He is the tour manager, musical director and bassist for The Drifters, partner in Cool Moon Music Production Studio, a member of the Musicians’ Union London Regional Committee, previous Vice Chairman of the Equalities Committee and an associate here at The Midi Music Company.
Nixon has played bass for US artists Josh Milan, Dawn Tallman and Angela Johnson, as well as Billy Paul, Ronnie Laws, The Foundations, Cleveland Watkiss, Graeae Theatre Company, plus many more. Nixon will share his experience of how he became a successful freelance musician, continually developing his skills to sustain a long-lasting career.