On the 30th April, Nikki and Nina headed down to Glaziers Hall in London for the 12th annual Music Connected event, which is run by AIM (Association of Independent Music). In a nutshell, AIM Music Connected is a leading one-day digital music trade fair.
There were 3 main spaces over 2 floors at the event, each with a slightly different focus. The first space was the ‘Digital Market Place’ where 16 companies showcased their services and products to the rest of the attendees and provides a chance for businesses to look at how they can help each other.
The next are had the ‘Conference Zone’ with a variety of programmes, workshops and presentations, covering current issues and topics relating to the music industry. The final space was for informal meetings and networking and was conveniently located next to the bar!
Spending the Day at AIM Music Connected
I attended panels discussing the benefits and downfalls of selling products and merchandise directly to the fans through the artists’ website. This one even had Chris Batten from Enter Shikari on the panel. This was then followed by a presentation on the ‘Long-term View of Streaming and Its Impact on the Record Label Business Model’. The presentation was given by Karim Fanous from Music Ally and asked what are we selling; how are we marketing what we’re selling; and are we thinking clearly?
Using research and lots of graphs, Karim was able to outline Music Ally’s long term view for streaming. Some of the problems outlined were that as a whole, the major labels are taking over the streaming platforms and leaving the indie labels struggling. Part of this problem is the fact that not all of the territories that use steaming are at the same point in the transition process.
It is also worthwhile to remember that Spotify is not the only streaming service available, and despite the fact that KK Box is not the biggest platform in the UK, it is not one that should be ignored.
As a whole, Music Connected was a great event and signalled the beginning of a few busy and exciting weeks for Horus Music. While there, we were even able to catch up with our friends over at the BPI Anti-Piracy Unit as well as make new friends like Audio Salad and psonar.
