Saturday 2nd October

Music Photography: From the seminal to the innovative to the brand new
Time: 10am – 11:15am
Venue: Sacred Trinity Church
Moderator:
Panelists: Kevin Cummins, Emily Dennison,

Building A Sustainable Career In Music: “9 to 5 – What A Way To Make A Living”
Time: 11:15am – 12:30am
Venue: Sacred Trinity Church
Moderator:
Panellists: Luke Unabomber (Electriks),

Technology continues to liberate artists and fans and with it bring new opportunities to bypass the traditional industry and middlemen. But as the old system crumbles, so do the old income streams, and for artists this has a particular impact for anyone looking to make the jump to being a full time musician.

The days of advances and tour support are waning, and perhaps soon will be gone forever. A major deal always seemed a pie in the sky, one in a million, route to ‘making it’ anyway, but at least we knew where it was, and we understood (or at least thought we understood) how it worked.

Moreover, even for artists already enjoying a level of success, the ability to rely on sales from recordings and back catalogue as a regular income stream is also on the decline. Not only has the signing on fee gone, so has the pension - and that’s before we’ve even thought about a regular wage.

So as we talk about ‘monetising relationships’, or ‘building brand value’, how does this manifest itself for musicians searching to build careers around their craft?

At Un-convention, we often define success as being able to sustain yourself by doing what you love. But often doing what you love is the hardest job in the world, and not one you will find advertised in the local paper. There is no interview for it, no job description, no career path, and no one has ever really done it quite the same before.

So in the days when A&R men no longer turn up with a contract, and instructions to ‘sign this and give up the day job’, we look to explore the experiences of people who do make being a sustainable, independent artist their day (and night, and weekend) job.

Lunch – 12:30 – 2:30 (acoustic bands)

Outside The Box
Time: 2:30pm – 3:45pm
Venue: Sacred Trinity Church
Moderator: Andrew Dubber
Panellists: Please chase Dubber

Following the huge success and acclaim of this panel last year, Dubber is back with a range of un-conventional artists and labels. This panel will discuss the kinds of music and creative strategies that normally do not get addressed at events such as this. The central question will be about what the changes to the music industries mean to NON-pop/rock musicians, and people working outside the typical ‘record the album, get airplay and tour’ approach – in particular artists who do not wish or are not suited to live performances and as such are outside the ‘live music is the future’ philosophy.

Show Me The Money
Time: 3:45pm – 5pm
Venue: Sacred Trinity Church
Moderator: Steve Lowes (Backstreet International Merch)
Panellists: Steve (Umbro), Bench, Gary McClarlen (Sparklestreet), Gideon Mountford (Big Life Management)

New government. Massive national debt. Arts funding cut. Record labels investing less in new talent.
How can bands become sustainable entities? Is this feasible anymore? Where is the money? On this panel we ask local brands to give their take on how they are supporting local creativity, the arts and young entrepreneurship. We will also explore how the band can become a brand and monetise in new and interesting ways…

In Conversation with John Robb…
From 4 – 6pm at The Black Lion

Sunday 3rd October

Music As Culture – Politicisation of Music
Venue: Salford Lads Club
Moderated: Jez Collins
Panellists: Jon McClure (Reverend Soundsystem), Jarvis Cocker, Brain Travers (UB40), Billy Bragg, John Robb (Goldblade), Lupa (Colombia)

Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, MC5s Bob Dylan, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, X-Ray Specs, Billy Bragg, The Redskins, Dead Kennedys, Henry Rollins and hundreds of others. Popular music is littered with musicians for who music and politics where intertwined. Whether this was reflected through their music or more by their vocal support for political causes, there as been an acceptance that this was one of the primary roles of musicians – to question and change society.

New Labour made a point of cosying up to musicians and ‘cool creatives’ with the promise of a changing British society for the better. As we now know, this was a false promise. As a result, certainly in Britain and arguably this is true across the world, there has been a distinct lack of musicians actively singing about or getting involved in political issues.

Now facing years of Tory (and maybe Lib Dem!) rule will this change? Is it up to musicians to challenge and inspire political change? Does anyone give a fuck anymore?

We believe people do. We believe that music is not all about being rich and famous or selling millions of records and making media conglomerates more money than is possible needed. When commerce is the only consideration, we believe the cultural, social, intellectual and artistic life of the citizenry suffers.

And there are musicians who give a fuck. In this panel session we bring Jon McClure from Reverend Sound System and Brian Travers from UB40, both vocal supports of Love Music, Hate Racism, Billy Bragg of Red Wedge and noted political songwriter and commentator. John Robb of Goldblade, Goff Richards a world-renowned composer, arranger, musician and academic.

To talk about the their work, why it is important and what they think the reaction of other musicians will be under a Tory government.

Music as a Tool For Social Change
Venue: Salford Lads Club

UK panel
Moderated by: Baba Israel - Contact Theatre
With - Cilla Baynes - Director of Community Arts North West; Michelle Udogu - Project Manager at Community Arts North West; Jean Azip - Britannia; Jason Singh; Debra King (Beating Wing Orchestra); Bobby Friction (?), Jon Green (Unity Radio)

International panel
Moderated by: Jez Collins – BCU
With – Lupa (LASO project, Colombia); Faith Gonzales (Music Basti), Professor James Thompson (In Place of War), Dave Carter (Stylin’ up project, Australia)

Music can be used as a useful tool to reach people who are disenfranchised or marginalised from mainstream society. This is especially true of young people who in Britain we classify as 8 – 24 yrs old.

This age group often use music as a way to identify themselves to particular groups or youth subcultures. Through music activities, young people can also be encouraged to express themselves, using lyric workshops to talk about the lives, hopes and fears, instrumental and dj workshops to express their musicality.

There is evidence which points to reductions in crime, improved attendance, behaviour and work at school and increases in self-confidence among young people who are exposed and attend such workshops. And of course, you never know who might be discovered and go onto to forge a career in music.

In other parts of the world similar issues are faced by young people but with different levels of degrees but music is also used as way of engaging young people.

In Medellin, Colombia hip hop culture plays a huge role in engaging with young people in the barrios to take them away from violence, drugs and gangs. In India, it is do to do with engaging with street children who have faced sexual abuse, homelessness or drug abuse.

In this panel session we bring together musicians and practitioners from across the world who use music to change, enhance and empower their communities. Panelists will include Lupa from Medellin, Colombia, Faith Gonzales from India and MC Fallacy from Manchester’s own Contact theatre and Jail Guitar Doors. These musicians and practitioners will be joined by leaders from the community music sector in the UK where we will talk, debate and learn from each other how other communities use music to bring about change in society.

This will be a real cultural exchange where we believe new partnerships and friendships will be formed which will lead to joint work across continents and bring about a new approach to music and it’s ability to bring about change.

But this will not just be a talk shop. The discussion will act as a catalyst for a number of workshops that will take place at Salford Lads Club where graffiti artists will create new landscapes with young people from Salford alongside Break Dancing workshops, Drum/Percussion workshops with LiL’Fee form the Whip and beat boxing with Jason Singh.

A specially created work, involving Lupa, Faith, Fallacy and Jail Guitar Doors with young people and (ex) prisoners from Salford will also be commissioned and premiered during the day.

Music collaboration

As the finale to the Music As A Tool For Social Change day at Un-Convention, we are taking a group of established musicians, BBC Philharmonic, community musicians, refugee and asylum seeker musicians and community musicians from the barrios of Colombia and Brazil to create some new music to be performed as the closing act to Un-Convention at Salford Lads Club. Those involved so far include:

Jarvis Cocker, Martin Atkins, Jah Wobble, Jon McClure, Jagz Kooner

BBC Philharmonic:
Pete Willmott - Double Bass/Electric Bass
Matthew Compton - Piano, Viola & Accordion
Paul Turner - Kit/Percussion
Fran Pye who plays Electric Violin

Lupa – Colombian hip hop musician (living in the barrios of Medellin)
Serge Tebu – keyboard player from DR Congo (refugee)
Jean Azip – vocalist from DR Congo (refugee)
Polish hip hop group
A group of young MCs from communities in Manchester

Following a series of rehearsals in the week leading up to Un-Convention, the group will perform alongside The Beating Wing Orchestra. The Beating Wing Orchestra is a unique, musically diverse orchestra comprising musicians from Greater Manchester’s Refugee communities and other culturally diverse musicians from the region and Kid British.