Un-convention Blog

Martin Atkins – Tour:Smart

Martin Atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors. His three decades in the music business spans across genres, borders and industries. Having experience in nearly every aspect of record production and promotion has given Martin a unique perspective not only on where the music industry is currently, but where it is going in the future.

After playing drums in a variety of English bands, Martin auditioned for and subsequently joined Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Limited in 1979. His first contribution to the band was co-writing and performing on the song “Bad Baby” for the revered Metal Box LP. After touring the world with P.i.L and contributing to several more studio albums Martin left the group in 1985. Over the next five years, he played with and managed Killing Joke and toured with Ministry. In 1990, while on tour with Ministry, he formed his own band, Pigface. He also worked with Nine Inch Nails, performing on the Grammy award winning “Wish” and appearing in the “Head like a Hole” video.

Martin began working on the business side of music in 1988when he formed Invisible Records and then Mattress Factory Studios in 1996. Over two decades Invisible has released over 350 albums and has had placements spanning from the original Miami Vice to Showtime’s Queer as Folk to Robert Altman’s The Company.

In 2003, Martin began teaching “The Business of Touring” at Columbia College in Chicago. Martin wrote his book Tour:Smart in 2007 and has since spoken around the world at the Midi Institute in China, Drumtech in London, NAMM, SXSW, and By:Larm in Oslo, and many more. He spent significant time in China over the last two years recording, signing, and producing bands. His 2006 visit spawned his first documentary 16 Days in China which documents his experience. He is a father of four boys and lives with his wife, Katrina, in Chicago.

Website: http://tstouring.com/

Favourite Cake: Ginger Cake

Al Farquhar – Modern Art.Modern Art is a music management, label, publishing and live booking company that also likes the great painters 1880 to 1950.

Favourite Cake: banana cake, no icing.

John Empson – Emperor Management

Prior to setting up Emperor artist management and live music promotions – John Empson worked at Beggars Banquet records for thirteen years and prior to that at Stiff records.

Emperor Management 2002

Artist Management

Emperor manage Sons and Daughters (Domino), Liam Frost, Fangs (King Tuts Records) and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Chris Olley, Kasms (Trouble Records)

The Eden Sessions

Emperor promote and programme The Eden Sessions at The Eden Project in Cornwall now in it’s eighth year.

Artists that have performed at the Eden Sessions include :-

Muse, Snow Patrol, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, The Magic Numbers, Basement Jaxx, Brian Wilson, Pulp, Goldfrapp Moby, PJ Harvey, Air, Spiritualized, Badly Drawn Boy, Primal Scream, Supergrass, Doves, Beth Orton, Super Furry Animals, The Thrills, The Beta Band, Elbow, The Rapture, The Orb, James Morrison, The Pet Shop Boys, Keane, Embrace, Editors, Rufus Wainwright with Kasabian, Oasis, Kooks and Razorlight set to perform in 2009.

Beggars Banquet Records – 1989 – 2002

John Empson set-up and ran the Beggars Banquet affiliated label Mantra Recordings for five years – signing, developing and releasing records by a diverse range of artists including – Saint Etienne, Six By Seven, Natacha Atlas, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, The Delgados, Dot Allison, China Drum, Groop Dogdrill and Bim Sherman.

Prior to that John ran the Promotions department at Beggars Banquet overseeing press and radio campaigns for artists such as The Cult, The Charlatans, The Prodigy, The Go-Betweens and The Fall.

Website: www.myspace.com/emperormanagement

Favorite Cake: Carrot

Richard Hoare – Clintons

Richard Hoare qualified into Clintons’ music team in September 2005. Prior to this, Richard spent two years training with the firm, gaining experience in a wide variety of music industry related work including dispute resolution, copyright and trademark matters as well as substantial corporate transactions. Richard spent a year during his law degree working in the legal department of a major record company and more recently he has guest lectured on current legal issues facing the music industry. He now specialises in advising artists at every stage of their careers in the music and wider entertainment industries. Richard’s practice also includes independent record labels, live events promoters and radio broadcasters. In his spare time, Richard is an avid musician and occasional DJ.

Website: www.clintons.co.uk

Favourite Cake: Rice Cakes (followed by fish)

Caroline P Churchill aka Caro Snatch – artist, engineer and facilitator in sound

Caro is an artist that operates beyond boxes and merely toys with conventions. It all started when laid up with a Korg Poly 800 and a Tascam 424 living in double decker bus at the age of 25. An internationally-active solo electronic performer, producer and collaborator described as a “one-woman electronic avalanche”; a passionate sound engineer/music producer specialising in studio sculpting; an empathic music facilitator working in schools and community settings; mama of Rare as a Green Dog events – a platform and network for those that dare to be rare across artforms; and currently artist in residence at Contact Theatre on their new AIR programme building microphones and collecting found sounds for a piece of music for dance.

Website: www.carosnatch.com

Favourite Cake: my very own sticky lemon cake and cheesecake will always make life luxurious.

Abigail Seabrook studied Psychology at the University of Birmingham before pursuing music as a singer and songwriter in a variety of original rock bands. Taking singing lessons with Pauline Alder (with whom she still works) enabled her to broaden her musical horizons to include classical, early music and musical theatre. Alongside her private singing studies, Abigail has also attended part time courses at Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting. She currently performs with 18th century costumed trio “Lady Georgianna” and gypsy jazz band “Playing Django”

As a songwriter, Abigail has been involved in a musical theatre production about the life of Jane Austen, which was performed at the Artrix theatre in Bromsgrove. She also co writes with dance producer Ian Wallman.

As well as performing, Abigail works as a community musician, devising and running workshops that engage a variety of people in music-making. She often involves other disciplines in participatory arts projects, such as drama, art and craft. She is active in the Musician’s Union, and since 2007 has been a member of the Musician’s Union Regional Committee (Midlands) and a Musician’s Union Learning Representative. 

Website: www.lady-g.co.uk
www.playingdjango.com
Email: abigail_seabrook@hotmail.com

Favourite Cake: I have loads, but cheesecake is always a winner!

Ben Whitehouse – Cake Goblin

Ben Whitehouse lives alone high above Birmingham with a rather large, rather eclectic collection of books that he fears will one day fall on him and crush him to death. He works in the Programme Management Office of the transforming education department of Birmingham City Council. Invariably the most exciting things happen to him outside of working hours; he runs a film social group, a successful book group and enjoys blogging and twittering about things that cross his mind. Ben loves folk & indie music and has a particular passion for Sufjan Stevens, Elbow & Tim Van Eyken. He’s been involved with supporting the Greenbelt music and arts festival over the last four years in various roles and has an abiding affection for creative people from all arts backgrounds; these are, he feels, his people. Interestingly Ben’s nephew made up a whole new verse for the kids song “The Wheels on the bus” involving him and a book, which he’s rather proud of. 

Website: www.beninbrum.blog.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/benjaminbrum
and www.twitter.com/brumcake
Email: BenWhitehouse1979@hotmail.com

Favourite Cake: Carrot cake from Selfridges. It’s truly the greatest carrot cake in the world. (although Ben is willing to be proved wrong on this)

Andrew Dubber – New Music Strategies

Andrew Dubber is an Arts and Humanities Research Council Knowledge Transfer Fellow in Online Music and Radio Innovation and a Senior Lecturer in the Music Industries at Birmingham City University, UK.

Originally from New Zealand, Dubber moved to the UK in 2004 to begin a research project in Online Music Enterprise. With a background in both the radio and the music industries, and with an academic record that includes numerous articles, book chapters, and conference presentations about digital media, the music business and media ecology, Dubber has fast become one of the UK’s leading experts in the field.

His research includes a project on online fandom within the BBC’s Audio and Music Interactive division; explorations into jazz and other specialist music consumption online; the social impact of iPods; and post-graduate work on digital radio and deregulation. He is the co-author of a book about new technologies for broadcasters in developing nations, commissioned by UNESCO, and has been a member of the steering committee for the Radio Studies Network.

He has written articles for Computer Music Magazine and sections on blogging and podcasting for the Alternative Media Handbook (Routledge, 2008). He is currently co-authoring an undergraduate textbook on the Music Industries.

When he’s not teaching and writing, most of his time is spent travelling, presenting seminars and workshops across the UK and around the world; as well as consulting independent music businesses – from established record labels and retailers to entrepreneurial online music start-ups.

In his spare time he hosts whisky tasting events, rides bicycles, plays chess and Go, takes photographs and collects jazz records.

Website: www.newmusicstrategies.com

Favourite Cake: Carrot