Thankfully there’s an alternative 360 approach that a lot of artists are (perhaps unwittingly) pursuing, as characterised by the luminous Andrew Ferris of Smalltown America, who stood head and shoulders above many of the panelists at Thursday’s NIMIC ‘The Way Forward’ conference.

Andrew described how STA have been an unashamedly 360-degree operation since day one, except they aren’t a record label collecting copyrights, but a creative services agency that offers a range of skillsets and services. If they really believe in your music, they’ll invest, but if you just need to access some expertise in distribution, touring or merchandise, they can help you out for a fair price. Similarly, Nick Fitzsimons’ Penny Distribution service is designed to demystify licensing and publishing for acts, whilst offering access to targeted online marketing and internet radio contacts that would otherwise take considerable effort to reach. Both of these music businesses are based in Northern Ireland

Many artists I come into contact with ‘don’t know where to start’ - and I guess that is a fair point, it can be overwhelming but the information is out there. Blogs like New Music Strategies and Hypebot offer ongoing commentary and analysis of the many new tools and ideologies that have developed in music recently, particularly the convergence of music, marketing, social media, attention and commerce. There are no solid answers, but that’s half the fun. One thing is certain: musicians can no longer afford to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to ‘business’, they will simply be left behind.

These services complement the many areas that artists can manage directly, such as digital distribution, building fan mailing lists and social interaction, forming part of an inspired new music ecosystem that is fair and respects all the skills needed in a successful music enterprise.

slice an aubergine lengthways and fry it (in batches) till golden
slice a red pepper, toss in oil and bung in the oven for 10 mins or so
meanwhile, grind a teaspoon of cumin seeds and stir into to 4 beaten eggs
then blend 3 or 4 decent garlic cloves and a good handful of breadcrumbs (1 slice)
add 4 good tablespoons of Crème fraîche to the garlic and stir
combine the garlic mixture with the eggs and season
take the pepper slices out of the oven (peeling the skin if you’ve sliced the pepper lengthways)

to assemble, lightly oil a baking dish and add a layer of aubergine
pour over about half the egg/garlic mixture
slice some mozarella and scatter over the top
add the rest of your aubergine and then the rest of the egg/garlic
finally scatter the pepper slices over the top
finish with some torn basil leaves and a grating of parmesan
bake at 200 for about 12 mins or until really golden

serve hot, or from the fridge

essentially this is one of those dishes that you can add what you want and it will always taste good!

the family has just spent the weekend moving my Nana’s furniture and wotnot to her new house and alongside my mum’s corn beef and pickle sarnies, the soup went down a treat with the troops!

Certainly the main thing I feel post-conference is that i’m glad we’re following the independent path. We’re not slaves to something that might never happen. Escape Act operate in the real world, and now that the worm has mostly turned for the old music industry, we’re in the best position possible to pursue our goals in our own way. Its liberating to say ‘i don’t want a deal’ but i don’t mind a bit of outsourcing!

It strikes me that its important for ‘the kids’ to understand the new independent music industry. Many talented people could save themselves a lot of time and frustration by sidestepping the usual myths associated with a) getting a deal, b) not being a sell-out, and c) being a rockstar. Outside the NME/Top40 merry-go-rounds, making music has gotten a lot purer again, but also a lot wiser, and the lines are constantly being redrawn.

It was great to enjoy the most splendid craic of Nick and Tracy over the three days, and it was great to make the acquaintance of many folks including fellow Swervedriver fan and design guruMark Brown, Paddy Steer (of Tool Shed), Andrew Dubber straight-up new music strategist, and Colin, Brad (curry king;), Gareth, Chris, and Phil.

Finally I was simply blown away by the awesome performances ofDenis Jones and Tool Shed. Check ‘em out!

1. boil the kettle, chop some spring onions and the pancetta and heat a little oil in a pan. thinly slice a courgette (i use a cheese slicer) then cut into thin strips.

2. fry the pancetta in the oil, when it starts to crisp, add the onions. place the tagliatelle in some salted, boiling water.

3. remove the pancetta and onions from the pan, and keep warm. add a couple of tablespoons of pesto to the pan along with some crème fraiche and warm through.

4. with about 2 mins before the pasta is cooked, add the courgettes to the pot. drain when the pasta is done, adding a few tablespoons of the pan water to the pesto mixture.

5. return the pasta/courgettes to the pan, and add half the pesto mixture, tossing carefully to ensure everything is evenly distributed. plate up, sprinkling the onions and pancetta over, and adding the rest of the sauce. grate over some parmesan, grind some black pepper and serve with some sliced tomatoes.

nom.

another good use for courgette is carrot, cumin and courgette soup: toast some ground cumin seeds in the pan, then soften onions, and carrots, courgettes and a spub along with stock, cook, blitz…. eat!

All-in-all CreativeCamp was a great success, i particularly enjoyed the thought-provoking presentations by David Braziel, Jamie Neely and Damien Mulley, not to mention the chat in the pub afterwards, and i’ll look forward to the next instalment.

Anyway, at one point the guy stated that he just didn’t ‘understand’ the youth of today and their desire to rip him off.

What an idiot. Does he not realise that the kids don’t need him any more? They’re bombarded with information and choice all of the time and they don’t have limitless funds.

‘Stealing’ music is now the only way these ‘kids’ can decide to commit to a band. Its quite simple… I steal the music, I decide I like it (or not), i commit to the band, and THEN i give them my money. Why risk that £10 on an album that might be utter rubbish? Why make that commitment of time and attention when I have a dozen other things screaming for my attention?

People like Kele Okereke should be thankful. At least musicians and bands have the chance to build on the attention their pirated music gives them. Look at the movies and games industries, for the majority of users, once they’ve downloaded the game or movie, there is no other payback for the creator.

There is one problem bands can’t get away from however. Quality. They can’t peddle a 10 or 12 track disc full of filler any more, because people will make their mind up before they part with any cash… and maybe that’s their problem, the bar just got raised a few pegs higher.