Aspiring artists, musicians and anyone interested in a career in the music industry are being invited to attend A to B, a free music conference taking place at Sunderland’s City Hall on Saturday 20th June.
Part of Summit Week Sunderland, the event is delivered by Sunderland Music City in partnership with We Make Culture, Music Connects Sunderland and The Bunker, with support from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Designed to offer genuine insight into the music industry, A to B will bring together artists, producers, touring musicians and industry professionals for a full day of panel discussions, workshops, networking opportunities and live performances.
Hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Daryl Jenkins, the opening panel will explore the realities of social media, audience engagement and community building for artists. Joining the discussion will be Grace Stubbings and Eliza Lee from Venus Grrrls, Helen Walkinshaw of Irked and Index, and Fe Duncan from Slalom D and Serial Bowl Records.
The conference will also highlight career opportunities behind the scenes, with a panel focused on production, sync licensing and music publishing. Speakers include Cavendish Records Head of Production Alex Grey, Universal producer and sync specialist Tony Brown, and vocalist Amber Leigh-Irish, whose work includes projects with Love Island and Samsung. The session will be hosted by Sunderland Music City’s Frankie Francis.
Following networking opportunities and a marketplace featuring industry organisations, the afternoon programme will turn its attention to life on the road. Session musicians Hattie Steel, Adam Robson and Faye MacCalman will discuss the realities of touring, sustaining a career in music and working across multiple live projects.
One of the day’s highlights will be a special Inside The Mix session with Grammy Award-winning producer and mixing engineer Eduardo De La Paz. Attendees will gain a rare insight into professional music production as he breaks down tracks and discusses his work with artists including New Order, Florence + The Machine, The National and Self Esteem.
The conference will also feature a keynote address from Lena Ingwersen and Lex Davidson of the Global Music Cities Network, a screening of a new Sunderland music scene documentary by Second Draft, DJ workshops, live performances from Orton and Patrick Gosling, a gallery celebrating Sunderland venue The Bunker and a pop-up record shop from Roker Records.
Michelle Daurat, CEO of Sunderland Music City, said: “We want attendees to leave not just inspired, but with real insight into how the industry works and how they can find their place within it.”
The event is free to attend and open to anyone aged 16 and over.
Grab your tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-to-b-sunderlands-music-conference-tickets-1988987558329.
