Industry news & advice blog

Over 80 Welsh music and TV companies from across Wales gathered at a free event in Cardiff this Wednesday (14 April 2010) to mark the launch of Welsh Music Foundation’s ‘Music For Media’ guide.

Welsh Music Foundation commissioned the guide following recent figures which showed that only 2% of production music used on Welsh TV is created by Welsh composers.  The free e-book, offers hints and tips on adapting existing music or creating the kinds of tunes that will get used by producers, directors and editors in this highly competitive, but potentially lucrative field.  It is available to download from www.welshmusicfoundation.com and is a living document, updated periodically. Limited-edition hard copies were available at the launch.

Amongst those attending was Ynyr Roberts of Welsh band Brigyn who said:  “the event covered a wealth of areas, including the taboos.  To hear conversations and debates about what works and what doesn’t from editor’s experience, encourages artists to get thinking about various revenue streams and to not rest on laurels”.

Aberdare-based start-up composition company Chocolate Cow thanked WMF for bringing the “invaluable” guide together that would change the way they operated.

The launch also featured a panel from the audio-visual sector who explained how composers, publishers and labels could get their music used in the wealth of TV programmes being made in Wales and how to spot opportunities for getting music placed in radio, games and animation. 

Guest speakers on the panel included John Hywel Morris of collection society PRS For Music, John Sweeney of music library company Reliable Source and also Bafta Award winning freelance editor Mali Evans.

Music manager and publisher Rhys Mwyn, who chaired the panel, acknowledged that the content covered was “part of the jigsaw” for music producers to “fully understand what library music is, being aware of potential revenue streams and to become focused by having both a business and creative head.”

Lisa Matthews, Manager of Welsh Music Foundation, who celebrate their tenth anniversary this year said “the guide we’ve produced is just the start of the process…there’s a lot of awareness-raising and lobbying to follow in order to encourage more dialogue between music creators and TV programme decision-makers.”

Every attendee received a copy of the new guide.  Drinks, nibbles and networking followed.


Biographies of Panel members follow below….
 
Chair : Rhys Mwyn – Rhys Mwyn Management
www.rhysmwyn.com
Rhys' first involvement with the music scene was in 1979 when he organised a gig for Rough Trade band Essential Logic at the height of the post-punk DIY fanzine and tape scene. By the mid 80s, Rhys was playing with Welsh punk band Anhrefn, touring the UK and Europe and also running the Anhrefn Records Label which released early records by Cyrff, Datblygu and Llwybr Llaethog.

In many ways Rhys' background has always been as a “player-manager” but during the 90s he became increasingly involved with the management side of the business. For most of the 90s Rhys ran the Crai Label for Sain and worked with Mike Peters, Big Leaves and of course Catatonia on their first two EPs.

More recently Rhys has re-activated the Anhrefn Records Label and has concentrated on the management side, currently representing Viv Albertine (ex Slits), James T Turner, Steve New (ex Rich Kids), American singer-songwriter Jeb Loy Nichols, dub pioneers Warrior Charge and Welsh folksters 9 Bach. Rhys also does a lot of PR work for Welsh acts such as Martyn Joseph and Amy Wadge.

John Hywel Morris – PRS For Music
www.prsformusic.com
John Hywel Morris has worked at MCPS/PRS for fifteen years, taking a key role in the MCPS-PRS alliance’s role of licensing music for Film and Television in Wales. He is currently the Member Development Executive for Wales.  John has had to deal with all sorts of licensing issues in his career and is well placed to offer the best kind of advice to budding filmmakers and musicians alike. John hails from Bangor, north Wales, and is especially involved with Welsh-Language licensing at MCPS as well as serving Welsh PRS and MCPS members. He is also a musician and member of both organisations in his own right.

John Sweeney – RSM
www.reliable-source.co.uk
John is the General Manager at the production music company, Reliable Source Music, a 10 year young London based independent company who have a catalogue of around 10,000 multi genre tracks.

John has been in the UK Music Industry for over 20 years.  A substantial part of his career was spent at the PRS and latterly PRSforMusic (incorporating MCPS) holding senior positions, latterly the Director of Membership. He was then elected to the PRS Board, a position he held for 3 years before becoming an Alliance Board Member following the successful merger with MCPS.

John also helped establish the PRS Foundation (PRSF), the UK's only independent funder of new music across all genres and became the charity’s Chairman in 2006, a position he held for 2 years.  John remains a member of the PRSF’s Advisory Board.

Siân Gale - Pawb
www.pawb.org
A director of Pawb, who helped research and produce the Music for Media guide, Siân has many years experience of working in the creative media sector followed by several years working for a broadcasting support charity, working in business support and providing research and consultancy services through Pawb.  She is highly regarded in broadcast media and is in regular contact with production companies and freelancers (including editors, producers and directors).  During her time at HTV Wales as a Production Assistant and later as a Freelance Production Manager she was involved in contracting performers and composers and in clearing copyright.  She currently manages the CULT Cymru project on a part time basis that includes support for musicians and close links with the Musicians Union.  Throughout her career she has been active on a number of industry boards including Skillset Cymru, Cyfle and the Welsh Broadcasting Trust, and therefore has a good understanding of the opportunities and threats facing both companies and individuals working across the industry.

Mali Evans – Freelance Editor
A Bafta Award winning editor who has worked extensively in the film and television industry across drama and documentary genres for 25 years. The film ‘Taxi’, which Mali wrote, directed and produced and was shown in the National Film Theatre and The ICA in London before touring British cinemas, was the start of her journey. A panel member of the DM Davies Award, the single largest short film prize in Europe, Mali has also lectured at Newport's International Film School, the Atrium and the Thompson Foundation.

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welsh music, wmf, welsh music foundation, composers, music producers, record producers