Full Program Announced for Second Independents Day, in partnership with HARMAN
Wednesday 29th – Thursday 30th July 20
You can download the full program for the two days here.
You can view all panels and sessions live and direct from the Watch Live page here on our website or on our Facebook page
Our stakeholder event, Independents Day, is back for a second year in partnership with HARMAN.
Running as a digital only event this year, and supported by Arts Council England, Independents Day brings together stakeholders from across the grassroots live music community to share experiences and discuss challenges and opportunities within the sector.
With the immense impact of Covid on the live community, the two-day event will look at how venues, promoters, artists, agents and others have coped and explore what has worked, and how the short, medium and long term future might look.
Panel sessions are running both mornings covering a number of other areas including how to create greater representation of minority groups at a grassroots level on and off stage, exploring what direct actions can come from the Black Lives Matter movement in grassroots venues, what venues can do beyond live music to sustain themselves and various approaches to streaming and it’s new and vital role in live music.
A ‘late’ panel session will be hosted from the US by Marauder, the agency that runs Independent Venue Week there with contributors from NIVA, the newly formed National Association of Independent Venues as well as other live music reps from both territories as they look at how the role of touring in America is set to change for the foreseeable future.
Afternoon sessions, once again, include 1-2-1 meetings for venues and promoters with key grant funders including Arts Council England who have re-opened up their project grants with £1.2 million for the Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund up to March 2021. Advisers are also available from Arts Council Northern Ireland and Creative Wales.
“We are pleased to be supporting Independent’s Day again this year. It is an excellent opportunity for Independent Music Venues to come together to share issues, engage in peer learning, and strengthen working relationships across the network of this vital part of this country’s music sector” said Adrian Cooke Relationship Manager, Music, Arts Council England.
“Arts Council will be taking part to offer funding surgeries for venues who are interested in applying to our recently relaunched Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, which will be investing £1.2 million National Lottery Funding into the grassroots live music sector between now and the end of March 2021.”
Tysers will be exploring the world of insurance and how the sector might support the grassroots live community at a time when it’s most needed, whilst there will be more 1-2-1 sessions for venues and promoters to meet with agents.
There is a whole afternoon dedicated to well-being and mental health for venues, promoters and others supported by Help Musicians, BAPAM and Music Support.
“Going ahead with Independents Day this year was something we spent a great deal of time deliberating. We wanted to tackle some of the biggest issues the grassroots live sector has ever faced and have some incredible contributors but it has been so important to build the program in a way that felt manageable for everyone” says IVW Founder Sybil Bell.
“It’s such a fine balance this year between people wanting advice and expertise across so many areas and to share experiences of how they’ve coped but also being mindful of the screen fatigue everyone is facing. We have worked hard to balance the program and spread it over two days to give people more time to dip in and out of sessions. The event will be recorded and posted on our website for those that want to catch up later or revisit some of the discussions.”
Sign up for Independent Venue Week opens Wednesday 29th July – please check your emails for your sign up link directly from loadin.com – and please do check your junk folder.
