Monetising Performance: Digital Showcases and Virtual Festivals
How is the the transition to online events, especially festivals and showcases is working for music businesses? Reflecting on recent successes with digital showcases such as The Visit (which virtually showcased artists in Inverness, Wick and Stromness) and looking ahead to virtual festivals like Philadelphia Folk Festival, we will discuss how going digital affects production, programming, audience reaction and revenue. Looking ahead we will consider how the medium might develop and, when live events return, what virtual elements we may hold on to.
Speakers: Lisa Whytock, Lisa Schwartz, Crispin Parry
Chair: Dougal Perman
Chair
Dougal Perman
Executive Chair, Scottish Music Industry Assoication & Director, Inner Ear / XpoNorth Digital Specialist
Dougal is a content creator, producer, director, strategist, writer, musician who always wants to understand the full story, never stops asking to or how, loves hearing from inspiring people and working on innovative projects. He co-founded Inner Ear in 2000, a content company that has pioneered the use of live streaming to deliver original programming since it launched Radio Magnetic in 2001. He is chair of the Scottish Music Industry Association, a digital media sector specialist for XpoNorth, sits on the Scottish Government's Creative Industry Advisory Board, loves solving problems, doing things differently and making stuff happen.
Speakers
Lisa Schwartz
Festival & Programming Director, Philadelphia Folk Festival
Lisa is a vibrant individual with a passion for great music who serves as the Festival & Programming Director for the world-renowned Philadelphia Folk Festival. With a love for nonprofit service and leadership, Lisa currently serves as the Board President for FAI, and also consults with artists across the globe using her strategic marketing and branding skills to position them for career growth.
Crispin Parry
CEO, British Underground
Crispin Parry is a showcase producer with over 20 years’ experience creating impactful music events at international conferences and festivals from Nashville’s Americanafest to the Rio Olympics. With a background in journalism and magazines, he has written for The Times and Q, set up a label, worked at trade body BPI and founded British Underground. In 2017 he started producing immersive technology showcases at SXSW in Austin partnering with a range of high-profile organisations including the BBC, Royal Shakespeare Company and NASA.
Lisa Whytock
Director, Active Events
Lisa is the Director of Active Events, an agency and events management company working internationally. She is also the Director of Showcase Scotland Expo which is the organisation in Scotland who work to benefit the export of artists based in Scotland. In recent times agency work has become about rescheduling shows and then rescheduling the reschedules. Showcase Scotland Expo has, however initiated and undertaken some inspiring new projects that continue to connect artists with promoters and audiences around the world.
