The owner of a Leicester recording studio has organised an “unmissable” event in the city, where aspiring musicians can network and learn how to build a successful career in the industry.
The Leicester Music conference – the first of its kind in the city, will be held at 2Funky Cafe on Friday, February 16.
It is set to include a programme of discussions and workshops, with a schedule packed full of industry experts and artists.
Attendees will be able to hear how to make a career out of making music, how to access funding and how to promote themselves as an artist.
“It’s about helping creatives to think of themselves as a brand and a business,” explained Dr Yasin El Ashrafi BEM, who has organised the event.
“Lots of people are brilliant when it comes to making the music, but they’re not all necessarily entrepreneurial – they don’t know exactly what it’s going to take to get to where they want to go. The talent’s a small part of the overall package really,’ he told the Leicester Times.
At the event, we’ll look at branding and monetisation – the different ways that they can earn money in the industry – how to network efficiently and all that stuff.”
Yasin is a multi-award winning mentor and entrepreneur, who owns HQ Recording Studio in Leicester. He currently manages 8 artists who are being developed by HQ Familia.
Yasin is passionate about helping people reach their full potential, especially deprived or unemployed young adults.
“Everything I’ve been doing over the years is to try and put Leicester on the map and help Leicester musicians on the local scene thrive – people who wouldn’t usually be able to get that kind of support,” he revealed.
“There’s always been a lot of talent in Leicester, but I think maybe we just don’t shout about it enough. That’s something that I’m quite passionate about – giving people the confidence and the platform to really shout about their talent, and also providing events where you can go and see a lot of varied acts so people can see exactly how good the talent is.”
At the event BBC Introducing Music East Midlands are hosting the live stage, with live music late into the evening from award winning saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch plus plenty of emerging local talent.
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) will be holding a roundtable discussion about the diverse pathways for rightsholders, along with focusing on the music scene within Leicester and the East Midlands and how it can be supported better.
There will also be a workshop from music experts at TikTok to help understand the role that the social media platform has to play in launching a music career.
PRS for Music and PPL are hosting an interactive workshop to help artists understand how copyright affects their work, and how they can protect it and get paid for its use.
“We are delighted to be able to support this conference, bringing some excellent industry experts into the city to share their knowledge and experience, pathing the way for our stars of the future,” said Andrea Gray, Managing Director at PPL PRS.
“We have been working with Yasin and his team at HQ for a number of years now, and what is really evident in the work they do is their passion and commitment to not only the music and creative arts industry, but also the people they support and work with. Not everyone has access to the facilities they need to express themselves, or make a career from their talent, but Yasin and HQ provide that much needed bridge for young and disadvantaged people in the area.”
Tickets, which are priced between £10 and £15, and are for over 18s only, are available on the Leicester Music Conference at: https://www.leicestermusicconference.co.uk/
