English Folk Expo announces "Folk Talk Academy" - A new online learning hub for artists and industry

Covid-19 has hit the music industry harder than most, with artist and industry careers largely put on hold as the world has grappled with the virus. Now as the green shoots of recovery emerge, English Folk Expo announces Folk Talk Academy, a virtual college campus providing a learning hub for artists and industry which gives them access to a broad range of music industry expertise to equip them for their career in a post-Covid world.

Folk Talk Academy is free and available to all, and all lectures will be closed captioned.

Central to Folk Talk Academy is a wide-ranging and ambitious series of nearly fifty Zoom webinar lectures running from May to August 2021, which feature presentations and in-conversation sessions by experts from across the music industry and beyond including Wozzy Brewster OBE on artist management, Bev Burton of Black Deer Festival on programming festivals, Dee Bahl, manager of Biffy Clyro, on working with record labels, Francine Gorman from Keychange on gender equality in music, Beth Morton from United Talent Agency on working with agents, David Johnson from Cause4 on funding opportunities for artists, Roger Wilson from BLiM discussing issues for black artists and industry, lawyers from both Simkins and Clintons tackling the intricacies of record, publishing and management deals, and a very special roundtable discussion with artists Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden and James Yorkston on their experiences of being signed to a range of major and independent labels.

Lectures will last for one hour, with most including a fifteen minute Q&A with online participants towards the end of the session. All lectures will be recorded live and be available to view again on the Folk Talk Academy website.

Funded by Arts Council England, Folk Talk Academy will also feature an online library which will hold extended pieces of writing on ten sectors of the music industry, as well as an online conference centre giving access to footage from English Folk Expo’s 2020 Folk Talk Live conferences. A Speakers’ Corner will allow registered Folk Talk Academy ‘students’ to access additional video content created by industry experts over the last year, and finally a virtual Students’ Union will ensure that anyone accessing Folk Talk Academy can also enjoy the social side of academy life.

 

The Folk Talk Academy webinar lecture series:

May 2021

Wed 5th, 3pm: Booking and routing tours with Phil Simpson, Nearfield Agency

Thu 6th, 12pm: A&R with Tim Chipping, River Lea Label

Fri 7th, 3pm: Do I need a manager? with Wozzy Brewster OBE

Tue 11th, 3pm: Playlist s and playlisting with Brad Kulisic, Singing Light Music

Thu 13th, 11am: Music supervision + sync licensing with Sophie Urquhart, Tin Drum Music

Fri 14th, 3pm: What does an artist manager do? with Wozzy Brewster OBE

Mon 17th, 4pm: Touring the U.S.A. with Chris Colbourne, Concerted Efforts agency

Tue 18th, 3pm: PR and radio plugging with Richard Wooton, RW Publicity

Wed 19th, 3pm: Juggling multiple artist roles with artist Sam Sweeney

Mon 24th, 1.30pm: Music copyright explained with Chris Cooke, Unlimited

Thu 27th, 11am: Growing a live career with Matt Bartlett, Midnight Mango agency

June 2021

Tue 1st, 3pm: Making the most of your mailing list with Ariel Hyatt, Cyber PR

Tue 1st, 4.30pm: Making the most of your website with Ariel Hyatt, Cyber PR

Wed 2nd, 11am: Showcases and showcasing Bella Hardy, Artist, in conversation with Tom Besford, EFEx

Thu 3rd, 3pm: Advanced social media with Owen Ralph, Greenwoodside

Tue 8th, 3pm: Venue programming with Harkirit Boparai, The Crescent, York

Wed 9th, 3pm: Touring Europe with Ian Smith, Frusion/ukeartswork.info

Thu 10th, 5pm:  Self-releasing albums with artists Edgelarks

Tue 15th, 3pm: Black Lives In Music with Roger Wilson, BLiM

Thu 17th, 3pm: Livestreaming platforms, ticketing and more with Andy Wood, Spiritland Productions

Fri 18th, 4pm: Folk clubs, then and now with Chris Euseden, Black Swan Folk Club

Mon 21st, 3pm: Livestreaming tips for artists with Tom Dibb and Mark Lewis, Northern Cowboys Films

Tue 22nd, 3pm: Venue deals explained with Tom Besford, English Folk Expo

Wed 23rd, 3pm: Livestreaming during a pandemic with David Farrow, DFM Music

Thu 24th, 11am: Safeguarding all with Rachel Elliott, English Folk, Dance & Song Society

Tue 29th, 4pm: Understanding and using your data with Jack Davies, Just Be Nice marketing

July 2021

Thu 1st, 5pm: Record deals with Nick Eziefula and Rachel Heeley, Simkins

Fri 2nd, 11am: Touring Australia with Fran Daly, Troubadour Presents

Mon 5th, 3pm: Strategic planning: a personal story with artist Fay Hield

Tue 6th, 5pm: Do I need a publisher? With Stuart Ongley, SGO Music

Thu 8th, 2pm: Negotiation from scratch with Craig Wylie, I love that band

Fri 9th, 3pm: Publishing deals with Alastair Kenwood, Clintons

Mon 12th, 3pm: Promotion from on sale to show day with David Agnew, EFEx/So It Is

Tue 13th, 10am: Funding for artists with David Johnson, Cause4

Thu 15th, 12pm: Label experiences with Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden and James Yorkston in conversation

Mon 19th, 4.30pm: Looking after your mental health with Tamsin Embleton and Jodi Milstein, Music Industry Therapists & Coaches

Mon 26th, 3pm: Music without barriers with Gideon Feldman, Attitude Is Everything

Tue 27th, 3pm:Do I need an agent? with Beth Morton, United Talent Agency

Thu 29th, 3pm: Making the most of your marketing budget with Katie Whitehouse Fromthewhitehouse

August 2021

Wed 4th, 11am: Touring Canada with Tom Kemp, Feldman Agency

Thu 5th, 3pm: Fandom and what you need to know with Jo Kay, Jo Kay Consultancy

Fri 6th, 3pm: Key change for gender equality in music with Francine Gorman, Keychange

Tue 10th, 4pm: Do I need a label? with Dee Bahl, 1554 Management

Tue 17th, 10am: Working in China with Julie Zhang, Creative China TBC

Wed 18th, 3pm: Programming festivals with Bev Burton, KillerB Music

Thu 19th, 3pm: Show advancing and repping with Kate Kyle, English Folk Expo

Fri 26th, 5pm: Management deals with Nick Eziefula and Rachel Heeley, Simkins

folktalkacademy.com

 

English Folk Expo (EFEx) is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation which supports the English folk, roots and acoustic music sector through a variety of projects and initiatives including the annual Manchester Folk Festival and its parallel industry showcase attracting music buyers and programmers from across the world and generating over £2m spend on artist live bookings from each event (source: the hub). It also runs an annual artist mentoring programme, produces the Official Folk Albums Chart, hosts an online platform of resources for fans, artists and industry, and collaborates with export organisations across the world on initiatives including Global Music Match and more. www.englishfolkexpo.com