Tagged: Horizons

Press, Print & Blogs

May I direct you towards the Horizons//Gorwelion tumblr page. It gives you an idea of the type of events they’re currently attending in order to promote the 12 artists that have been selected. It also features a short article that I wrote on how to get your music heard in Wales.

Press, Print & Blogs – Where to publicise your music in Wales?

Getting your music noticed, has in many ways, never been easier. Online music libraries like soundcloud and bandcamp, as well as the people power of social media, make getting your music into people’s ears relatively straightforward. However, going that step further, and getting your music on the radar of people that can spread the word for you takes a little more initiative.

We all know that the internet is a great way of connecting to fans and promoting your music. It was around a decade ago that Arctic Monkeys started putting their music online for free, eventually graduating from “I’ve found this great band on myspace” to, “fastest selling debut album EVER”. One thing that has changed is that now, every artist, band, bedroom DJ has a soundcloud page and a youtube channel. It serves as a shop window or portfolio which is easy for fans, journalists, bloggers and radio producers to access. You have control over what appears on your page so you can give away free downloads to some or all users, limit access to older material, and crucially, analyse your statistics.

Making it easy for people to hear your work is a good place to start, so build up a comprehensive online presence. Start a facebook page, a twitter account, put music on soundcloud and bandcamp, make films and put them online. If someone mentions your band to a friend, and they want to find you, it’s important to be easy to discover. Many people prefer gigs to listening online, so pointing people towards a gig you have, however small, can be a fantastic way to reach them. It also gives you a bit of credibility, if someone has decided to give you a gig, you can’t be that bad.

I am often surprised and impressed by the extent some artists will go to to publicise their music to blogs. Last week I received an email from an artist I had never heard of saying that they had a gig in Cardiff that night. They had researched local blogs and wanted to put my name on the guest list. Incidentally, I wasn’t able to make it, but I was so impressed by the attention to detail and determination of the artist that I took some time to listen to her soundcloud. It’s important to remember that behind the blogs, the articles and the radio programmes, there are real music fans, and going that extra step to put your name on their radar can be very effective.

In Wales there isn’t a huge amount of radio air time available for Welsh music in any language. However there are some DJs and producers that are real champions of the cause. Find out who they are (twitter is a good place to start) and how to get in touch with them. Follow people like Adam Walton, Bethan Elfyn from Radio Wales and Huw Stephens, Georgia Ruth, Lisa Gwilym and Gareth Iwan from Radio Cymru. These people can play you on the radio and that’s only ever a good thing.

Ultimately, publicising your music is down to you. Sending links to your music to as many people as possible, and tailoring any message you send to that particular person is the most important thing you can do. If you’re proactive and committed people will be impressed, and soon people will start publicising your music for you.

http://bbchorizonsgorwelion.tumblr.com/

 

Horizons//Gorwelion 12

Over the weekend we found out who will be the Horizons project’s 12 championed artists.

Six Welsh language artists were on the list, and I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot more of them over the next few months. Most names were familiar to readers of this blog, names like Casi Wyn, Kizzy Crawford, and Plu. Others, like Chris Jones, are completely new.

Candelas

Candelas

Candelas- bbc.co.uk

 

Casi Wyn

Casi Wyn

Casi Wyn- bbc.co.uk

 

Chris Jones

Chris Jones- bbc.co.uk

Chris Jones- bbc.co.uk

Kizzy Crawford

Kizzy Crawford

Kizzy Crawford- bbc.co.uk

 

 

Plu

Plu- bbc.co.uk

Plu- bbc.co.uk

 

Swnami

Swnami- bbc.co.uk

Swnami- bbc.co.uk

 

 

There were over 300 applicants for the scheme, however if you were unsuccessful it may well be worth keeping an eye on the Launchpad fund which will be offering up to £2,000 to 50 bands over the next two years. You can find out more here.

Horizons// Gorwelion

horizons

I just wanted to tell you about a fantastic new scheme by BBC Cymru Wales and the Arts Council. Horizons Gorwelion aims to champion and foster talent in Wales by giving them a boost into the music industry. I was very lucky to be a part of the initial panel of music producers, promoters and experts who championed Welsh artists to be a part of the venture.

 

The latest development in the process is to invite any artist or band to upload their music in order to be considered by the smaller panel of BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru producers for the Horizons 12. These will be twelve artists or bands from Wales who will be given a huge amount of support for either breaking into the music industry or perhaps taking their project to the next level. One only has to look at the success of artists such as Georgia Ruth or Cate le Bon to see how far a little bit of funding and some industry know-how can get you.

I think this is an amazing opportunity to further your career in music, and it would be foolish to let the chance pass you by.

The main benefits of the Horizons 12 scheme, according to the website, are:

  • exposure across BBC Cymru Wales services
  • direct contact with a BBC producer overseeing the project
  • a BBC Maida Vale recording session
  • promotional tools including a professional photoshoot and video
  • career mentoring through a music industry development lab
  • opportunities to perform at a programme of Welsh festivals/events and BBC Cymru Wales events through the year which may be broadcast (subject to BBC’s editorial discretion)
  • nominations through BBC Introducing to play at major events across the UK
  • opportunities for selected bands/artists to perform at an international festivals

So how do you get involved?

If you are from Wales or live in Wales, are over 16 years old and write and record your own music then you’re eligible.

Bands/artists can apply by uploading your music via the BBC Introducing uploader (the official BBC online tool for new music submissions from around the UK) – and submitting an email to horizons@bbc.co.uk stating why you would like to be considered for Horizons 12, with a photo and a biog. It’s as simple as that.

For more information on the scheme and what it consists of, visit the Horizons Gorwelion website. 

Please do get involved, as it would be fantastic to see Welsh language music heard outside the traditional outlets (Radio Cymru and Clwb Ifor Bach!)

The closing date is March 21st, so get cracking and POB LWC.