Joe GallopMusic business conference FastForward is to return to London for its 11th edition, with an expanded two-day programme taking place from 19-20 September.
This year’s event will be the first two-day event in London, returning to 21Soho. In a departure from the format of Amsterdam and Sydney events, each day will have individual tickets. Day one will focus on key dynamics in recorded music and day two on live music trends.
A lineup of experts will tackle issues facing the music industry in 2023, including SoundCloud’s VP of music intelligence Hazel Savage (pictured centre) discussing how AI is affecting music creation and monetisation; Driift COO Claire Mas talking about the future of live streaming gigs post-Covid; and Creative Control Ventures co-founder David Olusegun debating whether it’s ever too early for artists to maximise revenue through merchandise.
Diversity ambassador Saskhia Menendez will also speak about the importance of intersectionality in driving inclusion, and Intellectual Property lecturer Dr Hayleigh Bosher will offer a perspective on the impact that nuisance copyright lawsuits are having on the sector. Other topics include innovation in music venues, sources of investment in UK live talent and leveraging streaming to maximise income.
DICE will be the ticketing partner for the event, while FastForward has also partnered with Tickets for Good, a Sheffield-based organisation working with events to deliver access to live entertainment at a low cost. The partnership will allow 10 people who cannot afford a ticket to attend for free. Tickets will be distributed through trusted organisations, including Black Lives in Music and Help Musicians.
This year FastForward has teamed up with Getahead Festival to offer a breakout space where there will be resources around wellbeing, alcohol consumption and handling stress in the workplace as well as wider social issues such as Black Lives in Music’s anti-racism agenda, environmental sustainability and driving financial accessibility.
FastForward founder Chris Carey (pictured left) said, “Our expansion of the scope of FastForward will provide a better event with deeper analysis of the key issues facing the live and recorded music sectors.”
Tickets for Good UK operations director Pippa Le Grand (right) said, “As part of the partnership, we have purchased 10 tickets for FastForward to provide to people who will benefit from the event but may not have the financial resources to secure a ticket. We hope it will have a big impact for those individuals.”