The latest edition of the BBC’s flagship discovery event for new music is under way.
BBC Introducing Live is taking place throughout October, having launched with events in Cardiff and Newcastle last week.
There are more to come this week in Manchester (October 10 and 12) and Glasgow (October 12), followed by London (October 19), Belfast (October 25) and Birmingham (October 27).
Since its inception, the BBC Introducing platform has championed unsigned British musicians through the BBC Introducing Uploader, with 23 local radio shows and six national shows on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Asian Network, and 6 Music.
The BBC Introducing Live annual event features an array of live performances, workshops, open mic and open DJ deck sessions, feedback centres, and networking opportunities designed to support and inspire the next generation of musicians and music industry professionals across the UK.
The London event at the Omeara venue will feature panels scheduled throughout the day, including: Cultivating A Fanbase – featuring Alex Rice and Rob Knaggs from Sports Team and Caity Baser; The Art Of Song; Digital Masterclass featuring Parris OH, artists partnerships manager at TikTok and Fred Again..’s director of photography Caitlin Ricaud; Radio Play & the Key Steps In Releasing Your Music; How BBC Introducing Can Help You – featuring Radio 1’s Jaguar and Jess Iszatt; and a session titled How We Made It.
The feedback centre will be staffed with industry experts representing TikTok, Spotify, major and indie labels (including Universal, 0207 Def Jam, Chess Club Records, Sony Music, EMI), radio stations (6 Music, Radio 1), and other key players in the music industry.
Here, Kelly Betts, head of BBC Introducing, shares her vision for the Introducing Live event that connects emerging artists with the industry…
Is this the biggest edition of Introducing Live to date?
“Yes, it is the biggest Introducing Live we've done so far, it’s across seven cities.”
What’s the scale and breadth of talent you’ll be showcasing?
“It's all genres, absolutely all genres, and we work very hard at Introducing to push gender and diversity to the front always, particularly in our headliners and our showcases across the UK. We will have open mic and open decks, so that's a chance for us to find new talent that we're not across already, and that can be from a grime MC, it can be dancehall, it can be folk. We have such a huge mixture at our open mic events when we've done them before for Introducing Live. And open decks, that opens up a new world for us to find brilliant new DJs and producers at the event as well, for them to showcase their talent.”
Is it important for BBC Introducing Live to reach all nations of the UK?
“100%, we have two in Wales, and we have one reflecting Introducing music on Radio Cymru as well. We have the introducing show on Northern Ireland, they have a side show which has a dance focus in Northern Ireland as well. And then we have our Introducing show on BBC Scotland. They find the best talent across those countries, and they bring them to us through our line-ups and stages that we have across the UK. So Glastonbury – and even internationally at South By Southwest.”
At the BBC, we work together to find, support and break new music
Kelly Betts
BBC Introducing has a good track record in supporting breakthrough talent…
“Yeah, it's been a lifeline for many artists, including artists that have gone on to be much bigger, like Ed Sheeran, Raye, Olivia Dean, Sam Fender, Loyle Carner, Catfish And The Bottle Men. There have been a lot of artists who have had their very first interviews, their very first airplay at their local Introducing show, and then have risen through their Introducing shows up to the national platforms.”
It’s quite tough for emerging artists to cut through now, does BBC Introducing have a key role to play?
“It's hugely important. It's a platform that's free, so Introducing artists upload their music at no cost. They can do it without any industry representation, without a manager. They can do it from their bedroom. Then, from their bedroom, they can get played on their local BBC radio station. They can be sent up to be played by Jack Saunders or Jasmine Takhar on the Asian Network Introducing show. That can lead to playing at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and at the Big Weekend, and that can be a direct result of them uploading their music from their bedroom. It's based on how great they sound. It's not based on how well they do on social media or what a great video they can make. It’s based purely on the music that they are making.”
So Introducing can actively help to upstream artists to national BBC stations?
“Yeah, absolutely. At the BBC, we work together to find, support and break new music. So from their bedroom to Introducing, and then they could be Jack Saunders’ Hottest Record, or they could be headlining a stage at Latitude. It's all of us connecting together to bring those new artists through.”
Are there any BBC Introducing acts you're particularly excited about?
“Someone I'm really loving at the moment is NE-O. He is a grime artist from Newcastle, really, really good. I love, love Maruja, they are passionate, angry jazz from Manchester, really, really cool, an absolute must-see live. There’s lots of hype around Bottle Rockets. They are our Introducing Scottish Artist of the Year. Yeah, there's so many, I could go on.”
You worked with the organisation Generator in Newcastle for events at the Boiler Shop (October 4-5), how did that come about?
“We are working with Generator Live, and they kindly moved their yearly event from September to October for us to connect on this, so we’re really grateful to them. We really recognise the work that Generator is doing for the industry in the North, and we share a really similar ethos in educating talent on and off the stage, as well as showcasing new artists and helping them in the best way that we can. The work that they're doing bringing new artists through, is really helping even more artists upload as well.”
Finally, are the feedback sessions you host for emerging talent beneficial at that point in their career?
“Yeah, it's that connection from a new artist to the music industry. There doesn't seem to be anything like that anywhere else where a brand new artist, with no manager, no label, can sit in front of a big label and say, ‘Listen to my song’ and be taken seriously. We've had a lot of success stories from that, with artists finding their managers at Introducing Live, or artists finding sync opportunities or a record label signing from Introducing Live. There's been so much to come from those feedback sessions. The industry is always really keen to be involved.”
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