The Great Escape has revealed new speakers ahead of this year's event, which takes pace in Brighton from May 19 - 21.
The charity Help Musicians UK will kick-start the proceedings as CEO Richard Robinson talks about his organisation’s work in supporting the health and well-being of people in the industry.
He will be joined by Sally Gross from the University of Westminster to introduce new academic research into the mental health of music professionals.
This will inform a wider debate between artists, managers, industry execs and healthcare professionals on how the industry could better ensure the good health of its people, both on and off the stage.
Elsewhere, VICE head of music Alex Hoffman will present highlights of a number of original documentaries he has commissioned for Noisey - VICE's music channel - as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, which coincides with The Great Escape this year.
The short films feature three artists - Bill Ryder-Jones, Rob Harvey and NoLay - discussing their personal experiences with mental health issues. NoLay will then join us on the TGE stage to expand on her experiences, while Ryder-Jones’ manager Ellie Giles will discuss the role of management in supporting artists when they face mental health challenges.
Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of Help Musicians UK said: “In a recent survey, nearly 70% of professional musicians told Help Musicians UK that they’d suffered from a psychological issue. No one in the industry should have to sacrifice good mental health in order to keep making music. HMUK take the wellbeing of the music community seriously and ask that the industry as a whole join them to tackle this issue."
Elswhere at the event, CMU’s Chris Cooke will review the CD and vinyl market worldwide, and explore recent research by the BPI and Entertainment Retailers Association on who is still buying compact discs, and why. Representatives from both labels and entertainment retail will then discuss where they see the physical market heading, and how labels might better ally their streaming and physical strategies.
Chris Carey of Media Insight Consulting will then present his company's consumer research and outline what it reveals about those fans that spend beyond records and tickets. We'll then consider the role of direct-to-fan in the future of the physical market, how record companies are increasingly getting involved in merch and D2F, and how artist/label deals can be better structured to capitalise on the direct-to-fan relationship.
Schedule announced for TGE'S DIY programme
The schedule is now online for this year's DIY programme at The Great Escape, a day of workshops, talks and demonstrations aimed at new artists and future industry talent. Hosted by CMU's Chris Cooke, DICE's Jen Long and DJ John '00' Fleming, this day aims to bring together new talent from all genres, with the focus on 'going live'.
Based at the Old Courtroom and Lighthouse, and supported by TuneCore, the DIY day will tell artists how to stage their own live shows, set up a regular gig or club night, get bookings at other festivals and events, and how to use live to build that all important fan-base.
TGE delegates get access to the DIY programme, plus standalone tickets are available for just £25
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