Top music industry figures bound for Selby forum

The event is aimed at anyone with an interest in a career in music, with discussion and information on various aspects of the music industry from performing, writing, DJing, record labels, music publishers, live music and writing for film and TV. The music forum is free to attend and open to all, providing valuable knowledge and networking for those with established careers alongside those making their first steps.

Two panel discussions will showcase industry professionals at early and established stages of their careers, hosted by BBC Introducing’s Emily Pilbeam. Speakers include Simon Rix (Kaiser Chiefs), Ben McAvoy of WMP Studios, who recently oversaw the audio branding for TNT Sports, and Laura Taylor, head of sound at Northern Film School.

Other speakers come from record label Come Play With Me, music venues Polar Bear (Hull) and The Crescent (York) alongside Art is my Career’s Laura Sanderson and artists Annie Errez, Rumbi Tauro and Amber Strawbridge.

A roundtable networking session will close the day, allowing all the attendees to spend time with the professionals taking part.

The event will take place at Selby College’s media recording studio, which is a part of its growing Art, Design and Media department. The department offers a wide and diverse range of opportunities linked with creative industries, which aim to provide students with a solid grounding for careers within the creative sector. Selby College is also a part of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, alongside Castleford College and Wakefield College.

Get Ahead in Music is being delivered by Launchpad in partnership with North Yorkshire Council. Launchpad delivers events and activity to support the music sector across Yorkshire, supporting over 120 artists and emerging music industry professionals with mentoring and funding to deliver new work since 2019.

Danielle Daglan, Head of Culture and Archives, North Yorkshire Council, said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this forum along with Launchpad – supporting young people to develop interests and careers within the creative sector is an important focus for us – we hope the event is informative, useful and inspiring for all going along.”

Whiskas / Sam Nicholls, Director of Launchpad, said: “We are passionate about delivering support for those building music careers throughout Yorkshire, and it’s fantastic to partner with North Yorkshire Council to bring this event to Selby. It should prove to be a valuable opportunity for both established professionals and those looking at investigating a career in music.”

Elaine Whitehead, Programme Leader in Art, Design and Media at Selby College, said: “Ensuring our students and young people across the district can access the facilities, resources and contacts to kickstart their careers in the music industry is incredibly important to us at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, so we’re over the moon to be hosting the event at Selby College. We hope it will give aspiring professionals the opportunity to see our state-of-the-art recording studio, as well as hear from inspirational professionals from the industry about their journeys and success.”

Find details of all the speakers and register to attend for free at https://www.launchpad-music.com/events/selby.