Kyle Roczniak from The New Age Magazine visited Come Play With Me’s ‘I Know a Place’ convention in Leeds on January 19th.
I’m writing this on a late train from Leeds back to Manchester after attending Come Play With Me’s latest music industry convention at the iconic Brudenell Social Club. CPWM is a non-profit music development organisation that collaborates with record labels, promoters, artists, and any music industry professionals to ensure underrepresented groups get the support and equality they deserve. The event was eye-opening and informative, and I gained a lot of insight into how different positions in the music industry work to represent marginalised communities, and the changes that need to be made.
An overarching point made in every one of the keynotes and panels I attended was the lack of funding, or should I say the imbalance of money, in music and particularly grassroots venues. This is something that legendary artist Corinne Bailey Rae spoke about during her session, citing that while the value of culture-rich areas like Leeds and the north of England in general are becoming more noticed in music, there’s still work to be done in ensuring that grassroots venues stay afloat. Last year, the UK saw 16% of its music venues shut their doors, meaning a loss of 4,000 jobs, and over 150,000 performance opportunities, and a loss of £9 million of direct income for musicians.
The morning saw a live podcast recording with queer artists TinyUmbrellas & Phoenix Rousiamanis, who both come from classical music backgrounds and originate from Norfolk and rural Greece respectively. They discussed their experiences moving to the north of England and focusing on music here. Their opinions on Leeds and Manchester were rooted in nothing but deep praise, namely for how open and freeing the region has felt to them, proving that there’s a real importance in ensuring that the British music scene is less London-centric. It felt like everyone agreed that we needed more opportunities available in the North, something that Labour MP Alex Sobel strives to change in collaboration with local councils.
Away from the hard-hitting topics and brutal realities discussed already, attendees were also treated to live performances and workshops from industry professionals. The Brudenell’s games room played host to a collaboration stage between CPWM & Girls Can Play Guitar, with 6 live artist sessions taking place throughout the day. I was also lucky enough to have one of 20 spots at a workshop with the managing editor of DIY magazine Sarah Jamieson, and freelance music journalist Jenessa Williams. They spoke in great detail about breaking into the industry and the difficulties you can expect to face, but offered serious and realistic advice on how to stand out in an otherwise saturated market of aspiring creatives.
Having experienced my first Come Play With Me event, I can confidently say that my expectations were exceeded. The advice I was given personally by artists and journalists was very valuable and it’s reassuring to be surrounded by likeminded people who share TNAM’s morals and views when it comes to the grassroots side of the music industry. I can’t recommend the experience enough and I urge you to attend if you ever get the chance – the best part is that tickets are FREE!
Having experienced my first Come Play With Me event, I can confidently say that my expectations were exceeded. The advice I was given personally by artists and journalists was very valuable and it’s reassuring to be surrounded by likeminded people who share TNAM’s morals and views when it comes to the grassroots side of the music industry. I can’t recommend the experience enough and I urge you to attend if you ever get the chance – the best part is that tickets are FREE!