Top names of the recording industry are heading for Newcastle next week for free seminars. Viv Hardwick reports.

THE Know How, Tyneside-based Generator’s annual North-East seminar series returns with top music industry gurus, for four evenings of panels and events at Northern Stage, Newcastle, from Monday.

The free events involving industry professionals and chart-topping North East musicians will cover a number of important topics including the decline of broadcast media, filesharing and the relationships between artists and labels.

The opener features Radio 1 DJ and BBC introducing host, Huw Stephens, with a session looking at traditional and new broadcasting models on Monday. He will be joined by Jeff Smith who is head of Music at BBC Radio 2 and 6Music together with Dave Haynes from Soundcloud. The seminar will be chaired by Trevor Dann. Guests will look at new broadcast models and the impact on artists of the decline of regional broadcasting.

This seminar will be followed by a live event, Huw Stephens presents...Transmission at The Other Rooms from 8pm with three of the most prominent emerging bands from the region: Let’s Buy Happiness, Grandfather Birds and Mammal Club. As the nation’s champion of new talent, Stephens is the person best placed to host this event for Generator, and will even be putting in DJ sets at the event.

Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

Chaired by Generator’s CEO, Jim Mawdsley, Tuesday’s seminar asks the vital question: Who are the Primary Representatives of Artists These Days?’ To discuss this important subject, Generator has invited Paul Smith, front-man from Maximo Park, Jim Chancellor, MD at Fiction Records (home of Elbow, Kate Nash, The Cure and White Lies) and Cerne Canning from Supervision Management.

Expect a lively discussion as the event attempts to find where responsibility for talent development now lies.

The Wednesday seminar asks What Does the Term Scene Mean?’ and invites three of the best positioned individuals to work this out. Bill Brewster, a dance music expert, who enjoyed early connections with Forensic Records and later Shindig, then went on to become a well respected author and DJ, will be presiding over the event. He will sit alongside Ralph Lawson and Luke Una, who have both built impressive careers themselves, as musician, DJ, promoter and festival organiser.

In previous years, The Know How has featured owners and founders from Domino Records, XL Recordings, and Rough Trade and this year the seminar series features Martin Mills MBE, sole owner and chairman of the Beggars Group. In conversation with BPI chairman and former CEO at EMI, Tony Wadsworth, Mills will be talking about his experiences in building the small empire that now takes market share with artists such as Adele dominating the charts.

Mills is in a perfect position to discuss the big picture because his company is now the largest ownerrun group of labels in the alternative sphere.

Generator CEO, Jim Mawdsley says: “We are delighted to announce our strongest ever The Know How line-up as part of a week of Evolution Festival- related events.

“Generator has a strong history of producing world-leading music industry events. Our selection of the biggest names in the UK music industry allows aspiring musicians and music businesses to hear from the likes of Martin Mills, Bill Brewster and Huw Stephens. To have these big names in Newcastle for free is unmissable.”

􀁧 The seminars run from Monday to Thursday next week, between 6-8pm at Stage 2, Northern Stage, and places are free.

To book visit generator.org.uk/theknowhow.

For information on the Evolution Festival, May 28- 29, featuring Iggy and the Stooges, Katy B, Billy Bragg, Plan B, Tinie Tempah and Caribou, see evolutionfestival.co.uk