Indie-Con Australia is the only event of its kind in the country that addresses the needs and issues of independent artists and record labels.
The conference was held for the first time last year in Adelaide, in conjunction with Australian Independent Record Labels Association's AIR Awards and is on again this year.
We caught up with Indie-Con Australia Curator Stuart Watters to discuss last year's inaugural event and find out what to expect this time around.
What were some of the key successes from last year's inaugural Indie-Con?
[Stuart] The high level of attendance from the independent label sector across all levels.
We had an extremely high level of engagement from many of our biggest members and they all brought key staff as well as creating opportunities for their junior staff. For me that was a real testament that the programming was on-point and the needs of the independent label sector were being addressed.
We made a point of staying true to the conference’s key goal, which was to stay focused on issues that were relevant to the independent label sector only while also providing an opportunity to advance the professional and business development skills of the people working in it.
"I love independent music because for me it has integrity, it is a community that believes in doing it ourselves and supporting each other on the way through, it is unbridled and political, it is raw and fresh, it is diverse and welcoming and importantly it has no masters."
How will this year's event compare/ contrast with last year's?
Overall, the feedback we got last year was great, but also that there were too many good sessions on at the same time with no breathing space so we are trying to make that space this year.
We’re also addressing some of the key industrial issues facing our sector with focus group-sessions to be held on the Thursday that will aim to engage the whole room rather just those on stage and really try and set some homework for the attendees for the next 12 months.
We’re also setting up in a new venue at The Hindley, which is super exciting.
As Curator for Indie-Con, can you tell us what is in-store for 2018?
We have some excellent, super-smart people coming to Australia and a whole bunch more from other parts of the country joining us at the event in Adelaide – which I have to say is a great place to hold the event.
Like Brisbane for BIGSOUND, Adelaide affords the folks who attend from Sydney and Melbourne the opportunity to free themselves from the distraction of big cities and their offices, and soak up Adelaide. It’s actually a great way to allow yourself time to reconnect with your peers and reaffirm that you are on the right path with your own business.
Who are some of the 2018 speakers?
We have a cracking line-up of people speaking this year. I’m really excited about pioneering indie legend Molly Neuman who not only was a founding member of riot grrrl band Bratmobile, co-founder of the zine Girl Germs (which is the zine credited with starting the movement in the first place).
She has also worked for eMusic, Kickstarter, Lookout Records, set up a management company that looked after Ted Leo and The Donnas, helped set up A2IM, AIR’s US counterpart and is now the Head of Global Business Development at Songtrust.
I hear she’s a mean chef as well so I’m sure she’ll love Adelaide. She has a great story that will inspire our own people.
Also, this year marks ten years of Merlin so we’re bringing back expat Aussie Charles Caldas who will be outlining where the next, new frontiers are for the indie sector. I also managed to head to our namesake in London in February to see Indie-Con UK and while there had the pleasure of spending time with the big brain of Charlie Phillips.
Charlie works with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI), but a few years ago he saw the light and joined AIM and is now the Director of Legal and Business Affairs for the Worldwide Independent Network – he is a gun and is a huge asset to the global indie sector.
Also while at Indie-Con UK I saw a guy called Justin West speak from Secret City Records, which was a revelation in how to take control over your global rights as a small, indie label. It is a great story and one that I think will really inspire a lot of our small to mid-level labels.
"I am confident that the indies are going to be at the forefront of most of the creative curves that are here now and not yet presented."
What will be some of the themes and issues addressed at Indie-Con this year?
This is just a little slice:
- Streaming and indie repertoire
- Neighbouring and reciprocal rights
- State of the nations: what’s happening here, what’s happening elsewhere
- Independent industry in action; how the indies can change the world
- What’s good for the banks is good for the gander - data and transparency
- Partnerships in the music industry: unpacking good relationships that make good business sense
- Smart marketing: running better campaigns with tighter budgets and achieving global impact
Since the last Indie-Con, how has the landscape changed for independent artists?
It’s a great question. There was a great report earlier this year from the guys at MIDiA Research in London, who prepare the annual WINTEL report, recently released survey results that put the global market share of indie artists at 2.7 per cent of the total global revenues.
Take a second to think about that as it represents $USD472M, which is a lot of money. What this means is that there are numerous options in the market for independent artists to create direct revenue opportunities for themselves if they are tooled up with the right partners.
My colleague Paul Pacifico at AIM in the UK wrote an excellent article on this that really outlined the fact that the landscape now offers many artist-centric and friendly services that can support the commercial aspirations of the artist.
If an artist combines this new-found autonomy with the smarts, efficiency and know how of a label that balances creative control with accountability and transparency then they are going to be well ahead of the game by any measure.
What is the greatest challenge facing independent artists today?
In no particular order: lack of resources, access to knowledge, well established networks, developing commercial acumen, building, maintaining and growing an audience, managing rights in an evolving landscape.
These things take a fair chunk of work to develop and maintain, but do underpin some of the key elements of success – however you choose to define it.
Is it possible to determine the health of the Australian independent music industry as compared to its international counterparts?
Well yes – that’s exactly what the AIR Share and WINTEL projects did and in 2017 Australian indies were the sixth best performing independent market and equal with the global average when measured by market share, so that’s a pretty good base.
How is the independent sector adapting to changes in revenue, i.e. the rise of digital currencies?
The indies are constantly moving and adapting to change in the market. We are a nimble beast and don’t require much room to pivot.
We’ve also balanced risk aversion with market experimentation and can spend money frugally but get great returns. I am confident that the indies are going to be at the forefront of most of the creative curves that are here now and not yet presented.
Why do you like independent music?
There are two parts to this: one is the music and the other is the industry, but for me the answer is the same. I love it because for me it has integrity, it is a community that believes in doing it ourselves and supporting each other on the way through, it is unbridled and political, it is raw and fresh, it is diverse and welcoming and importantly it has no masters.
