Summus 2024 – Barcelona
This week I attended the SUMMUS conference in Barcelona, hosted by BMAT. I was asked by Neil Gaffney to speak on a panel covering some of the important issues facing our industry in the face of continuous change and disruption. Insightful observations from Peter De Monninck , Julien Dumont and Scott Farrant and included that it can be very hard to accurately identify where and how change is actually happening, even when you know it is happening right in front of you.
We also discussed the need for informed leadership in our industry, and whether the industry associations have the required level of skill in the right places for today’s needs. I was able to point to successes such as RDx, where collaboration across multiple stakeholders resulted in the developments of an effective solution, partially because the problem was clear and narrow in scope. It took five years of collaboration, education and selling-in to stakeholders to get this project off the ground (especially to the group I was working with at the time). Several years on, it’s good to see a number of new collective licensing organisations either using the RDx system or in the queue to join. Less clear, and perhaps less optimistic, is the number of additional record companies joining since the first cohort. This is especially true for the independent sector. I wonder if the lack of uptake is due to a technical skills gap in that part of the industry, a lack of awareness or lack of some other capacity.
The Summus conference was a really good chance to catch up with many colleagues from around the industry. It was a very positive and engaging event. Congratulations and thank you to Stassy, Alex, Pedro and the BMAT team.
Two Lands release the single Madjlis
This week we have released the track Madjlis. This track showcases Cecilia’s bilingual English-Arabic vocals, with her trade. Madjlis is Middle Eastern word meaning a gathering of people with a shared interest, which is good timing given the track happens to come out just after I attended the Summus conference (which was itself a madjlis of music industry professionals).
Two Lands is a collaboration between me and the extraordinarily gifted Swedish singer and writer, Cecilia Sternemo. Cecilia is a rare talent, possessing an incredible vocal range and a remarkable ability to write and sing in multiple languages, including English, Swedish, and Arabic. Her versatility and depth add a rich, textured layer to our music that is truly exceptional.
Our collaboration has already been an exciting journey, carried out long distance with me in the UK and Cecilia in Stockholm. We’ve turned physical distance to our advantage, sharing and developing ideas remotely then pulling together to finesse the results. This allows us to blend our individual styles and cultural influences into something truly special.
We are honoured to have our music published by Archangelo Music/BMG, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Daryl Bamonte for his faith in our project. His belief in our music has been essential in bringing Two Lands to life, and we are deeply appreciative of his support.
Check out Two Lands here: