The Great Escape today confirmed the remaining four topics that will be explored during the focused half-day convention strands, which will be presented to the festival's 3000+ industry delegates this May 8-10, when it returns to Brighton for the 9^th year running. 

Robin Thicke's ‘Blurred Lines’ was the biggest selling record of 2013 and arguably the most controversial song of the year. Its critics accused the track and its video of misogyny, triggering widespread debates about the portrayal of women in pop music. Suitably titled ‘Blurred Lines: Does pop have a misogyny problem?’, The Great Escape will bring together artists, journalists, campaigners and leading music industry heads for a definitive take on this issue, questioning whether the industry should take a collective stand and in doing so, would the creative freedom of artists, both male and female, be violated? 

The strand will be hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJ Jen Long, who said: "From 'Blurred Lines' to Charlotte Church's Radio Festival speech to Lauren Mayberry's Guardian piece, the representation of women in and by the music industry has been debated more fiercely this year than I can ever remember. While this can only be a good thing, what in practical terms could and should be done? Perhaps we should start by addressing the make-up of the industry itself - only 14% of the PRS membership is women. I look forward to discussing possible action plans at The Great Escape this May".  

Also revealed today are the remaining half-day strands, which will sit alongside the Blurred Lines debate as well as the already announced Global Digital Markets and Maxmising Music Rights: 

Building A Fan Business will take a look at how digital channels are enabling a direct-to-fan revolution that is changing the way artists interact and transact with their fans, with a keynote from Sam Taylor of CMU Insights explaining how 'fandom' really works.  

New Product Strategies will be jam packed with ideas on how artists and their business partners can truly add value to core fanbase with new products and services, opening up a plethora of exciting creative and commercial opportunities. 

Lastly, The Festival Business will provide an insightful exploration into festival opportunities in emerging markets and the new alternative ‘winter circuit’, plus the marketing challenges for events in crowded calendars and artists on busy line-ups. 

This complete set of strands has been engineered specifically to give this year’s delegates the opportunity to delve deeper into key music business topics.  

To find out more in depth information on each strand at this year’s Great Escape convention click here. 

The Great Escape Festival Director Kat Morris says: "We're really excited about our new approach to convention programming this year, and the fact our delegates will be able to access more in-depth insights and case studies in six fascinating areas of our industry. And while The Great Escape is a place for the music community to do business, I think it's also important we consider the way our industry interacts with society at large, and our 'Blurred Lines' strand will definitely focus the debate in this area".  

Delegates also have priority access to The Great Escape’s music programme. The festival, now in its 9^th year, is Europe’s leading festival for new music, and will present over 400 exciting new artists and bands in over 30 venues across Brighton. The line-up for 2014 is now complete and features artists from across the globe, including MØ, CLEAN BANDIT, LITTLE DRAGON, GLASS ANIMALS, DROWNERS, TRANS, MNEK, EAST INDIA YOUTH, JON HOPKINS, ALBERT HAMMOND JR, DRY THE RIVER, FUTURE ISLANDS, GEORGE EZRA, JIMI GOODWIN, FAT WHITE FAMILY, MARIKA HACKMAN and JUNGLE. 

For the complete 2014 line, more information and ticket links click here.

THE GREAT ESCAPE BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX, UK 8-10 MAY 2014 

3 DAY SAVER DELGATE PASS 2014                                            £175 (last few remain) 

3 DAY HOTEL ROOM & DELGATE PASS PACKAGE 2014       from £495 (limited availability)