FINAL KEYNOTE: WHERE WE'RE AT

Kicking off the proceedings on Thursday 16 May, this keynote session will consider the state of the music business in 2013, with representatives from the indie, major, live and management communities discussing the threats and opportunities facing the industry.  

The keynote will include an interview with CHARLES CALDAS, CEO of the independents' global rights agency Merlin, fresh from receiving the Impala Outstanding Contribution Award and on the verge of Merlin's fifth anniversary. Caldas will discuss the state of the indie label sector and the evolution of the digital market from an independent perspective, and reveal key results from a new survey of Merlin members. 

Caldas commented: "From day one, independent labels and artists have been at the forefront of digital music: adapting to change, driving innovation and weathering perennial challenges - from both inside and outside the industry. As the digital market continues to evolve, and particularly with the growing adoption of streaming services, I look forward to sharing some of the insights that Merlin has gathered over the past five years with The Great Escape's audience".  

GREAT ESCAPE CONVERSATIONS PROGRAMME

Amidst the panels, parties and networking sessions, The Great Escape convention will again boast a great programme of ‘in conversation’ events, with leading artists and music business players discussing their work, their careers, and their views on the evolving world of music creation. This year’s conversations programme includes: 

Everything Everything In Conversation With John Kennedy: Ahead of their Brighton Dome show, Everything Everything will discuss their career to date, the success of their first album, and the follow up 'Arc' with Xfm's John Kennedy.  

The Art of A&R: The veterans and rising stars of A&R debate whether the art of talent spotting and artist development has changed as a label and artist’s direct connection with music fans becomes ever stronger. Featuring Seymour Stein (Sire Records), Korda Marshall (Infectious Music), Jack Shankly (Domino/Weird World) and Jos Watkin (Parlophone). 

John Robb’s Pop Question Time: A Great Escape institution, LouderThanWar’s John Robb will lead a lively debate between members of the artist and political community. Featuring Billy Bragg, Skint’s Damian Harris, The Pirate Party’s Loz Kaye and Kerry McCarthy MP.  

Heroes & Villains: Another Great Escape institution, four industry veterans from very different backgrounds discuss the heroes and the villains they have encountered during their music and media careers. Amongst those taking part this year are music business lawyer Ben Challis and music journalist Simon Price. 

ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND SUPPORTS THE GREAT ESCAPE

The Arts Council has once again provided valuable support to The Great Escape, enabling extra strands in both the festival and the convention, and helping to ensure that the overall programme is more eclectic and diverse than ever before. 

Arts Council Chief Executive, Alan Davey will give a keynote address to the convention to officially launch the organisation’s new artist-centric talent development fund. Elsewhere on the convention side, the Arts Council’s support will enable the further expansion of our popular programme of formal networking events, and a whole day of educational sessions aimed at grass roots artists and those at the start of their music careers. 

In the festival, the Arts Council has supported the expansion of our contemporary classical and world music programme, with shows centred on St Mary’s and St Bartholomew’s churches, plus special matinee showcases at the Brighthelm Centre in partnership with Resonance FM, an all-ages matinee at the Corn Exchange on Saturday afternoon, and a big closing party at the same venue later on Saturday night that will include live visuals provided by Metahub.

The Great Escape 2013 at Various Venues, Brighton, East Sussex between Thu 16th to Sat 18th May 2013 Tickets on sale here