The event is aimed at at independent music producers, and programmers, curators and marketeers working in performing and visual arts organisations and museums across the country. Exploring how music-led collaborations between independent producers and larger, established arts organisations can catalyse and sustain innovation, and what the future holds for cross-scale and cross-artform collaboration, the event closes New Music Plus…North West, a leadership development programme developed in partnership by the hub and the PRS for Music Foundation. The programme will include: high level panels; networking opportunities; the opportunity to hear from key funders, and presentations about New Music Plus?

With the full programme to be announced next week, other confirmed panellists confirmed include Laura Ducceschi (De La Warr Pavilion), Lindsey Fryer (Tate Liverpool), John Kieffer (Sound and Music), Joana Seguro (Lumin) and independent producers, Ross Dalziel and Jon Hering, both of whom took part in the New Music Plus… North West programme.

New Music Plus? aims to strengthen leadership skills and cross art-form learning amongst organisations and independent producers that want to develop their approach to programming new music and build new audiences for new music. It responds to needs for work-based training and reflection identified within music and other sectors.

During 2010, New Music Plus?North West supported eight independent producers from the region to develop their creative and business skills and understanding, and work on a series of co-productions with 10 host organisations: Band on the Wall; the Biennial; Bluecoat Arts Centre; Contact Theatre; Cornerhouse; FACT; National Museums Liverpool; the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Tate Liverpool, and Whitworth Art Gallery. This programme built on learning from a 2009 pilot programme, which ran in London and had as host organisations: the BFI; Big Chill festival; Longplayer Trust; the Roundhouse; Tate Britain; the Serpentine Gallery; Sound and Music, and the South Bank Centre. New Music Plus… North West is supported by Arts Council England, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Sound and Music.

Places for Sustaining Innovation through Collaboration are limited, so early booking is essential. To secure your free place, email luke@prsformusicfoundation.com by 5pm Monday 28th February.

With just a couple of days to go to the Mayor?s Music Education Summit at City Hall, which we?re producing, we wanted to draw your attention once more to the GLA?s No Strings Attached Musical Instrument Amnesty, delivered in partnership with Time Out. If you?ve got an old, once-loved, instrument which you no longer use, then you can pledge it to the amnesty. To find out more, just go to timeout.com/nostrings.

Here we?re at hub towers we?re excited and delighted to be launching our new training brochure this month. It?s full of training courses based on client feedback about what they – and the people they work with ? need, and covers areas such as business planning, fundraising, digital strategy and production, legal and finance essentials, creative production, music industry essentials making the Olympics work for you. Easily navigable, each section outlines example frameworks, content and learning outcomes, and it also talks you through how we work with clients to customize our training sessions to ensure that they provide exactly what?s needed.

As you may already know, the hub has a strong track record as a training organisation; over the years we?ve worked with music industry bodies and development agencies to train hundreds of artists, promoters, producers, label managers and others working in the cultural sector. In response to demand, we?ve done more and more training each year. We really enjoy training; it?s inspiring to spend time with other industry professionals keen to find new answers and try out new ideas – and it keeps us on our toes! As trainers, the hub gives people what they want: industry-specific training, full of relevant, practical advice and information that can be put into practice straight away; trainers who continue to do pay their dues and are generous with their knowledge, and plenty of opportunities for debate, questions and networking. All of our trainers are specialist ?industry insiders?, who combine significant training expertise with up-to-the-minute practical experience of working as managers, producers, fundraisers, marketers or project managers.

Our Fundraising and Sponsorship courses cover everything from government funds to private investment; as the credit crunch kicks in and industry models shift, injecting cash into small businesses will be harder but all the more important. Our Digital Strategy and Production courses are a 21st Century reality check, explaining how to get digitally savvy on a shoestring, build a business-focused digital ?toolkit?; check out the hugely popular Penniless Podcaster too! We cover the live stuff too ? our Creative Production courses cover everything people need to know to make their events a success ? the checklist, health & safety, logistic ? the lot. Everyone hates business planning, right? Our Business Planning courses are renowned for cutting through the c*** and getting people inspired and on-track. The same is true of our Music Industry Essentials courses, aimed at artists and entrepreneurs alike, which show you how to make money from your music and grow your music business. Meanwhile our Legal & Financial Essentials sessions tackle contracts, copyright, legal and company structures, boards and governance, demystifying all that legal jargon. And, If you want to build your international know how, check out our International Arts courses, which explain how to work internationally, and ? the one we all want to crack ? how to make the Olympics work for you.

We hope you enjoy reading our first ever Training Guide; we?re very excited about it, and we?d love to explore with you how we might be able to work together. To find out more, give us a call on 020 7377 1373 or email info@thehubuk.com.

This week, we have focussed on working as a group. After an initial brainstorming session, we came up with the name Music Mashup Podcasters which we think reflects what we have been up to in our workshops.

The next logical step was to create an indent for the group which was a lot of fun – you can see the photos by clicking here. For this, we decided to employ a good old box of percussion including shakers, triangles, djembes, marracas and more. After a lot of noise, we think we’ve come up with something.

We’ve also built on our interviewing techniques and generated reems of material. All in all, the group have got plenty to say so we’re looking forward to next week when we’ll be assembling it all into the form of a podcast.

This week we have focused on the fundamentals of recording and spent time interviewing and getting to know one another. Each participant has worked hard to create audio content based around there favourite musical styles, bands and interests which we will be looking to edit into the form of a podcast over the coming weeks. Led by Stuart Silver and assisted by hubsters Tom and Andi, the programme has gotten off to a cracking start and everyone involved has greatly enjoyed what looks to be a hugely rewarding project. To see the pics, just click here.

Do you have an interest in music or radio and are looking to develop your digital expertise in this field? If so, you may be interested in what we have on offer?

Funded by Sound Connections and supported by Attitude Is Everything, the hub will be producing and delivering another inspirational training programme centred around podcasting.

The project Podcast Connections is a programme of workshops for disabled young people between the ages of 11?25 and is completely FREE! It is a workshop programme that enables participants to develop all the practical skills and knowledge they need to put together their own podcasts.

Including digital production skills, feedback from industry professionals, help to share and promote your music via a range of multi media channels and a chance to play live, you?d be mad to miss out on this fantastic opportunity!

Beginning on Saturday 8th of March and continuing to Saturday March 29th, the programme will run between the times of 10:00?15:00 at the Stratford Circus in East London.

To reserve your place on the course, you will need to fill out a brief application form which can be obtained by clicking here. This should be returned by 12:00 mid day on Wednesday 5th March so you?ll have to hurry as we only have 10 spaces!
For more information, please contact andi@thehubuk.com