Music legends Dave Stewart, Guy Garvey and Ian Brown are amongst the legion of stars that are coming together this month to launch O2 Undiscovered. Now in its 3rd year, O2 Undiscovered is a grass roots music programme that has evolved to find new ways of opening up careers in the music industry to people in the UK.
Renowned for always being at the top of their game, the celebrity ambassadors will kick start O2 Undiscovered 2008 with O2 Undiscovered Workshops – a series of industry workshops at The O2 Wireless Weekenders throughout May, where they will be at hand to offer expert advice to those looking to get into the music industry.
The O2 Undiscovered Regional Workshops will visit Newcastle Academy 2 (3rd May), Glasgow Academy 2 (10th May), Manchester Academy 2 (17th May), Birmingham Academy 2 (24th May) and Bristol Academy 2 (31st May). There are a limited number of free places for each workshop, which may be applied for at www.O2undiscovered.co.uk which also details a full running order for each event.
Each of the O2 Undiscovered Regional Workshop events will be open from 11am-3pm and provide access to a panel of seven experts: A&R, artist management, musician, producer, music lawyer, promoter, venue owner and music agent. Each panel member will give talks, answer questions and provide advice to musicians or individuals wanting a job in the music industry. So whether attendees want to be the next Radiohead, Timbaland or Malcolm McLaren there will be someone to help make their dreams a reality.
Experts at the O2 Undiscovered Regional Workshops include Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Danny McNamarra (Embrace), Guy Garvey (Elbow), Danny McNamara (Embrace), Roddy Woomble (Idlewild) and Eugene Kelley (The Vaselines and Eugenius).
These will be supported by experts who have managed and produced some of the biggest names in the music business including the man who pioneered Amy Winehouse’s career, Nick Godwyn (19 Management), Grant Dickson (View Manager) Vince Power (Mean Fiddler Founder), Paul Carey (The Who) and Nigel Jones (Kylie Minogue). A full list of the panel is on the O2 Undiscovered website (www.O2undiscovered.co.uk)
In addition to the main talks there will be selected one to one sessions where attendees can bring along their music to be professionally A&R’d plus managers and producers will offer individual advice on making it in the music business.
Wireless Weekender Cinema Screenings
As well as the O2 Undiscovered Regional Workshops there will be cinema screenings with films dedicated to music from each city. These will include:
City, Cinema, Date, Films, Times
Newcastle, The Side, 4-May, The Animals – rehersal room, 2pm
The Other Lindisfarne, 4pm
Glasgow, Glasgow Film Theatre, 11-May, ARTWORKS SCOTLAND: SHOOTING FRANZ FERDINAND, 2pm
THE BEAT ROOM:BEAT ROOM SPECIAL: THE STRORY OF BELLE & SEBASTIAN , 4pm
Manchester, Manchester Cornerhouse, 18-May, Control, 8.30pm
Birmingham, Electric, 25-May, Cracked Glastonbury, 2pm
Metal – A headbangers journey, 4pm
Bristol, Watershed, 1-Jun, Naked and Famous, 2pm
Portishead: Live in New York, 4pm
Break It Down & Living Inside the Speaker, 4pm
The O2 Undiscovered workshops at the O2 Wireless Weekenders will be the first of a full programme of O2 Undiscovered activity that aims to de-mystify the music industry and provide advice and access to anyone who wants a career both on the front of a CD or in the credits.
Other elements of O2 Undiscovered 2008 include a series of work placements in the music industry and an O2 Undiscovered bespoke stage created at The O2 where unsigned bands can apply to play via the O2 Undiscovered website.
About O2
O2 is a leading provider of mobile and broadband services to consumers and businesses in the UK. These services include voice, text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as always on data connections via GPRS, 3G and WLAN. Every month, O2’s 18.4 million customers send well over a billion text messages. O2 UK is part of Telefónica O2 Europe which comprises mobile network operators in the UK, Ireland and Slovakia along with integrated fixed / mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic. Telefónica O2 Europe also owns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100% ownership of Be, a leading UK fixed broadband provider
O2 was ranked as 6th best place to work in the Best Companies to Work for 2008 List and has been awarded a three-star accreditation denoting an ’extraordinary’ company.
(For b-roll footage of O2, please visit www.thenewshub.co.uk)
O2 UNDISCOVERED AMBASSADORS AND PANELISTS
NEWCASTLE ,
A&R Man Ireland Records , Paul Scoular, Island Records
Publicist, Jonathan Wingate, Journalism/broadcast/TV Radio
The Manager, Grant Dickson, Client: The View
Musician/Songwriter, Roddy Woomble, Idlewild
Plugger, Narrinder Bains, Warner Brothers
Gig Promoter/Venue Owner, Vince Power, Reading & Leeds Festival
Promoter, Kelly Chappell, Live Nation
The Producer, Ian Stewart, Blueprint Studios
The Lawyer, Murray Buchanan, Client: Mylo / Biffy Clyro
GLASGOW,
A&R 21st Artists , Todd Interland, Client: James Blunt
The Agent, Nick Godwyn, 19 Management
The Manager, Keren McKean, Client: Snow Patrol
Radio DJ, Vic Galloway BBC Scotland, Radio One Indie DJ
Plugger, Neil Adams, Client: Stereophonic
The Musician/Songwriter, Eugene Kelly, The Vaselines
Gig Promoter/Venue Owner, Craig McGee DF Concerts, King Tuts Promotor
The Producer, Gary Hadfield, Blueprint Studios
The Lawyer, Murray Buchanan, Mylo / Biffy Clyro
MANCHESTER,
A&R Man, Nick Godwyn, 19 Management
The Agent/Publicist, Paul Carey, Client: David Bowie/The Who/Shirley Bassey
The Manager, Karen Boardman, Crisis Management
Radio DJ, Natalie Eve Williams, BBC Manchester
Radio DJ, Michelle Hussey, BBC Manchester
The Musician/Songwriter, Danny McNamara, Embrace
Gig Promoter, Alex McCann, Designer Magazine
The Producer, Tim Thomas, Blue Print Studios
The Lawyer, Andrew Booth, Client: Ian Brown
BIRMINGHAM,
A&R Man, Nick Godwyn, 19 Management
The Agent/Publicist, Narrinder Bains, Warner Bros
The Manager, Simon Hargreaves, James Grant Music
Radio DJ, Loz Guest, Kerrang Radio
The Musician/Songwriter, Dave Stewart, Eurhythmics
Gig Promoter, Damian Eston, Angel Music Group
The Producer, Ian Stewart, Blueprint Studio
The Lawyer, Tahir Basheer, Client: Thin Lizzy
BRISTOL,
A&R Man, Olivier Behzadi, Sony/MTV
The Agent, Nick Godwyn, 19 Management
The Publicist, Jonathan Wingate, Journalism/broadcast/TV Radio
The Manager, Phil Chadwick, Client: Elbow
Radio DJ/Plugger, DJ Dan, Propaganda
The Musician/Songwriter, Guy Garvey, Elbow
Gig Promoter, Rag , Client: Just Jack
The Producer, Ian Stewart, Blueprint Studios
The Lawyer, Nigel Jones, Client: Kylie Minogue
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