On 7th May 2019 the end of year music industry talk at Solent University comprised guest speakers Colin Lester, artist manager of various music acts including Craig David, and Kanya King MBE, founder of the MOBO Awards, in conversation with Prof. Paul Rutter, author of The Music Industry Handbook (2016). Colin Lester kicked off with a highly informative talk on the death of the album, music streaming, the role of the music agent and the importance of currency conversion for musicians’ income streams. Kanya King then delved into the fascinating details of her incredible personal journey which ultimately led her to create the MOBO Awards. King also described the barriers she had faced in bringing her vision for the awards to fruition and illustrated the resilience which she has shown in the face of more recent challenges.
There was certainly no shortage of inspiration to be found here. The event was not only hugely informative (I took copious notes!) but also served as a great means to help illustrate how some of the theory and history which my colleagues and I teach continues to apply to the music industry on a real-life basis. The content of the session provided valuable fuel for subsequent discussions with students in seminars and tutorials and it was particularly rewarding to see music students pitching their questions at these well-known industry professionals and receiving honest answers and expert advice in return.
Thanks to all involved for such an inspiring event.
Dr Jennifer Skellington 