EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTS
FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY
Session 5: 3.30m – 4.30pm
BEACON @ FUTURE YARD
EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTS
What makes artists and bands stand out to industry professionals to the extent that they are willing to invest time and money into them?
We’ve assembled a group of people who work with exceptional artists in different ways, whether that’s at record labels, management companies, through social media or showcasing them at festivals and supporting them with their international activity. Their role is not to build you up from scratch, but to use their expertise and resources to enhance and amplify.
We will be talking about what makes an artist special and stand out amongst everyone else. We will discuss how new artists should be conducting themselves and the importance of leaning into your individuality and what will make you shine. We will also be looking at how you can be using different platforms to build a world around your music for the industry to get on board with, and ultimately have more to work with.
Our guest speakers:
KATHERINE CANTWELL
Katherine Cantwell is social media manager at Heavenly Recordings, where she has spent the past 11 years of her career. She works across the Heavenly roster, harnessing the power of social media as an integral part of audience development. Heavenly Recordings are currently working with KNEECAP, Baxter Dury, Katy J Pearson, OneDa, The Orielles, David Holmes, Revival Season, OneDa, Halo Maud, Lynks, Pip Blom and Tapir! – showcasing that they are not driven by genre, but more by special artists with unique styles and offerings.
ANDY JONES
Andy Jones is the co-founder and music programmer for the FOCUS Wales showcase festival. Andy has worked within the music industry for over 20 years; as an artist, label MD, manager, and promoter. He’s delivered work for a variety of labels, including dedicated releases in the UK, Germany, Italy and Canada. Through these projects Andy has gained extensive experience of the various sectors, providing his team with a depth of expertise which underpins the delivery of the FOCUS Wales showcase festival. FOCUS Wales is an annual international showcase festival, which takes place in Wrexham each May. 2025 marks the festival’s 15th anniversary, and will welcome over 22,000 festival goers, with over 250 artists from around the world performing across 20 stages.
Alongside the annual festival, FOCUS Wales also have an international branch to their work, supporting artists from Wales to export across the globe, with FOCUS Wales supported showcases to date at SXSW, New Colossus, M for Montreal, BreakOut West, Eurosonic, Reeperbahn, Zandari Festa, LUCfest, and more projects in the works. Andy has taken part in conferences at leading music industry events around the world, including events in Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the USA.
JACK CLOTHIER
Co-founding Alcopop! Records in his bedroom back in 2008 with a 3 figure loan gambled on a football match, Jack (along with partner Kev) has grown the label from extremely humble beginnings, to one of the most cherished and respected indie record labels on the UK scene.
Former AIM Award winners, and pioneers in creative thinking over big budgets, Alcopop! has overseen the rise and rise of some incredibly important bands in the UK (Art Brut, Indoor Pets, johnny foreigner, TIGERCUB, Pulled Apart By Horses, CHERYM, BO NINGEN, The Subways, Problem Patterns) – as well as making waves in Europe and beyond with the likes of Kississippi, PABST, DZ Deathrays, Anamanaguchi and more.
LAURA TAYLOR
Currently Head of Creative at Red Light Management, Laura oversees all creative output across the roster, from short form series, music videos, documentaries, podcasts, concert films, to launch events and bespoke activations.
As a creative leader and producer with 17 years of experience in the music and creative industries, Laura Taylor is driven by the mission of creating meaningful connections between artists and fans, and showcasing their stories and talents through high-impact events and experiences. She has a strong background in creative ideation, video production, digital media, content strategy, and brand partnerships, and has worked with some of the most influential artists and brands in the world.
Laura’s work as a freelance creative and senior event producer allows her to work with various global production companies delivering large-scale projects, such as art galleries, pop-ups, fashion shows, immersive theatre, and festival creative. Some of her notable achievements include being the global producer of Mumford & Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival and brand, and working with Laura Marling and Secret Cinema on a live collaboration. She continues to build strong relationships throughout the creative industries.