Those of you lucky enough to be attending SWN Festival this week should get you’r eyes on these prizes.

Swn Festival is the brainchild of BBC Radio 1′s Huw Stephens. Featuring bands, DJs, conferences, art, film, workshops, Scrabble and exhibitions, this is the festival’s 2nd year.

Wristbands cost £45 (with free programmes for all) and allow free entry to all events on a first come, first served basis. Each event at Swn will also be priced individually for cash payments on walk up, however priority will always be given to wristband holders. The opening party on 13th November will be for wristband holders only.

Swn wristbands are now available from the following outlets:

sebon.co.uk
The Gate, Roath, Cardiff, buy online at thegate.org.uk or by phone on 02920 483344
Spillers Records, 02920 224905, The Hayes, Cardiff
The Point, 02920 460873, Mount Stuart Square Cardiff
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

Swn Festival Seminars, The Atrium, Adam Street, Cardiff, Thursday 12pm to 5pm & Friday 11am to 5pm
Free to Swn wristband holders

Thursday 13th November
12:00 – 12:45 – Matthew Cashmore, Lonely Planet
Technology developments with the Lonely Planet online and on other platforms

13:00 – 13:45 – Mel Kirk, Aardman
Aardman / Channel 4 4mations.tv case study and how to harness the power of social media

14:00 – 14:45 – Matt Jones, Dopplr
Dopplr case study

15:00 – 15:45 – Tim Morgan, Mint Digital
Orange Unsigned Act case study and how the web can help unsigned acts

16:00 – 17:00 – Panel Q&A – Mel Kirk, Matt Jones, Tim Morgan,
chaired by Wil Stephens

Mel Kirk (Aardman)
Mel is a Social Media Consultant who is currently working at Aardman Animations to help steer their online community strategy and brand. Mel’s become well known for her “randomThursday videos” and social media insights at www.randommel.com having built a name for herself arranging world-class international web events whilst working for Carsonified. Mel describes herself
as being a social media butterfly and is happy to talk geek til the cows come home! Mel’s most recent projects involve building and managing a community around www.4mations.tv from scratch as well as directing the online strategy for www.wallaceandgrommit.com and
www.shaunthesheep.com

Matt Jones (Dopplr)
Matt Jones is a designer. He was creative director for the award-winning BBC News Online and Sapient’s London studio in the first boom, then returned the BBC in 2001 to design the BBC’s web search and a geo-located social network. From 2003, he joined Nokia in design research, then as a Director of UX Design. He is one of the founders of, lead designer at Dopplr, a service for frequent travellers.

Tim Morgan (Mint Digital)
Tim is founder and CEO of Mint Digital. Mint conceive, develop and build online social media properties that fuse the democracy and mass participation of the web with the creativity of music and TV. Mints web hits in music include Radiopop (www.radiopop.co.uk) for the BBC, Orange Unsigned Act (www.orangeunsignedact.co.uk)
for Orange, Sony Ericsson and Channel 4, Skins (www.skinslife.com) for Company Pictures and Oxjam (www.oxjam.mtv.co.uk) for
MTV and Oxfam.

Friday 14th November
11:00 – 12:15 – Why don’t more bands play in Wales? : Promoting Live Music in Wales

Panellists include:

Dave Driscoll (P4 Music)
Dave Driscoll is a promoter with Cardiff-based live music promoters P4. This year P4 have promoted shows in Wales including Neon Neon, Cerys Matthews, The Peth, The Automatic, Funeral For A Friend, Cajun Dance Party, The View and The Stranglers.

Guto Brychan (Maes B)
Guto Brychan programmes and promotes Maes B, the youth gig strand of the National Eistedfod of Wales which is the annual highlight of the Welsh Language Music Scene. He also programmes the Welsh Language output of live venue Clwb Ifor Bach and also A&Rs for the Gwymon and Copa imprints of Wales’ biggest record label, Sain.

Steve Tilley (Kilamanjaro)
Steve Tilley, promoter at Kilimanjaro Live Ltd in London, previously at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent of which he is also still one of the venue’s owners. The Sugarmill has grown under Steve’s guidance into one of the UK’s best small venues putting Stoke on the UK tour circuit and bringing the likes of Muse, Coldplay, The Libertines and countless more bands to the city using the Sugarmill, Keele University and the Victoria Hall over the years. Now based in London where he’s working for new company Kilimanjaro. An ex-musician and journalist himself Steve has also managed several bands   (most notably Agent Blue – Island Records/Fierce Panda) and also started his own label to release singer songwriter Andy Gower – who toured with Scott Matthews.
Kilimnajaro promote all of Metallica’s arena tours around Europe, and they were responsible for hosting Muse at Wembley too.

John Rostron (Swn Festival / The Point)
John Rostron co-founded Cardiff’s SWN festival and is commercial director of live music venue The Point. He promotes club nights in the city and runs the My Kung Fu record label.

13:15 – 14:15
Case Study: How to Have A Number One Album with Scouting For Girls

S?n co-founder and BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens interviews Scouting For Girls about what it takes to go from unsigned to number one in under a year…

14:30 – 15:30
Doing It Yourself. Everybody can and everybody is…

You no longer have to wait for a pot of gold from a label to start making your mark. Looking at the techniques and technologies available to DIY music makers wanting to be heard.

Panellists include:
Andrew Dubber (New Musical Strategies – www.newmusicstrategies.com)

Andrew is the Degree Leader for Music Industries at UCE Birmingham. A senior lecturer and researcher with a particular interest in online music, radio and new media technology. He’s also co-author of a book about new technologies for broadcasters in developing nations, commissioned by UNESCO, and a member of the steering committee for the Radio Studies Network. He’s currently engaged in an Arts and Humanities Research Council project in collaboration with BBC Future Media and Technology, investigating audience interaction with music radio.

Colin Rice (We7 – www.we7.com)

For we7 read ‘paid for’ free music downloads where you, as the rights owner, get paid every time your tracks are downloaded. Where your fans get to listen to and share your music free, safe and legally – and where new bands are reviewed by We7’s own ‘Tastemakers’. We live in a world where people believe that music and video downloads should be available freely. Now, thanks to We7’s ad and message supported music downloads technology, the fans get free music – and you get paid. We7 shares the money that is made from the ads that are embedded with downloaded music and videos. Unlike P2P piracy sites, we respect your Intellectual Property and your contribution to the world of entertainment. For free music downloaded from our site, the split is typically 50/50 between you and the rights owner, after costs. Our agreement with you is non-exclusive, leaving you with the right to do whatever you like with your Intellectual Property. By allowing music downloads with we7, you keep control.

Tejas Mistry (Indiestore / 7 digital – http://indiestore.7digital.com)

indiestore is a service from 7digital that empowers unsigned and independent artists to sell their music direct to fans online.  indiestore is home to more than 55,000 artists from over 200 different countries and the first unsigned artist to chart inside the UK Top 40. indiestore tools allow artists to effectively sell their digital music through widgets for social networking sites, get promotion across 7dgitial partners including Last.fm and showcase their music at the monthly indiestore showcase gigs in London. All music on indiestore is sold in high quality 192kbps and in multiple formats without DRM.  Tejas Mistry is Product Manager of indiestore.com, a service powered by 7digital. He oversees all development, marketing and partnerships for the independent artist digital music service. Prior to joining 7digital in 2004, Tejas worked at leading independent distributor The Orchard in London leading on European licensing and content management.

Ewan Grant (Xtaster – www.xtaster.co.uk/ Death Or Glory Music -www.myspace.com/deathorglorymusicltd)

Ewan is currently managing the Welsh band Attack Attack (check out www.myspace.com/attackattackband) and lecturing in marketing and issues and challenges in the creative industries at University of Westminster on the Masters Degree in Music Business Management course. Ewan is also consulting as Marketing Director for Xtaster online. Xtaster is an online music community with the aim to raise awareness of the bands they work.  Their members act like a street team, spreading the word while Xtatster provide the tools.

Sean Adams (Drowned In Sound – www.drownedinsound.com)

Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned In Sound, one of Europe’s most widely read internet music sites. Sean also released early singles by Kaiser Chiefs and Bat For Lashes before releasing albums by Martha Wainwright and Brett Anderson. Sean is a passionate and energetic music lover whose roots are in DIY hence his moderation today.

16:00 – 17:00
Why I stayed in Cardiff / Why I moved to London

Five big hitters from the UK music industry discuss the pros and cons of working in smaller cities against working in the big smoke.

Panellists include:

Jude Rogers
Swansea-born Jude is a music writer for many revered national publications including The Guardian and Word Magazine. This year she was also on the panel for the Mercury Music Prize.

Martin Bowen (Probation Management)
Martin Bowen runs management company Probation Management whose roster includes The Automatic and Viva Machine. Previously he ran the FF Vinyl label which broke bands including Mohobishopi and Martini Henry Rifles.

Mark Gale (Universal Publishing A&R)
Mark Gale has worked at Universal Publishing (previously BMG Publishing) for 5 years. During that time he’s worked directly with artists such as Friendly Fires, Maps, The Duke Spirit and Aqualung. Previously he worked in BMG’s Manchester office, whilst studying in Liverpool.

Crispin Parry and Danny Ford (aka The Gloom Brothers)
Crispin (founder / Manager) and Danny (promotions) are the movers behind British Underground, founded a decade ago with the aim of creatively supporting and celebrating new music from the UK. Since then, the company has pioneered music campaigns including British Music Embassy and Bootleg BBQ at SxSW, Rock Over London in New York and LA and British Underground Club in Tokyo. Danny is a music photographer, sleeve designer, magazine writer and editor . Ex-music journalist Crispin was founder of Bang! magazine and toured the world as member of Polyphonic Spree.