Bostin News - Challenges and opportunities for emerging musicians during Covid-19

Scott Garrett has been working in the music business and as an artist, for over twenty years. As the Director of the SGM Music Group Ltd, he’s managed Radio 1 playlist artists, negotiated deals with major labels like Sony ATV Publishing, and consulted on music for corporate clients. His office is in Black Country within Base Studios in Stourbridge. 

Scott is also Head of MAS Records, an innovative non-profit, government funded, artist development scheme (which is part of the NCG Group, one of the biggest further education providers in the country). 

MAS was founded in 2001 by Kevyn Gammond (ex-Band of Joy), and has Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs/The Voice), Karen Harding, Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) and Karl Hyde (Underworld) as its patrons. 

Here Scott tells us about the current challenges the music scene is facing in this comment piece…

MAS supports the development of music across the UK and provides emerging artists with a bridge into the wider industry. This initiative is unique because it combines expert music industry knowledge and experience with conventional training and education. 

Through the MAS scheme, artists can access the following free services: recording with industry producers, weekly practice time in top studios, business planning, promotion and marketing, guidance with tour planning, exposure to the UK music industry, live demo recording, and industry showcase gigs. MAS artists also receive free music distribution through Universal Music Group owned platform ‘Spinnup’ and mental health support through our ‘MAS Mind’ programme. 

There is a strong tradition for really good music in the Black Country – the region is hailed as the birthplace of heavy metal, home to Slade, Judas Priest, and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, and later The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. MAS artists past and present could be found across the Black Country, in the many live music venues that were alive and kicking - until the global pandemic hit.

Understandably, for everyone, the last couple of months have been the most testing we have all been through at MAS. However, lockdown due to Covid-19 has forced creative innovation throughout MAS in response to the challenges the industry, and our programme, is facing. 

Our team have been doubling up on online content and delivery, and finding new ways to engage and support our artists. We have seen a massive rise in engagement with online masterclasses, daily songwriting challenges, Zoom mentoring and lockdown planning projects. 

High profile guests have been more willing to give an hour of their time to talk to our artists, which is so much easier to arrange online! Subsequently we have seen a big uptake in the numbers of artists attending our new world online. We are purposefully embracing the benefits of this enforced lockdown time, championing the innovation that forced isolation has gifted us, and encouraging our artists to do the same. 

The online world provides many opportunities for artists, but also brings its challenges. 

Jonn Penney (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and MAS Artist Development Lead) states that: “Lockdown has slowed some aspects of MAS artists’ development because they can’t rehearse, play live or record together at the moment. They are lacking opportunities to hone their performances and test out their songs on new live audiences, which is essential both for developing their song writing skills and identifying who their potential audiences might be”. 

Image courtesy of Stourbridge News

There is a massive need for better quality online audio and technology in order for music to advance and develop. There is an opportunity for engineers, entrepreneurs and developers to meet that need. 

A few companies are trying to innovate new ways for artists to play live together, in real time, across the internet… we could see new styles of music emerging - with cross culture musicians collaborating under circumstances they would not normally meet in. 

This period has shown us that the playing field can be levelled across the internet when it comes to networking and opportunities for all artists. 

Innovation is key for artists right now. Despite the challenges we face as an industry and as artists there are so many opportunities. 

Jonn says: “On the plus side, downtime from rehearsing, recording and performing does give artists more time to think about marketing and publicity, which is something that is often treated as an afterthought in the rush to get recordings and gigs out. Just as shops and bars treated the shutdown as an opportunity to spruce up their premises, websites and social media channels, it’s a really good time for artists to put together plans for their future release campaigns and smarten up their visual identities.” 

We hope that it might afford artists more time to get creative, and hopefully some will feel inspired to innovate. 

Scott Garrett – MAS Records 

Scott was commissioned by content editor Louise Bloomfield to curate a Spotify playlist of current Black Country MAS artists so we can keep the tradition of good Black Country music alive during lockdown:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/227iAJdDap1X6PiIUNZMZ4?si=YFWrFHvtTbq11us09OJIaQ