Bold Five Year Plan to Develop Scotland’s Music Industry Revealed

Bold Five Year Plan to Develop Scotland’s Music Industry Revealed



The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) today revealed ambitious plans to create a stronger, more united music industry in Scotland

The five year plan outlines the SMIA’s core objectives and sets out an ambitious programme of events and initiatives designed to engage and attract members on an industry-wide level.

An industry led membership body, the SMIA’s objectives are to strengthen the music industry internally while championing its value and quality on both domestic and international stages. This will be achieved through the employment of three key strategies:

• celebrate and promote all musical endeavour in Scotland;
• stimulate growth and job-creation at local, regional, national and international levels;
• communicate more effectively, engaging with (and uniting) a diffuse industry populated with a myriad of small and medium enterprises across a spectrum of genres and sectors.

The SMIA will be responsible for delivering a number of high-level networking events, regional trade fairs and continuing professional development for its members. The Association’s plan includes a number of exciting new developments including an annual programme of Independent Label Markets across Scotland, designed to bring together a range of independent labels, self-releasing artists and the music loving public. There will be a programme of bespoke professional training delivered in partnership with the Music Managers Forum which will help improve the skills of professionals in key areas like international music publishing and contract negotiation.

The SMIA also has ambitious targets to grow its membership with the stated objective of achieving full financial self-sufficiency within five years. Tam Coyle, Chair of the Scottish Music Industry Association, said;

‘The SMIA has enormous potential. We have an excellent board with an appetite to change Scotland’s music industry for the better; the events and initiatives currently being developed are enormously exciting and should help the SMIA to become a unifying, proactive advocate for Scotland’s music industry.

‘By driving our membership recruitment, the SMIA can employ its financial resources into delivering initiatives for the industry, by the industry, without having to rely on external funding in the longer term.’

The SMIA will be supported by Creative Scotland investment during this key developmental phase, investment which recognises the Scottish Music Industry Association as a partner in delivering Creative Scotland’s aims of growing the cultural economy, stimulating growth within Scotland’s creative industries and maximising its global export.

Caroline Parkinson, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, said;

‘Creative Scotland works with networks across a range of arts and creative disciplines and we are delighted to begin working with SMIA and its newly developed plans for their work with the Scottish music industry.

In addition to supporting its work in Scotland, Creative Scotland has tasked the SMIA with delivering Scotland’s presence at South By South West (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas in March next year.

Additionally we will lend support to SMIA in delivering those plans by providing capacity in the form of a one year secondment, which will give SMIA a foundation to build from.

SMIA Board member, Stewart Henderson of Chemikal Underground, said;

’Delivering SXSW allows the SMIA to deliver on its two core objectives. We can promote and champion Scotland’s musical success overseas while using the consultation processes required at home to strengthen and shape our international showcasing strategies moving forward. Placing the music industry at the heart of these policy decisions will ensure we can deliver a strategy that’s meaningful and productive, offering substantial returns for the industry, from artists and labels through to managers, promoters and our partners in the media.

Further support during this key stage of development has been provided through the secondment of Creative Scotland Development Officer Stuart Thomas for one year to work as Operations Manager at the SMIA. Stuart will work across the full range of our activities with direction from the SMIA board, taking a lead role in the Association’s delivery of Scotland’s SXSW presence.

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About SMIA

The SMIA is a company limited by guarantee steered by a non-executive board of directors. All of the directors are professionals working within various sectors and genres of the music industry and sit on the board in an unpaid, voluntary capacity. The SMIA was originally formed in 2008 in recognition of the fact that no trade association existed to represent the industry with one clear, authoritative voice. The SMIA now has a dynamic board and an ambitious clarity of purpose: ‘The Scottish Music Industry Association exists to unite Scotland’s music industry and see it recognised as one of the most vibrant, influential and respected in the world.’

The SMIA Business Plan and Strategy Document 2011 – 2016 is available at: www.smia.org.uk/business-plan

Tam Coyle (Chair)
MIOBABIG Music Consultancy; DJ

Greg Kane
Blairhill Media; Hue & Cry

Dougal Perman
Inner Ear; Radio Magnetic

Stewart Henderson
Chemikal Underground

Jamie Gilmour
Hail Eris Management; BASCA; Scottish Music Centre (Project Manager)

Adam Armit
Circular Records

Cathie Rae
Scottish Jazz Federation; Thick-Skinned Productions

Stephen Hume
Venue Booker – Toolbooth (Stirling); Artist Manager

Stuart Braithwaite
Mogwai; Rock Action Records

Caroline Winn
Hebrides Ensemble (General Manager)

Douglas MacIntyre
Creeping Bent Organisation; Stow College / Electric Honey Records


For more information about SMIA, a copy of our business plan or directors contact details please contact Caroline Cooper

About Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland is the national development agency for the arts, screen and creative industries. Our vision is that Scotland will be recognised as one of the world’s most creative nations – one that attracts, develops and retains talent, where the arts and the creative industries are supported and celebrated and their economic contribution fully captured; a nation where the arts and creativity play a central part in the lives, education and well-being of our population.

Creative Scotland is currently conducting a review of the music sector in Scotland, to identify strengths, address gaps and inform its future investment priorities. This review will be completed in July 2012. A voluntary steering group will be established to bring in additional expertise, objectivity and different perspectives to the process. The steering group will be chaired by a member of the Board of Creative Scotland and SMIA will have representation on the group.

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