Holiday Issue 2019

80 Feb19487 Best Artist Development Specialists 2019 – UK & Most Outstanding inVocal & Performance Coaching - UK 360 Artist Development is an innovative team of music industry experts committed to driving emerging artists to harness their talent and achieve success in this competitive market. As part of our overview of a selection of the winners from this year’s Vinyl & Records Awards we invited Director of Development Matthew Humphrys to tell us more. Drawing on its vast experience in the industry, 360 Artist Development offers all-encompassing training for a career in the music industry, as well as recording services, photography, personal styling, songwriting, promotion, music videos and social media management. Matthew explores the importance of his firm’s service offering and how it influenced both artists and the wider music industry. “Singers, songwriters and rappers who want to have a career in the music industry often face the difficulty of not knowing how to 'make it' because there is no set career path where qualifications will lead you to job interviews and eventually work. There are television programs that make instant stars out of people, but that is not the way in which most artists become successful. “At 360 Artist Development, we offer an all in one solution to artists where we train them in singing, songwriting, performance, social media management, media interview techniques and more; in addition to writing for (or with) them, recording them on original songs in the studio, doing cover videos, photography, personal styling, music videos and helping promote them to the industry. This gives the artist a team behind them to get them to a professional level, with a portfolio of work that will put them in a better negotiating position with record companies and/or the ability to become an independent artist. This is not classroom based - it is one on one recording studio-based tuition and attention. Thanks to this service offering, over the years we have helped a number of different artists aged between 12 and 40 in many different genres including pop, rap, country, hip-hop, folk, soul, indie and adult contemporary.” Operating in a competitive industry, the firm faces many challenges, including raising awareness of what ‘artist development’ is, in order to help benefit more upcoming artists. Matthew discusses how the firm works alongside its clients to ensure they receive the support they need and understand the importance of 360 Artist Development’s service offering and how it can drive their career forward. “As part of our focus on providing our clients with unique services that they can lead on to real world success, at 360 Artist Development we are totally transparent about what our artists achieve, which includes a $1m record deal offer, playing on BBC stages, top 5 country single, being invited to the Urban Music Awards and Brit Awards, celebrity endorsement, UK tours, and even an interview on ITV news to name just a few. We believe that if our artists are successful, then will we be too. We openly show our artists on our website, something which most artist development companies do not and we have no tie in clauses to our contracts - if the artist wants to work with us after getting signed then fantastic, but they do not have to and this is because we like to build trust and confidence to keep a fully creative and partnership approach to making music together because both parties want to. “Being honest and open means that we are able to provide a safe space for artists to become their professional selves. We understand mental health issues that artists often suffer from and we teach them techniques to cope with anxiety in an industry where rejections and hateful messages come more often than praise and acceptance. As a flexible company we offer different package types to suit not only different budgets but lifestyles and taking into account travel distances and the amount of times people want to come over to us in a year. All of these factors ensure that our clients receive the support they need and understand that we are more than just advisors: we are collaborators.” As he looks to the future Matthew foresees even greater success for 360 Artist Development as the company moves into exciting new genres and markets, including the release of a new video based online course on how to sing. “Recently, we have entered the world of sync music, including music for television, film, adverts and trailers. I personally went out to Los Angeles in November 2018 to meet music supervisors from Lionsgate films, Disney, HBO, Netflix etc and now our writers are writing with other writers from across the United States and we are using the vocals of our artists at 360 to give them exposure, the chance to earn money from placements and the chance to launch their career should a song be featured on a program or advert. These developments will ensure success both for our firm and, most importantly, for our clients over the coming years. To see a video of what it is like to experience a development programme with 360, check out the homepage of www.360artistdevelopment.com .” Company: 360 Artist Development Name: Matthew Humphrys Address: 42 Western Avenue, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 0PF Telephone Number: 07450966920 Web Address: www.360artistdevelopment.com