How to Apply To Play Music Festivals & Events Across the World

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How to Apply To Play Music Festivals & Events Across the World

I found this great article on Di++O website with links to current UK and overseas opportunities. It's really useful and very informative, as it is up to date and also has direct links to the festival or event where you can apply - so super helpful.

Remember, before you apply to perform at any of these music festivals and events, be sure to read the application instructions and conditions carefully for the best chance of success. Some events may only accept submissions from artists of certain styles and genres, so make sure your act fits the bill before submitting your application.

CURRENT UK & EUROPE OPPORTUNITIES

Are You Listening? Festival | April 2020 | Reading, UK | Apply here

Live at Leeds | May 2020 | Leeds, UK | Apply here

Hanwell Hootie | May 2020 | London, UK | Apply here

Mello Festival | May 2020 | Worcestershire, UK | Apply here

Elderflower Fields | May 2020 | East Sussex, UK | Apply here

The Great Escape | May 2020 | Brighton, UK |Apply here

Sound City | May 2020 | Liverpool, UK | Apply here

Leestock | May 2020 | Suffolk, UK | Apply here

Wychwood Festival | May 2020 | Cheltenham, UK | Apply here

Camden Rocks | May 2020 | London, UK | Apply here

Long Division Festival | June 2020 | Wakefield, UK | Apply here

Sweden Rock | June 2020 | Sölvesborg, Sweden | Apply here

Eden Festival | June 2020 | Dumfries, Scotland | Apply here

Isle of Wight Festival | June 2020 | Isle of Wight | Apply here

Beacon Festival | June 2020 | Oxford, UK | Apply here

Sea Sessions | June 2020 | Donegal, Ireland | Apply here

Leigh Folk Festival | June 2020 | Essex, UK | Apply here

Black Deer Festival | June 2020 | Kent, UK | Apply here

Kendal Calling | July 2020 | Kendal, UK | Apply here

Y Not? Festival | July 2020 | Derbyshire, UK | Apply here

Ampthill Festival | July 2020 | Bedfordshire, UK | Apply here

EskFest | July 2020 | Cumbria, UK | Apply here

Nibley | July 2020 | Cotswolds, UK | Apply here

Daxonbury Festival | July 2020 | North Bedfordshire, UK | Apply here

Techfest | July 2020 | Nottinghamshire, UK | Apply here

El Dorado | July 2020 | Herefordshire, UK | Apply here

Ipswich Music Day | July 2020 | Ipswich, UK | Apply here

Barn On The Farm | July 2020 | Gloucester, UK | Apply here

Brainchild Festival | July 2020 | East Sussex, UK | Apply here

Not a Cult Festival | July 2020 | Worcestershire, UK | Apply here

Nass Festival | July 2020 | Somerset, UK | Apply here

Beat-Herder | July 2020 | Lancashire, UK | Apply here

Ashford Festival in the Park | July 2020 | Kent, UK | Apply here

Shankra Festival | July 2020 | Lostallo, Switzerland | Apply here

Nozstock | July 2020 | Herefordshire, UK | Apply here

Boomtown | August 2020 | Hampshire, UK | Apply here

110 Above | August 2020 | Leicestershire, UK | Apply here

Off Festival | August 2020 | Katowice, Poland | Apply here

Humber Street Sesh | August 2020 | Hull, UK | Apply here

Beyond the Woods | August 2020 | Lincolnshire, UK | Apply here

Farmer Phil’s Music Festival | August 2020 | Shrewsbury, UK | Apply here

Arctangent | August 2020 | Bristol, UK | Apply here

Green Man | August 2020 | Brecon, UK | Apply here

Beautiful Days | August 2020 | Devon, UK | Apply here

Weyfest | August 2020 | Surrey, UK | Apply here

Victorious | August 2020 | Portsmouth, UK | Apply here

Valley Fest | August 2020 | Bristol, UK | Apply here

Phoenix Festival | August 2020 | Cotswolds, UK | Apply here

Cambridge Folk Festival | August 2020 | Cambridge, UK | Apply here

Off The Tracks Festival | August 2020 | Leicestershire, UK | Apply here

End of the Road | September 2020 | Dorset, UK | Apply here

Illusive Festival | September 2020 | Northamptonshire, UK | Apply here

Worcester Music Festival | September 2020 | Worcester, UK | Apply here

Euroblast | September 2020 | Cologne, Germany | Apply here

Live at Heart | September 2020 |Örebro, Sweden | Apply here

Reeperbahn Festival | September 2020 | Hamburg, Germany | Apply here

Equinox Festival | September 2020 | Lincolnshire, UK | Apply here

Waves Vienna | September 2020 | Vienna, Austria | Apply here

Moseley Folk Festival | September 2020 | Birmingham | Apply here

Mercat de Musica | September 2020 | Barcelona, Spain | Apply here

Iceland Airwaves | November 2020 | Reykjavik, Iceland | Apply here

CURRENT USA, CANADA & SOUTH AMERICA OPPORTUNITIES

Tiny Lights Festival | June 2020 | Ymir, Canada | Apply here

Blue Ox Festival | June 2020 | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Apply here

NXNE | June 2020 | Toronto, Canada | Apply here

Nelsonville Festival | June 2020 | Nelsonville, Ohio | Apply here

Epicenter Festival | May 2020 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Apply here

Music at the View | May 2020 | Tonasket, Washington | Apply here

Texas Music Showcase | July 2020 | San Antonio, Texas | Apply here

Red, White & Bluegrass Festival | July 2020 | Beaver Creek, Ohio | Apply here

Hopscotch | September 2020 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Apply here

Arise Music Festival | August 2020 | Loveland, Colarado | Apply here

Springfield Indie Soul Fest | August 2020 | Springfield, Massachusetts | Apply here

Rock al Parque | August 2020 | Bogota, Colombia | Apply here

Americanafest | September 2020 | Nashville, Tennesee | Apply here

Deadwood Jam | September 2020 | Deadwood, South Dakota | Apply here

Strawberry Music Festival | Spring/Fall Annually | California | Apply here

Joshua Tree Music Festival | Spring/Fall Annually | Joshua Tree, California | Apply here

CURRENT AUSTRALIA, AFRICA & ASIA OPPORTUNITIES

Bali Spirit Festival | April 2020 | Bali, Indonesia | Apply here

Cape Town Coffee Festival | May 2020 | Cape Town, South Africa | Apply here

Bayimba International Festival | August 2020 | Uganda | Apply here

Winter Fest | August 2020 | Lesotho | Apply here

Music Matters | September 2020 | Singapore | Apply here

Maldon Folk Festival | October 2020 | Maldon, VIC, Australia | Apply here

Mushroom Valley | October 2020 | Yalboroo, QLD, Australia | Apply here

Tablelands Folk Festival | October 2020 | Yungaburra, QLD, Australia | Apply here

Queenscliff Music Festival | November 2020 | Queenscliff, Vic, Australia | Apply here

Thanks Di++O Team for such a great article, we have sent links to your website so that our members can find out more. https://www.dittomusic.com/

Our next blog will pinpoint what you need to consider once you have applied and been accepted to play. We are going to create a check-list that our members can actually use. Best of luck and let us know how you got on.

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12
Mar

10 of the Best for 2020

It’s that time of year, when we all start to look back and take stock of the offerings of 2020. Pandemic and lockdowns dominated but music was the tonic. Having checked in with various sites and bloggers, there is definitely a small group of albums in which at least one, has cropped up in almost everyone’s ‘Best of 2020’ lists. In no particular order, are 10 albums which got many of through lockdown, isolation, Black Lives Matter and political marches, election fatigue, uncertainty, love and loss. It’s an eclectic mix, offering view points from varied angles and experiences, including disagreement, hope and ultimately, acceptance. Any of these make your list? Let us know your thoughts and favourites in the comments below. Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud After ditching her demons, her angst and finding sobriety, Katie Crutchfield moved herself and her partner Kevin Morby back to Kansas City, USA and created a brand new sound which focuses on her newfound optimism whilst reaffirming her roots in Birmingham, Alabama and her years of being on tour around the world. What she serves up on 'Saint Cloud' is a gentle alt. folk catalogue, which many are claiming is her best writing yet. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Well known for her reclusive tendencies, Fiona Apple had created and recorded ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’, her masterpiece lockdown album on her own at her Venice Beach home, before we’d even stock piled our bog roll! However, the tracks cry of liberation rather than confinement and they include a menagerie of ambient sounds, snarls, harmonies and even a dog bark, but still meet the brutality of life, head on. Featuring in many of the top music industry bloggers ‘Best of 2020’ selections, this album must be doing something right? Run the Jewels – RTJ4 Two years in the making, Run the Jewels album RTJ4 came as a gift and it’s timing was perfect. Offered up for free (as they do with all their albums) two days before it’s official release, it quickly became the Hip-Hop album of the year. 2020 has been a mind-fuck and this album brings all of that to one place, not because or in spite of, the Black Lives Matter movement, but alongside it. Killer Mike and El-P, known for their hardcore, revolutionary lyrics telling you not just how it is, but how it should and will be. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher Following on from the huge success of her first album, this busy gal has pitched it perfectly. Clever lyrics from Phoebe Bridgers, mean her release of ‘Punisher’ offers up tracks which are specific, but have individual and solid stories. This twentysomething offers her peers some solace with her funny, dreamy, sometimes dark take on the world but is relevant and appealing. Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia Taking the influences of previous Pop Goddesses, Madonna and Kylie Minogue, with the production skills of amongst others, Mark Ronson, creating an album which ‘feels like a dance class’ was a certainty with Future Nostalgia. Flavours of disco, funk, new wave and house bring nothing but fun from the past, into the present and onto the future. Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire Immediately Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) has placed ‘Set My Heart on Fire Immediately’ firmly in the alt-pop camp, but blends it with synth-pop, hefty guitar rifts and baroque harpsichord flounces. Hadreas vocal range is fabulous and leaves the listener eager for his next project. Deftones – Ohms The Deftones have brought back some hard-rocking guitar and bass riffs on their new album ‘Ohms’. After a 10-year hiatus, this will please the fans of their 2000 album White Pony. Their constant evolving and experimenting brings a revitalised sound to this new album, which will garner them new fans and satisfy their existing devotees. Thundercat – It Is What It Is Following on from his successful 2017 album ‘Drunk’, Stephen Bruner’s (aka Thundercat) fourth album brings an impressive cast of collaborators including Childish Gambino, Ty Dolla $ign and Kamasi Washington adding to the fun, jazz fusion vibes but also remembering the loss of his close friend Mac Miller is 2018 in the track ‘Fair Chance’. The Weeknd – After Hours Following on from 2016’s ‘Starboy’ and his 2018 EP ‘My Dear Melancholy’, The Weekend’s new album is a tiny swerve in a different direction and not what many people were expecting from the talented Canadian. Offering introspection and an open spirit, you can’t help but be wrapped in the adventure. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake Lil Uzi Vert’s highly anticipated follow up to his 2017 debut album ‘Luv is Rage 2’ is here. ‘Eternal Lake’ offers witty punchlines, cosmic beats, rythyms, melodies and hooks which cleverly stay with you even after the track has finished. Old themes with new ideas, make this album exciting, familiar and a definite classic.

04
Jun

Top Ten Tips on How To Promote your Music Independently

Let's set the scene. We believed there would be a load of "How to Videos..." giving expert advice to help musicians, artists and performers along their merry way. We thought just Google it and the rest would be simple. But the quality of what we have found raises the question, "how helpful are these videos really, and do musicians and performers use them"? Do these videos add real value? To find out more, we're asking the new 400 Unsigned Artist Community members what they think. Maybe they have found a video or a blog which changed their fortunes, and they are willing share and let us know why it had such an impact. Let's see how far this forum opens new discussions and debate. Having listened to Jasmine from Ditto in the video below, we started to think that our first job might be to start a discussion around "how to promote and market your work". So you don't have to watch the whole 7 minute video, we have just listed the headlines to get a discussion going. (approx. 60 seconds read time) 1. Making great music, music always comes first. 2. Play as often as you can, make them remember you. Put on a killer live show and make an impact. 3. Start locally, go nationally and then head out on tour. Ed Sheeran says he played at least a thoiusand shows, before he became known in the music industry. 4. Create a website and build a mailing list - which links to your music, bio, promo images, tour dates, mailing list and sign-up form. 5. Get your social media sorted! Keep a consistent brand identity! Include competitions, polls, track snippets, press shots, backstage videos. Use targeted social adds, do not use mass advertising. 6. Check out what other successful performers are doing and learn from them, rather than starting from scratch. 7. Get your tracks PLAYLISTED. 8. Manage your own PR and contact journalists directly. Create an Electronic Press Kit, write a press release, upload your music, send to bloggers & journalists. 9. Surround yourself by the right people. Just because you are independent, that does not mean you have to do everything on your own. 10. Know your audience and focus on your niche! So that's it folks, let's create our own list and add value to this vital conversation. If you would like to join the new Unsigned Artists Community check us out and send in a request to join today. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2529935880656436/?source_id=459365401133253 https://vimeo.com/396502327

09
Feb

Nnaomi - ‘Hate Me’ Single Review

Nnaomi evokes even more emotion and sentiment with her swirling, impactful and atmospheric new single, ‘Hate Me’. This new single from Nnaomi should certainly be praised for its daring and experimental nature. Currently, RnB and neo-soul are genres that are often at risk of being represented in incredibly dull and uninspired forms. Dragging structures, tired performances and bland instrumentation plagues the style, especially in the mainstream. Which is why a progressive, texturally interesting and innovative RnB single like ‘Hate Me’ is so important for that corner of contemporary music; it displays that even a genre that has travelled as far as RnB still has room to change, adapt and evolve. The track begins with a lo-fi aesthetic due to the old home video tape that crackles over the opening piano. This nostalgic tone is then instantly contexualised with the opening lyrics, “Reminiscing on old days.” I think this clear emotive intention and focus from Nnaomi powers this single and is the main reason why the alternative creative choices work so well. The filtering bass synth introduced near the middle is used as an early hint that these retrospective thoughts could be too much to deal with and are at risk of overwhelming her. This is then interrupted by Nnaomi trying to explain herself. The moment she sings “explain”, the intense bass is silenced, as is the emotional use of reverb and echo on her voice. This is a fantastic example of a production technique being repurposed as a narrative device. At just over 2 minutes long, this track still manages to progress so organically and timely; it takes its time to set the pace and tone of the story told in the lyrics. At the climax of the track, it feels like Nnaomi’s painful memories begin to swirl more unstably around her head as samples and synths begin to distort, warp and spin around the stereo space. These flittering pieces of audio eventually start to drown out Nnaomi’s voice which paints a tragic image of her thoughts and guilt becoming overpowering and too much to process. The production prowess needed to craft such a powerful, yet carefully crafted wall of noise is impressive and brave, considering that Nnaomi’s voice is so delicate and vulnerable on this track. The dissonant and wild synths heard towards the end are kept in a cage just big enough to have a volatile effect but small enough as to not overpower too much in the mix. The direction Nnaomi decided to go with this track is obviously genius however, the only way I could imagine it becoming more impactful is if the crescendo of noise grew even more and briefly took over completely before clearing out and finally letting her breathe. Nnaomi has now contributed two tracks to Jeeni’s RnB channel and we look forward to expanding the channel with similarly brilliant tracks in the future. Nnaomi has been a keen member of Jeeni’s mission for several months now. She sat down for an ‘Inside Story’ interview last summer at Victorious Festival in which she mentions her influences and favourite artists which ranges from Tyler, The Creator to Whitney Houston. Jeeni would love to flood our RnB channel with more acts just like Nnaomi, so reach out to us on social media if you'd like to contribute your work to Jeeni's library of talent: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic Check out Nnaomi's showcase on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/nnaomi/ How can Jeeni support artists like Nnaomi? JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience. • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make. • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way. • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect. • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team.

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