BUSINESS SUPPORT NEWS

Asian Dreams
Asian Dreams is a European funded non-profit making project delivered by the Centre for Innovation & Partnerships at Newham College. It supports, advises and assists Asian Fashion designers, manufacturers and retailers who live and work in East London. To find out more about the services offered by Asian Dreams visit www.asiandreams.org.uk.

Origination Insite
Channel 4 and Culture Online are looking for stories about the many different cultures that make up modern Britain. If you've got a story to tell, or you know someone who has, Origination Insight can offer free website hosting for two years and a free information pack, which gives simple instructions on how to build a website. For more details visit www.channel4.com/insite.

Launch of IdeaSafe
£4.5 billion is lost to intellectual property theft each year in the UK alone. IdeaSafe is a brilliant new way to safeguard valuable ideas and creative work. Simply upload your electronic files to obtain instant protection. You will be provided with a witness statement if your work is used without permission. Marking your work as protected by IdeaSafe will act as a powerful deterrent to idea theft. For more details visit www.theideasafe.com.

Finance/Funding News

Big Lottery Fund (London)
The Big Lottery Fund is launching a major £100 million programme of funding for communities. The Reaching Communities programme will support projects that improve the quality of life in communities across England, offering help to those most in need. The programme will provide funding of up to £500,000 for individual projects. For more details visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

Creative 8 Opportunity
Two designer-makers can benefit from £1,500 award to develop new work, take part in a month long solo exhibition and receive six months of tailored training and mentoring. New or mid-career opportunity selected on quality and innovation. Deadline for applications is the 27th January 2006. For more details call 020 7251 0276.

Funding for Talented Young Musicians
The Awards for Young Musicians charity is looking for more talent to support in 2006. Individual awards are for under 18s and range from £2000. Musically talented young people can apply to the charity for help with buying an instrument, paying their music tuition fees or attending music courses. Deadline for applications is the 31st January 2006. For more details visit www.a-y-m.org.uk.

Training / Education News

Subsidised Training
BBC Training & Development offers an 80% subsidy for London freelancers on a number of bespoke courses. The courses cover DV, editing, HD, Interactive TV and Web Writing. For more details call 0870 122 0216 or visit www.bbctraining.com.

Introduction to Photoshop
Learn to create and edit images for printing and the web. Topics include using tools, introducing selections, opacity, layers, transformations, resizing, filters and more. For more details call 020 8969 3247.

Marketing & Celebrating your Youth Arts Project
This one-day course explores way to develop effective marketing techniques for your youth arts project. The session offers practical examples and structures for planning your marketing strategy, including drawing up an action plan, collating resources, design and print, using the media and managing public relations with the local community. For more details call 020 7378 1471.

Dear CIDA,

I am a music producer and have recorded my own album. I am in two minds about how to move my career forwards – do I hawk myself around all the record labels and try and get signed or do I try the independent route and put my own records out? I was signed as part of a band before and feel like we got burned by our previous manager and record label.
How do you think I should proceed?
Elton, Waltham Forest

Dear Elton,

I would say the first thing to do is to decide what your long term goal is and to work out which of the routes you have outlined may help you achieve that goal.
The ‘signing to a record label’ option could provide some ready cash and the support of an infrastructure that would allow you to concentrate on music making. However this would mean that you give up some control over your music and your career.

The independent option would mean that only you would be in control of your career. This route could also be more lucrative but it would mean a huge investment of your time and potentially your money.

Of course there is always a third way that may help move your career on and leave you in a much stronger position and allow you to make a more informed decision on what you want to do in the future. As you have an album you don’t need a record company to sign you and pay for the recording of an album. So why don’t you use the internet to promote yourself and your music. Get your self a website, get a myspace profile, start to send your music out to forums, online magazines and chatrooms that deal with the genre of music you work in. If possible make some of your music available for free and allow fans to swap it. Work all of the promotional areas that you can think of.

You can then start to build up an online presence and a fanbase. You have done this without having to go to the cost of pressing CDs and dealing with distributors. Think of this as ‘market research’: You now have an idea if there is a market for your music and can make a decision as to whether it is viable to go it alone. Of course all of the great promotional work that you have done will mean that all of the record companies will be aware of you and you will be able to negotiate a much improved deal if that is the route you decide to take!!
Easy eh?
Oh and before you do all this – get a lawyer.
Regards,

Andy Townsend
CIDA’s Creative Digital
Consultant