As part of our annual mentorship programme, DMC Futures, Erin Glynn has been working with our Communications & Marketing Manager, Kirstin McEwan, learning more about content, social media and marketing and helping to promote Dumfries Music Conference 2020. Ahead of the conference, Erin has been speaking to some of the music industry experts that will be delivering workshops and speaking on panels at this year’s conference.

In Erin’s ‘Questions of Curiosity’, she chats to Olaf Furniss, who will be speaking on the panel ‘ Post Covid - where do we go now?’ on Saturday 17th.

Hi Olaf, could you introduce yourself to those reading the interview?

I am the founder of the Born To Be Wide evenings which started in 2004 out as a social night to bring together all parts of the music scene and led me to found the Wide Days convention in 2010. In 2013 my business partner, Michael Lambert, and I realised that there was a lack of practical information for young people considering a career in music, so we set up Off The Record to teach all the essential things such as releasing, promotion and getting/organising gigs in less than a day.

Since 2017 we have also hosted the Scottish Reception at The Great Escape in Brighton, which has become one of the most popular events at the Festival and last year started doing these soirees at other industry conventions.

I used to be a full-time journalist and still co-write the Under The Radar column which has been exclusively covering emerging Scottish talent for the past 13 years.

Did you ever imagine Wide Days would be where it’s at now when you first started out? And how do you see it progressing in the future?

I set up Wide Days to be the type of event I would like to attend myself and from the beginning, I had a sense for how I would like to see it develop. What I didn’t expect was how long this would take and how much work would be involved. When Creative Scotland and PRS Foundation came on board three years ago, it really allowed us to take it to the next level because Michael and I could hire people, rather than having to do nearly all the work ourselves.

There is no doubt that for the foreseeable future we are going to have continue developing our online elements while also looking at ways to do physical activities wherever possible. Wide Days is about connecting the Scotland’s talent and music industry with the rest of the world, sharing new perspectives and giving people a good time. With the right approach, a lot of this can be done online but it’s really nice to be able to hang out in person and show people our country. We would like to get back to doing that when it’s possible!

How important do you think it is for the involvement of young people within organisations like Off The Record? And how do you find it best to create engagement within this situation?

When we started the Off The Record, we realised that a lot of really practical subjects were not being taught in music classes and where they were being taught on courses, it was often being done so in a very academic way.

The events are a valuable shortcut for getting a start in music as not only do they cover lots of useful themes, they are also a great way to connect with other attendees and the speakers. A lot of people who have taken part have ended up getting covered in national media, played on the radio and getting work. What’s really nice is when someone comes to an Off The Record and years later you encounter them again. This happened to me recently when I featured [showcase artist] Elia Davidson in our column. She had been at our event in Dumfries five years ago and is writing some really good songs.

Getting people to engage involves a mixture of the team contacting people who are likely to be interested, partnering with organisations and groups like Dumfries Music Conference to help get the word out and also being creative about how we promote the events. A couple of years ago we targeted Facebook ads at parents and loads of them tagged their children, who ended up coming along.

When people came to the physical Off The Record events we would ensure it was a welcoming environment, encourage guests to talk to each other, host it in venues which has natural light and where possible, have speakers in the same age group as the audience. We were also the first music conference to have the same number of women speakers as men and for the past few years aim to ensure panellists are in the same age group as the audience. If you see someone on a panel who is only a couple of years older than you are, it shows a career in music is within your grasp.

Our next event is on 4-5 December and although it is online, there will be lots of opportunities to connect with other people around Scotland. The team will also be looking for people to get involved in creating videos and designs for our guides. You can sign up to the mailing list on the website for details. Click here!

What should we expect from the panel that you are a part of at Dumfries Music Conference?

Hopefully people will take away some different perspectives about how things might develop and for artists to come away with some suggestions for things which might help them keep some money coming in. Nobody should underestimate the impact the pandemic is having, particularly on those working in the live industry. And since recording the panel the restrictions which have been introduced in Scotland, are likely to make it even harder for venues to keep afloat. It would be amazing if the conversation could lead to more ideas about what we as a music community can do to help ensure their survival and provide some income for those who have been hardest hit.

Who are your top three Scottish artists at the moment?

It’s impossible for me to come up with a top 3, but after listening to Vic Galloway’s show last night I’ve had Dead Pony, Man of Moon and Alex Amor on repeat today. Check them out and be sure to listen to the DMC showcases as well!

Don’t miss Olaf speaking as part of the panel ‘Post Covid - Where do we go now?’ on Saturday 17th October at 3pm - streaming live here.

Questions of Curiosity with Olaf Furniss