In 2021, British Council Ukraine and Music Export Ukraine went digital for Selector PRO with fingers crossed. We needn’t have worried: the format worked so well we decided to go digital again in 2022. Selector PRO — Ukraine’s longest running music educational and networking forum is turning 5 this year. Musicians and industry reps from the UK, Europe and Central Asia, mark the date —18-19 February 2022 — for our intensive schedule of professional talks, workshops and priceless networking oppos. Attendance at Selector PRO is, as always, free-of-charge, but we do ask you to register prior to kick-off.
2021 was another challenging year for the music industry professionals, but one that also held the promise of real industry-wide transformation. However, it’s not the first turbulent year, and the industry has been actively working throughout 2021 on pandemic damage assessment. With this year’s forum moto ‘The Ever-changing New Normal’ we are shifting our focus from the more well-known issues and trends like digitalization and online presence, towards those which we feel will become more relevant in the future.
This year’s forum is rooted in real-world industry issues but committed to staying a step ahead of what’s coming down the line. We’re calling on the strength of the music community — its hard-won experience and record of mutual support — to do the work of defining “the new normal” on our terms. What does that mean? Simply, that Selector PRO 5 is bringing together dozens of industry professionals from the UK, Europe and Central Asia to tackle the big ongoing and upcoming industry questions.
The Selector PRO forum will have 8 moderated panels covering a range of music industry topics, taking place in an easy-to-use online platform providing a handful of features such as networking environment, interactive workshops and discussions, 1:1 matchmaking rooms, and a resource library to watch streams again. Plus, you can’t gripe about the price. The Selector PRO digital forum is free-of-charge with prior registration.
February 18
- Vera Kravchenko (Gestalt therapist, Ukraine)
- Ellie Giles (Step Music Management, UK)
- Jyoty (DJ, UK)
- Anastasiya Babicheva (Masterskaya, Ukraine)
- Moderator: Dartsya Tarkovska (Music Export Ukraine / Soundbuzz, Ukraine)
The stresses and uncertainties of everyday life affect the way we communicate, especially online. Wear the “wrong” outfit, release the “wrong” song, back the “wrong” project and get ready to hear it from the online community. It’s just freedom of speech, right? So, deal with it? Or is a better way possible? A code of conduct that shapes a better online environment for all of us?
- How to manage backlash in communication with fans
- How to build a healthy online conversation
- Scandalous PR - is it good or bad?
- What should an ethics checklist look like in the digital ecosystem?
- How should an artist handle negative feedback?
February 19
- Claire O'Neill (A Greener Festival (AGF), UK)
- Vera Logdanidi (Rhythm Büro / Natura Festival, Ukraine)
- Feimatta Conteh (Manchester International Festival, UK)
- Moderator: Alona Dmukhovska (Music Export Ukraine, Ukraine)
The Music Declares Emergency collective stated that: 'The music industry has the opportunity to lead here. It can become the exemplar of a green recovery and help the public understand and support what that idea means.' But is it realistic in the current circumstances, where we're all hurt by the pandemic? Let's find out!
- What do big artists do to be more eco-conscious and what opportunities are there for emerging artists?
- Can music fans also be more thoughtful about their leisure activities?
- How can the music industry support the climate emergency dialogue?
Mentorship programme
Amidst war at the end of May, we launched our first Mentorship Program that was planned to begin right after the jubilee 5th Selector PRO at the end of February. We did not know what to expect from this experience, especially in these extreme conditions for most of our mentees, but thanks to our extremely professional mentors and support from British Council Ukraine, the program has been successfully conducted and exceeded our expectations.
We had 4 pairs of professionals from diverse areas of the music industry – from different kinds of music managers and artists to music journalists. Nevertheless, they all established cooperation in different formats and intensities and perceived their cooperation as productive and insightful.
As organisers we did not set up any expectations regarding the outcomes of mentors-mentees cooperation, one of the most impactful outputs for us was that all the pairs built a strong bond and were eager to continue their cooperation in the future. Nonetheless, we were happy to cheer up for their grants approvals, concerts to be promoted, deals to be signed, artists to be booked and music blogs to be launched. Many of those results will be announced in due time, meanwhile, we are happy to share the articles written by Ilya Kovalenko under the mentorship of Richard Foster (article 1, article 2).