The London Folkfest

Local performers in the Wandsworth area are being encouraged to attend this year’s London Folkfest, an annual celebration of the very best in new and emerging acts from the acoustic and folk world, held at South London’s leading live music venue, The Bedford.

Not-for-profit music licencing company PPL will be hosting a panel discussion at this year’s event, Thursday 5 June, 2pm, to educate local delegates and performers on how they can maximise their earning potential, in an age performance rights are becoming an increasingly important source of income for musicians and performers. PPL ensures that all those who invest their time, talent and money in making recorded music are paid fairly for their work by licensing recorded music in broadcast, online and public performance on behalf of 75,000 performer and record company members in the UK and internationally.

Director of PR and Corporate Communications, Jonathan Morrish said: “We are delighted to be supporting this year’s Folkfest and helping local performers understand how they can make a living from their sound recordings. London is a hotbed of raw talent, and it’s important now, more than ever that local performers are aware of the growing importance of performance rights as a revenue stream and how to maximise their earning potential.”

Folkfest was launched in 2010, the brainchild of The Bedford’s Director of Music, Tony Moore. 2014’s headline acts include The Dunwells, Beth Rowley, Luke Concannon (Nizlopi), Jon Gomm, Crowns, Emily Barker, Bridie Jackson And The Arbour and Polly Paulusma, in addition there will also be three days of “Folkfest Insight Seminars” - dedicated to de-mystifying the process of writing, recording and releasing music. PPL has been a sponsor of FolkFest since it started.

The Bedford has an unrivalled reputation for working with artists at the start of their career who then go on to achieve significant success. Paolo Nutini, Ed Sheeran, Newton Faulkner and James Morrison are among the “Alumni” who played their early shows at The Bedford. Over 50 acts will play at the four day festival which combines the very best in new and emerging Acoustic, Folk, Roots and Organic Music, from performers and musicians local to the Wandsworth area.

Folkfest founder and creative director Tony Moore said “I am thrilled that The London Folkfest has achieved so much since we began. We are really looking forward to presenting an even more exciting and musically diverse event this year.

“Having worked with thousands of performers over many years, I feel it’s organisations like PPL that make sure those performers are paid fairly for their work. Their session on maximising royalties is a must for anyone interested in making a living from music.”
As well as attending numerous local events such as Folkfest, PPL has also introduced two Business Relationship Executives (BREs) to the London area - Kirsty Tavakoly and Tracey-Anne Baskerville to promote the benefits that music can bring to local businesses and the need for a licence.

Tracey-Anne Baskerville, BRE, PPL said: “As the government continues to acknowledge our world-leading music industry and its vital contribution to the UK’s growth and prosperity, and as performance rights continue to become a major income stream for musicians, there is a growing understanding of the value of music within the local business community, which in turn helps us explain the role music licensing plays in supporting the wider creative economy.”