ABOUT OFF THE RECORD

BACKGROUND

Off The Record was founded by Community Interest Company Wide Events in 2013 and is a series of events for young musicians and those who want to work in the industry. It is open to anyone aged 16-25, and is designed to equip young people with music business knowledge, information and skills to help them forge a career in music.

Since 2013, Off The Record has organised and delivered 16 events for young people across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Kirkcaldy, Kilmarnock, Glenrothes, Dundee, Aberdeen, Galashiels and Dumfries, providing insights and advice on how to pursue a career in music. This has enabled participants to build relationships with organisations including the BBC, DF Concerts, The Skinny magazine, numerous managers, promoters, labels and more. 

In 2015 Off The Record was the first music business event in the UK to commit to a gender balanced speaker programme. The event always takes place in wheelchair accessible venues and is committed to providing opportunities for young people in the top 15% areas on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

 

2020

In 2020 we delivered a digital conference with 176 participants supported by a digital programme produced by 35 people between 16-25. These materials have reached thousands of young people across Scotland, and continue to be referenced and distributed by Wide Events, supporting organisations and partners.

All content was created for 16-25 year-olds, looking to enter, or take their next steps, in the music industry. We looked to celebrate and support young people and independent artists, with a focus on speakers that were under 30 and either based in Scotland or Scottish and living elsewhere.

This event was supported by the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, which is administered by Creative Scotland. The event featured key figures from the music business taking part in seminars, workshops and advice sessions – all geared to demystifying the industry and providing the basic knowledge to get started.

2018

In November 2018, we hosted two Off The Record ​events in Dundee and Edinburgh ​to celebrate the ​Year of Young People​.  The events targeted the 16-25 age group and included daytime seminars, discussions, interactive workshops and ​networking activities featuring a host of music industry professionals from across Scotland and beyond.  Topics covered included ​monetising music, releasing music, organising and getting gigs, music publishing, streaming, working in music ​and more. In addition, an ​evening showcase took place in each city featuring performances from some of the country’s most ​exciting and diverse young musicians.  

These events were supported by the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, which is administered by Creative Scotland. The events featured key figures from the music business taking part in seminars, workshops and advice sessions – all geared to demystifying the industry and providing the basic knowledge to get started.