FAC Insights: FAC team wrapping up 2020!
2020 has been one hell of a year, but it has not been all bad - so here we are wrapping up the FAC team’s 2020 and sharing our highlights.
This year has been challenging in so many ways, but it has also been a very active and successful year for the FAC. Challenging, of course for the most obvious reasons – the global pandemic, as well as a rightly renewed focus around racial disparity in our industry and in society more broadly. However, the FAC’s core team as well as our Board, BEAT Board, Advocates and Ambassadors, have worked incredibly hard to continue the important work that we do to make our industry a fairer and better place for all artists. Despite personal challenges, it has been incredible to witness how determined, selfless, and driven every person involved in the FAC has been. Because of this support, the FAC has been able to continue the essential work that has been to help the artist community during these extremely difficult times.
This past year we have organized more events than ever before and hosting many online has meant we get to connect with so many of you outside London and the UK, and it has been so great to get to know so many new faces. Here is to our forever growing FAC family.
We also want to thank all our partners – AWAL, Spotify, Amazon Music, MMF, Help Musicians, Music Gurus, Roland, FanCircles, Harbottle & Lewis, English Folk Expo, PPL, SongTrust, Attitude is Everything and Stephen Daltrey, for all the support, without them we would simply not be able to do what we do, so thank you!
David Martin - CEO
My record of 2020: Charles Webster - "Decision Time" (Dimensions Recordings)
A timeless masterpiece from a master of his craft, featuring incredible collaborations with Burial, Prince and Madonna collaborator, Ingrid Chavez and Shara Nelson of Unfinished Sympathy fame.
There’s too much to say about 2020, in too few words, for me to do it real justice here, so I will keep it succinct. There have been many downs but also plenty of ups; we have grown the FAC family and our support, we rebranded and worked with many great partners and we saw some of the best in people across our wonderful industry. We worked on the development of the UK Music Ten Point Plan, to put practical steps in place across the industry to work towards improving diversity and representation, and we saw artists stand up together, to call for support through the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign. We hosted more events than ever and we made The Artists' Voice louder than it's ever been. We introduced two new Board observers. We also saw the DCMS Inquiry into the economics of music streaming, which will undoubtedly continue to be a key topic for us as we move into 2021. We partnered with some incredible organisations that have done so much to try to support our industry through one of its toughest periods in living memory, such as Help Musicians, and with organisations that are trying to create a more inclusive industry for all such as Attitude is Everything and Black Lives in Music. We made a Keychange plegde to take practical steps to ensure better representation of women and underrepresented genders across the music industry. We also pivoted our annual Artist & Manager Awards to become a documentary, which you can look forward to in January. We worked with friends and partners across the industry and beyond, in our role as a member body of UK Music, Council of Music Makers, International Artist Organisation and Creative Industries Federation.
Whilst 2021 will not be without challenge, with too many people continuing to endure financial or health crises and the reality that we still have to face the detrimental impact of Brexit when the new year comes around, we also have hope that with the vaccine roll out, there will be a more predictable landscape for live music which so many of us rely on. Overall, I'm buoyed by the sense of community, adaptability, selflessness and creativity and I have optimism that we will be able to continue to create and evolve as a community and an industry.
I'd like to thank everybody that has supported the FAC this year, it really is vital to our continued success. I would also like to extend a special thank you to the FAC team, Aleksa, Isabella, Roxanne and Charlie and to the FAC Board of Directors, for their work and dedication to the FAC and our members.
Aleksa Evele - Assistant Manager
My record of 2020: Olivia Dean “What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?” (Universal)
Vevo’s Artist to Watch in 2021. I just love everything about her. During the summer she toured around UK in her yellow van and performed in various outdoors settings - great initiative. I can’t wait to hear more from this young and extremely talented artist.
As has already been noted, 2020 has been challenging for all of us, but it really has not been all bad. It is not easy to pick just a few highlights from this year, especially amongst so many challenges, however, I will try. If you want to know more about what the FAC has been up to you can watch this video from our 2020 AGM.
Firstly, the word ‘change’ is the word of 2020 for me. So far, in my lifetime, I have never experienced such a volume of major shifts in such a short period of time and across so many different parts of our lives. The #BlackLivesMatter - a global movement amidst a global crisis - with people coming together all over the world following the murder of George Floyd, to stand together for what is right. I have had the opportunity to be part of the UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce Committee and learn a lot about diversity from the people within this group. Together with my colleagues at the FAC we contributed and have committed to, the UK Music’s Ten Point Plan. There is so much work still to be done in the fight for equality, but I do believe that this year and the Ten Point Plan, are a starting point for major change. It has certainly opened my eyes and I am very proud to have witnessed some amazing work already carried out by so many people and various organisations within the creative industries towards creating a more inclusive and diverse industry and workforce which works for everybody. As a result, we have also done some important work internally as a company and will continue working towards diversifying our membership, events and all of our artist groups in 2021.
Earlier this year we also launched the FAC Insights, a place for us to share stories that look at various parts of the music industry and the society that shapes it. I want to thank all of the partners, industry colleagues and artists who contributed to FAC Insights. You can read them all in our news section - covering topics such as Pride, Diversity, Streaming and my personal favourite, "Music Industry: It’s time to listen to womxn" by Women in CTRL. We already have many interesting FAC Insights lined up for 2021.
Another highlight for me this year has been the continued growth of the FAC’s artists community. Despite the challenges, artists from all over the UK, and the world, have joined the FAC and have been able to access all of our events as we pivoted to deliver them online. I have had the pleasure of getting to know so many of our new members, from all over the UK and from abroad. I am excited and hopeful to meet you all at one of our events next year and I thank you for being part of the FAC. This year we have worked on sourcing lots of new and exciting membership benefits. Some of which we have already announced, like our new Members Platform powered by FanCircles. I really hope you are enjoying it! More to come early next year so stay tuned.
I could keep on going about the positive work we have done this year, but I think I should wrap this up by thanking all the people I have had the absolute privilege to work with this year. I look forward to seeing you all very soon!
Take care and Merry Christmas!
Roxanne de Bastion - Director & Community Lead
My record of 2020: Taylor Swift - “Folklore” (Republic Records)
I mean, McCartney III is out today, but I haven't heard it yet :) I appreciate that this might not be the most left-field choice, but I'm sure David's album of the year will make up for that!
When I read that The National and Taylor Swift were releasing an album, I was convinced I had somehow willed it to happen. I recommend you swallow cynicism and give it a go - some of her lyrics are incredible and her melodies are beautiful. If you're only going to listen to one track, listen to Epiphany, a beautifully tragic 2020 anthem. I've spent hours walking moodily through North London listening on repeat.
Identity crisis, anyone? Who even am I if I'm not on a train or in a car on my way to a music venue? What do I do with my time now that I'm not nervously shovelling humus onto a chip in a tiny backstage room?
2020 was the first time since I started making music that I have been in one place for longer than a couple of months. Discounting the financial shock, it was an odd adjustment to make and, ultimately, a good opportunity to take stock, recoup and regroup. My musical highlights of 2020 included getting to know the people who support my music much better, embracing new technologies and getting over gear-fear (if Jarvis' internet connection keeps dropping out during his Instagram domestic disco sessions, I'm sure people won't mind if there's the occasional hiccup in my livestream shows). I loved filming a live show from Moth Club and have just done my last run to the post-office, sending the limited-edition "live at Moth Club EP" vinyl out to people, hopefully they'll reach everyone before Christmas! I've released two singles this year, both from my forthcoming album produced by Bernard Butler (the latter one, Heavy Lifting, is on this month's FAC Christmas playlist if you'd like to have a listen!).
The best thing about the past 12 months has been our artist community. I am so proud of the FAC team for persevering with such limited resources and for working so hard to continue delivering free educational events and fighting for artists' rights. It's been an absolute privilege to host our monthly Open Artist Sessions (swiftly re-branded as 'Online Artist Sessions'). If I had to pick a favourite, it would have to be our session with the wonderful Rumer, who went on to give one-on-one A&R consultations to attendees in her own time. A close second is our session with Children of Zeus and Simone Butler (Primal Scream), who were all just so inspiring and fun.
It feels like a significant moment. For better or worse, this is a year we will all remember and look back on. I don't know that 2021 will bring, but I do know that we are here for each other and that the FAC will continue to be a hub and a home for music makers.
Isabella Lueen - Membership & Outreach Lead
My record of 2020: Yussef Dayes & Tom Misch - “What Kinda Music” (Beyond The Groove)
'What Kinda Music' is an amazing collaboration by two artists from quite different backgrounds. Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes created a mix of genres and emotions that together makes so much sense. The album was definitely the perfect soundtrack for this year of very mixed emotions.
I know I’m definitely one of many when I say ‘my 2020 didn’t turn out as expected’. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. Work with the FAC is usually based in the busy office of Ministry of Sound and filled with meetings and travelling to and from events all over the country. And when I don’t work with the FAC, I gig, write and record music in the studio, collaborate with people, go to events, and live and breathe London’s busy life. Suddenly all of that has been put on hold and shifted to a weird online world, where you only meet people on Zoom. It feels like part of my personality has also been put on hold, but I’m sure it’ll restart again in 2021.
Besides the obvious negative aspects of 2020, there have been positives. Even more this year, the FAC has made sure that the artists’ voice is heard loud and clear, and that the world understands that artists are at the core of the music industry and need to be supported properly. In order to make the FAC more visible we rebranded in the beginning of the year, which was very exciting, because who doesn’t love a new shiny website and look. In order two make the FAC’s artists voice louder, we launched our ambassador programme and with that some amazing ambassadors from a variety of genres and backgrounds, including Skin, Kelli-Leigh, Aluna, Ghostpoet and Pengshui, and dual ambassadors with our new partner ‘Attitude Is Everything’, including Blaine Harrison from Mystery Jets. We were featured in more press than ever, including articles in NME, Music Week, and Record of the Day. I’ve also had the privilege of ‘e-meeting’ so many inspiring artists who took over our Instagram account as part of our weekly FAC Takeovers, sharing entertaining and insightful content with our community.
On a personal note, I actually managed to release two songs with my artist project IZZA, which I didn’t realise would be so relevant in 2020. Both ‘Lows’ and ‘Made Up My Mind’ talk about struggling with mental health, which I feel like many people can relate to this year (possibly even more than normal). I want to thank the FAC team for working so tirelessly, fighting for the rights of artists and bringing stability and support to so many artists life’s, including mine, during such an uncertain time. I am grateful to be involved with such a fantastic organisation, and I can’t wait for all the great things we will achieve in 2021.