Music Industry Facilitator & Artist Development
Photo: Courtesy of Nadjib LeFleurier
With over twenty years experience interviewing artists and reviewing gigs, events and festivals from a cross-section of musical genres, Michael J Edwards has his finger on the pulse. Over the years, due to his integrity, accountability and affability, Michael has built up strong, accountable, professional and reliable contacts and connections throughout the music business and is now in a position to aid individual artists and those with management teams reach their fullest potential and exposure within an extremely crowded and demanding marketplace.
With regard to artist development, at present Michael specialises in the following key areas:
1. Artist exposure via written blogs in music media publications:
Michael has extensive experience in writing high quality descriptive journalistic articles, which give much-needed exposure to new artists making their way in the industry or seasoned artists looking to rekindle or re-fresh their careers. His intro/overview articles, interviews or gig reviews are then given exposure via selective blogging sites/online music magazines depending on the musical genre. For the past twenty plus years Michael has been an integral contributor to www.ukvibe.org. Honing his writing skills and interview/review technique has been a natural by-product of his privileged access to a plethora of the world’s freshest and elite musicians and singers. As a ‘music fan first’ Michael prides himself on interviews/reviews that are representative of a truly passionate music lover.
2. Artist exposure via professional photography shoots:
During his extensive career in and around the music scene Michael hasn’t encountered many proficient photographers and now has a select core of image takers that are among the very best in London. He can guarantee that any artist will be showcased in the best possible light, whether for promotional usage, or CD covers.
3. Access to Radio and Club DJ’s:
Radio exposure is a major key to the further development and marketing of any artist ever since the wireless radio was invented. Michael has links to various radio and Internet DJ’s as well as Club DJ’s who provide that all-important link with the youth in the street.
4. Access to Club, Event and Festival promoters:
All artists will at sometime be required to ply their trade in the live arena. Finding suitable venues to perform at a can be a very demanding, lengthy and time-consuming process that takes away from artist creativity. Michael’s tentacles stretch far and wide and he is in a position through his network of contacts to help source suitable locations for an artist to perform; ranging from small intimate venues to medium-size event spaces or even festivals. Naturally an individual artist’s or management team’s budget will be taken into consideration.
5. Access to globally successful songwriters:
Michael is in direct communication with highly respected and renowned songwriters who are continually on the lookout for suitably talented and willing artists to convey their writing skills and in due course raise the profile of any artist young or old who works in conjunction with them.
6. Access to specialist music industry legal advice:
Having also spent many years in and around the legal profession Michael is acutely aware of how keen, hungry and creative artists can fall victim to malpractice from unscrupulous so-called friends, advisers or even record companies when they eagerly sign a contract without fully appreciating the ramifications of what they could be signing away or signing up for with a simple pen stroke.
Michael has direct and dependable links with advocates who are in a position to give knowledgeable and informed advice with regards to guiding an artist’s career from inception and beyond.
MICHAEL J EDWARDS – ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
The Word is INTEGRITY
Michael’s Best Live Gig’s of 2016:
1. Carmen Lundy (Pizza Express, Soho 29-10-16)
2. Stevie Wonder (Hyde Park, London 10-07-16)
3. Yussef Kamaal (Jazz Cafe, London 9-09-16 )
4. Charlie Wilson (Hyde Park, London 10-07-16)
5. Orphy Robinson All Star’s Bobby Hutchinson Tribute (Church of Sound, St James’ Church, London 22-09-16)
6. Junior Giscombe (Live @ Streatham Soul Club 11-09-16)
7. Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band (The Forge, London 17-06-16)
8. Enlightenment 2016 (Union Chapel, London 1-07-16)
9. Ed Motta (Jazz Club, Hanover, Germany 5-11-16)
10. Collocutor (The Hospital Club, London 7-05-16)
11. Sarathy Korwar (Jazz Cafe, London 9-09-16)
12. Tony Kofi Quartet (Jazz Re-Freshed, Mau Mau’s, London 24-07-16)
13. Bukky Leo & Black Egypt Tribute To Fela Kuti (London 26-07-16)
14. Don-E (Pizza Express, London 25-06-16)
15. Funkiwala Sounds Showcase feat Justin Thurgur, Lokkhi Terra, Cubafrobeat etc (The Forge, London 18-11-16)
16. Jazz Re:Fest 2016 (Southbank, London 2016)
17. Mary J Blige & Maxwell (O2, London)
18. KRS 1 (Jazz Cafe, London 10-09-16)
18. Angus Bayley‘s Scrapbook (The Stables, MK 4-10-16)
19. Bukky Leo & Black Egypt feat.Tony Allen (Passing Clouds, London)
20. Tomorrow’s Warriors Tribute To Ben Amure (Ray’s Jazz, London 24-09-16)