London Songwriters Week 19th – 23rd May

• 16th May 2008

MUSIC MATRIX PRESENTS

LONDON SONGWRITERS WEEK

PRE-IVOR NOVELLO EVENT LINE UP ANNOUNCED INCLUDING

KANO, BEN’S BROTHER, SOWETO KINCH AND SPECIAL SURPRISE GUESTS

With the 53rd Ivor Novello Awards on the horizon, Music Matrix and Arts Council England today announced the first ever London Songwriters Week. The event is designed to celebrate the art of song writing as well as providing a platform to showcase the talent of some of the world’s finest song writers via a series of showcases, seminars and performances.

The event will be held during the week of the prestigious Ivor Novello awards and boasts a stellar mix of Q&A sessions and performances from a wide range of international stars, taking place in venues all over London. Highlights will include a lyricist session and performance from leading British rapper Kano and a live jazz improvisation workshop with Soweto Kinch and other leading Jazz musicians.

The event has already gained support from leading international artists:

“I'm happy to support London Songwriters Week. Song writing is often seen as taking a back seat to the performance of a song, but in this business the opposite is true. As a songwriter and performer, there is no greater feeling than singing your own songs.”

Kelly Rowland

“I totally back the idea of a Songwriter’s Week. Anything that focuses on the art of great song writing and its importance within the industry should be applauded.”

James Morrison

The event will be totally accessible to the public, with most events on the schedule free to attend, and will aim to inspire, educate and entertain audiences, whilst raising the profile of song writing and songwriters in the UK as well as providing opportunities for networking and development.

The week’s events will cover key issues such as how to make money from your songs, writing music for film and TV, and the move from producing to writing. The week will also include ‘The Negotiation’, which will see a live negotiation of a publishing deal taking place between a songwriter and a music publisher as it happens in real time.

The wide ranging schedule will also be supported by a photography exhibition in conjunction with PRS which will showcase exclusive portraits of past Ivor Novello winners accompanied by their award-winning song lyrics.

The launch of London Songwriters Week will take place on Thursday 15th May at Ronnie Scotts, Soho, featuring live performances from hot new R&B singer-songwriter, The CocknBullkid and 2008 Ivor Novello Award nominees Ben’s Brother.

For more details visit:

www.londonsongwritersweek.co.uk