No Rock And Roll Fun

IN ANOTHER CITY: By all accounts this year's Tony Wilson music yakfest In The City was the duffest since the start of the UK's answer to Midem, SXSW and the rest was created. Hmmm, you wonder why record execs can sytill find the cash for a jaunt to Cannes or New York but just can't scrape the readies together for a September weekend in Salford. Anyway, another attempt to get the British Music Industry to stop from standing outside PC World with placards is coming up in the form of Music Works, which kicks off at Halloween in Glasgow. While the seminars planned are interesting-enough sounding - why tracks get chosen for TV ads, who killed music TV - the confirmed participants don't really sound like they're going to persuade people to run the risk of Virgin West Coast come the clocks going back - £175 to hear the Shadow Minister for Culture. Does anyone actually know who he is?
There probably is room for one good UK music conference. There doesn't seem to be demand or material to keep two going.