On Point 2026

On Point Music Conference lands at The Georgian Theatre, Stockton on Friday 30th January. It’s a full day of conversation, connection and practical advice from people working across the music industry — all aimed at supporting local musicians and music activists as they build their careers and develop their practice.

We’re teaming up with Index Music, Wipe Out Music, BBC Music Introducing North-East and Super Cat PR, who’ve shaped the day’s programme, choosing topics they know will be useful for North‑East artists and bringing in industry guests from across the UK to share their insight.

On Point Music Conference 2026 – Itinerary

9-10am – Registration & Breakfast

10-10:30am – Opening Discussion from Index Music: What does success look like in the music industry?

Featuring… Helen Walkinshaw, Sarah Barron & Pippa Morgan.

10:45-11:30am – The Power Of BBC Introducing – Panel discussion curated by Shakk (BBC Introducing North-East)

Featuring… Kelly Betts (Editor for BBC Music Introducing), William Wolstenholme (BBC Introducing Lancashire & Cumbria), Finn Forster (artist) & Chelsea Wood (Wood Management). Hosted by Shakk (BBC Introducing North-East).

11:45am-12:30pm – Whose (Copy)rights? Your (Copy)rights! – Panel discussion curated by Wipe Out Music

Featuring… Matthew Baty (Sync and Licensing, Wipe Out Music), Daisy Rimmer (Sync Rep and Music Supervisor, Skidmore Music) & Bradley Kulisic (Artist Manager, Singing Light Music). Hosted by Jodie Nicholson (artist).

12:30-1:30pm – Free Lunch

1:30-3:30pm – Roundtable Sessions

Meet The… PR, Pluggers & Press – Curated by Matty Aston (Super Cat PR)

Featuring… Matty Aston (Super Cat PR), Rob Cannell (plugger at Beggars), Beth Heaton (International Project Manager at Secretly), Sarah Jamieson (DIY Magazine managing editor) & Joe Goggins (Freelance Music Journalist)

Meet The… Local Heroes 

Featuring… Eddie Scott (We Make Culture), David MacNab (Diversion Management), Jordan Bell (Press On Vinyl), Grace Stubbings (We Make Sound), Nicola Coaker (Nrthrn Baby), Rianne Kate (The Glasshouse International Centre For Music), Samantha Knight (Musinc), Scott Lewis (EMI North), Shakk (BBC Introducing North-East) & Stephen Gill (Butterfly Effect Records)

Meet The… Music Funding and Artist Support Organisations

Featuring… John Hendrickse (PRS Foundation), Tom Salmon (Arts Council), Sam Harvey (Youth Music), Dan Hayhurst (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine), Philip Morris (Musicians Union), Dan Jones – (PRS)

3:30pm Onwards – Drinks & Networking

Line Up

10-10:30am – Opening Discussion: What does success look like in the music industry?

Exploring how artists define success, examining expectation versus reality, practical measures and more personal, wellbeing‑led approaches. The discussion will reflect on how they view others’ success, how they define their own, and how their success is perceived by others, creating space to consider which measures are most relevant to their practice.

INDEX is a no-faff, reliable, online platform supplying the North East music community with contacts, resources, and opportunities. Index, aka Helen, Sarah and Pippa, are putting it all in one place to save you time and make working together a whole lot easier!

As three lasses (HELEN WALKINSHAW, SARAH BARRON & PIPPA MORGAN) with over 20 years of collective industry experience across the region, Index’s team understand where the cracks are, and are passionate about finding solutions. Index’s aim is to connect the dots, disrupt barriers and strengthen the North East music community.

10:45-11:30am – Inside BBC Introducing: How it Works

The panel will be discussing BBC Introducing, outlining what the platform does and sharing how North‑East artists can engage with it.

* SHAKK is the presenter of BBC Introducing in the North East, showcasing emerging artists and new sounds from the region each week and has also covered on BBC 6 Music. His work is rooted in the grassroots scene, helping build the pipeline from local Introducing support to wider national platforms.

Shakk is also an artist. He’s toured across the UK and Europe, releasing music independently with experience in making things happen with limited resources.

* KELLY BETTS is Editor of BBC Introducing, the BBC’s flagship new‑music discovery platform. Through its network of regional radio shows, BBC Introducing finds emerging talent from across the UK and showcases it on national stations including Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6Music, Asian Network and Radio 3. The brand also curates stages at major festivals such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and The Great Escape, and represents UK artists internationally at events including SXSW and Eurosonic.

Artists such as Florence and the Machine, Raye, Olivia Dean, Arlo Parks, Tom Grennan, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender all received early support from BBC Introducing. Since launching BBC Introducing in Beds, Herts & Bucks in 2007, Kelly has focused her career on championing new music and strengthening pathways for emerging artists. Most recently, she launched BBC Introducing in America, expanding the platform’s reach and influence internationally.

* WILLIAM WOLSTENHOLME is the presenter and producer of BBC Introducing for BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio Cumbria, and the producer of BBC Introducing for BBC Radio Manchester. He has worked for BBC Introducing since 2018. His favourite part of working for BBC Introducing is coming across musical sounds that he doesn’t expect to hear from places where you’d least expect them. He also loves travelling around the region to speak to artists at unconventional interview locations that are meaningful to them. When not on air with BBC Introducing, Will is either working on other programming in local radio, blogging about music, rummaging around the crates of Manchester’s record shops, or at a gig. Will is from Salford, and in his spare time plays drums for the Salford band, Denim Breakfast. 

* CHELSEA WOOD is an artist manager and sync agent. As a manager, she has worked on global campaigns for the likes of Nina Nesbitt, Ella Henderson and Grammy Award winner Foxes. She started in the music industry over a decade ago managing artists and running North East’s ‘Blast Recording Studio’ which saw the likes of Sam Fender, Take That and The Marmozets using its facilities. She went onto move to London where she helped secure over 1 billion streams on Nina Nesbitt’s record, tour managed four American tours, created a breakthrough strategy for her clients on Tik Tok, generated over £100,000 worth of funding for her acts and headed up indie label ‘Truth Records’ as marketing manager for their releases. In 2022 she launched Wood Management focusing on both UK and US based clients including Finn Forster, Maius Mollis and DBMK.

Across sync, Chelsea runs her agency Got Music and has worked with the likes of Tiffany, Ebay. Gymshark, Nintendo, Christian Louboutin and more. She is passionate about artist education having run workshops with both PRS and PPL and continues to use her skills to help the next generation of talent break into the industry.

* FINN FORSTER is a Teesside lad firmly on the rise. With support from the BBC, Finn has been a Track of The Week consideration for BBC Radio 1, completed a BBC Introducing Maida Vale Session and been playlisted by BBC Radio 2.

In 2025 Finn supported Stereophonics on their European arena tour, UK Stadium tour, and UK Arena tour and also supported JADE for BBC Proms, The K’s in Cologne and Bastille at Nottingham arena. He also played Reading and Leeds with BBC Introducing, opened the main stage at Kendal Calling and played Truck, Latitude, The Great Escape, SXSW Austin and Reeperbahn.

With over 2.2 million streams and growing, Finn is supported by Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and VEVO.

An advocate for inspiring more arts and culture in his hometown, Finn Hails from the industrial town of Middlesbrough in the North East of England and his songs come from places of real truth, deliver anthemic melodies and shine light on the trials and tribulations of his youth told through captivating vocals.

11:45am-12:30pm – Whose (Copy)rights? Your (Copy)rights!

This panel will demystify the key rights in music, covering master rights, publishing, composition, writer‑share splits, producer points and why agreeing these foundations early can prevent problems later. It will outline how these rights apply across TV, film, gaming and other sync opportunities, and how clear ownership and paperwork can determine whether a licence is secured or missed. Whether artists are self‑releasing, collaborating or just starting out, the discussion offers practical knowledge to help them protect their work and make the most of each opportunity.

* MATT BATY is a Director and Sync Manager at Wipe Out Music, a music services and publishing company based in Newcastle. In its near 30-year history Wipe Out Music has procured sync licenses across TV, Film, Advertising and Computer Games with clients including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, HBO, Amazon and many more. One of Matt’s roles at Wipe Out Music is to seek out potential licensing opportunities for their artists, as well as negotiating appropriate licensing fees and approving final paperwork. 

* DAISY RIMMER’s love of music began at an early age. As a child, she competed nationally as a ballroom and Latin dancer, while her older brother introduced her to the sounds of Black Sabbath. Fast forward to 2019, after completing a master’s in Filmmaking at Goldsmiths, she began her career as a boom operator on film and TV sets. She then moved into music for screen, working on TV dramas and documentaries as an assistant music supervisor.

In 2021, Daisy founded Mabe Studio, a female-led sound post-production company. Alongside this, she went on to work in the sync departments at Wise Music Group and Domino Publishing before stepping into her current roles. Daisy is now a music supervisor at Skidmore Music and Truant London, working across advertising, brand partnerships, and talent booking. Daisy is also a sync agent, representing catalogues and artists across a wide range of genres, for film, TV, advertising, games and brands.

* BRADLEY KULISIC has worked with independent artists and labels since 2002. His DIY ethic was shaped by working in distribution and label management for Southern Records (Dischord, Constellation, Ipecac and more) before becoming a gun for hire working with Barry Adamson, Secret City Records, Grace Jones’ producer Ivor Guest, etc. He has run campaigns for singular artists such as Peaches, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Colin Stetson. In 2024 he became head of Distribution Services at Wipe Out Music where he oversees a catalogue of over 250 albums/EPs from charting artists to emerging acts. In his “spare time” he also manages Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Eleni Drake, Lambrini Girls and Melanie Baker. And has recently spoken on panels for ESNS, The Great Escape, ICLM, SHIP Festival, BIMM, FOCUS Wales, Twisterella and We Make Culture.

* Artist, producer and songwriter JODIE NICHOLSON creates powerfully intimate, achingly human music. In her critically acclaimed solo-project, Nicholson combines introspective lyricism, brooding piano, subtle electronics and delicate guitars to carve her own sonic identity. Brought up on the likes of Pink Floyd, Marillion and Tori Amos, soaring melodies, powerful lyrics and intuitive song structures formed the basis of Jodie’s journey into songwriting. With walls of tightly-knit harmonies (in what she likes to call ‘vocal landscaping’), Nicholson’s reed-like vocals remain the compelling constant over a constantly evolving sound.

As well as extensive support at BBC Radio 1 from the likes of Sian Eleri and Jess Iszatt, Jodie has been playlisted on BBC Radio 6 Music and picked up further airplay from Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2 and Patrick Kielty on BBC Radio 5 Live. To date, Nicholson has amassed over 40 national BBC radio plays. Furthermore, Jodie’s self-produced, self-released tracks have landed two syncs on ITV’s Love Island and picked up tastemaker coverage from The Line of Best Fit, Atwood, Mahogany, Alexrainbird, Louder Than War, Record of the Day and a recent cover feature for NARC. Magazine.

1:30-3:30pm – Roundtable Sessions – Meet The… PR, Pluggers & Press

Meet those working on the media side of music — from PR and radio plugging to editing and journalism. This informal roundtable is for artists looking to build their press and radio presence, as well as anyone interested in becoming a writer, editor, PR agent or radio plugger.

* MATTY ASTON has worked at music marketing and strategy company Super Cat PR for over ten years now, splitting his time between their Newcastle and London offices whilst building the company in the north. Promoted to Head of Operations at the company in late 2023, Super Cat’s roster includes several emerging and established acts including 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, Westside Cowboy, Anna Prior (Metronomy), Hippo Campus, Du Blonde and Heidi Curtis.

* Having established her own music website back in 2006, SARAH JAMIESON studied Journalism and English BA (Hons) at Northumbria University in Newcastle, before relocating to London in November 2011 to take up the position of DIY’s News Editor. After spending three years in the role, she was promoted to Deputy Editor in 2014, before stepping up to her current position of Managing Editor in May 2015, which she has been dedicated to ever since. Throughout her time as Managing Editor, she’s welcomed cover stars such as Paramore, Gorillaz, Jack White, Rico Nasty and Queens of the Stone Age, worked with brands such as Spotify, Jack Daniel’s, Hyundai and more, and played an integral part in the inaugural edition of DIY’s first ever festival, DIY Alive, which launched in 2022. 

* Terrified by the prospect of proper employment post‑university in his final year as a student, ROBERT CANNELL began cold emailing the record labels behind the albums he owned and loved. After six months of tumbleweed, Sony offered him his first taste of the music industry, where he worked as an intern in the marketing departments of both Columbia Records and RCA, before moving into RCA’s regional radio team for his first full‑time role. Hungry to work with music he felt more passionate about, he jumped ship to Beggars in 2011 and has been there ever since, starting out as the regional radio plugger and eventually becoming Head of Radio Promotions for the group, a position he held for just shy of nine years. Now, alongside trying to place their artists on podcasts, his role involves seeking new promotional and business opportunities for the company and its artists outside London, while offering whatever support he can to the independent music sector beyond the capital.

* BETHAN HEATON is an international marketing & campaigns manager for Secretly Distribution, working with labels such as Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Secretly Canadian, Ghostly International, Big Crown, Bayonet, Ipecac and more, to have their artists and releases heard globally; covering the full 360 of campaigns from physical sales, international press & radio promotion, marketing, artist development, and social media strategy. 

Prior to project & campaign management, Bethan worked in events promotion, and has a degree in music production.  

* JOE GOGGINS has written about music since 2010, and has been published in NME, Rolling Stone, BBC, Loud & Quiet, The Independent and Crack Magazine. He currently contributes to The i Paper, DIY and the Manchester Evening News.

1:30-3:30pm – Roundtable Sessions – Meet The… Local Heroes 

Come chat with local individuals and organisations doing good things in music and find out how you can get involved.

* EDDIE SCOTT is a songwriter, musician and artist development lead from Sunderland, he has garnered a reputation as somebody who is extremely passionate about making musical opportunities and career pathways accessible to all, prioritising work that supports young musicians in the North East of England. 

As a songwriter, Eddie has had his songs played on national TV & Radio, writing with numerous bands and artists from around the UK. He has toured extensively, both nationally and throughout Europe as a musician, including performances at major festivals such as Glastonbury, support slots with legendary figures such as Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and an exclusive performance for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2018. 

His work leading on the Next Steps and Young Musicians Project programmes for We Make Culture has supported artists to write their first songs, release their debut singles, tour for the first time and sign their first deals; this experience has also led Eddie to dip his toe into artist management, where he continues to work independently as a mentor and consultant for emerging artists.

* JORDAN BELL

* DAVID MACNAB is a music manager based in Darlington and the founder of Diversion Management, a boutique artist management company established in 2024. Known for his strategic vision and release campaign strategies, David has quickly earned a reputation for cultivating distinctive emerging talent.

Diversion Management has become home to a carefully curated roster, including Marketplace and Provenance. His hands-on approach and sharp instincts have helped guide these artists through national tours, press campaigns, and high-profile releases, positioning them as standout acts in the UK’s independent scene.

* GRACE STUBBINGS is a musician, sound artist, and producer from Hartlepool, best known as the synthesist in Venus Grrrls. She is the co-director of We Make Sound, a free and inclusive community music programme supporting young people to create and access music in the North East. Her practice spans composition, field recording, and large-scale sound projects, with work featured at SXSW, Royal Albert Hall, and in major outlets including Kerrang! and a global Canon campaign.

* NICOLA COAKER is the founder of Nrthrn Baby, a music and culture agency based in the North East. Focused on talent development, cultural strategy, and brand partnerships, Nrthrn Baby works with local artists, brands, and communities to create innovative experiences and drive cultural engagement.

With extensive experience in artist management, event curation, and music marketing, Nic has worked with major brands like The North Face, New Era, and MOBO’s, as well as notable artists including K Koke, Tion Wayne and Erick The Architect.

Nic’s agency also leverages funding from organisations like Youth Music, PRS Foundation, and Arts Council England to support creative initiatives such as writing camps, cypher sessions, and live events. They are particularly focused on expanding the North East’s cultural presence on the national stage, offering strategic support for brands seeking to engage with regional audiences.

As a mentor and advocate for emerging talent, Nic has been instrumental in helping artists navigate their careers, from securing press coverage to landing national festival stages. Always looking to push boundaries, Nic is committed to positioning Nrthrn Baby as a leading agency for cultural strategy and brand activations in the North East.

* RIANNE KATE is the Producer for the Artist Development programme at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. She works on live events including BBC Introducing from The Glasshouse and BBC Proms. She also commissions and produces new projects with artists from across the UK.

* Originally from Yorkshire and now based in North Shields, SAMANTHA KNIGHT has carved a career championing inclusive music-making across the North East. She is currently Music Inclusion Manager for Middlesbrough Council, managing Musinc, an inclusive music education programme, at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Previous roles include with Mahogany Opera’s Snappy Opera programme in North Tyneside, and the In Harmony programme at The Glasshouse ICM (formally Sage Gateshead).

Sammy graduated from Durham University with an honours degree in music, specialising in performance. As a clarinettist and saxophonist, Sammy has performed in classical, jazz and musical theatre ensembles, and teaches private instrumental lessons to students of all ages and abilities.

* SCOTT LEWIS is the label manager at EMI North, the first ever major label office based outside of London in the UK and home to Doves and Nadine Shah. EMI North is part of the Island EMI label group and was founded in 2023. As founder of Leeds based indie label Clue Records, Scott has vast experience working with and supporting artists, releasing music by artists including Bored At My Grandmas House, The Wedding Present, Avalanche Party, Van Houten and more. As well as running Clue, Scott’s background includes lecturing at Leeds Conservatoire/College Of Music, lead artist and project advisor for Music Leeds/Launchpad, workshop delivery for artist development organisation Come Play With Me and artist management.

He has tour managed in the UK & Europe as well as taking part in the JUMP European Music Market Accelerator programme, working with people from across Europe on brand new business ideas.

* SHAKK is the presenter of BBC Introducing in the North East, showcasing emerging artists and new sounds from the region each week and has also covered on BBC 6 Music. His work is rooted in the grassroots scene, helping build the pipeline from local Introducing support to wider national platforms.

Shakk is also an artist. He’s toured across the UK and Europe, releasing music independently with experience in making things happen with limited resources.

* STEPHEN GILL founded record label Butterfly Effect ten years ago. Focused on releasing vinyl records from musicians from the north of England. The label has so far released 45 LPs and 41 7s – including Ceiling Demons, Elaine Palmer, Ivan The Tolerable, Jodie Nicholson, Last Of The Fallen Angels, Mouses and many, many more. All the LPs are made at Press On Vinyl too.

The label has also expanded into a one day festival at Pealies Barn featuring some of the amazing talent we have in the north of England 

Finally, Butterfly Effect owner Stephen also owns a bar/venue in Darlington called ‘angels cut’ that focuses on grassroots music from the region.

1:30-3:30pm – Roundtable Sessions – Meet The… Music Funding and Artist Support Organisations

Find out about various support bodies and what they can offer artists.

* JOHN HENDRICKSE (PRS Foundation)
“PRS Foundation is the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development. Since 2000 it has awarded more than £44m to over 8,500 new music projects.”

* TOM SALMON (Arts Council England)
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences to enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections.”

* SAM HARVEY (Youth Music)
Youth Music believes that every young person deserves the chance to transform their life through the power of music… It’s here to prove that music isn’t just for some – it’s for everyone. It turns data into action – helping young people not just make music but make a living from it.

* DAN HAYHURST (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine – BAPAM)
BAPAM is a healthcare charity giving medical advice to people working and studying in the performing arts through direct provision of information, clinical assessment and referral and through broader education, training, research and dissemination of knowledge about best practice in performing arts medicine.

* PHILIP MORRIS (Musicians’ Union)
The Musicians’ Union is the UK trade union for all musicians representing over 36,000 musicians across the UK working in all sectors of the music business. As well as negotiating on behalf of members with all the major employers in the industry, it offers a range of support services for musicians.

* DAN JONES (PRS for Music)
PRS for Music licenses the use of its members’ music by businesses, online, in broadcasts and film, for live performance and as recorded products. It pays royalties to its members for the use of their work while protecting the future of music through partnerships, technology and influencing policy.