The Music Exchange: Spotlight on Songwriters

What challenges are songwriters facing in the industry? What’s the future of the profession?

The world of songwriting often happens behind closed doors, in cabins in the woods or in recording studios around the world. We often don’t see how the magic happens. Songwriting practices have changed dramatically in the twenty first century. Songs can have over ten writers, be written in songwriting camps, and may not be written by those credited or even by a human. Join us to take a peak behind the curtain into the world of commercial songwriting through the lived experiences of writers themselves. 

On the panel we will welcome songwriter and academic Dr Jenna Doyle who has written for the K-Pop and J-Pop markets as well as for Canadian pop star Deborah Cox, and Emma Gale who has had songs in the Eurovision Song Contest and national finals across Europe from Norway to Croatia. We will also be joined by Dr Katherine Williams, Research Fellow in Popular Music Songwriting at the University of Huddersfield and co-lead of the SC21: Songwriting Camps in the 21st Century project. This event will be chaired by Dr Sam Murray, Lecturer in Music and Management at the School of Music.

This is a unique chance to learn about the world of commercial songwriting and how it works as well as the challenges involved. The event will run simultaneously, in-person at the Clothworkers’ Centenary Concert Hall Foyer, and online, via interactive webinar.

Register: https://openup.leeds.ac.uk/events/the-music-exchange-spotlight-on-songwriting/

17:00 | Doors – Clothworkers Bar open
17:30 | Event start
18:45 – 19:30 | Networking – Clothworkers Bar

The Music Exchange is a series of events that gives the public direct access to the research we do at the School of Music, University of Leeds. Bringing in partners, experts and collaborators from across music, industry and academia we aim not only to make music research accessible to all, but to forge new collaborations, connections and audiences.