Steven Finch

🚀 10 Top Tips for Producers When Building Their Teams 🚀 Building a successful team is crucial for any producer. At LVL/UP, we believe these ten tips will help you assemble and lead an exceptional team: Be Proactive 🌟 Anticipate needs and take the initiative. Address potential issues before they arise and be prepared for every stage of your project. Be Diverse 🌍 Embrace diverse perspectives and backgrounds. A varied team brings fresh ideas and innovative solutions, enhancing creativity and inclusivity. Be Ambitious 🚀 Set high standards and encourage your team to strive for excellence. Ambition drives growth and leads to outstanding results. Be Realistic 🎯 Understand and communicate the practical limitations of time, budget, and resources. Setting realistic expectations ensures smoother operations and better outcomes. Be Collaborative 🤝 Foster a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and can contribute their ideas. Collaboration enhances creativity and problem-solving. Be Communicative 🗣️ Maintain open lines of communication. Regular updates and clear instructions help avoid misunderstandings and keep everyone aligned with the project’s goals. Be Transparent 🔍 Share relevant information and be honest about challenges and changes. Transparency builds trust and strengthens team dynamics. Be Kind 💖 Lead with empathy and respect. Kindness creates a positive work environment and boosts team morale and productivity. Be in Their Shoes 👟 Understand and acknowledge the challenges your team faces. Empathy allows you to offer better support and solutions tailored to their needs. Be the Boss 👑 Take charge confidently and make decisions when needed. Strong leadership guides the team and drives the project toward success. Implement these tips to build a motivated, effective, and harmonious team. Join LVL/UP to develop your leadership skills and become the best producer you can be! https://lnkd.in/dbdJYGv5 #LVLUP #TeamBuilding #Leadership #ProducerTips #ArtsManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Sharing our timelines help others understand where we’ve come from. It also highlights someting social media doesn’t often showcase: the trials and tribulations we’ve gone through. We could all be like Stephen here a bit and showcase our timelines rathan that our highlight reels. #audiopostproduction #commercialagent #animationstudio #adagency #videostudio

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UK Music's analysis of the latest A-level music results reveals a complex picture for the future of music education and our industry's talent pipeline. While we welcome the slight increase in A-level entries, the long-term trend remains concerning. As the voice of the UK music industry, we're calling for urgent action to support and enhance music education. UK Music's Director of Education and Skills, Dr Oliver Morris, states: "It's welcome news that the number of students taking music A-level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland rose from 5,493 in 2023 to 5,517 this year – but this only represents a very modest increase of 0.4%." Our recommendations include: - Hiring more qualified music teachers - Increasing funding for music education programs - Developing stronger partnerships between schools and the music industry - Emphasizing the career opportunities in the £7 billion UK music sector. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eR-_Fte5

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Live music's economic impact is undeniable, and the UK's live music industry reaching a record £6.1bn value in 2023 further solidifies this fact. While the reported value pertains to the top of the live music pyramid, platforms like GigPig play a vital role in the 'seed' sector, nurturing artists who later advance to grassroots venues. This progression is crucial as the 'seed' and 'grassroots' sectors contribute significantly to the economy, laying the foundation for the broader music industry to thrive. Amidst celebrating the positive impact of live music on the music sector, GigPig remains committed to championing the 'seed' level, which adds £2.4bn for venues and £1.3bn to the artist market. These contributions are instrumental in enhancing the economic prosperity of various UK towns and cities, underscoring their immense value often overlooked in the broader market landscape. Kudos to the LIVE (Live music Industry Venues and Entertainment) team and Jon Collins for revealing this pivotal data, showcasing the profound influence of delivering exceptional music experiences. #LiveMusic #EconomicImpact #MusicIndustry #GigPig #UKEconomy

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A new debate on the cost of cool, which digs into the environmental impact of increasing vinyl sales and rising concerns among several major artists. In summary, some counter-argue that the tech behind vinyls is significantly evolving, notably with BioVinyl, whilst others mention the environmental cost of storage data from streaming platforms. For me, it is entertainment, it is what consumers want, and it is the same debate as EV cars vs. good old gas. It’s evolution meets nostalgia. What do you reckon? 

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This is a really important initiative so if you can contribute please do. Poor, corrupt or missing metadata is (still) one of the music industry’s biggest problems and the most likely to mean that creators and performers don’t get paid the royalties that they should. Concerted efforts like these from the Credits Due campaign and the UK metadata code of conduct should go at least some way towards (finally) helping to fix this and get the right money to the right people. Come on, we’ve got work to do…. #musicindustry #musicmetadata #getplayedgetpaid #musiciansroyalties #songwritercredits #producercredits #buildbackbetter

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A lot of people still don't realise the true value of live events. That's OK, because UK Music Ltd's latest report gave us an insight into its impact in 2023... 🎪 19.2 million music fans travelled from across the UK and overseas to see UK shows and festivals (33% increase on the year prior) 🎪 £8 billion spent in local economies as a result of music tourism (21% increase on the year prior) 🎪 62,000 jobs sustained through music tourism (17% increase on the year prior) 🎪 1.014 million foreign music tourists (a slight drop from 1.053 million in the year prior) 🎪 18.2 million domestic music tourists (36% increase on the year prior) And that's just the economic benefits of our industry - think about the benefits to people, places, societies and communities. Despite positive impacts, UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl states: “Grassroots music venues and festivals, studios and rehearsal spaces are facing tough economic pressures and it’s vital that the music ecosystem that enables musicians and artists to perform is supported to ensure that everyone – no matter where they live – can have access to music. “We’re looking forward to working with the new Government to ensure that all our towns and cities have thriving music ecosystems that support the growth of the industry – generating thousands more jobs, boosting economic growth and making their areas even more attractive to visitors.” #grassroots #festivals #events #musicindustry #yourfestivalneedsyou 📸 BLOND:ISH at Labryinth Open Air, Tofte Manor - captured by Jake Philip Davis, produced by The Fair

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Latest Release

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The new Goldman Sachs report is extremely positive and bullish on music revenue growth (& streaming price increases) with their latest 'Music In The Air' report just released. Goldman Sachs has raised its "2024-30 CAGR" (the compound annual growth rate from now until the end of 2030) for the global music market, from +7.4% to +7.6%, and included predicting +10% and +11% YoY growth for the recorded and publishing markets. Its prediction for the gross revenues of the global music market at the end of 2030 is $163.7bn (compared to $98.3bn for 2023). The report contains other analytic predictions that explain its confidence in future music industry growth. Those predictions are: further upcoming price increases for music streaming subscriptions (the company models an approximate 3% average annual price increase); the suspected launch of "super premium plans catering to superfans"; the anticipated adoption of artist-centric payment models by more streaming platforms; and the "development of a framework and monetisation avenue for the use of music content by Generative AI models." The latter, it believes, will come via commercial licensing agreements or new legal precedents. The publicly available version of the larger report is here: https://lnkd.in/eVMSBmb3

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PitStop Productions are very proud to announce that we worked on the Voiceover post-production, Sound Design and Music Creation for Supermassive Games Ltd and Behaviour Interactive's new release: The Casting of Frank Stone. Don't take our word for it - take a look at some of the reviews below: "The voice acting in this game is nothing short of stellar, with performances that are truly award-worthy across the board. There’s no substitute for top-tier voice talent, and it’s clear the developers knew this, delivering a game filled with film-quality performances from industry professionals. To top it all off, these exceptional voiceovers are perfectly complemented by music and sound effects that would put many horror movie productions to shame." - Game8 "And Frank Stone has great music and oppressive sound design. It borrows several sounds from DbD, including the paranoid keyboard blip that flits like a luna moth when you acquire an item, as well as the synth exhale of a successful skill check. Often, you hear the Dead by Daylight loading screen dirge dissolve in clever ways, pounding itself into your playthrough like a bad thought. Ultimately, The Casting of Frank Stone is most successful in these kinds of subtleties, the ones that reflect the trapped rhythm of its connecting timelines and Dead by Daylight's Survivors, who are hunted for eternity. Frank Stone's music repeats, its cast members reappear throughout history, and life, according to this game, is a wheel you're bound to. It might not always be pleasant, but the important thing is that it's yours." - Eurogamer

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Universal Music (UK) is in the midst of significant transformations, with mergers and cost-cutting measures on the horizon. Sub-labels like Island Records and EMI are set to merge, along with 0207 Def Jam and Polydor in the UK. In the US, similar consolidations are already underway, with labels like Def Jam, Island, Mercury, Imperial, and Republic now under Republic Corps. Interscope, Geffen A&M, and Capitol Music Group have also merged under ICLG. These changes are likely to impact artists, possibly leading to lower budgets, staff reductions, and terminations. However, music enthusiasts may benefit from increased pressure on Universal artists to release music promptly as the label aims to uphold its roster. Stay tuned for updates on how these industry shifts will evolve. Exciting times are ahead in the music industry with these developments at Universal Music. What are your thoughts on the changing landscape? Share your insights on the potential implications for artists and the industry as a whole. #MusicIndustry #UniversalMusic #IndustryChanges

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Are FAST Channels Leaving Money on the Table? Yes. At MIPCOM, one thing was clear: the biggest opportunity for FAST isn’t launching new channels—it’s making sure viewers can find the ones that already exist. With 90% of viewing locked into the top 10 services, most channels are lost in the guide. But when audiences discover content they love, they stick around—ad completion rates can hit 97%. The message is actually very simple: help audiences find your channels, not just your shows. It’s time to solve the discovery problem. Now if there was only a way to use AI to to just that... Oh, hello Social Dept!

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#eGoli by #CowBoii is currently trending across all DSPs, it’s great to see most of our content doing amazing and really competing at the highest within the market, we are currently sitting at number 3 on #Spotify 🏆🚀 Mculo Content Aggregators (MCA) #musicdistribution #music #strategy #contentmarketing #amapiano

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How do you prevent streaming fraud? Simple – put the music behind an individual paywall. We turned music into an all-you-can-eat buffet, then complain when someone figures out how to take as much as they want home. Paywalls prevent fraud but also create real value for both artists and fans. But what do I know? 🤷‍♂️ #MusicIndustry #Streaming #MusicBusiness #DirectToFan

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Gaming for Good is set to take centre stage in 2025, with charities increasingly tapping into the power of gaming to raise awareness and drive donations. With the global gaming industry booming—worth £7.9bn in the UK alone—it's no wonder charities are jumping on board. It's not just about young gamers anymore. Older adults and women are growing demographics in gaming, and charities are getting creative in engaging all ages through live-streaming, interactive games, and even virtual reality. The RSPCA, for example, is using gaming to educate young people about climate change's impact on animals. In 2025, we’ll see even more innovative, inclusive, and purpose-driven gaming initiatives. Charities are realising that gaming is no longer just for fun—it’s a powerful tool for good. #GamingForGood #CharityGaming #GameOnForChange #Gaming2025 #FundraisingInnovation

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The brilliant Ben Keen recently published a report about the state of UK film financing for the British Screen Forum in which he outlined some of the trends he’d spotted over the past 10 years including total spending across all film and High-End Television (HETV) production, the average budget of inward investment vs. domestic (British) films, the number of films funded by public service broadcasters and the key role they play in talent incubation. Germane to OTT, Ben also talked about films backed by legacy Hollywood majors vs. those part, or fully, financed by the global streamers. For example, over the four years to 2022, Netflix was involved in the financing of more UK films than Warner Bros, Disney and Universal combined. We’re going to discuss some of some of these findings at this Thursday's OTT Question Time Online (24 October, 4pm UK / 5pm CET). Together with Ben, Anwen Griffiths, Head of Legal & Business Affairs at BBC Films, and Amanda Groom, founder of The Bridge, we’ll also explore: - Some of the acronyms, terminology and financial incentives involved in content production (especially useful, perhaps, for those of us from a pure OTT background!) - Applying a wider lens, the film & HETV markets in South Korea, the US, Asia and LATAM - Content production business models - The impact on investment of the streamers now increasingly focusing on profits rather than growth - And the outlook for content producers worldwide over the next five years Season 5, Episode 6 of OTT Question Time Online will be streamed live at 16:00 UK / 17:00 CET on Thurs 24 October. Register to watch live and engage in the conversation! https://lnkd.in/e2Qch-9u

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There was standing room only for Music Technology UK’s fireside chat focusing on the evolving dynamics around investment in music tech! We know from our own client base that the music tech scene is thriving but companies often struggle to define their narrative, explain their businesses and differentiate their offer, particularly to an investment community that is often not familiar with the complexities of the music industry. This is exactly the kind of challenge Fourth Pillar was established to help music companies tackle. Check out our website at fourthpillarpr.com or get in touch via [email protected] if you’d like to hear more! Cliff Fluet Helen Sartory #musictech #investorcommunications #musicbusiness

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