With the Ivor Novello's round the corner, Music Matrix and Arts Council England today announced the first ever London Songwriters Week.

The event boasts a stellar mix of Q&A sessions and performances from a wide range of international stars, taking place in venues all over London. Some of the highlights include a lyricist session and performance from leading British rapper Kano and a live jazz improvisation workshop with Soweto Kinch and other leading Jazz heads.

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.  

Good for punters and songwriters alike 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.  

www.londonsongwritersweek.co.uk

London Songwriters Week – Schedule of events

MONDAY 19th MAY 2008

Afternoon

Gallery Opening (Showing All Week)
A photography exhibition in conjunction with the PRS showcasing exclusive portraits of past Ivor Novello winners, accompanied by their award-winning song lyrics.

Venue: Exposure, 22-23 Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8BU

Evening 

Writing For Film and TV (6:00pm to 7:30pm)
This session is designed to fill in the blanks for people who are interested in making music for film and television.  Presenting examples of how writers that originally wrote music for bands or were music producers have developed successful careers in writing for film or television, giving a true perspective of this side of the industry.  Featuring:  Manon Dave and The Rebs.

Venue: PRS basement, Copyright House, 29-33 Berners St, London, W1T 3AB

The Big Hit with Rick Nowels (6:30pm to 10:00pm)
A rare opportunity to see and hear one of the world’s foremost songwriters in a unique event.  Grammy and Ivor Novello winner Rick Nowels has more than fifty top twenty songs to his credit and has worked with some of the world’s greatest performers including: Madonna, Belinda Carlisle, Dido, Ronan Keating, Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Celine Dion and KD Lang. During his career, Rick's songs have hit the number one spot over ten times.  If anyone knows what a BIG HIT is, Rick does.