When:   Thursday, 13th Jun, 4.00pm – 6.00pm

Where:  Reed Smith, The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2RS

How:      BPI Members can sign up for free using the 'BPI Member Rate' ticket, and a small quantity for general admission can also be purchased here.

When:   Thursday, 13th Jun, 4.00pm – 6.00pm

Where:  Reed Smith, The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2RS

How:      BPI Members can sign up for free using the 'BPI Member Rate' ticket, and a small quantity for general admission can also be purchased here.

The latest in the regular series of BPI Insight Sessions will explore the dynamics and trends shaping the popularity of podcasts, and what this may mean for music consumption – now and in the future.

The event for BPI members and invited guests will take place at the offices of Reed Smith at Broadgate Tower EC2 on Thursday 13th June and will be curated for the BPI by Music Ally. 

Chaired by Eamonn Forde, and with more names to be announced, the event will feature:

  • A presentation of industry research findings and a report on music and podcasts from Music Ally’s Stuart Dredge;
  • A discussion about the George Ezra & Friends podcast with Columbia Records UK's Alex Eden-Smith (Head of Marketing) and Edd Blower (Senior Digital Marketing Manager);
  • A remote interview with Tom Mullen, VP, Marketing Catalog and Podcasting, Atlantic Records.
  • A panel discussion featuring celebrated writer and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer; Chris Baughen, Managing Editor, Global Player App; Peggy Sutton, Managing Partner, Somethin’ Else; and John Doran, Editor and Co-Founder, The Quietus.

The Session will last for around 90 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A and networking drinks.

What’s the deal?

Podcasts aren’t new – they’ve been around for some 15 years – but they are enjoying a resurgence.  Data from RAJAR’s Spring 2019 MIDAS survey shows that 14 per cent of the UK adult population is listening to a podcast every week, rising to a fifth among 15 to 34 year olds.

From true-crime podcasts like Serial to politics, sports and comedy, podcast listening is booming, and music-streaming services such as Spotify, Deezer and Pandora are upping their efforts in this area. The music industry’s relationship with podcasts is evolving too: labels and artists are embracing the medium for marketing purposes and fan engagement, although licensing music for use in podcasts remains a grey area.

This event will explore the opportunities that our industry can unlock; the challenges we might face in doing so; and will present exclusive results of a report produced by the BPI and Music Ally.

Previous BPI Insight Sessions, a number of which have been held jointly with ERA, have explored In-Car Tech and Entertainment, Blockchain, VR, AI & Music, Generation Z, Smart Speakers, the album in the post-streaming age, and most recently the New Music Influencers.

We invite you to take part in our Podcast Survey

We would like to know how you use and interact with podcasts so that we can include your thoughts in the final report and reflect them in the event discussion. To take part and to also have the chance to win an Amazon voucher worth £100, please take just a few minutes to fill out this survey.