the blog

Why do you do what you do?

We'll soon be announcing the winners of our Joining the Dots project and finding out what inspired their brilliant music industry ideas. In this blog entrepreneur Derek Sivers offers advice on what should NOT inspire your bright idea. Read More

Why my code and ideas are public

Our six winning Joining the Dots applicants will be sharing their progress and learning as they put their project into practice over the coming months. Musician and entrepreneur Derek Sivers blogs on why sharing is such a good idea.Read More

From Now On Festival packed with fans of indie, electronic and experimental music

A sell-out celebration of the "edgy Welsh-language music scene" translates well into the mainstream - with thrashing harp, ethereal electro pop and a little help from LA's Lucky Dragons. Read More

The music industry has a communication not innovation problem

The problem with the music industry is not a lack of innovation – it's a lack of communication. So says Dr Rob Toulson of the Innovation in Music conference which he co-founded to bring together big thinkers across musicology, technology development and the music industry as well as the artists themselves. Read More

the hub’s director Julia Payne offers some fundraising tips

Our recent call for proposals for our Joining the Dots funding resulted in a mountain of applications – over 150 people submitted a short film about their idea. Our panel of assessors had a tough job; pretty much every single one had a really great idea at its heart, yet we could only take 1 […]Read More

How to run an award-winning festival

Record labels signing fewer bands, a closed shop operated by bigger promoters - and a lot of deer. Just some of the issues faced by Kendal Calling festival promotor Andy Smith who tells Karen Pirie how he and others like him are getting through it.Read More

Why it pays to give your ideas away

Isaac Mao is the godfather of “sharism”. The core spirit of Web 2.0 has, he says, led to an “evolutionary leap” which is challenging orthodox notions of copyright and helping to generate wealth – and happiness – for those of us who are willing to share our knowledge.Read More

Fans, messaging and visuals – 2014 in music

SO Recordings' product manager Alison Lamb gives us her new year's resolutions for the industry in 2014. Read More

the new hub intern on why the music industry needs game-changers

Radio presenter, music editor, blogger and student Deborah Findlater is the hub's new intern. Here she identifies areas in the music industry that need urgent attention. Read More

Cultural Institute Arts and Digital Ideas Labs – courtesy of Tim Mitchell

Need inspiration? Speak to people who think differently to you

Katherine Bond is the Director of Innovation at Cultural Institute, King's College London which is funding and supporting Joining the Dots. She tells the hub how brilliant ideas don't come out of no-where and why she's in favour of sharing knowledge.Read More