BIGSOUND 2016 Speaker Focus: Charles Caldas

Organisation: Merlin, CEO

How did you first become involved in the music business and how did you end up where you are today? I played in a band, packed boxes for a record distributor, sold records to shops, worked at Shock for 16 years and somehow found myself living in London running Merlin. None of it was planned. 

What's been the biggest change in the music business you've seen over the past 12 months? The widespread adoption of an ever more viable and lucrative streaming subscription market, and the global reach that this provides for labels and artists. These are exciting times. 

What do you think will be the biggest issue affecting the music industry in the next 12 months and why? On the supply side, major labels continuing to buy indies for market share, which damages the indie sector globally. On the retail side the battle for consumers via exclusives, which damages consumers globally. 

What advice would you give young practitioners in your area starting out today? Pause, think, read, listen, question everything and find your own way of doing things. If you hit a wall, never mind. Try again. It will work out in the long run.

What will you be primarily discussing during your appearance at the BIGSOUND conference? I'll be sharing our experience of representing independents globally in the digital market. What have we learned, where are we thriving, what can we do better to ensure we exist in a healthy sustainable market.

What are you hoping that people will be able to learn from your panel/interview? Hopefully people will get a first hand look at the realities of the digital market for independents globally, and find ways to apply that so that local labels and artists can thrive in the future. 

What do you personally hope to take away from your time at BIGSOUND? An up-to-date understanding of the views and the thoughts of the Australian indie sector. Some Queensland sunshine that I can store up for the Northern winter. A cure for homesickness.

When and where is your panel/interview? 7 Sep, The Judith Wright Centre, 11:20am; 7 Sep, The Judith Wright Centre, 2pm; 8 Sep, The Judith Wright Centre, 3.05pm.