SCOTLAND’S FOLK MUSICIANS UP THEIR GAME WITH POST-PANDEMIC SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT

Folk musicians in Scotland are being offered specialist support to improve their presence on social media platforms thanks to a new initiative from some of Scotland’s leading music organisations.

SocialFolk, funded by Creative Scotland, offers musicians the chance to sign up to free one-to- one social media training with social media experts. Gill Maxwell, Executive Director of the Scottish Music Centre, one of the SocialFolk partners, said, ‘The covid-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges for the music industry, not least the need for artists to possess a broad range of skills and knowledge across social media platforms. The loss of live work and need to adapt to new and unfamiliar ways of working in the past eighteen months has brought this sharply into focus.’

The SocialFolk website, which launches on Monday October 25, is according to Lisa Whytock of Showcase Scotland Expo, ‘a one-stop shop Scotland-based traditional, folk, acoustic and roots musicians to hone their digital marketing skills.’

It contains free social media and digital marketing advice videos delivered by top folk musicians including Daniel Gillespie of Skerryvore and former BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year, Kristan Harvey. Harvey who plays with the bands, Blazin Fiddles and Fara said, ‘Getting to grips with social media has been a huge learning curve for me. I’ve invested a lot of time figuring out our audience and where our market is, using the demographic material that the platforms make available.’

David Francis, Director of the Traditional Music Forum, commented, ‘We had discovered anecdotally that many artists are not confident about their social media skills: they are unsure about what content to post, how often and where. Those anecdotal impressions were underscored by the formal survey we undertook in last year in which artists were asked about their understanding of social media, their awareness of various channels and how they can benefit artistic careers in an increasingly digital world.’

The organisers plan to make up to 60 one to one sessions available. Applications will be offered through a form on the website.

The Scottish Music Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised organisation providing key services to Scotland’s music industry.

Showcase Scotland Expo furthers the live export opportunities for Scottish based artists working in the genres of folk, traditional, Scots, Gaelic, world and acoustic music.

Hands up for Trad produces the annual Scots Trad Music Awards and the Scottish Young Traditional Musician of the Year and works to raise awareness of Scottish traditional music.

The Traditional Music Forum is the national network of traditional music organisations in Scotland.

Contact

David Francis david@tracscotland.org
Gill Maxwell gill.maxwell@scottishmusiccentre.com 
Lisa Whytock lisa@activeevents.org.uk
Simon Thoumire info@handsupfortrad.scot