This session explores the role of technology in shaping a fairer, more sustainable and future-ready music industry in Scotland.
Through a keynote and panel discussion, the session looks at the use of AI in music creation, rights management, carbon reduction, accessible tools and innovation-led business models. The conversation moves beyond hype to focus on practical applications, risks, and the long-term impacts of emerging technologies.
This session was recorded as part of the SMIA Summit 2024 – a free, two-day online event exploring what’s next for Scotland’s music industry.
Topics include:
- AI in music production and ethical considerations
- Rights management and ownership in the digital age
- Sustainability through digital tools and virtual working
- Accessibility and inclusion through tech innovation
- The creator economy, superfans and new income models
Session Breakdown
- 00:00 – Introduction by Robert Kilpatrick (Scottish Music Industry Association)
- 02:30 – Keynote by Prof. Matt Brennan (University of Glasgow)
- 13:25– Panel discussion moderated by Caroline Parkinson (Edinburgh Futures Institute), featuring:
- Eduard Castelló (YouTube)
- Mark Douglas (PPL)
- Cathie Boyd (Cryptic / Sonica)
- 44:25 – Audience Q&A
Accessibility:
Captions are available – click the [CC] button on the video player.
Explore the other SMIA Summit 2024 videos:
- A Sound Investment – What’s Scotland’s Music Industry Worth?
- Beyond the Central Belt – Decentralising Scotland’s Music Industry
- Re-imagining Music Spaces – From Vision to Sector-wide Reality
- Achieving Fair Work in Scotland’s Music Industry
- Addressing Gender Discrimination in Scotland’s Music Industry
- An International Music Strategy – Building a Sustainable Global Presence
Session Speakers + Panellists
Prof Matt Brennan – Keynote Speaker
Speaker Biography
Matt Brennan is Professor of Popular Music and Convenor of the MSc Music Industries at the University of Glasgow. He has served as Chair of the UK and Ireland branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), and has authored and edited several books in the field of popular music studies. His latest book, Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (Oxford University Press) was named one of the “best music books of 2020” by the Financial Times, and his previous monograph, When Genres Collide (Bloomsbury), was named as one of Pitchfork’s “Favourite Music Books of 2017”. In 2018 he led the UK Live Music Census, the first nationwide census of its kind in the world. He is currently researching environmental sustainability strategies for music cities, using Glasgow as a case study.
Caroline Parkinson – Moderator
Speaker Biography
Caroline is Director of Creative for the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) and works with the Scottish creative and cultural industries to innovate with academia. She developed the EFI plan for developing data-driven innovation within the creative industries and has worked closely with flagship project – Creative Informatics Cluster from 2018-2024.
She was Director of Film, TV, Music, Creative Industries, Skills & Innovation for Creative Scotland from 2010-2014, and from 2005-2010 she was Director, Scotland & Northern Ireland for the new sector skills association, Creative & Cultural Skills.
Her early creative life included ballet and rhythmic gymnastics, fashion, singing in bands for over 30 years, and photography, becoming a professional photographer in 1999.
She serves on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland, and for 7 years has served in a voluntary capacity as Strategic Director and Presenter of the MOVE Summit, Scotland’s Animation and VFX Gathering.
Eduard Castelló
Speaker Biography
Eduard is the Director of Independent Music Business Development & Partnerships at YouTube. Eduard oversees YouTube’s independent music business globally; licensing catalogs from hundreds of independent labels and distributors and driving partnerships with the industry to make YouTube the best place for every music fan. Eduard’s focus is maintaining and strengthening relationships with industry leaders while fueling the growth of the independent sector on the platform. A cornerstone of his work is delivering innovation hand in hand with the music industry; from launching Youtube Music and Premium – whose subscribers have grown to over 80M globally – to most recently licensing and launching Shorts and Creator Music, transforming the way music fans interact with music catalogs.
Mark Douglas
Speaker Biography
Mark is the Chief Information Officer at PPL and DDEX board member. As a member of PPL’s Executive Management team, he is responsible for all aspects of PPL’s technology and data systems, leading a team of around 50 IT and data professionals. Outside PPL’s core systems, Mark has played a key role in a range of critical industry initiatives including RDx, the recording repertoire data exchange, and VRDB, the SCAPR database to improve the flow of cross border payments between performer collecting societies. Prior to joining PPL in 2011, Mark was a partner in the technology consulting practice at Deloitte where he served a broad range of media clients across TV, music and film. As a Chartered Accountant and Computer Science graduate, Mark draws on a broad range of business and technology experience. For the past 3 years, he has been a regular contributor to Music Business Worldwide’s UK print magazine, where he comments on data and technology matters within the music industry.
Cathie Boyd
Speaker Biography
Cathie Boyd is an internationally respected director, producer and curator known for her ability to inspire others and her strong leadership of creative endeavour. With over 30 years of experience, she is able to work across art forms, from opera to music, digital arts and film while being able to work at a strategic and practical level, often working in new and unusual ways to achieve goals.
Raised in Belfast, Ireland, Cathie graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and set up Cryptic in 1994 with the desire to create innovative music and/or sound-based performances that would ‘ravish the senses’ of international audiences. Her many years of artistic practice include numerous international commissions and collaborations which have been presented in over 30 countries.
Cathie has been instrumental in providing a key platform for artists around the world by creating Glasgow’s biennale Sonica Festival in 2012. She also has much experience in working with new technologies and was previously awarded a NESTA Fellowship to develop live visuals for classical music – performances include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, BBS SSO, London Sinfonietta and NYO.
Looking Ahead to SMIA Summit 2025
We’re already preparing for the return of the SMIA Summit in 2025 – bringing Scotland’s music industry back together to explore new ideas, tackle sector challenges and share opportunities for growth.
Following on from the themes of 2024, next year’s event will once again unite artists, organisations, policymakers and professionals for two days of learning, collaboration and future-focused conversation.
Want to be part of it?
Join our free SMIA membership to get early access to programme updates, announcements and involvement opportunities.