Issue 10: Louise Dodgson of The Unsigned Guide
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for independent artists. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
It’s a true honour to begin the year by featuring Louise Dodgson, Editor of The Unsigned Guide. The Unsigned Guide is the UK’s largest music industry directory, and has long played an absolutely paramount role in connecting artists with intermediaries across an array of different facets of the industry. With networking and growing a team (not to mention a lack of time to do so) often acting as one of the most significant challenges of being a new artist, the resources provided by The Unsigned Guide are crucial in alleviating the mystery and red tape surrounding all it takes to begin building a music career.
In addition to providing a comprehensive and curated contact directory, The Unsigned Guide also provides artist spotlights, industry advice, and more. There are few words to encapsulate how important their work is, and how much stronger we as an industry are as a result of their work simply existing. “How do I get started?” is forever a burning question artists will have, and The Unsigned Guide provides an answer.
What's the origin story behind the creation of The Unsigned Guide?
The directors of The Unsigned Guide, Stef and Lee, used to run the Boardwalk rehearsal studios in Manchester many years ago (where Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans and Oasis all practiced regularly in the earlier stages of their careers.). At this time the internet was still in its infancy, and they used to have a lot of bands asking them if they had any contacts for managers, record labels, gig promoters in other cities etc, and so they started to put together an A4 sheet of the names & numbers of anyone they knew who could help local bands out. As time went on, Stef & Lee realised that there was no source of information of this kind for unsigned acts, and that, as a result, most were finding it tricky to make strides beyond their local scene. So they approached the Musicians' Union to enquire about funding a directory of music industry contacts, aimed specifically at grassroots bands and artists.
The MU provided funding for the first ever printed edition of The Unsigned Guide directory, which was published in 2003 and focused purely on the North West. At this point I came on board to work with them, and beyond that we have created and published 6 more, self-funded, printed directories over the years, which expanded from covering North West contacts, to the whole of the UK. In 2010, we moved the directory entirely online to allow us to keep information in the directory more up to date, to allow us to add listings all year round (rather than having to wait 12 months for the next printed edition!), and to allow cheaper, more flexible access for our musician members.
Which aspect(s) of The Unsigned Guide are you most proud of?
I'm proud that we've managed to keep The Unsigned Guide going independently for 20 years now, and keep it affordable for emerging musicians. That has always been the bottom line - that we want the service to be useful and good value, as we know bands don't have a lot of money or time to waste.
Is there anything about The Unsigned Guide people may not know that you'd like to get the word out about?
We recently launched a new feature called Deals & Discounts, which we'll be pushing more during 2023. Basically, it allows musicians who have a subscription to The Unsigned Guide to save money on the various services we have listed in the directory. So, from digital distribution, recording/rehearsal sessions, CD duplication, merchandise and printing to photo/video shoots and artwork & design, there are hundreds of discounts or special deals available from the businesses listed in our directory.
We know times are so tough for everyone at the moment, and in particular emerging acts, so we want to draw attention to the companies who can save them money on the services they need in order to further their music careers.
In your opinion, what's the greatest hurdle facing independent artists today?
There's just so much competition out there! We highlight our favourite 5 emerging acts on our Spotlight blog each month, and in doing so, listen through hundreds of submissions and there's so much fantastic talent around. So it can make it tricky to break through and make an impact. On the flip side, so much great talent does make for exciting and thriving music scenes across the UK, which comes with many benefits and opportunities for artists to work alongside each other.
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
Quite a broad one, but I would say - be decent, always! It costs nothing to be polite and kind, whether it's when dealing with other bands, promoters etc - even just when sending an email! It sounds so trivial...but nobody will ever want to go out of their way to help people that are entitled, rude, obnoxious etc.
Find your tribe and focus on them. By 'tribe' I mean your dedicated fanbase, and a support network of trusted bands and music industry folks within your local scene and beyond. It's always invaluable to have others you can lean on or get advice from. I think building a foundation of decent people to work alongside goes a long way.
A huge thank you to Louise for taking the time to share such fantastic, thoughtful answers. To keep up with The Unsigned Guide, click here to follow them on Twitter, here to follow them on Instagram, and here to follow them on Facebook.
In terms of things happening with Carnival of Oddities, you can purchase tickets to our first showcase with The Flitz, Slender Pins, Sulk, and Caution Elderly People at Amersham Arms on 8th February here.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read The Band Bible.
With happiness and hedonism,
Lindsay Teske
Founder: Carnival of Oddities