We run the industry’s premier (in our humble opinon!) music industry social and networking event, for the past 7 years, and for 5 years in association with Help Musicians. This is at our spiritual home at the Phoenix Artist Club in Soho. A chance for aspiring and existing industry, freelancers and those at companies to meet new friends, blow off some steam and learn about how we do things at Karousel. We pit a host of labels, managers, publishers, agents, trade and funding bodies, PR’s, pluggers, DSP’s, distributors and venues in a fastest-fingers-on-the-buzzers brutal slug out for the fabled #IvorQuizello Award.

Recent #Quizwar slugouts have seen teams put together either collaboratively or in FIERCE competition from companies such as SESAC, Sony ATV, The Roundhouse, Media Insight Consulting, FastForward, Bucks Music,  AWAL, MMF, Ticketmaster, The Orchard, Believe, Cadenza Box, Absolute, Ignition Management, Liquid Management, Air MTM, Music Glue, Music Venue Trust, Help Musicians, PRS, Ivors Academy, AIM, Wixen, and many, many more. We are always keen to welcome new industry friends in. Give us a shout on facebook if you’re keen to come to the next one. Where else will you see the guys who manage Noel Gallagher sumo wrestling on Nintendo Switch against your favourite distributor; or hear one of the industry’s premier economists and connectors singing classics on lyric-a-oke for extra points? Check out some photos of previous events below. If you work in the music business, you’re welcome to get involved.

Karousel Music CIC is a London based music industry hub promoting collaboration amongst artists, songwriters, musicians and industry, fighting to put good souls around great independent artists. We have a boutique publishing roster in partnership with Wixen Music UK, a small artist management roster and a record label dedicated to shining a light on seemingly hidden artists with magnificent catalogue – Karousel Buried Treasure. All the artists we work with retain ownership of their works on rolling one year deals where we administer those rights and build towards them maximising their income, growing their fanbase and building an industry team.

Believing as we do that we all exist in an ecosystem, we endeavour to put on events for both aspiring and existing industry as well as artists, and have always found it to be a good thing that both the artist and the industry discover that the other person on the end of the email are real human beings.

Founded in 2011 as a response to the pay-to-play scourge in London, we began with fan and industry showcase nights, and as of 2024 we have given 559 showcase slots in front of fans and industry where the artists keep 100% of the proceeds. For the last 10 years we have run our showcases with SESAC at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney, as well as various special events at the Phoenix Artist Club, Soho. Currently we are also partnered with the MMF for our showcase events for the networking portion of the show.

As you can see above, since 2014 we have hosted the industry’s favourite quiz night/social – the MusicBiz Speed Quiz #QuizWAR. In addition to this we run various Industry ‘Speed Dating’ events helping artists and aspiring industry connect with those at the top of their game who are minded to help people find their way into the business.

We believe that everything starts with great songwriting, and everything we do one way or another comes back to that. There are some wonderful human beings in the independent music industry who love and care for musicians and songwriters more than anything else in the world. Many of them were artists or musicians and want to stay in the industry they love; many couldn’t play a note and so love those who can all the more for it. We’re here to help you find those people, to help fans find those artists that are buried beneath the sand and to bring like minded souls together to demystify how the music business really works.

A bedroll and campfire of the soul for great artists, songwriters, musicians and independent music industry professionals both UK based and beyond.

We are passionate members of the Ivors Academy. Never has it been more important to defend the rights of songwriters in the world of streaming; and in the light of deals which aim to buy out the writer share. We are also long term dedicated and grateful members of the MMF and encourage all managers or self managing artists to join.  We are also proud to be members of AIM and have found their community and advice to be priceless. We are members of IAFAR – make sure you are correctly registering and policing your Neighbouring Rights (ie PPL) income if you are a performer or rightsholder (ie self releasing artist or a label).

Please support Help Musicians. They have been providing opportunities for musicians at all stages of their career from education through to retirement, and helping them through crises for 103 years this year. It’s an amazing charity and we love them dearly. If you or someone you care about working in music are suffering with issues around addiction, please talk to Music Support.