It was made especially exciting because MIMS is the brainchild of Brittany Blackwell and Annkatrin Siegl two dynamic students from the MA music Management and Artist Development Degree that I lecture on for A&R and Leadership and Creativity.

As I glanced up into the auditorium I could see Andy East my good friend and the ‘creator ‘of the whole degree looking proudly down on his students.

Hats off to them for creating a platform to speak out for more women to be recognised in the Music Industry in the roles traditionally held by men and also for being unafraid to tackle prickly topics like diversity and inclusion and to get to the bottom of what gender equality in the Music Industry might look like n the future.

But I don’t want you to think this was an all female conference, it wasn’t. There was a lively debate on the terminology currently used in Rap and Grime. You know the sort of thing.... no I don’t need to spell it out.... but it rhymes with ‘rich’. I loved the academic debate and the civilised tones of the arguments (we were in a University after all) but the fun thing was that being The London College of Music, there were plenty of songwriters and some Rappers in the audience too.

And what a strong panel there was; Roberta Hickey MTV UK, Label and Talent Manager. Abi Jenaé from Afrotown Records, CEO & Music Lawyer who started out working on a street team working with Skepta.

Coco Khan (Complex UK, Senior Editor); Andreea Magdalina (shesaid.so, Founder & CEO) And Kehinde Olarinmoye , Music Manager and Warner/Chappell Music, formerly in A&R there....with a really jolly sense of humour.

Well you have to have that in our business..

One of my favourite analogies for the Music Industry is it’s like being in a giant game of Snakes and Ladders. One role of the dice you’re at the top and the very next role, you are sliding down the snake looking for another ladder.

Yes, it’s tricky ...still we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it!