The Scottish Music Industry Association has revealed a “five-year plan” which it believes will create “a stronger, more united music industry in Scotland”.
It’s unclear whether the ‘plan’ will be based on Stalin’s original “collectivization”-based programme, or the final Gorbachev one which saw the dissolution of the Association, er, sorry, Soviet Union, shortly afterwards.

The plan has three main routes to these objectives:
• celebrate and promote all musical endeavour in Scotland;
• stimulate growth and job-creation at local, regional, national and international levels;
• communicate more effectively, engaging with (and uniting) a diffuse industry populated with a myriad of small and medium enterprises across a spectrum of genres and sectors.

They will do this via high-level networking events, regional trade fairs and continuing professional development for its members – including an annual programme of Independent Label Markets across Scotland (presumably like the ones at Surgeon’s Hall and Platform recently), and professional training delivered in partnership with the Music Managers Forum.

The SMIA also targets full financial self-sufficiency within five years, supported by Creative Scotland investment during this developmental phase.

Although slow to gain trust and membership numbers in its initial phase following similar unsuccessful attempts to unite the music industry in Scotland, the SMIA has eventually garnered some credibility thanks to its employment of industry stalwart Tam Coyle chairing a board that includes Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Adam Armit of Circular Records, Radio Magnetic’s Dougal Perman, Stephen Hume from Stirling’s Tolbooth, Chemikal Underground,’s Stewart Henderson, Greg Kane out of Hue and Cry, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ manager Jamie Gilmour, and Douglas MacIntyre, of Stow College / Creeping Bent fame.
More at the SMIA website.