Two drop-in surgeries are being held, one with Alison (AIM's Chief Executive and Chair) and one with Helen Smith (Legal Adviser).

Their purpose is to enable labels to get proper advice on specific issues on a 1:1 basis.

The surgeries will take place between 11am and 5pm on Thursday 22nd February at the MCPS/MU offices in Glasgow (11 Sandyford Place).

Slots vary from 10 minutes to half an hour (or longer) depending on the issue at hand.

The topics Alison and Helen will be covering will range from MCPS/PPL/internet advice and mentoring to international (Far East etc)/trade fairs and legal/business/financial advice as well as general tips on accessing the domestic and global markets.

The surgeries are open to members of AIM, NEMIS (New Music in Scotland), SRIA (Scottish Record Industry Association) or any label that wants to find out more about AIM.

Anyone wishing to attend should contact Alex Papasimakopoulou of AIM on 020 8994 5599 (or by email - christel@musicindie.com) or MCPS's Duncan McCrone on 0141 204 4030 (or by email on duncan.mccrone@mcps.co.uk) to book an appointment.

These surgeries follow deals made with NEMIS and SRIA last year, who together represent approximately 100 labels. The deals were made to bring these labels within the AIM fold. They also broaden AIM's understanding of market and other conditions in Scotland, so that AIM can better serve its Scottish members' needs on various fronts.

These deals follow a number of industry meetings in Scotland last year, including an open AIM meeting hosted by Glasgow City Council last May.

Tam Coyle, Music Development Officer at Glasgow City Council is available on 0141 287 7216, should you wish to speak to him.

This is the second drop-in AIM surgery being held in Scotland. The first was held in September and proved extremely popular. We're planning to hold four a year in Scotland, with the next earmarked for Edinburgh (date tbc).

The initiative is part of a rolling commitment to serve the interests of our members throughout the UK, and not be London-centric. This has been one of AIM's main remits since its inception. This year's programme kicked off with AIM sharing its stand at Midem with Manchester Music, and will be continued with a seminar in Liverpool this Easter on all aspects of label management (held in conjunction with LIPA - Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts). Further seminars in Manchester and Bristol will be held over the summer.