Musicians from across Europe and the US travelled to Dublin last weekend to take part in the second annual YouBloom festival. The three-day event was aimed at independent artists and brought together a comprehensive programme of gigs in venues across the city with a selection of panel discussions to facilitate debate on the issues facing new and developing artists. Sponsored by Tullamore D.E.W, the highlight of Saturday's programme was a Q&A with record label boss and music icon Alan McGee, as well as masterclasses with Rupert Van Hine and Alex Von Soos. The panel discussions have been one of the great successes of the festival and began with a conversation on monetizing niche audiences before extending into film/television placements for independent artists. After a series of speed sessions with the experts on Sunday, the day's proceedings began with a look at the role of the Internet in funding a band's activities, before a solid panel of female artists were joined by Rupert Hine for a lively debate on the strengths and challenges facing women in music today. The informal tone of the discussions proved to be a genius stroke as the input from the audience offered a wide perspective on the realities of the music business and Sulinna Ong's 'no nonsense' attitude was a welcome and inspiring addition. The conference bill wrapped up with a discussion entitled Live/Touring/Busking: Reinventing the tour - performing in the 21st Century, with Eleanor McEvoy, Larry Hogan, Nick Broad, Nick Kelly and Adrian Crowley making up the panel. While many such discussions can see participants expressing variants of the same view, the mix of backgrounds and opinions worked extremely well here and the conversation could have continued far beyond its allocated hour-long slot. Of course, it probably did as another integral part of the festival is the wide-ranging programme of gigs in the city, showcasing some of Ireland's leading independent artists such as The Hot Sprockets and Ham Sandwich alongside local up-and-comers. Among the platforms available was the Tullamore D.E.W Busking Unbarred event, which saw performers plying their trade outside various pubs in the Dame District before heading to the Busking Stage at the Mercantile each evening. “It’s great to have the Tullamore D.E.W. Busking Unbarred event as part of our YouBloom festival schedule this year. At YouBloom we strongly believe in supporting new talent, giving it the stage it deserves to develop and prosper and that’s what this event it all about too," said festival CEO Phil Harrington. The atmosphere of community and collaboration created by such a festival is invaluable for independent artists, who are all too often left shooting in the dark when it comes to forging a path forward. From providing a showcase for performers to giving musicians the chance to make connections with kindred spirits at home and abroad, the fruits of such festivals will be reaped for years to come.