Delegates engage in the 360-degree Dance.

The idea of the 360-degree model dominated a lively In The City, with in-fighting breaking out between label representatives, managers, live agents and lawyers.

The event's theme - "There's A Brand New Dance But I Don't Know It's Name" - was intended to reflect a period of change in the music industry.

Topics for debate included everything from using the internet 2.0 to sell music to the wisdom of covermounts. But by far the dominant theme was, to quote promoter Harvey Goldsmith, "the infamous 360-degree approach", by which labels seek to exploit revenue streams other than traditional recoded music.

And yet, while there was general agreement that the 360-degree model will increasingly influence the music business, it remained a controversial matter.

"We have got to look at a different model because the industry is changing," said artist manager John Glover, effectively summarising the thoughts of many ITC participants. "But a lot of people want 360 degrees because their business is going down the toilet. Major record companies are not investing in new acts.

"Nowadays if you need tour support you have to give back a percentage of the live income to the major. They are there to sell records. That is why they are called record companies."

This was not the only criticism of the 360 model. A panel entitled If The Hat Fits, F&*k It posed the question of whether labels buying up management companies, - as Universal did with Sanctuary's management arm - created a conflict of ...