NASHVILLE -- The 2015
Americana Music Festival & Conference, presented by Nissan, offers one of the nation's most
comprehensive slate of panels and workshops dedicated to the music business.
This is Nashville’s must-attend event to learn and succeed in the music industry
today. This year's Music Business Conference will feature more than 60
panels and workshops with approximately 200 experts representing the best and
the brightest in the music biz today.
A SAMPLING OF PANELS AND WORKSHOPS:
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 16:
SONGS WE
LOVE: AMERICANA EDITION
11a.m. – 1p.m.
RCA Grand
Victor Studio A • 30 Music Square W.
Presented
by NPR Music
How do the
songs performers treasure most contribute to their own processes? What turns an
original composition into an artist's own most treasured possession? This
writers round brings together three exceptional artists in a musical discussion
of influences absorbed and writerly ambitions realized. Rhiannon Giddens, Patty Griffin, and Shakey Graves reach into the songbag, guitars in hand, to pull out their favorite
songs by others, and to reveal which of their own compositions mean the most to
them. NPR Music critic and correspondent, Ann Powers, moderates this special Midday event at Nashville's historic Studio A.
(Space is
limited.)
BAND
WEBSITE EXTREME MAKEOVER PART 1: DEMOLITION DERBY
2-3 p.m.
Midtown •
Hutton Hotel
Live
critiques of band websites! In this interactive session, musicians submit their
websites for review, then each site's design, organization, content, and
functionality will be assessed. How does the website fit with the band's
overall online strategy? How successfully does it achieve their goals? Reviews
will be ruthless and diplomacy left aside, but everyone in attendance will
learn how to improve their websites. Plus, one winner will be chosen to have
their website redesigned and used for part 2 of this session on how to build an
effective website!
Moderator:
Dave Cool • Director of Artist & Industry Outreach • Bandzoogle
Charles
Alexander • CEO & Founder • Outside The Box Music
Jay Coyle •
Founder • Geek Music Services
Tommy
Stalknecht • Director of Product Development • MCN Interactive
FROM
THE SONG TO THE BANK
4 – 5 p.m.
Hillsboro •
Hutton Hotel
This
popular annual panel will offer indie musicians, publishers, and serious fans
inside knowledge on what makes the music industry tick, especially how it's
changed and what to expect in light of digital progress. In addition to
straight business talk, we'll add some career coaching/marketing speak to our
discussion. Covered topics will include information for: the touring
artist, singer songwriter, self-publishers, and those interested in
international business deals. What should I be doing to promote myself?
What options are available to me - the artist?
Moderator:
Allen Johnston • Executive, Educator, Writer • The Music Specialist
Ashley
Hollan • Attorney • Hollan Entertainment Law Group
Alex Mallet
• Business Development Manager • Folk Alliance International
Kendall
Minter • Attorney • Minter & Associates, L.L.C.
14TH
ANNUAL AMERICANA HONORS AND AWARDS SHOW
7 p.m. sharp!
(6 p.m. doors and please be in your seats by 6:45 as this is a LIVE TV TAPING)
Ryman
Auditorium • 116 5th Avenue N.
Join us at
the historically cool Ryman Auditorium as we celebrate the year in music and
honor Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Jim Lauderdale will again serve as master of ceremonies, while Buddy Miller will lead an all-star house band.
Among the artists attending are: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Don Henley, Gillian Welch &
David Rawlings, Ricky Skaggs, and Los Lobos.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 17:
Whose
Money Is It? The Artist and the Music Business Economy
11 a.m. –
Noon
Vista B •
Hutton Hotel
This panel
addresses the tectonic shift in music and how musicians, creators, and
performers get paid. A year ago, this conversation focused on whether musicians
should be paid at all – today, the question has turned to how much they get
paid. Nonetheless, there is much work to be done to shore up and return the
music economy to a state of health. With essential legislation pending before
Congress like the Fair Pay Fair Play Act and the Songwriters Equity Act, this
is the perfect time for a distinguished panel to weigh in on what’s happening
today and what tomorrow looks like.
Moderator:
Nate Rau • Music Business reporter • The Tennessean
Jeffery
Boxer • Executive Director and General Counsel • Content Creators Coalition (c3)
Rosanne
Cash • Songwriter and Performing Artist
Ted Kalo •
Executive Director • musicFIRST Coalition
Julia
Massimino, Esq. • Public Policy & Government Affairs • SoundExchange
John McCrae
• Content Creators Coalition
(c3)
Marc Ribot
• Recording artist • Board member of Content Creators Coalition (c3)
ALTERNATIVES
TO TRADITIONAL LABEL STRUCTURES FOR INDIE MUSICIANS
2 - 3 p.m.
Hillsboro •
Hutton Hotel
This panel
will examine the complex and constantly evolving array of options that artists
have to market their music in the digital age. The panelists will relate
personal experiences in building distribution, marketing, publicity, and
promotion teams outside the traditional label system while still pursuing
mainstream goals. They will discuss some of the recent successful Americana
projects that have achieved success without conventional labels, including
releases by Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Whitey Morgan, and St. Paul &
the Broken Bones. They will discuss the component parts and timing of a
well-planned, well-executed independent release, offering advice to developing
artists and managers regarding potential issues and pitfalls when planning such
a commercial release.
Moderator:
John Strohm • Attorney • Loeb & Loeb
Paul W
Brown • Founder & CEO • Red Hat 22
Jim Flammia
• President • All Eyes Media
Arthur
Penhallow • Artist Manager • Punch Enterprises
Traci
Thomas • Artist Manager • Thirty Tigers
SOUNDEXCHANGE
MASTER CLASS
2 – 3 p.m.
Vista A •
Hutton Hotel
Moderator:
Linda Bloss-Baum • Sr. Director of Artist and Industry Relations •
Soundexchange
Moderator:
Barry LeVine • Artist and Label Outreach • Soundexchange
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 18:
"I
WANT IT BACK” - TERMINATION OF GRANTS OF COPYRIGHT
9 - 10:30 a.m.
Hillsboro •
Hutton Hotel
Over the
last several years, the opportunity for "termination of
transfer" has been cause for celebration, negotiation, and exasperation.
The issues are complex and often contentious, as artists, their heirs,
publishers, record companies, and other interested parties seek to obtain,
retain, and protect their rights. The landscape is further complicated by
the diverse rules applied overseas. This panel will explore the basic
principles of termination, the use of termination rights as a strategy to
renegotiate, and the pitfalls of reclaiming rights without the proper tools to
administer them.
Moderator:
Lisa Alter, Esq. • Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP
Duff
Berschback, Esq. • Senior Vice President • Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Richard
Busch, Esq. • King & Ballow Law
Dennis
Lord, Esq. • Executive Vice President • SESAC
Denise
Stevens, Esq. • Loeb & Loeb LLP
COGNITIVE
CONSONANCE: MUSIC AND NEUROSCIENCE IN NASHVILLE
9:30 –
10:30 a.m.
Midtown •
Hutton Hotel
The 2014
AMA panel on Music, Mental Health and the Frontiers of Brain Research was a
hit, so we’ve expanded on the topic to explore how this wide and rapidly
expanding area of science is being pursued right here in Music City. We’ll look
at high points on the continuum of research from the micro to the macro. You
will come away with a picture of how (and how fast) basic science about the
brain is filtering up and out to applied uses in the real world, including
development, education, psychology, and mental illness. Panelists are working
on or are aware of work being done to ameliorate autism, Parkinson’s disease,
PTSD, and other disabilities with music or with insights provided by the
exciting field of music perception and cognition.
Moderator:
Craig Havighurst • Journalist • Music City Roots
Nicole
Baganz, Ph.D. • Postdoctoral Fellow • Vanderbilt Univerisity
Marianne
Ploger • Associate Professor of Music Perception and Cognition • Blair School
of Music • Vanderbilt University
Mark
Wallace, Ph.D. • Postdoctoral Fellow • Vanderbilt University
MUSIC
LICENSING FOR FILM AND TELEVISION
1:45 - 3:15
p.m.
Hillsboro •
Hutton Hotel
Having a
song in a feature film, television series, or Internet program, whether it's a
preexisting work and/or sound recording or a new song specifically written for
the project, can result in great opportunities as well as substantial fees and
royalties. At one time, these deals were straightforward with little to
negotiate. In today's world, complexity reigns whether it's a major studio
film, a documentary, a student film, a cable reality show or a network hit
television series, or live in concert performances. This panel will
discuss the deals, the fees and the backend royalties involved in licensing
pre-existing songs, sound recordings and new songs for film and television and
current trends in the live in concert program platforms. Areas covered include
film festival licenses, streaming royalties on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu,
overseas theatrical royalties, soundtrack guarantees, hit songs, trailers, work
for hire contracts, option agreements for music centric shows, ASCAP, BMI and
SESAC performance royalties, cue sheets, screen credit, step deals, Oscar and
Golden Globe nominations and more.
Moderator:
Henry W. Root, Esq. • Partner • Lapidus, Root & Sacharow, LLP
Jeffrey
Brabec, Esq. • Vice President, Business Affairs • BMG Chrysalis • Co-Author
“Music Money and Success”
Todd
Brabec, Esq. • Former ASCAP Executive Vice President • Co-Author “Music Money
and Success”
MANAGE
THIS!
3:30 – 5
p.m.
Hillsboro •
Hutton Hotel
As the 21st
century music industry continues to evolve, the role of the manager has become
increasingly important and complex. This panel will discuss current issues
in artist management, including the terms of management agreements, best
practices in identifying and securing appropriate management, the shifting role
of the manager as label involvement decreases and artist development becomes a
"DIY" business, and cautionary tales about "what not to
do." The discussion will feature current managers, as
well as attorneys representing talent and management companies.
Moderator:
Judy Tint, Esq. • Judy Tint, Counselor At Law
John
Beiter, Esq. • Shackelford, Bowen, Zumwalt & Hayes, LLP
Hillel
Frankel, Esq. • Leavens, Strand & Glover, LLC
Anasa
Troutman • CEO • Eloveate
TERRESTRIAL
RADIO - STAYING RELEVANT IN A STREAMING WORLD
4 – 5 p.m.
Midtown •
Hutton Hotel
Have rumors
of the death of radio been greatly exaggerated? We will hear from veteran
terrestrial programmers on how they maintain and gain new listeners despite
ever increasing competition from Internet streaming services. Topics will
include: using new media to enhance the old media, keeping on-air content
compelling, and other tools of the terrestrial radio trade that make
terrestrial radio as vibrant as the day Marconi first spoke into a
microphone.
Moderator:
Brad Paul • Brad Paul Media
Nelson
Gullett • WDVX
Mike Henry
• Paragon
Gary Kraen
• WRLT
John McGue
• WNKU
Jim McGuinn
• KCMP
Jessie
Scott • Sun Radio Network
