Music Publishing & Songwriting

Having returned from three days at Miami’s Winter Music Conference just long enough to wash clothes, dump a very discerning collection of 200 business cards and CD’s into a pile on the desk and then head off again last week for ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Expo in Los Angeles, I have come to three realizations:

1. You could easily spend every week of the calendar year at some kind of music conference. At present, there appears to be a bigger industry in talking about the business of music than in actually doing the business.

2. You really can have too many black canvas shoulder bags.

3. There is no excuse for not meeting the people in the industry that you need to meet in order to move your business ahead.

While I was at the WMC, someone attending a panel asked:

“Everyone is talking about new income from things like television and advertising placements, games, and mobile music. But how is an independent songwriter supposed to get their music in these situations when they don’t know the right people or have any contacts?”

A murmur of solidarity arose from the audience.

I was incredulous. I had just come from a panel on mobile music that featured executives from Blackberry, Globefish Media, and Mozes, Inc. literally inviting people to approach them after the discussion and give them music. In the audience that day, there were people like Ed Razzano from Ricall, a company debuting a remarkable new web-based format to help independent musicians, labels, and publishers market their music to film and television. At the “I Create Music” Expo last week, songwriters had access to top music supervisors like Deva Anderson, Gary Calamar, and Billy Gottlieb. They were able to learn from industry legends like Billy Steinberg, Steve Miller, and Jon Bon Jovi. If all that failed, they could check out a more humble panelist like yours truly—our panel was called “Mind Your Own Business: A Toolkit For Self-Publishing-Career Building Workshop”.

The real question might be: How can any songwriter still complain about a lack of access to industry insiders or a lack of knowledge about how the business works?

The truth is that there are probably a few other industries in which top executives are more visible or accessible, or spend more time just generally hanging out (which may actually be part of the industries problem). The other more unfortunate truth is that relatively few songwriters, even those that pay the money to attend one of these conventions, take full advantage of the opportunities that are there.

Obviously, just because Desmond Child is speaking at a conference doesn’t mean you’re going to meet him. Handing Pete Ganbarg your business card doesn’t make him your new best friend. You might cross paths with the person that could transform your career and not even hold the elevator door for them. Some of this comes down to chance. But not that much.

The real key is that most writers don’t know how to work a music conference to their advantage. So in the interest of making that registration fee pay off, and making my experience on panels like the ASCAP Expo a little more rewarding, here are 3 tips for getting the most out of a music conference:

1. Prepare. There will likely be several hundred people showing up with the same bright idea that you had, which means: you’re entering a war zone. Come prepared. Check the schedule of panels and events well in advance, and research the panelists to identify the key events you want to attend, and the particular people you want to meet. Google those people who make your most wanted list—try to find a photo so you can recognize them, should you see them in the hall.

2. Memorize. Faces. Names. Companies. You might not meet the person you’re looking for while he or she is on a panel. But you might be seated next to him or her at another panel. If you see a name on a badge, you need to be able to remember who the person is and what he or she does. And there’s one more thing to memorize:

Your lines. You need to be able to explain who you are and what you do in a clever, interesting way in ten seconds or less. If you’re working with someone important, or have a hit in the making, or just topped the charts somewhere—that story needs to be told. Fast.

3. Ask one good question. I know—it seems too easy. But trust me on this, when the panel concludes (as they always do) with a period of questions and answers, 95% of the questions will be either irrelevant, so personally focused as to hold no interest for anyone other than the person asking, or revealing of a complete ignorance about the people on the panel.

If you ask one serious question that illustrates knowledge of the specific sector of the industry being discussed, or even better, knowledge of one of the panelist’s specific business activities, you will be noticed. I promise you, anyone on the panel will be more than happy to speak with you afterward. It’s as simple as that.

For songwriters and developing publishers, there is no conference more useful than the recent “I Create Music Expo” in Los Angeles. Within three days, you can learn virtually everything you need to know about the music industry and the songwriter and publisher’s place in it. So no more excuses about not knowing the right things or the right people, it’s all there for the taking. Hope to meet you there next year.

To See What Took Place at both Conferences Please Visit the Below Websites:

ASCAP
Winter Music Conference