Music Biz 2015 Inaugural Nashville Visit a Smashing Success
The Music Business Association brought its annual conference to Nashville for the first time in the organization’s 57 year history, and to say the event went over well in Music City would be an understatement. The three-day run of Music Biz 2015 seemed destined to end up in Nashville, right in the middle of music’s best and brightest newcomers and seasoned favorites. On a whim, I decided to attend the conference, and I found the event to be both incredibly informative as well as an excellent opportunity to network with and meet people from all walks of the industry.
DAY ONE
I regret to say I missed some of the morning due to other prior obligations (when I say I decided to attend on a whim, I pretty much mean just a few days before, the decision was made). A good bit of the morning was spent with attendees registering, enjoying breakfast, and otherwise engaging with fellow conference-goers to plan out their next few days. The main event for most of the day was the Music Startup Academy: Startups, Rights, and Artists, in which a six-hour session broken down into smaller classes went through such topics as licensing, API services, and marketing to intended customers. The Metadata Summit was also held that same afternoon, overlapping a bit of Startup Academy in the late afternoon, providing excellent insight into the digital music world; representatives from Spotify and Universal Music Group were among the presenters, with a keynote provided by Warner Music Group’s Mike Jbara to start off the two-hour session.
I found the Artists, Management, and Touring Town Hall to be one of the most interesting sessions held over the conference, designed to help artists and managers get the most out of their touring as well as how to maximize sales; the rather hot-button topic of VIP packages being sold for concerts was also featured in its own session. As someone who has utilized fan club and VIP packages for artists in the past, this session held the most interest for me on the pros/cons of the idea.
I closed out my evening at Third Man Records, Jack White’s black and yellow Nashville empire, with a recently added live performance at TMR’s own venue, dubbed “The Blue Room:” country darling Ashley Monroe‘s first solo show for the label. Her performance was cut live to acetate to be pressed later on black and blue split vinyl for show attendees. Monroe interacts wonderfully with the audience, sharing anecdotes and jokes between songs and making everyone feel at home. I enjoyed the show immensely, but two songs particularly stuck out to me: the surprisingly Vince Gill-endorsed “Weed Instead of Roses” and the poignant (and honestly, bit of a tear-jerker) “Has Anyone Ever Told You?” I was unable to secure a press pass in time to take my own photos, but the lovely staff at Third Man graciously sent me these shots to share.
DAY TWO
The second day of Music Biz 2015 kicked off with the Breakfast and Business Session promptly at 8:30 am, where we attendees were served an excellent meal (and thankfully for me, endless cups of coffee) before two awards were presented to two incredibly deserving industry professionals. Sponsored by LaunchTN, the breakfast session opened with brief remarks from LaunchTN CEO Charlie Brock before welcoming Music Business Association president Jim Donio to the podium. Donio spent a few moments praising Nashville’s prominent presence in the music world, stating that “Billboard just reported that 25% of the top-earning artists in the business are based here,” just following high remarks for Mayor Karl Dean’s efforts to improve tourism and the music industry by fostering music education and backing our city’s new convention center, before introducing Mayor Dean to the stage to make a few remarks.
The session wouldn’t be complete without a live band, and after Mayor Dean’s remarks, South African-based Civil Twilight took to the stage to perform two songs from their upcoming album Story of an Immigrant, due out June 2 on Wind-Up Records. The band was impressive and on fire, bringing an intense energy to the room and virtually captivating the audience with their performance.
President Donio introduced the Independent Spirit Award winner John Kunz after Civil Twilight’s scorching set; Kunz is the founder of Austin’s Waterloo Records, and his humble beginnings as a sale associate for Disc Records in the 1970s all the way to his current position heading up one of America’s most famous record shops made him incredibly deserving of the honor. Kunz was the seventh recipient of the award, with Donio stating that “John Kunz certainly embodies the spirit of new thinking, entrepreneurship, and success in our industry. A six-time winner of our Association’s Retailer of the Year Award, along with countless other honors in his beloved Austin, we are so very proud to celebrate John’s 40 years of accomplishments and add yet another well-deserved trophy to his collection.”
There was one last-minute award winner added just days before the conference began, and that winner was Nashville’s adopted genius Jack White, presented with the inaugural Innovator Award. As if being in three bands and heading up a solo career wasn’t enough, White has brought tourists to Nashville with Third Man Records’ physical location; he has also become a champion for artist rights and helped send vinyl record sales through the roof with his second solo endeavor Lazaretto. Clad in classic TMR black and yellow, White gave an impassioned acceptance speech, quipping about “working a block away” and using his platform to once again push for more artist recognition, stating that “music is sacred” and pleading for attendees to give musicians the same respect as film and television professionals.
The afternoon sessions began with a second metadata one; Metadata For Artists focused more on the musicians themselves with helpful information including getting the most from royalties as well as properly copyrighting and registering their music in catalog form and driving the most revenue from streaming platforms. Day two focused quite heavily on the music streaming world, with 6 Ways Streaming Music is Changing the World as well as The Role of High Resolution Audio in the Industry following the metadata session. With online streaming platforms such as Spotify, Tidal, and Pandora becoming more popular and more mainstream, having sessions geared towards understanding the inner workings of online streaming was interesting to me as someone who willingly pays for both Spotify and Tidal monthly subscriptions. Moderator Marc Fines of the Digital Entertainment Group was fascinating to listen to absent of even the musical connections, as I learned he was one of the people involved in getting common household entertainment platforms such as HDTV, Blu-Ray, and Sirius XM launched. The day wrapped with the Country Music Meetup before attendees dispersed to the evening’s live music event at The Wildhorse Saloon, with sets by Casey James, Jane Kramer, Mike Posner, and Tony Joe White.
DAY THREE
The third and final day of Music Biz 2015 presented me with three overlapping sessions from which to choose before reporting to the awards luncheon media call, and since I am not an educator and my songwriting skills are mediocre at best, I choose the session that highlights an event annually that I go all-out for: Record Store Day. The Record Store Day Town Hall made me not only wish it was next April already so I can hang with my vinyl collecting friends and see who scores some of the coolest wax but also because of my intense passion and pride in seeing vinyl go from almost dead to once again an acceptable way to listen to music. Since its inception in 2008, Record Store Day has propelled vinyl sales skyward and also gotten the attention of some of music’s most influential artists, with Jack White and Dave Grohl serving as previous RSD ambassadors.
The Awards Luncheon began at half past noon, but my fellow press attendees and I got the chance to see the award recipients up close for photos and brief interviews before the lunch. The Who, unable to be in attendance due to a charity event in Chicago, were presented with their Outstanding Achievement Award via a previously recorded session; “All About That Bass” sensation Meghan Trainor was presented the Breakthrough Artist Award; country star and the wonderfully charitable Martina McBride received the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award (presented by Chapin’s widow Sandy); classic rock legends and American FM staples The Doobie Brothers were honored with the Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement; and Big Machine Records’ Scott Borchetta flew from the American Idol finale straight to Nashville to receive his Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement. I will admit I was in awe to be in the presence of such an overwhelming amount of talent and creative energy in one space, and all of the honorees were wisely chosen and incredibly deserving of having their achievements be honored at Music Biz 2015.
Following the Awards Luncheon, there were a few remaining sessions before the conference came to its end. Given its mainstream acceptance and strong presence in the festival world, it is only fitting that a workshop on EDM would be given, with EDMTCC (EDM: Technology, Culture, Curation) covering marketing, money making, and making the most of DJing and rocking at it. The Bands, Brands, and The Data Behind the Partnerships session brought to light how brands like Converse and Amex work directly with artists for endorsements as well as how revenue is commonly generated from brand alliances. Music Biz 2015 closed with one final round of drinks in the Music Biz Lounge, before leaving us all to hope and speculate we repeat the experience again in Nashville next year.
As a press attendee and aspiring music business major, I found Music Biz 2015 to be the perfect balance of education and entertainment, and I recommend the conference to anyone from an industry professional to a student to an individual with even a glimmer of curiosity as to where the music they stream on Spotify from their iPhone 6 really comes from. I walked away with an even deeper respect for the artists and their teams who work tirelessly to keep music alive in our world today, along with some better ideas on the career goals I have set for my own personal achievement. Nashville was certainly glad to welcome the Music Business Association to our city, and I can only hope the experience is repeated again next year.
Check out the Music Business Association website for more info on becoming a member as well as additional photos and conference highlights.
