There are lots of music conferences out there today, many offering
panel discussions with top ranking artists, speeches by industry
execs, and opportunities to rub shoulders with current industry names.
If you’ve ever attended one of these
conferences, you might have begun to experience them as happy meal
buffets,
where the discussions are interesting but generalized and not relevant
to our
own particular situations and goals in the industry.
In the stampede
that follows each session, we
might steal 10 or 20 seconds of time with the music licensor or hit
songwriter
we aspire to work with, only to find that brief relationship fade into
oblivion
in the weeks following the event. Many
of the panel discussions focus on war stories from individual
experiences, some
so dated that we have a difficult time referencing them to our own
situations
in Smallville, Oklahoma.
We leave filled with excitement and opportunity, only to find that
optimism fade as we reenter the world as a developing writer or
artist.
There is one conference, however, that I feel strongly
enough about to recommend to my own friends and workshop attendees, and
students of Berklee College of Music’s online program. The conference is called “Music Strategies,”
taught by Tim Sweeney with a few special guests. Tom Petty will not make an appearance, nor
will you catch a glimpse of any hot producers or engineers stopping for 9
minutes to grace a panel with their presence.
Instead, you will gather real-world information on how to develop your
career as an artist. You will be faced
with the specific challenges that lie ahead, and given tools to navigate
them. You will understand concrete ways
in which to grow your career, foster relationships that last, and determine
where to spend your precious time. You
will learn how to design your website, book your shows, promote your live
performances and CDs in a way that actually broadens your fan base and yields
real results.
This is not a workshop for those unwilling to work, and
that’s the catch. For those of you not
familiar with Tim Sweeney, he is an industry mogul who has played a key role in
developing the success of legendary artists we know and love. His strategies are unconventional, creative,
and proven to work.
So many of us have been conditioned to think that we need a
record deal to reach our fans, or a publishing deal to get our songs
recorded. In this conference, Tim
Sweeney helps us to recognize the gaping wide open doors we fail to see as a
means to a sizable career. I believe so
strongly in this conference, that I myself attend every session I possibly
can. For every artist and writer tired
of doing the same activities over and over without results, this conference is
a long awaited answer.
As a special offer,
Tim Sweeney has agreed to extend a veteran rate to all participants referred by
me until December 5th, 2007.
Respond with Tim by phone as soon as possible and mention my name to
ensure your place and rate.
Next Conference Date: May 15-18, 2008
Location: The Westin Airport Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
To register: Contact Tim Sweeney at his personal phone
number: 951-303-9506.
Cost: $295
Accommodations are discounted for a limited time at the
Westin, so early booking is essential.
Here is another way this conference is different from all
the rest. Tim Sweeney wants to get to
know you and your situation so that he can help you along your path to being
the artist and writer you want to be. He
is looking forward to hearing from you and discussing your goals, and can be
reached at 951-303-9506. Also, refer to
the music strategies website at www.musicstrategies.com
for more information.
Take it from a veteran who is living and working in the
industry – I have found no shortcuts to success in this industry, but if you
are willing to do the work, you can have a satisfying career.
See you at the next Music Strategies Conference,
Andrea Stolpe