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The Most Valuable Music Conference I've Ever Attended
By Andrea Stolpe - 11/23/2007 - 07:18 PM EST

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




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