By: Fredwill Hernandez
The American Association of Independent Music [A2IM] will host its 9th annual Indie Week, presented by SoundExchange, on June 18 – 21, 2018 at The Clemente Solo Velez Cultural & Educational Center, [NYC].
The four-day conference which leads to the Libera Awards [held this year on Thur. – June 21st] brings together Independent music record labels, publishers, talent managers, and executives in other areas of music to discuss, engage, and interact with conference attendees about new and creative ways of doing business in the ever changing musical landscape.
This year during Indie Week, A2IM will host two highly anticipated keynotes, the first with Tamara Hrivak, Head of Music Business Development & Partnerships, Facebook, which will be a Questions and Answers [Q&A] with Amy Dietz, EVP/GM, Ingrooves, taking place Tues. – June 19, [10-11 am] at Flamboyán [Speaker Room], and the second [Keynote] with Kevin Liles, Founder & CEO, 300 Entertainment, to take place Wed. – June 19, [10-11am] also at Flamboyán [Speaker Room] in The Clemente.
“A2IM is proud to be part of NY Music Month again this year. NY Music Month implicitly commemorates the city’s historically diverse musical genres and the heterogeneous communities that have birthed them. A2IM’s independent record labels lovingly reflect manifold styles past and present and A2IM Indie Week and the Libera Awards are an opportunity for our members to commune while celebrating their independence in this densely creative space,” expressed Richard James Burgess, Ph.D., CEO of A2IM.
Among other panels and marquee sessions also taking place during Indie Week will be the Power of Brand Storytelling, Finding Success in a Crowded Vinyl Marketplace, Develop Your Next Streaming Strategy for Breakout Artist, #MeeToo, So What’s Next [?], The Relationship Between Touring and Recorded Music Consumption, Future of Rights Technology, Beyond Borders: The Global Label, Music Post-Net Neutrality, Who’s Next: Making Way for a New Wave of Music Executives, and Licensing & Publising 101: The Nuts and Bolts, as well as a few other sessions, showcases, and networking opportunities.
With the global impact of Luis Fonsi‘s “Despacito” featuring Daddy Yankee, [and a remix eventually also featuring Justin Beiber] which has set and broke records across the globe, collaborations between Latin artists with [either] mainstream Pop, R&B, or rap acts, are becoming more frequent and the new norm.
A highly anticipated panel addressing this phenomenon and the resurgence of Latin music globally [across the board] will be the Latin Music Explosion [panel] to take place Tues. – June 19 [1:30- 2:15 pm] at the Flamboyán [Speaker Room] in The Clemente.
“I recently joined A2IM, and this will be my first year attending [A2IM’s] Indie Week. Latin Music should be addressed on this panel and every music conference because it’s taking over the world. Numbers don’t lie, the most successful song in history is a Latin song. Living in today’s digital era, consumers have the opportunity to get their music of choice at anytime, anywhere,” explained Luis Del Villar, Founder/CEO of Gerencia 360, as to the importance of A2IM addressing the Latin realm and having [The] Latin Music Explosion panel during Indie Week. “A2IM’s Indie Week [Conference] is a great opportunity to show the global impact of independent music and labels like Gerencia 360, and [to] empower each other. It also gives us an opportunity to keep learning and growing, and to continue to educate ourselves within the entertainment industry.”
