Music Biz Tune Up Conference 2017

Musicians spend thousands of hours learning their instruments but when it comes time to move from the garage to a professional stage they need new skills to turn music from a passion to a business. Summerfolk is proud to present the Music Biz Tune Up Conference: a one-day event on September 23rd at the Harry Lumley Bayshore in Owen Sound to help musicians of all genres and experience levels develop and refine the skills and techniques they need to start and sustain musical careers. Working musicians and industry professionals will share their expertise and answer questions in interactive workshops that cover everything from writing a music business plan and your legal rights and responsibilities, to setting up sound and taking care of yourself and your voice while you're on the road. Sessions will begin at 9am and run until 6:30pm followed by dinner and an opportunity to jam. Lunch and dinner are included with the registration costs.

Thanks to grant funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and sponsorship from Music Ontario this $140 value conference is available for only $50.

Sometimes young performers need a boost so Summerfolk is offering discounted registration packages ($25) and travel bursaries for performers age 24 and under. Please e-mail Jon to apply for the travel bursary.

*NOTE* There is a paypal link at the bottom of the registration page. Make sure you complete the payment to reserve your spot.

REGISTER NOW!

September 23, 2017 Welcome: 9:00 – 9:15AM

Session 1a: 9:15AM - 10:45AM

Registering for Rights and Licensing Music to TV and Film

Velma Barkwell & Julia Train

Musicians don’t only get paid for gigs. Royalties and licensing fees from recorded music are essential to multiplying your income streams. MROC’s Julie Train and professional Music Supervisor Velma Barkwell will explain how and why you should register for rights and give some insight into how musicians get their songs into commercials, film, TV and more. Bring Laptops, Information on Current Releases and Activity

Velma Barkwell is a Canadian Music Supervisor, and a founding member of the Guild of Music Supervisors of Canada. Her work includes the highly acclaimed and award winning television series Mr. D, The Trailer Park Boys, Sensitive Skin and Mike Clattenburg’s new comedy series, Crawford. She was previously Director of Music Licensing for Sony Music Canada, and began her career in the music business in the 1980’s as receptionist for the Attic Music Group. Velma runs her company East End Music Productions, from her home in Owen Sound, on the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay. Julia Train is the Senior Manager, Communications and Outreach at the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) ensuring that musicians receive the recompense that they are entitled. She is also on the Board of Women in Music Canada.

Session 1b: 9:15AM - 10:45AM

Developing a Music Business Plan

Rosalyn Dennet & Emy Stantcheva

Remember your musician friends who learned four chords and started telling people they were going to be rock stars? It turns out that having a successful career is more complicated than that. The Music Business is a business and you need a plan for your career to make it work for you. Rosalyn Dennett and Emy Stantcheva will share their expertise to help you develop your plan.

Rosalyn is an independent artist, is currently the Licensing Coordinator at the Canadian Federation of Musicians, and has worked at the Canadian Independent Music Association, Music Canada, Music Canada Live and MusicOntario. She is also a founding member of the acclaimed Winnipeg band Oh My Darling. Emy is the Manager of MusicOntario, and has served as both the Canadian Independent Music Association and MusicOntario's Marketing and Events Coordinator for four years. Previously, she worked in artist management, publicity, and marketing with a music consulting firm.

Break: 10:45-11:00AM

Session 2a: 11:00 AM-12:30

Bookings

Grant Paley

Performances are the bread and butter of a musician’s business. Professional booking agent Grant Paley will help you learn how to book gigs, route tours, and what to consider when deciding whether to book your own shows or work with an agency or agent. There's more to a successful show than you might think and this workshop will give you the background knowledge to fill up your tour schedule so that it works best for you.

Grant Paley has spent the past 18 years entrenched in the music scene – as both artist and agent. Joining Paquin Artists Agency Division in 2009, Grant represents a diverse roster of artists in Canada, the United States, Australia & New Zealand. He’s works directly with such artists as The Strumbellas, Delhi 2 Dublin, Chali 2na, the Funk Hunters, DJ Shub, Royal Canoe, Randy & Mr. Lahey of the Trailer Park Boys, Buffy Saint-Marie, Serena Ryder, SkiiTour, Fred Penner, The Elwins, the Wet Secrets, the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, Old Man Luedecke, Shred Kelly and Terra Lightfoot. Before making the transition to full-time agent, he toured extensively under the alias RPG, and most notably as part of multi-WCMA winning funk group Moses Mayes. Grant also lends his expertise to several music programs by acting as mentor & speaker to emerging artists & conferences around the world. He has sat on juries for FACTOR, the Canada Council for the Arts, CARAS, WCMA/BreakOutWest and Manitoba Film & Music.

Session 2b: 11:00 AM-12:30

All Things Legal

Paul Irvine

As a musician your income depends on your intellectual property rights and the quality of the contracts you create with your fellow musicians, managers, publicists, and venues. Paul will give an overview the broad legal considerations that musicians and performers need to keep in mind in all aspects of their work to make sure that they know who owns what and who owes what at the end of the day.

As an entertainment paralegal with Sanderson Entertainment Law in Toronto, Paul services songwriters, recording artists, producers, artist managers, independent record companies, music publishers and others in the music industry in all aspects of the business, including contract review, negotiations and drafting; consultation, artist development and solicitation; trade-mark and corporate matters; dispute resolution relating to music contracts and copyright matters; assisting and advising clients in the preparation of company proposals / business plans.

Catered Lunch: 12:30PM -1:30PM

Session 3a: 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Grant Writing

Kami Van Halst & Geoff Stairs

Committees have to read so many grant applications that you want to make yours really memorable. As the lead singer and writer of Canadian hard rock/metal band, Van Halst, Kami Van Halst has been successful in attaining various grants for recording, writing, travel, touring, merchandise, photography and marketing expenses. Kami’s approach to grant writing is all about crafting a unique and compelling story. You'll learn more about the types of grants and funding available and how you can best pursue it from Kami's perspective as an applicant and Geoff Stair's perspective with FACTOR - a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian music industry.

Kami Van Halst is the lead singer of Canadian metal band Van Halst and where demonstrates an agile vocal delivery in combination with pummelling growls. Lyrically, her band draws from black metal with a focus on people suffering from isolation and rising to overcome the preconceptions of a judgemental society. The band’s live performance is a theatric experience as they utilize full-costumes, make-up and stage props to give their audience not only a stellar musical experience but a visual show as well. It all means that Kami can speak with authority to what it take to keep your music going on stage and behind the scenes. Geoff joined FACTOR’s client services department in the autumn of 2016 after four years spent in the worlds of artist management and grant writing. Hailing originally from New Brunswick, he previously co-founded – and acted as lead programmer for – a successful regional arts and music festival in the Upper Saint John River Valley.

Session 3b: 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Making Sense of Accounting

Joe Bartok

At some time in their careers many musicians find themselves loading thousands of dollars worth of gear and merch into a car worth hundreds of dollars, driving hundreds of kilometres and hoping to make a few hundred dollars from a show. Your parents don’t need to understand how the costs and benefits balance out but you do have to make your books balance at the end of the road. Joe will help you to make more cents (and dollars) by making sense of peformers’ unique accounting needs.

Joe is a music business accountant and business manager who has been practicing for 8 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (Honours) from Brock University in 1997, followed by a Master’s degree in Business Administration (specializing in Arts, Media and Entertainment Administration) from the Schulich School of Business (at York University) in 2006. Joe is the founder of This is the Deal Inc., a Toronto-based business management firm that specializes in music and all other forms of entertainment. Prior to starting This is the Deal, Joe spent over 6 years in finance and accounting roles at independent and major Canadian record labels. He also teaches part-time as an instructor of music-business accounting courses at several GTA institutions. Outside of work, Joe is an active drummer, percussionist and songwriter.

Break: 3:00-3:15PM

Session 4a: 3:15-4:45 PM

Promotions and Marketing

Cortney Harkin

With so many people vying for audience attention, it can be hard to stand out. You don’t just need awesome graphics though, you need to know when and how to share them. This workshop will teach you how to craft a brand and make yourself seen through your marketing and promotional materials.

Cortney Harkin, Head of Marketing at baselineMUSIC developed and launched the company’s Marketing & Publicity division in 2016 providing custom services for artists and industry partners. She's an entertainment marketing professional with ten years experience which includes previous roles managing campaigns for tours, festivals, arena and theatre shows working for industry giants Live Nation and Spectra Venue Management. At baselineMUSIC Cortney has the pleasure of working alongside award winning artists such as Royal Wood, Peter Katz, Sarah MacDougall and more.

Session 4b: 3:15-4:45 PM

Sound and Recording 101

Trevor MacKenzie

The quality of your musical career depends on how good you sound. As a musician, sound tech, and producer Trevor knows how artists of all genres can sound their best on stage and in the studio. He’ll share his tips and tricks to help you get the music from your head to someone else’s headphones or the back of the room. You’ll learn about the difference between a demo and final mixes, and get some pointers for what you’ll need to get there.

Trevor MacKenzie and his guitar are synonymous, he was inspired by greats like John Mayall, Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix and he mixes those influences into incendiary performances. In his latest project – The Trevor MacKenzie Band – he gets to showcase his roots and love of the electric guitar. Over his 30 years as a performing musician he’s fronted great bands like Darafuzz, Dirtymack and The MacKenzie Blues Band, for which he received along with his group, the 2013 Maple Blues Award, for best new artist.

Break: 4:45-5:00 PM

Session 5a: 5:00-6:30 PM

On The Road Survival and Musical Self Care

Tara MacKenzie & Rosalyn Dennet

Travel isn’t easy, and for touring musicians everyday travel struggles come with the added pressure to perform at one’s best every time they take to the stage. Rosayln Dennett will share the tips and tricks she developed to stay at the top of her game as an international touring musician and Tara MacKenzie will share vocal care techniques that you can use to keep your pipes strong.

Rosalyn is an independent artist, is currently the Licensing Coordinator at the Canadian Federation of Musicians, and has worked at the Canadian Independent Music Association, Music Canada, Music Canada Live and MusicOntario. She is also a founding member of the acclaimed Winnipeg band Oh My Darling. Tara is a master level vocal coach with 25 years of coaching experience who can guide beginners to advanced students. Her passion is teaching vocal mechanics/technique and stage performance and she loves to work with committed students who want to gain mastery in the performing arts, or those who are interested in studying music as a form of personal growth and development. She has worked with Juno, Maple Blues awards, and American Music Award recipients. She was the former director of Summerfolk Festival’s Folk School, and has lead the Youth Discoveries program for a decade.

Session 5b: 5:00-6:30 PM

Networking, Conferences, and Festivals

James Keelaghan

James Keelaghan will share his perspective as a long time performer and Summerfolk’s Artistic Director on the best ways to network, make use of conference events, and present yourself to festival organizers. After more than 25 years in the music business he's seen people network well and network badly. He'll point you in the right direction so that you get the most out of your time in the mix.

James Keelaghan is an internationally recognized singer songwriter, known for his finely crafted stories and his commanding performances. He has taken main-stage at some of the most prestigious festivals in the US, England, Australia, Denmark and Hong Kong. At home in Canada, he’s a Juno award winner (and three-time Juno nominee) , and a Canadian Folk Music Award winner who’s grown from a popular coffeehouse act in Calgary to a festival and concert hall favourite. Recently he has served as the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival's artistic director.

Dinner and Jam: 6:30 – 9:30 PM

The catered dinner will be followed by an opportunity to share songs and jam.