The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) will host its four-day annual conference, A2IM Indie Week, in New York City after two years of an all-virtual event (although virtual options are still available). The itinerary for this year’s conference includes numerous panels, networking events, and workshops, with 80% of the topics devoted to the business of music and 20% dedicated to the culture of music — and a preview of what’s in store suggests a wide range of topics.
Three discussion panels were previewed. The “Investing in Queer Artists Year Round: Pushing Past Pride Month” panel is curated by industry networking group Queer Capita and will utilize data provided by Luminate to explore the benefits of investing in queer artists and their fanbases beyond the month of June.
The “Advocacy in Action” panel will be led by A2IM CEO Richard James Burgess in conversation about featuring updates on music-related advocacy issues. In “Catalog Sales: Everything You Need To Know,” experts will discuss the effects catalog sales are having on the industry and what you should consider if you are interested in buying or selling.
For marketing, the “Organic vs Inorganic Music-Driven Content on TikTok” panel will explore the ways in which artists can achieve success on the short-form social media platform.
Moderated by Jocelynn Pryor (vice president of marketing, AMPED Distribution) and featuring Jessica Lechtenberg (senior product marketing manager, Cooking Vinyl) and Wendy Waseige (US marketing manager, Rough Trade), “How to Market Physical in a Streaming World?” will examine how artists can create a strategy to include physical products in their marketing plans in order to take advantage of revenue.
“NFTs and Independent Music: How to Find Success” will be moderated by Ed Vetri of Fanaply with special guests including Cardin Campbell, Founder and CEO of Trac. Vetri will lead a discussion on the opportunities that exist for independent labels, their artists, and fans within web3 and NFTs and how the independent community can increase revenue streams and access new methods of monetization in this new form of media.
On its final day, A2IM Indie Week 2022 will culminate in the capstone event — the A2IM Libera Awards, which celebrate the best of the indie world. Top nominees announced last week include Japanese Breakfast, Arlo Parks and Jason Isbell.
