Sat Bisla, A&R Worldwide and one of the founders of MUSEXPO (April 30-May 3), said he hoped attendees of the conference would feel that they were part of something intimate, special, and inspirational. Kudos to Sat and his staff; you hit the bull’s-eye on all three objectives.
The panels were qualitative in representation and dialogue, covering most, if not all, current music industry key issues. The showcases were smartly consolidated into three clubs (Viper Room, Key Club, and the Roxy) and the Bel Age rooftop, allowing everyone maximum opportunity to see all the acts. Wine tastings, continental breakfasts, poolside luncheons, coffee and tea breaks, and cocktail receptions with food at the clubs created ample time for networking with all attendees.
Many of the executives on panels provided 'breaking news' regarding the latest developments at their companies. Napster Chairman/CEO Chris Gorog announced that consumers could now listen to every track in Napster's two million song catalog up to five times for FREE!
Ken Lombard, President, Starbucks Entertainment, discussed in detail the release of Words Come Back to Me, the first album by Sonya Kitchell, only the second artist featured in the company's innovative Hear Music Debut CD Series. Starbucks has also entered the motion picture marketing business, co-partnering with Lionsgate and 2929 Entertainment on the release of Akeelah and the Bee.
The Future of Music, a discussion projecting “what our business model would look like in 2011,” moderated by Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music, Electronic Arts, provided dialogue from a panel of experts that included Terry McBride, Founder, CEO, Nettwerk; and Donald Pressman, who recently released the fifth edition of All You Need to Know About the Music Business (Free Press).
As a panelist for Music's Supporting Role in Visual Media, Imogen Heap spoke of her successes, including "Can't Take It In," the lead track from the soundtrack of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Billed as the United Nations of Music and Media, MUSEXPO attracted executives and artists from over 30 countries. Trade group representatives serving as panelists were: Anders Hjelmtorp (Sweden), Brendan Smyth (New Zealand), Jennifer Price (Canada), Kristian Riis (Denmark), Larry Bringsjord (Norway), Matt Glover (UK), Paulina Ahokas (Finland), and Tina Radburn (Australia).
Whether it was a discussion of global music publishing, digital development and distribution, artist discovery, pushing the boundaries of radio programming, or fighting for independence, industry leaders had something to contribute. David Mantel, President, Zomba Music Publishing; Ted Cohen, SVP, EMI Music; Peter Asher, President, Sanctuary Artist Management; Jay Frank, Head of Artist and Label Relations, Yahoo! Music; Jack Isquith, Executive Director Music Relations, AOL Music and AOL Radio; Derek Silvers, Founder of CD Baby and dozens of others gave 'take away' advice that attendees could integrate into their current business models.
I encourage you to visit A&R Worldwide regularly and to listen to many of the artists that showcased at MUSEXPO.
I look forward to scanning the globe at MUSEXPO 2007.
