NARM and digitalmusic.org’s Hugely Successful Music Biz 2012 Draws 1K Commerce and Content Professionals
More than 100 industry experts addressed current trends
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, RIAA, Brett Gurewitz honored
Music business association NARM and digitalmusic.org, the virtual home of NARM’s digital initiatives, brought together 1,000 professionals from the commerce and content sectors of the music industry for Music Biz 2012 last week at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Featuring more than 100 speakers from the highest levels of the music industry, the event provided attendees with all the information they need to harness current trends and increase sales.
The event kicked into full swing with the Opening Session Breakfast, during which Topspin Media CEO Ian Rogers conducted the keynote interview with INgrooves Fontana CEO Robb McDaniels. The conversation was recorded for an upcoming episode of Rogers’ “This Week in Music” web series. Also during the Opening Session, NARM President Jim Donio presented the Presidential Award for Sustained Industry Achievement to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and announced NARM and digitalmusic.org’s new music industry events alert service. Rachelle Friedman, Chair of the NARM Board of Directors, then awarded the Independent Spirit Award to Epitaph Records Founder/Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz and announced the results of NARM’s Board elections.
NARM and digitalmusic.org also introduced App Alley, a popup demo and exhibit showcase that ran throughout the day on Wednesday, May 9, and featured top music technology companies such as Spotify, Mashery, Microsoft Xbox LIVE, Thefuture.fm, Indaba Music, Bandsintown, and more. To get a taste of how it went, click here to watch a video recap.
Other popular events at Music Biz 2012 included the Spotify Developers Meetup, the Record Store Day 2013 Town Hall, and the Urban Music Meetup as well as one-on-one meetings and break-out sessions such as “Apps, Developers, and the Technology of Music” and “Creative Collaboration – Outsourcing in the Digital Age.” The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also held a roundtable on the International Music Registry (IMR) and Copyright Infrastructure in the Digital Environment, Hypebot presented three special sessions, and more. Click here for pictures from throughout the week.
The event concluded with the Awards Dinner Party on Thursday, May 10, during which global superstar Katy Perry received the Artist of the Year Award, delivering a knock-out speech while sporting a new goth-inspired look, and Lionel Richie was presented with the Chairman’s Award for Sustained Industry Achievement. Click here to watch Katy Perry’s acceptance speech or here for Lionel Richie’s. The gala began with a star-studded red carpet featuring other celebrities such as R&B singer and TV star Brandy, Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz, Rock ‘n Roll royalty Lisa Marie Presley, Mike Shinoda and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell of Linkin Park, American Idol Season 8 Winner Kris Allen and pop culture maven Perez Hilton, and ended with a dance party hosted by DJ-to-the-stars DJ Cassidy. Click here to see a time-lapse video of the red carpet.
“We couldn’t be happier about the success of Music Biz 2012 and we are already brainstorming for ways we can top ourselves next year,” said Jim Donio, President of NARM and digitalmusic.org. “The past year has given us many reasons to be excited about the future of the music business, and this convention provided the perfect forum for our attendees to see how they can maximize these possibilities in the year ahead.”
“Of course, Music Biz 2012 isn’t the only thing we do all year, and NARM and digitalmusic.org members can look forward to more installments of our Music Start Up Academy, Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, and Online Seminar Series, as well as our continued support of Record Store Day and our best-in-class Product Platform database,” Donio continued. “Our next Music Start UpAcademy sessions will take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 7, so stay tuned to the NARM and digitalmusic.org websites for more info.”
