JazzTimes humanities component at APAP conference

The Jazz Wire
December 16, 2011

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event sponsored by JazzTimes that I think you’ll find interesting. In connection with the APAP (Association of Performing Art Presenters) conference and Winter JazzFest in January, we will be presenting the JazzTimes DIY Crash Course—a series of workshops and presentations geared to jazz artists and professionals who are dealing with a rapidly changing world with new economic challenges.

The JazzTimes DIY Crash Course will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at the Hilton New York Hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 53rd Street) in New York City. Admission is FREE.

As you know, for many years we produced the JazzTimes Convention and then later we were one of the sponsors of the Industry Track at the IAJE conference. Now, with IAJE gone, the record industry in transition and brick and mortar retail stores closing left and right, we felt that there was a real need to bring people in the jazz community together to address issues and trends that matter right now. In planning these sessions, we had three criteria. First, the workshops had to provide concrete and practical advice. Second, the effect of social media and new technology would be part of every session. Third, we would feature new voices and not the usual pundits and panelists who have done conferences before (me included!).

Check out the schedule of sessions below. We have scheduled four workshops that are meant to provide tangible and useful insight for artists—both established and emerging. In addition, we’ve asked some artists and professionals to give short and hopefully inspirational talks about their own life experiences, along the lines of the TED talks or NPR’s “This I Believe.” Move over Tony Robbins and make way for Vijay Iyer, Steven Bernstein, Matt Wilson, Jason Crane and Fay Victor!

Of course, perhaps the greatest benefit of an event like this is just bringing people together. Attendees are likely to learn as much from each other as from our so-called experts. And we have made it clear to the workshop moderators that audience participation is essential.

I hope you can come to the event and not only listen and hopefully glean practical information, but also contribute your own ideas and experience. There is a Facebook Events page set up if you would like to RSVP or find out who else is planning to attend.

Admission to the sessions is free. You don’t have to be a member of APAP or registered for the conference to participate. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of that organization and recommend that you considering attending the conference, which this year includes a track of jazz programming—JazzConnect: Building Jazz Culture – Local to Global. Learn more about APAP|NYC 2012

For those coming from out-of-town, APAP is offering a special conference rate of $189/night at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and one block away from our event. APAP guests who book by Nov 30 also receive complimentary in-room Internet access, 10% discount at the Sheraton coffee shop and market, and free access to the Sheraton fitness club. For more hotel information, click here or call: 1.800.325.3535.

Feel free to e-mail me back with any questions you might have about this event.

Best regards,
Lee Mergner
Publisher
JazzTimes
JazzTimes DIY Crash Course
Thursday Jan 5, 2012
Concourse A, Hilton New York

Schedule of Sessions:

10:00 am SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Vijay Iyer

10:15 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes) Music for Sale: New models for selling your music With Borders and other traditional retail outlets shutting their doors, channels for distribution of recorded music have changed dramatically. Beyond iTunes there are many online music services for sales and airplay. This workshop discusses strategies for the emerging artist to navigate this new and always evolving sales landscape. Moderator: John Newcott (WBGO) Panelists: Phillip Bailey (Concord Music Group), Erol Cichowski (IODA), Bret Sjerven (Sunnyside), Marc Free (Posi-Tone )

11:30 am SOLO SPOT (5-10 minutes), Jason Crane (The Jazz Session)

11:45 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes)
Breaking Through the Clutter: Social media for publicity, promotion and profit?
As traditional print & broadcast media become more and more obsolete, as the record store has all but died, as digital retailers and editorial websites have increased in power and influence, a new culture of readers and consumers has emerged—a group that goes first and foremost to the internet for all of its information & entertainment needs. We discuss this culture and how they interact with each other in real time. Topics will include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pandora, Last.fm and other important ways social media is used to spread the word on music and other topics.
Moderator: Dmitri Vietze (rock paper scissors) Panelists: Kevin Calabro (Calabro Music Media), Dick Huey (Toolshed Marketing), Josh Jackson (The Checkout)

12:45 pm BREAK (60 minutes)

1:45 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Fay Victor

2:00 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) New Models for Jazz Performance and Touring: Going beyond the traditional club and festival circuit The days of a jazz club in every city are over and large venues are only looking for big names, but there are all sorts of new performing opportunities available to emerging artists, both in New York City and across the country. Presenters and booking agents share what they know from the frontlines. Moderator: Jim Macnie Panelists: Mark Christman (Ars Nova Workshop), Jeanna Disney (International Music Network), Brice Rosenbloom (BOOM Collective), Meghan Stabile (Revive Music Group), Myles Weinstein (Unlimited Myles)

3:15 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Steven Bernstein

3:25 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) The Jazz Artist as Small Business Owner and Manager As musicians add fundraising, promotion, producing, recording, distribution, management and booking to their skill sets, individuals are becoming organizations. Some thrive on collective output and multiple platforms. What are the benefits and challenges to incorporating, becoming a non-profit entity, seeking fiscal sponsorship, and taking on self-management/promotion? Moderator: Sara Donnelly (Arts Consultant) Panelists: Ben Allison, Taylor Ho Bynum, Dianne Debicella (Fractured Atlas)m Marcus Strickand (Strick Muze)

4:30 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Matt Wilson