Long before SXSW, there was the New Music Seminar, a hotbed of activity co-founded by Tommy Boy head Tommy Silverman in 1980 for the then-emerging independent movement in the record industry. From that point to 1994, NMS established itself as the premier music conference of its time, taking a 15-year hiatus only to return in 2009 to tackle the issues of the day.
This year’s edition sports the theme, “The beginning of a brand-new music business<’ and will take place June 8-10 at the New Yorker Hotel.
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“The music industry has reached a flexion point – after eight years of growth, digital music sales have peaked and joined CD sales in double-digit declines, and the future of the music business is clearly ensconced in streaming,” said Silverman. “Music’s monetization, measurement and even the language must change from units to users, average revenue per user (ARPU) and customer lifetime value (CLV). This is a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportion and the New Music Seminar will probe the opportunities and dangers as we enter this new era.”
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This year, NMS again features the SoundExchange Summit focused on the growth in streaming, and how labels and artists can maximize revenues. A third day of educational programming is also added to the schedule.
Here are some of the highlights:
Producer’s Movement: Nile Rodgers and Atlantic chairman/ceo Craig Kallman are joined by Howard Benson and Andy Kipnes to discuss the evolution and current role of the music producer.
The A&R Movement:Talya Elitzer(Capitol), Alyssa Castiglia (Island Records), Brandon Davis (Atlantic), Jon Coombs (SC Publishing), Jenna Rubenstein (Insieme Music Publishing, Glassnote Entertainment), Austin Rice (Columbia Records), Jessica Strassman (Columbia Records),and Patch Culbertson (Republic Records), conducted by Island president David Massey (President, Island Records).
Independent Labels Coming to Power: Ed Vetri (Wind-up Records), Craig Balsam (Razor & Tie), Michael Goldstone (Mom + Pop), Kris Gillespie (Domino), Shannon Houchins (Average Joes Entertainment) and Steve Greenberg (S-Curve Music) discuss market share and why independent labels may be a better choice for artists than majors. Conducted by Secretly Canadian Label co-owner Darius Van Arman.
Dance Music: Not Another Disco Bubble: Patrick Moxey (Ultra Records), Geronimo (SiriusXM), Prem Akkaraju (SFX Entertainment), Andrew Goldstone (Red Light Management), Glenn Mendlinger (Astralwerks), Senthil Chadambaram (Dancing Astronaut) and Lee Anderson (AM Only)
Music Subscription: Ralph Simon (Mobilium Global), Mark Piibe (Sony Music), Stephen Bryan (Warner Music Group), Paul Springer (Rhapsody) and Tamara Hrivnak (Google Play Music)
High Resolution Audio is Coming. Michael Fremer(Analog Planet), Spencer Chrislu (Warner Music Group), Steve Guttenberg (CNET), Alan Silverman (Arf! Mastering) and Jerry Harrison (Producer/Performer, Talking Heads)
Midem’s The Globalization of Music: Daniel Glass (Glassnote Entertainment), Dan Chalmers (ADA UK), Steven Hill (Warp Records), Andy Chen (Aspiro Group) and Rich Riley (Shazam), conducted by Bill Werde (Guggenheim Digital).
Legal: Fox Rothschild will present CLE Accredited movements on the Big Four Artist Agreements: A state-of-the-art overview of the main artist contracts; So Sue Me– everything you need to know about litigation; Music Publishing; and Artist Label Deals.
In the evening, NMS will present New Music Nights, two nights of live music featuring more than 70 Artists on the Verge, a curated selection of the best emerging artists, that will take over venues in the East Village and Lower East Side of New York.
This story first appeared on THR.com