Saturday’s day-long seminar will feature presentations and panels by music industry experts, lawyers and recording artists offering advice on how to be successful in the music business.
Day-Long Seminar: Saturday’s summit takes place at the GR Center for Community Transformation.
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It’s all about getting the inside scoop on the “ins and outs of the music business.”
Saturday’s first-ever Music Econ Summit in Grand Rapids aims to help “hardworking music creatives from all walks of life, genres and experience levels earn income, increase their income or flat out become a successful entrepreneur,” said Monk Matthaeus, who’s helped organize the day-long event.
Kicking off at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, 1530 Madison Ave. SE, the summit will feature a roster of experts presenting panels and sessions on LLCs and contracts, trademarks and patents, social media, writing music for TV and film, funding creative projects and more.
General admission tickets are $25 and available online here. The summit also has scholarships available for those ages 15 to 24, which would allow them entry for free. Get the application form online here.
Organizer Monk Matthaeus: He wants musicians to ‘take control of their destiny.’ (Courtesy Photo)
“The music industry can be intimidating because of its complex nature and how it has traditionally been viewed by both newcomers and seasoned musicians, that is as a dog-eat-dog world of bogus contracts and exploitation,” said Matthaeus, aka Matthew “Monk” Duncan, training and culture coordinator for the Center for Community Transformation and co-founder and vice president of the Hip Hop Association of Advancement and Education.
“But now is the time to take control of your destiny as an independent musician if you are willing to learn the ins and outs of the game that in the past was controlled by labels, managers and others whose interest was primarily in their bottom line and not yours. It’s a business right? So why not learn the business yourself and utilize the current technological systems and information that you have access to on your own to provide for your bottom line? That is what this is about.”
The summit not only aims to help “hardworking music creatives” put money in their own pockets and protect their intellectual property, but is about “bringing folks together and promoting collaboration over competition.”
Hosted by the center, Michigan Music Alliance, Push the City Cypher and Triumph Music Academy, the seminars boast a wide range of presenters and panelists, from lawyers Chris Newberg and Andre Dandridge to booking, film and social media experts to recording artists.
“We have so many knowledgeable folks who wanted to participate. They genuinely want to help independent musicians grow,” Matthaeus said.
“I’m looking forward most to meeting all these fine folks in person and building a relationship with all of them. I believe networking is key in every aspect of life and this is going to be a great event for high-quality music industry networking that leads to economic opportunity and hopefully lasting friendships and collaborations.”
OFFERING A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
While the summit — with a capacity of 275 people — is open to all independent musicians, Matthaeus said he hopes that teens and young adults in particular will take advantage of this educational opportunity.
“Young people have the greatest opportunity to grow in this industry and I hope that we can guide and inspire them to be great,” he said.
Takayla Patterson: Summit Panelist (Courtesy Photo)
“Due to generous sponsorships from Southtown CID, the Circle of Hope initiative and the GRCCT, we are able to sponsor 60-plus teens/young adults (ages 15-24) to attend at no cost. That is huge and we cannot thank them enough for this gift. “
He said organizers plan to make the summit an annual event. “We have a heck of a team working on this. We have myself, Lady Ace Boogie and Ruben Martinez of Push the City Cypher, Nicholas Thomasma of the Michigan Music Alliance, James Hughes of Triumph Music Academy, and Jodi Albaitis of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation.”
In the end, he said, he’s confident attendees will “leave with a sense of confidence in themselves and the possibilities on the horizon.
“I want folks to leave hungry for more, hungry to learn, hungry to collaborate and seek knowledge that will bring value to their lives. I want people to leave feeling empowered to ask the right questions of their peers and feel inspired to teach others how to become more financially successful as well.”
MUSIC ECON SUMMIT 2024: THE SCHEDULE
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