Saturday’s day-long conference at GR’s Bamboo/Start Garden boasts workshops, panel discussions, vendors and networking opportunities for musicians and those in the music business. Details at Local Spins.
Back for 2026: The Music Econ Summit aims to offer professional development advice to musicians. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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The 2026 Music Econ Summit will roll out next Saturday as far more than just a hangout for Michigan musicians.
While networking and meet-ups will once again be part of the picture, this year’s conference for musicians and those working in the music industry will focus on professional development, education, mentorship and presentations aimed at bolstering the business savvy of working musicians to help them earn a living as artists.
“My advice is to bring business cards, pass them out like candy and then follow up,” said Nicholas Thomasma, executive director of the Michigan Music Alliance, which hosts the April 11 conference at Bamboo / Start Garden at 2 Fulton St. in downtown Grand Rapids. “You never know who might be sitting next to you in the sessions.”
Those sessions include workshops on music-release strategies, preparing for recording and building a music community, as well as panel discussions on the business of hip hop, art of songwriting, royalty collection, mental, content creation and more.
John Sinkevics, founder, publisher and editor of the Local Spins online magazine, will kick off the conference with a keynote address on “Making Your Mark in the Media Amid the Music World’s Mayhem and AI Madness” at 9:45 a.m.
The conference will run from 9 a.m to 4:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $50 and available online here. Admission for students is just $10. (Those who purchase a Michigan Music Alliance membership will receive a 20 percent discount on tickets.) View the full schedule below.
To dig into the goals and benefits of the Music Econ Summit, Local Spins conducted a Q&A with Thomasma.
Local Spins: For folks unfamiliar with the Music Econ Summit, what’s it all about? Who should be interested in attending this conference?
Thomasma: The Music Econ Summit is designed to connect the West Michigan music community regardless of age or genre. It’s primarily geared towards helping musicians understand how to earn money, but really anyone who enjoys Michigan music could benefit from networking with others in the community.
Local Spins: What are some of the highlights of this year’s event in your view? Who are some important industry experts providing advice at this conference?
Thomasma: Highlights include a songwriting workshop by multiplatinum Christian hip-hop artist Steven Malcolm and a workshop on preparing to record with Michael Crittenden of Mackinaw Harvest Music. Personally, I’m excited for the panel discussions on Content Creation and Building a Music Community, but perhaps the biggest highlight for some will be our closing workshop on royalty collection with the Mechanical Licensing Collective. And of course, I’m incredibly excited to hear the opening keynote address from local music champion and former MMA Board President John Sinkevics.
Nicholas James Thomasma (Courtesy Photo)
Local Spins: What’s different from the 2025 conference? What changes has MMA implemented?
Thomasma: We learned a lot in 2025 and decided to scale back to a single day this year. Our mission is to provide professional development and educational support about the business of the Michigan music industry so we’re putting the focus entirely on the workshops, panel discussions and newly added Mentor Sessions – short 1-on-1 conversations with industry experts which guests can sign up for in advance.
Local Spins: Describe the new location for this Music Econ Summit? How does it serve this event and what’s the capacity of the venue?
Thomasma: This year, we’re moving to the new Bamboo / Start Garden co-working space. It has a 200-seat theater, a large gallery, the Start Garden Vault, several conference rooms and is specifically designed to activate creative entrepreneurs.
Local Spins: There will be vendors and photo shoot offerings from photographer Chelsea Whitaker. Describe these attractions for attendees.
Thomasma: Getting a professional headshot from Chelsea Whitaker Photography is one of the tangible benefits of the Summit. It’s something you can use for years to come. Mitten Music will be on hand interviewing attendees for future episodes of their podcast. We’ve also invited Lutely to demonstrate how AI can be used as a tool (not a replacement) and how you can utilize it to your advantage. These valuable experiences are all included in the cost of admission. Local Spins, Sounds of the Zoo, Dogtown Studios, the ACCGR, Girls Rock Grand Rapids, Debo Scotty and Rap Roots Media will all be on hand, too.
Local Spins: How many people are expected to attend and what do you hope they take away from this event?
Thomasma: We anticipate between 100-150 people in attendance. Participants can schedule a 1-on-1 mentor session with one of our 13 mentors. There are also 20 panelists, 5 presenters as well as the staff and Michigan Music Alliance board of directors, so there’s no shortage of people to learn from.
MUSIC ECON SUMMIT 2026: THE SCHEDULE
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