Press Clipping
08/17/2018
Article
CD Baby DIY Musician Conference Interview!

We spoke to Kevin Breuner from CD Baby to get the low-down on this years DIY Musician Conference. The event will take place August 24th – August 26th at Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville. Last year drew over 1500 people, and this year is sure to bring in a crowd.

This is the conferences fourth year (second in Nashville), and were successful from the start. The team chose to move the conference to Nashville in an effort to make a statement to the music industry at large. They want the music world to recognize how big the independent community is and how it’s thriving for artists of every genre. We’re told some of CD Baby’s most successful artists would never be played on mainstream radio, but have sold thousands.

“We wanted to create a conference geared specifically for artists who are trying to move their career forward, and really focus on their needs and helping them get good, actionable advice that they can take” says Kevin. Some of the panels include information on everything from how to get started, how to make money, how to create better marketing, get more shows, make higher quality records, the list goes on.

They do this by involving industry pros and other artists there that have had success to come in and help mentor and speak to the artists. While the Music Biz conference in May caters towards business professionals, this one is the opposite. That said, if you are in the business end of the industry (managers, publicists, etc.) this conference offers something for you as well.

“I think no matter where you are in the industry there is lots of great information, geared at real actionable, on the ground let’s move this career forward type advice” Breuner believes.

Not only will this conference be benefit-ial to publicists and managers to educate them on new trends, but it will give them and understanding of how to relate to the artist and get them onboard with the various strategies and tactics.

Everyone should take note of the digital marketing sessions, where they will be sharing cutting edge techniques, and a panel on building fans online without touring. “The real difference between reaching fans at the big level and independent artists is know how and information. The tactics and ideas are extremely accessible.” Great news for independent artists, labels, publishing companies, and publicity firms looking to make their mark on the industry.

As much as people have loved the content in past years, the highlight for a lot of attendees has been to be around other people in a similar space as them. “For a lot of artists they feel alone in their pursuit. This is a good opportunity for people to come together with other like minded people and to feel encouraged and meet people that might become life-long friends.”

2018 marks the 20th Anniversary of CD Baby. The company is throwing a big party after the panels on Friday night to celebrate twenty years of artists being able to sell directly to their fans, build an audience, and make the career that they want.

“We just want to inspire the artist community. It’s a chance to be with the people, to learn, help other artists learn, and to let them be a voice that helps them guide what they need from us moving forward.”

For more information and to buy tickets please visit diymusiciancon.com