Hudson Valley Music Summit

Registration

Opening Remarks

A Look at the Hudson Valley Music Scene

There is a growing appetite for original music in the Hudson Valley and the Northeast. This session will take a look at the hot spots, media outlets, and venues where musicians can make their mark, build their fan base, and develop their craft.

• Where are the thriving art and music scenes in the Hudson Valley and Northeast?
• Comprehensive media coverage in the Hudson Valley
• Describing how the music scene differs from town to town
• Creative opportunities for performing and marketing
• Festival and venue overview

21st Century Musician – Diversifying and Building a Long Career in an Ever-Changing Landscape

• An artist’s view of the evolving role of the record label
• Mastering the art of reinvention
• Connecting with and rewarding a loyal audience

Networking and Refreshment Break

Reimagining the 21st Century Record Label

New income models and methods of engaging with a fan base demand a new look at the value proposition that defined the relationship between the artist and record label. What is the role of the label in this changing landscape?

• Outsourcing record label service providers to allow for musicians to responsively direct their careers
• How are established labels adapting to the current trends of technology and fan behavior that drives music consumption?
• What are the economics of launching and running a label in 2027 and beyond?

Touring Roundtable – Planning a Regional or National Tour

Panelists will discuss how touring has changed over the years, including planning a tour, Promotions, financing, and executing the tour; Making sure you are on top and in top shape when you reach the gig; Respecting the venue; Appearing like an out of towner to non-fans. Emphasis on building a fanbase and how a local band can make the leap to national and international touring.

• How has touring changed over the years?
• What do new bands need to look out for on the road?
• Scaling your act up or down depending on the venue
• Reaching media outlets to maximize the impact of your shows; reviews, airplay
• Keeping the machine tuned – self care, easing intraband tensions, dealing with relationships at home.

Lunch Break

Music Rights Management: Technological and Legal Innovations that Will Help You Get Paid

The labyrinthine legal framework that blankets the current music distribution market creates a sometimes confusing array of artist and songwriter royalty touch points. Managers need to be up to date on all these areas in order to ensure that their artists and songwriters get paid what is owed to them. This session will shine a light on the complex web of publishers, labels, rights organizations and distribution companies, international licensing, streaming services, live performance and other companies involved in getting the music out there.

• What new revenue streams are created with evolving music technology?
• How can business managers track when music is played and what artists and songwriters are owed?
• How can technologies such as AI-driven metadata auditing and automated digital fingerprinting simplify the royalty tracking system and make more money available for artists and songwriters?
• What are the technological challenges faced by music tech companies? What are the solutions of tomorrow?
• Reviewing current enforcement, audit realities, and MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) payouts under the Music Modernization Act?

Licensing Update: Moving Beyond Commercials

The explosion of content providers in recent years has boosted music licensing from a lackluster option to a financial and promotional necessity. By examining the current state of the industry, we’ll discuss strategies that effectively target the best avenues you can take to get your music licensed in various media. What has changed in music licensing in recent years, and how can you expand your audience and be a part of this growing revenue stream?

• Steps to keep your content relevant for future licensing opportunities
• Important publishing and legal aspects to be familiar with (PRO affiliation, publishing companies, facts about copyright etc)
• How to present a comprehensive licensing package
• The risk of oversaturation and how that devalues your music as a licensing product
• A look at how technology such as content ID creates new opportunities for artists to claim rights
• Connecting with content providers who circumvent advertising companies
• Writing and recording with an eye on licensing

Building a Cohesive Artist Brand: From Visual Identity to Merch

• Logo design, album artwork, clothing, and personal style: creating a consistent artist image
• Staging artist and band photographs that capture your vibe and tell your story
• Using live photography, short-form video, and episodic content to capture your performance and grow your visual brand
• Translating your visual identity into merch that feels authentic to your brand and resonates with fans
• How your artist brand supports a broader merch strategy, from fan engagement and storytelling to product planning and sales

Networking and Refreshment Break

Managing the Digital Fan Relationship

• Streaming, satellite radio stations, genre specific websites – where are fans listening to music?
• Using metrics to monitor your fan preferences
• Maximizing your relationship with curators, radio and playlist DJs, festival bookers – what influencers are engaged with your audience and how do you work with them?
• Utilizing crowd funding as proof of concept for new projects
• How are peripheral companies (Patreon, Discord, or direct-to-consumer fan community platforms) pushing the envelope with customer engagement?
• Moving beyond the mechanical basics of social media with an eye on advanced engagement
• Maintaining connections beyond the current social media regime (which will transform soon!)

Outlasting the Encore: Managing an Artist's Legacy Beyond the Music

The most brilliant artists create more than just music. It’s an experience, an ideal, and a gateway to imagination, and the best create something that transcends even their own vision. This session explores how legacy management works in practice. Panelists will discuss how they balance authenticity with reinvention, keep an artist's work culturally relevant to new generations, and decide what belongs in the archive versus what belongs on stage. Most importantly, how do the stewards of these acts keep things relevant and allow future generations of fans to enjoy the show?

Manager’s Roundtable

• Re-evaluating the manager’s evolving role
• Recognizing the different types of manager – creative, financial
• Judging your creative relationship with your manager
• Assessing a manager’s network and connections
• Large manager versus personalized attention
• Contracts – what is the long business relationship

Hudson Valley Music Summit Concludes

Hudson Valley Music Showcase - Hosted by Alex Cano