If you're part of the independent music scene in Australia at any level - artist, manager, venue, publicist, record label etc - then Australian Music Week (AMW) needs to be on your radar.
And today, event organisers for the fourth instalment of AMW have revealed a 'tasty' first selection of speakers who'll be at the 2018 event, which is staged throughout the chilled-out beachside shores of Cronulla in Sydney (7-9 November).
A music industry showcase event that caters to the grassroots level of the scene, AMW brings together a host of respected industry veterans, artists and professionals with an emphasis on 'real music discovery, relevant industry advice and good times with damn good people'.
2018 speakers and industry delegates so far confirmed are Canadian Musician Health and Wellness coach Mike Schwartz, music tech expert Hazel Savage, Deena Lynch aka Spectator Jonze, an award-winning digital illustrator, musician and artist manager with Amplifire Music (Confidence Man, The Jungle Giants), Australian music industry veterans Chrissie Vincent (head of entertainment management at Collarts) and Graham Ashton (Footstomp Music), Cathy Kirkpatrick (Nomadic Fish), Will Watson (PS Music Group), Poppy Reid (Seventh Street Media) and Andy McLean (Canada's East Coast Music Association).
"Australian Music Week is about breaking down barriers to the music industry," conference manager, Jon Howell says.
"We bring in national and international guests to give practical, career-changing advice for artists and industry workers at the coalface finding their feet in the music industry day-in, day-out."
With tickets priced at just $99 for a FULL early-bird conference pass, this event is genuinely accessible for artists and industry folk at all stages of their career.
"Australian Music Week is unique in that it is still relatively small, which makes it so much easier for artists and industry to genuinely connect, with actual on-the-ground discoveries, new business relationships and deals forming over the days of the conference," Jon says.
"The opportunities are real, the panels and workshops are highly relevant and the great results we're seeing for artists, service providers and music buyers grows stronger every year."
The full conference pass gives access to three days of panels, masterclass workshops and over 150 live showcases, as well as Australia's only dedicated Music Film Festival (10-11 Nov) and the official annual Folk, Americana and Country Music Conferences.
"Over the past four years Australian Music Week has become a haven for hundreds of industry professionals from all sectors with its focus on relationship building, because good business always flows from genuine relationships (and lots of Mexican food!)," Jon says.
