SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL, CONFERENCE AND TRADE EXPO::

The music industry has never been an easy game to play, and in Canada some say that we have a tendency of ‘eating our own'. One need only to look south of the border to see acts leaving their homeland in hopes of further success; Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Theory of a Deadman, Sum 41, and a whole slew of other acts currently slugging it out touring the American coastline in hopes of being tomorrow’s stars.

The premise for the first-ever Spring Music Conference & Trade Expo is to try to break down this wall by giving the independent musician the knowledge on how they too can “make the right connections” and produce and follow through with an impeccable recording that will catch the attention of the right person.

We expect to only bring the best and most experienced names in the industry to conduct seminars and to sit on panels, to discuss the "hardcore" facts about what it takes to release and promote your record, while trying to turn your part time hobby into a profitable career.

We have already received firm commitments from various producers, booking agents and radio personnel who are expected to speak at the conference, and will attempt to de-mystify the enigma that many young musicians call the Canadian Music Industry.

Topics will include:

12:00 – 1:00 Management Panel – Do I need a manager and what is his/her role? The typical musician does not know the difference between a manager and an agent. We have brought together some of the best manager’s currently working to develop their artists internationally. Hear them tell you the secrets of how they do it. *Sponsored by the Music Manager’s Forum

1:15 – 2:15 Unraveling the mystery of radio “How do I get my song on the air?” Panelist will include people working in the programming department of college and mainstream radio, as well as radio tracker’s, the company you hire to get your band on the radio.

2:30 – 3:30 Tour! Tour! Tour! – How do I get my band on the road and make it profitable. Panelist will include booking agents, touring musicians, tour managers and merchandiser’s.

3:45 – 4:45 Producer's Panel - “If I'm such a great rock star, why do I need a producer?” Hear it directly from the mouths of some of the country’s top indie producer’s - the guys who make their day to day living composing and producing music for other people. Also expected will be musicians who have worked with them, expanding on the necessity of why a producer is so important. *Sponsored by Swordfish Digital Audio

4:00 - Home Recording/Pro Tools Seminar Sponsored by Long & McQuade
With the rapid pace of technology, home studio’s have flourished unlike ever before, and we have already reserved one room for seminar/product demonstration on home recording, care of our friends at Long and McQuade. Attendees MUST register for this event at: www.long-mcquade.com

By attending our conference, we hope that the delegates (musicians) will leave a little more enlightened then when they arrived. Inspiring them to get their act together and do things the right way, this means developing a practical plan.

Trade Expo

With little other music industry trade shows in site, and having done this many times before, the team at BLR Entertainment expect to organize a comprehensive trade expo which we hope will grow with each year. With more than 400 musicians already booked to perform as part of the festival, we anticipate a very high attendance for our first ever conference and trade expo.

Currently we anticipate that we can accommodate between 10 and 20 exhibit booths, along with approximately 4 rooms for product demonstrations or additional booths. With this being the only event of its kind in Canada, and a price that keeps cost low, this is an event that no music company or musician should miss.

Located in the bustling secondary market of Hamilton, Ontario, the event offers companies the opportunity to expose their product DIRECTLY to their target market, the consumer’s. By hosting the event in Hamilton, we are able to keep our rates as low as possible, to ensure our exhibitors a profitable ROI.