Renowned Author & Music Business Attorney Donald S. Passman To Deliver Keynote Address

Attendees are encouraged to pre-register for the event, which drew more than 1,000 people last year. Admission for those who pre-register is $10 for students with high school or college ID, $15 for Berklee alumni, and $25 for the general public. Admission at the door is on a space-available basis, and is $15 for students with high school or college ID, $25 for Berklee alumni, and $35 for the general public.

For more information, or to register for the event, call (617) 747-8970, or go to the Berklee website at www.berklee.edu.

Highly respected author and music attorney Donald S. Passman will be the keynote speaker of the event. The keynote address, titled "Can Music Survive in the Digital Age?", is sponsored by Berklee's Music Business/Management program under the auspices of the Zafris Lecture Series. The annual James G. Zafris, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series for Music Business/Management is dedicated to topics that are timely and relevant to the music industry.

Donald S. Passman practices law with the Los Angeles-based firm of Gang, Tyre, Ramer, and Brown, and he has specialized in the music business for over twenty years. His clients include Janet Jackson, R.E.M., Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Quincy Jones, Tina Turner, Randy Newman, and Tom Waits.

Mr. Passman is a graduate of the University of Texas and Harvard Law School. He is the author of "All You Need To Know About The Music Business", published by Simon & Schuster, which is in its 25th printing. He is also the author of two novels, "The Visionary" and "Mirage", published by Warner Books.

At the expo, diverse panels of music professionals will discuss real-world strategies for success in all realms and genres of the music industry, and provide answers based on their expertise in a variety of music-related fields. Panel topics will include "Technology Impact -- Napster: Good or Evil?", "Paths for Classical Musicians", "Multimedia Opportunities", "A&R Demo Derby" (musicians are encouraged to bring their demo), and others.

Workshop sessions will provide more focused, small-group interactions with individual panelists. Specialized workshops will be led by industry representatives and will cover a variety of music career options and topics including "Record Production on a Budget", "How to Place Your Songs on Radio", "Film Scoring/Composition", and "Inside the Record Deal".

Among the panel moderators will be Mike Dreese (Berklee trustee, and CEO, Newbury Comics); Don Rose (Berklee trustee, and Chairman, Rykodisc); Paul Foley (General Manager, Rounder Records); Maurice Methot (Professor of Media and Visual Arts, Emerson College); and Mark Kates (President, Grand Royal Records).

Workshop leaders include Leanne Summers (Leanne Summers Vocal Studio, and Berklee trustee); Jeff Dorenfeld (Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music); Mason Daring (Film Score Composer); Panos Panay (President, SonicBids.com); Richard Bass (Special Programs Coordinator, The Boston Conservatory); Bryon Turcotte (Manager of Artist Relations/Independent Music, Dot Click); Maggie Lange (Assistant Professor, Berklee College of Music, and Music Attorney, Perkins, Smith & Cohen); and Paul Wennik (Berklee trustee). For the latest on panels and panelists, visit www.berklee.edu or call (617) 747-8970.

Representatives from area and national music companies will be in the exhibition hall at the Hynes: record labels, entertainment companies, radio stations, music software and multimedia companies, CD and music distributors, instrument retailers, the musicians' union, and numerous nonprofit arts organizations ranging from the worlds of pop music to classical to jazz.

Exhibitors will feature information on services and resources designed to help participants grow in their music careers. Among the exhibitors are the Boston Musicians Association, Daddy's Junky Music, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, M. Steinert & Sons, USAF Band of Liberty, Northeast Performer, The Recording Academy of New York, Mark of the Unicorn, Radio Boston.com, WBCN 104.1 FM and HOT 97.7 FM and WILD 1090 AM. Radio stations WBCN 104.1 FM and HOT 97.7 FM and WILD 1090 AM are media sponsors for the event.

To quote Bryan Bishop, USAF Band of Liberty, on last year's event: "This forum gave us the opportunity to reach a market that, up to now, has been unreachable. Thank you for this opportunity."

In the evening, several companies will also offer employment opportunity presentations and provide first-stage employment interviews where there is a mutual interest. Individuals seeking employment are encouraged to bring their resume. Companies recruiting at the event include Tweeter; Boston Public Schools; Sweetwater Sound; Carney, Sandoe & Associates; and Cakewalk Music Software. Companies seeking performers include Walt Disney Entertainment; The Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles; and ProShip Entertainment, the largest provider of cruise talent in the world.

This year's expo will also feature a Berklee College of Music student and alumni music showcase in the afternoon. Selected by a judging committee made up of Berklee faculty, alumni, and students, a variety of singer/songwriters and bands will perform. A listening station also will be available so that audiences can hear CDs of all the student and alumni music that was submitted for this opportunity.

About Berklee College of Music
Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music has been advancing careers in contemporary music for more than 50 years. The world's largest independent college of music, Berklee has a multicultural enrollment of more than 3,300 students, 40 percent of whom are international. The college's alumni include some of the most respected figures in contemporary music, including many multi-Grammy award winners.

Berklee offers student musicians courses of study toward a fully accredited four-year baccalaureate degree or diploma. The broad-based curriculum includes majors in such fields as Performance, Composition, Music Production and Engineering, Film Scoring, Music Business/Management, Music Synthesis, and Music Education. The college inaugurated a new Music Therapy major in the fall of 1996.

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Media:

For further information or photographs, contact:
Berklee College of Music
Emily Singer
Publicist, Office of Public Information
617-747-2567
esinger@berklee.edu

Attendees:

For more information, or to register, contact
call 617-747-8970
For updates or information go to:
www.berklee.edu

Exhibitors:

For more information, contact:
Melissa Brodsky
Experiential Learning Coordinator
Berklee College of Music
617-747-2180
experientiallearning@berklee.edu