Unlocking Your Creative Impact: Vital Elements for Being an Independent Musician
Leading music industry professionals and creative entrepreneurs from Berklee and Henley Business School present a day of intensive virtual sessions that dig into topics that will help you elevate your skills as an independent musician.
Session 1: Unlock Your Entrepreneurship Mindset for the Independent Musician
7:00 a.m.–8:30 a.m. ET (12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. WAT)
The music business has experienced seismic disruption over the past decade, from consumer ownership of physical media to access via subscription, and from artists touring to generate revenue to the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. But music's core products—great songs, productions, and performances—are unchanged. This session will explore emerging opportunities for independent artists and answer the questions: What is a creative entrepreneur, and why is mindset so critical?
Panel:
Dr. Adeyinka Adewale, Henley Business School
Gael Hedding, Director, Berklee Abu Dhabi Center
Moderated by Barry van Zyl, drummer, creative strategist, and music specialist
Session 2: You Are Your Own Brand/Digital Marketing
8:40 a.m.–9:40 a.m. ET (1:40 p.m.–2:40 p.m. WAT)
The music business is highly competitive and overcrowded. A solid personal brand is crucial to help musicians stand out among their peers and communicate the essence of their creative work. This session explores how musicians can build and promote solid personal brands and leverage digital technologies to do this successfully.
Panel:
Ben Laker, professor, Henley Business School
McKinley Short, coordinator, International Career Center, Berklee Valencia
John Vlismas, head of strategy and marketing, OGO Productions; associate faculty, Henley Business School
Moderated by Dr. Adeyinka Adewale, Henley Business School
Session 3: Becoming a World-Class Artist
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. ET (3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. WAT)
Becoming a world-class artist is a goal for many musicians, writers, and producers; while there's no "magic pill" you can take to achieve this, there are strategies that can help you on your professional career path.
Panel:
Barry van Zyl, drummer, creative strategist, and music specialist
Mayssa Karaa, artistic director, Berklee Abu Dhabi Center
Stephen Budd, director, Stephen Budd Music Ltd
Moderated by Jason Camelio and Betsie Becker
Session 4: Online Music Performance and Songwriting
11:10 p.m.–12:10 p.m. ET (4:10 p.m.–5:10 p.m. WAT)
The Berklee Global Initiatives team will introduce the performance software Jamulus with their own Linux virtual private server network to demonstrate online performance, recording, and songwriting applications.
Presented by Jason Camelio and Ray Seol