How To Make the Most of Attending a Music Conference

Attending a music conference can certainly be fun, but it may also feel overwhelming. There’s usually a ton happening at these conferences, with panels, workshops, and events covering a great variety of topics. It’s therefore crucial that you approach the conference with a strategic mind and a clear vision of what it is that you actually want to get out of it before even attending.

Do you want to dive deep into sync licensing? Or are you eager to learn more about innovation, the use of AI in music, and the pitfalls of new technological trends? Or is your goal to introduce your music and talk to potential publishers, distributors, labels, and other industry professionals who can help you advance your career? Whatever it is, it’s important that you put all your focus and effort into it to make sure you get what you came for.

Attending a conference without a set of objectives doesn’t necessarily mean that your experience will be negative. You can still spend a joyous couple of days listening to inspiring content and meeting interesting people. However, you may miss out on some great opportunities beneficial for your music and career.

When it comes to the conference program, many make the mistake of not attending the panels and seminars at all, especially when it’s their first time. Perhaps their goal is to network and meet as many important industry figures as possible, and are under the impression that attending panels can be of little help for that.

However, panels are not only a great source of knowledge and expertise, often offering valuable insight into important issues and the ever-changing musical landscape, but also an excellent opportunity to meet the panelists. Speakers at a conference usually set aside some time to talk to the attendees after their presentations, which can be the perfect time to wow them with your elevator pitch (more about that in a bit), give them your business card, and potentially share your music, too.

Also, it’s not only about the speakers but also the audience. You can never know who you’ll end up sitting next to — a like-minded artist looking for collaborations or a marketing specialist who can help you level up your music promo. Some great opportunities to network, huh?

An elevator pitch can be described as a short (think 30-60 seconds) way of introducing yourself, your idea, product, or company to make a connection with someone. It should take as little time as needed to ride an elevator with someone — that’s why it’s called an ‘elevator’ pitch. The idea behind it may sound clear and easy, but the execution may be more difficult than you think.

An elevator pitch must be brief but clear and understandable, getting your point(s) across. You should communicate your personal brand and not forget to highlight your unique selling points to give your listener a reason to connect with you. Additionally, you should appear confident, interesting, and relevant but not too pushy or intrusive. Oh, and speaking too fast may absolutely destroy your pitch. There’s a lot to keep in mind, right?

Polishing your elevator pitch before attending a music conference is not only important — it’s absolutely necessary. If you happen to run into someone you’ve been hoping or wanting to talk to, the chances are you’ll get no more than a minute or two to attract their attention and make your case.

Something that may come in handy when preparing your pitch is remembering the ‘three C’s’ — clear, concise, and compelling. Remember to use simple language without jargon, keep your pitch within a time range of 30–60 seconds (definitely not longer), and make your speech intriguing and relevant, encouraging further conversation.

One more tip: avoid scattering your pitch with too much information. Having a limited amount of time can make it difficult to select what to include and what to omit. You may feel like everything is important and should therefore be included in your pitch. However, people can only retain so much information, and, in fact, too much information can make your pitch feel messy and all over the place. Instead, try to stick to your absolute key points, communicating:

• who you are,

• what makes you unique,

• what ideas you have,

• what you want to get out of the pitch, and also

• what you bring to the table that the person might be interested in and benefit from.

As we mentioned earlier, a music conference can be a perfect place to connect with people from the industry, which makes it a great place to share your music and showcase your artist brand. So, make sure that you’re prepared when the opportunity arises, having ‘every’ possible form of media ready to share your work of art. Speakers included!

With today’s technological advancements and innovative tools, showcasing your music has never been easier. For one, you can stick to rather conventional ways, like creating a business card with a QR code leading to your newest single or having a Dropbox or Google Drive link to your file (this could work great for when you haven’t released music yet but have a demo ready). We would avoid bringing CDs, as they’re old-fashioned and people may be less inclined to accept them.

Even with conventional forms, you can make things interesting. QR codes are particularly effective as you can put them on almost anything, both physical and digital. This could lead you to some creative solutions as to how to share your music. You can craft some unique and visually attractive posters, business cards, one-sheets, or even small merchandise-like items, such as stickers or key rings, which can make a lasting impression and help you stand out.

Having your digital press kit, or, even better, a sleek artist page ready can be another great way to not only share your music but also promote your entire artist brand. There are many tools available on the market, like iMusician’s Artist Pages, which allow you to create an appealing artist website quickly and without hassle. You can showcase your release, share your latest videos, promote your upcoming tour dates, and include a press section all in one place!

All these ways will ensure that anyone interested can listen to your music on the spot!

It’s common to schedule a meeting with someone from the industry while you’re at the conference — after all, where else will you find a higher concentration of music industry experts.

One thing to always remember is that people tend to be extremely busy at these events, with tight schedules and not much time to spare. Canceling a meeting that someone carefully added to their overall schedule can really throw their plans off and potentially hinder your chance of working with them or scheduling another meeting. Especially if they get a sense that you’re wasting their time (this may happen, for instance, when you cancel last-minute).

Now, life is unpredictable, and things don’t always go as planned. If you have a serious reason to cancel your meeting — e.g. something urgent has come up, personal matters, health problems, etc. —, it shouldn’t be a major issue. Just make sure you are transparent about this with the other person and communicate it well. If you’re not met with understanding for your situation, then perhaps you were not meeting up with the right person, and calling it off can help you realize that.

Meeting and talking to a vast number of people during a short period of time at a conference can certainly tire you out. What’s more, it will likely be difficult to remember all the details about every individual you interacted with afterward. Of course, nowadays, everyone and everything can be looked up on the internet.

However, writing down some key, unique notes on the business cards you receive can still prove beneficial. These can work as clues on why you’ve interacted with the person and what the key point of your conversation was. This may come in handy during your follow-ups after the conference.

Following up with potential new prospects is absolutely essential after attending a conference. The ideal time to reach out is within days to a week following the event while it’s still fresh in people’s minds. If you don’t get a response right away, give it some time before sending them another message.

The most professional way to follow up is via email or LinkedIn. Occasionally, Instagram can be appropriate, too, depending on the person. For example, artists and producers might be more open to social media communication, while professionals like publishers or label managers may prefer more formal channels.

Your follow-up message doesn’t have to be elaborate. Briefly introduce yourself — as they may not remember you — and thank them for taking the time to talk to you. Based on the conversation you two had at the conference and the type of relationship you’re hoping to build, you can also suggest a further meeting or potential collaboration.

One thing to avoid is spamming people with constant messages or, even worse, calling them repeatedly. The goal of networking and follow-ups is to establish and nurture meaningful connections, and bombarding people with tons of messages will have the opposite effect. What’s more, persistently contacting someone who clearly isn’t interested is a waste of your precious time.