This paper is a study of eleven indie folk and Americana artists from a database of 2,501 tagged artists in Chartmetric, the music industry’s leading data analytics platform. The study assesses music streaming, geographic location of fans, and opportunities to grow audiences in the global music marketplace. The findings will assist artists to assess the music streaming landscape and explore prospects to grow audiences. Educators will be able to utilize this research as a model in the classroom to teach data analytics and marketing strategy.

‘Sounds Without Boundaries’: Panel on Music and Brands at the SXSW Interactive Festival. I moderated the panel which covered how brands and musicians can work together to create content that contributes to society.

Panelists included Geoff Cottrill, who oversaw the music partnership programs for Converse, Starbucks and Coca-Cola, Jon Cohen, Co-CEO of creative agency Cornerstone, Co-Founder of global media company The FADER, Inc. and FADER Label and Nick Stern, then manager at Vector Management working with Phosphorescent, The Black Angels, Saint Motel, Eagulls, Kid Rock and more.

Bridging The Gap: In the age of the empowered creator, the music education landscape is changing. Institutions are seeing reductions in retention rates. New independent learning tracks are launching. Employers are not always connected to educators. Creating an ecosystem to support educators, students, and employers is key to the future of music education. Join institutional professors, independent instructors, and employers to discuss bridging the gap to help today's students land tomorrow's best opportunities. Panelists also included Jen Appel (Florida Atlantic University), Dwight Heckelman (Groove U), Brian Penick (Legacy Entertainment Ventures / Musicians' Desk Reference).

I’ve presented at Launch Music Conference and Festival almost annually for the last several years. Topics have ranged widely covering topics including social media strategy, music marketing, music business education, A&R and participating in mentor sessions. This is one of my favorite music conferences due to the interaction between speakers and attendees.

Las Vegas is an annual stop for the Vegas Music Summit where I speak about music business education. I’ve had additional presentations focused on the intersection of business and creativity for songwriters and music producers as well as a panel on music supervision for film, television and advertising.

I joined class with Professor Scott LeGere to discuss music business marketing as “communication and engagement” with fans, consumers and media partners. The focus is to approach marketing as a day-to-day engagement and identity development via your owned, earned and paid channels. The class integrates research I’ve done on social media with the top recording artists as well as Chartmetric data analysis.

My first presentation at ECMC in Norfolk, Virginia focused on the digital resources artists need to have as part of their toolkit. Covering topics from photo and video resources to social channels and press kits, I joined Jeremy Weiss (CI Records), Nicholas Mishko (10&8 Management) and Alex McGinnis (10&8 Management) at this one.

Conceiving a Coherent Image for a Strong Merchandising Strategy. Logo design, album cover, image, clothing and style create a consistent image and are a part of building an artist’s brand. Mara Frankel, Senior Creative Director, Brand Partnerships at Atlantic Records moderated this panel and I spoke with David Avery, President, Powderfinger Promotions, Dana John, Senior Director of Marketing, ADA / Warner Music Group and John Warner, Owner, Hi-Line Merchandising.