Questlove, DMC Headline CD Baby DIY Musician Conference

CD Baby has moved its DIY Musician conference to Austin on August 16-18. To mark the shift, the much-loved d.i.y. music distributor is adding some real star power to its already strong mix of networking, advice, and inspiration.

Questlove will explore what tools and tech support a musician’s creativity and business goals. Rap legend DMC will also be a keynote speaker. Alejandro Escovedo will share his career stories in a fireside chat, and Gina Chavez will relate how she found the courage to sing and play her truth. 

The DIY Musician Conference unites musicians who are taking charge of their own careers and offers a wide range of actionable talks and workshops on musicianship, royalties, marketing, live performance, and other key elements making a musical life and living. 

Several recent studies have identified 'artists without labels' to be the fastest-growing segment of an already booming music industry,

Other Austin speakers include freestyle master SaulPaul, named Austinite of the Year in 2017; audio production whiz and owner of Same Sky Productions, David Messier; video director and producer Traci Goudie;  Stephen Belans, sought-after Americana drummer/producer; advance vinyl pressing plant owner Caren Kelleher of Gold Rush Vinyl; and talent buyer Mike Henry.

Thought-provoking stories will be complemented by one-on-one mentoring and in-depth workshops on everything from songwriting and beat making to marketing, PR, and royalties.  NPR All Songs Considered host and indie music kingpin Bob Boilen will talk about what he listens for in new music. Other presenters include Shan Dan Horan, an alternative/metal label founder and video producer whose unscripted show, Musician Rescue, will air in 2020, and Judy Stakee, a former Warner/Chappell songwriter developer who offers career advice to songwriters. Seattle-based Afrofuturist SassyBlack will lead an interactive digital beatmaking workshop.

Artists will also get an opportunity to learn about important promotional and listening platforms directly from the people who build and run them, like Spotify and YouTube. 

“Along with our musician community, we work with a lot of digital platforms who serve this community,” says Kevin Breuner, VP of Marketing at CD Baby and host of the popular DIY Musician podcast. “Every time someone from a digital service provider, say, has come to the conference, they’ve walked away amazed. They simply never guessed how diverse and engaged the independent musicians of the world are.” 

That's just a taste of what the conference has to offer. For more info and to register, go to  diymusiciancon.com.