Culture Collide and BandPage Make Upcoming LA and SF Summits Free For Students and Musicians

By Alan Miller, Founder of Culture Collide.

When I started the Culture Collide festival in Los Angeles in 2010, it was born out of an idea that came to me as a frequent flyer and lover of discovering new culture. I was always so amazed when i found a band in a far away land that was inspiring. The thought was always the same. I bet people in Los Angeles would love these guys if only there was a forum for people to seek out and discover their talent. Now in its fifth year, Culture Collide has become such a forum, attracting bands from over 20 countries. The festival has also extended its reach beyond Los Angeles, making its inaugural launch this year in San Francisco, and once again holding showcases two nights in a row during CMJ.

Along with performances, the Culture Collide creative summits are an incredibly integral component to the experience. The summits during the Los Angeles and San Francisco festivals will provide an opportunity for the bands to learn about what they need to do to build a career in the US and abroad, and allow for both bands and industry professionals from around the world to exchange ideas and form relationships that might bear fruit down the road. A tremendous amount of learning can be achieved when you get hundreds of creative people in the same room, especially when they are all there for the right reasons.

It is in that spirit that we have made the move towards opening our creative summits for free to all bands and students. Rather than limit attendance to performing artists and purchased wristband holders, we welcome with open doors local bands and students throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco that are interested in attending our panels, hearing our speakers, and making connections with industry professionals and their peers in other bands. While similar festivals require that participants pay to play when it comes to their conferences/summits, we feel this stifles the creative communities such gatherings purport to embolden and benefit. Young musicians and bands are the future creative forces that will drive the music business, and today’s students are the future workforce, innovators, and CEOs of the industry.

To us it was a simple call. Why put any financial boundary between our summits and the young and creative people likely to have the freshest takes and ideas about the intersections of art, music, and business? Lets invite them into the conversation and give them the opportunity to learn, grow, and also contribute. In the end we all benefit from the energy and insights they bring to the table, and we want to encourage and foster their development. We at Culture Collide see this as an investment in the future, and a sustainable model for the growth of the creative industries. It’s a model we feel strongly other festivals with conferences and summits, which are becoming prohibitively expensive, should embrace and adopt as well.

Culture Collide has partnered with Bandpage to spread the word to musicians and bands in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Students over 21 and bands/musicians interested in attending the creative summits in either city will be granted entry simply by giving the secret pass code at the door. "Culture Collide loves Bandpage"

Visit culturecollide.com/ccsummit to view the complete lineup of panels and speakers for each creative summit.

Culture Collide San Francisco’s Creative Summit will take place October 14th and 15th and will be held in West of Pecos’ Saddle Room. Panelists include Broke Ass Stuart, Kevin Arnold of Noise Pop, Michael Sargeant of Anchor Brewing, Don Chartier of Lagunitas, Wilson Zheng of High Road Touring, Doug Scott of BandPage, Culture Collide founder Alan Miller and more.

Culture Collide Los Angeles’ Creative Summit will take place October 16th and 17th and will be held in Taix’ Champaign Room. Panelists include George Rogerson of Bandsintown, Shannon Flanigan of Tiger Beer, Kate Burbank of Yelp, Erik Smith of EA (Electronic Arts), Dana Erlich of the Israeli Consulate, Culture Collide founder Alan Miller and more.