I’m getting back in the groove after The Music-preneur Mindset Summit in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Suzanne Paulinski — Founder of The Rock/Star Advocate — hosted “a new kind of summit” to help music professionals build community and fuel their careers. From mindset workshops to engaging panel discussions, I came back home really inspired! After surviving another job layoff, this is exactly what I needed.
Here’s some key takeaways that made the 2.5-day conference so rewarding for me, as a music and marketing professional.
Fresh from the DIY Musician Conference hosted by CD Baby, Suzanne — a mindset coach for musicians — kicked off The Music-Preneur Mindset Summit with an empowering workshop, “The Art of Becoming a Music-Preneur.”
“Psychology and mindset are important in everything we do,” said Suzanne, who started The Rock/Star Advocate to help music professionals see themselves as business owners. “There really are no boundaries if you have passions that crossover into different realms. You can figure out a way to do that with some structure and systems in place.”
We all received a free copy of The Rock/Star Life Planner to help us set clear goals, manage finances, and create social media campaigns. Thanks, Suz!
Barbara DeLaleu — aka Roxie Digital of WPLJ 95.95 — delivered an empowering keynote address at Music-Preneur Mindset Summit.
“Own Your Sh*t” Moderator: Barry Heyman, Esq. Panelists: Michael Spivack, Mark Tavern, Ash Kernen, Esq., Cheryl B. Engelhardt, Candace Fox, and Jeff Leauby.
Barry Heyman, Esq. moderated the “Own Your Sh*t” panel — joined by musicians and an ASCAP representative — about the ins and outs of copyrights and licensing.
“Over the years, record sales are going down. The economics involved for an artist and a songwriter for streaming can be pretty minimal,” said Barry, also a DJ and music industry professor. “Look at other ways to make money in the industry: touring, merchandise sales, and maybe trying to get your music into TV, film, advertising, apps and video games.”
Cheryl B. Engelhardt — singer-songwriter and founder of CBE Music — shared her experience negotiating with a major brand that used her song in a commercial without permission. Cheryl also held a workshop on how to perfect the pitch, especially via email.
“From Digital Meltdown to Digital Get Down” Moderator: Tasha Digital. Panelists: Vanessa Ferrer, Craig Levy and Lou Plaia.
As the moderator for the panel “From Digital Meltdown to Digital Get Down,” I’m always excited when my passions for music and tech collide in this way. We opened up the discussion by sharing software and mobile apps we’re using — like Asana and Instagram — to help us thrive as creative professionals.
Lou Plaia, Co-Founder of ReverbNation, shared insight on what it takes to be a successful musician: making great music, of course, but also understanding the difference between music discovery sites, social media platforms and artist services platforms, like ReverbNation, and what each platform can do for you.
Vanessa Ferrer, Founder of Merch Cat, a tool that helps touring musicians sell and manage merchandise: “As artists and entrepreneurs, you really have to treat what you do as a business. Apps can help us be more productive if we understand how to use them.”
Craig Levy is a producer and multi-instrumentalist at Little Pioneer Cider House recording studio. He uses social media to connect with new people. Last year, Craig connected with Lou to run a contest on ReverbNation, with a giveaway of free recordings, and brought on 12 new music clients.
Suzanne interviewed guest speaker Benji Rogers, Founder of Pledge Music, who discussed the challenges facing musicians releasing music online. As the co-founder of Dot Blockchain Music Project, Benji uses blockchain technology to help music artists manage the use of their media files in a digital economy.
K.F. Hox led a meditation workshop during Music-Preneur Mindset Summit.
Saturday morning began with yoga for beginners, led by Lauren Kelly Benson, Founder of Aditi Flow and Creative Wellness. Followed by a meditation session with singer-songwriter K.F. Hox, who helped us get in tune with our own peaceful rhythms. We also did some introspective journaling exercises with alternative R&B vocalist Corina Corina.
After the panels and workshops each day, we enjoyed live performances from bands and singers, including Jennifer Denali (see video below), at DogFish Head Brewings & Eats.
If you missed the Music-Preneur Mindset Summit, you missed lessons on branding, finance, team building and more. No worries. You can buy tickets to stream the workshops and panels here until October 31 at midnight.