New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ NARM Official Website) The only annual gathering that brings together the entire music content and commerce business has a new name to express its singular focus:
Music Biz 2012 presented by NARM and digitalmusic.org. Set for Monday, May 7, through Thursday, May 10, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the event will remain the place where those who are serious about music commerce, in all its forms, come together to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and gather knowledge on research trends and new product and services concepts.
"For over 50 years, NARM's annual convention has been the only event to offer both the commerce and content communities a place to come to meet with each other to create deals and build relationships," said Jim Donio, president of NARM. "Now that NARM has created digitalmusic.org, 'Music Biz' is a clearer expression of what the event is about. It's a forum where everyone that is serious about bringing music to consumers, no matter what the medium, can come together to discuss the current issues that will drive both their business and the entire industry forward."
Music Biz 2012 attendees will include brick & mortar and online music retailers, wholesalers, distributors, record labels, mobile service and hardware providers, game and app developers, streaming services, information technology companies, artist managers, music educators, and more.
Past conference attendees have reported an average of about 15 or more private meetings during the event, and more than 95% have found new trading partners.
Music Biz 2012 will expand this emphasis, offering pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings. Retailers, distributors, labels, managers, and all types of digital companies are invited to participate.
Music Biz 2012 will also continue to offer a wide selection of informative events, including digitalmusic.org work group sessions, a Town Hall Meeting, special interest group meet-ups, breakout sessions, and more. In addition, NARM and digitalmusic.org are currently accepting submissions for product and service presentations, educational/research offerings, issue/trend discussions, and best practices overviews to fill programming slots on the afternoons of Wednesday, May 9, and Thursday, May 10. Submissions will be reviewed and narrowed down by the NARM and digitalmusic.org executive staff, as well as members of the NARM Board of Directors, and the winners will be chosen via a member vote. Submissions must be received by 8 p.m. PT on Friday, December 16, 2011; for more information, go to: https://www.narm.com/news/call-for-presentations/.
Registration for
Music Biz 2012 is now open at https://www.narm.com/events/musicbiz2012/registration-and-rates/. Registration rates are discounted through March 9. Prices vary by level of membership; students can attend for as little as $69, and individual professional members can currently register for $249. Stay up to date on
Music Biz 2012 by following @narmmusic on Twitter or liking NARMConnects on Facebook.
More than 1,000 people from 300 organizations attended last year's 53rd annual event, held in the same location. Videos, photos and more are available at www.narm.com.
About NARM
Established in 1958, NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) is the trade association for the business of music, providing the central platform for the discussion of industry‐wide concerns, spearheading the implementation of initiatives to promote music commerce, and advocating for common interests. Members include companies and individuals from all aspects of music distribution, including physical, digital, and mobile outlets as well as gaming, applications, merchandise, video and more. NARM members have access to a variety of conferences, virtual seminars, networking opportunities, information and education resources. NARM is a nonprofit organization based in Marlton, New Jersey. Visit us at www.narm.com.
About digitalmusic.org
digitalmusic.org (DMO) is the home for the digital initiatives of NARM, the
National Association of Recording Merchandisers, the trade association for the business of music. NARM provides the central platform for the discussion of industry‐wide concerns and spearheading the implementation of initiatives to advance the business. While primarily focused on physical formats for much of its history, NARM has expanded its mission in the past ten years to include all facets of music commerce. This includes physical, digital, and mobile commerce partners as well as gaming, applications, and other emerging revenue models. DMO is governed under the the by‐laws of NARM, by NARM President Jim Donio, the NARM Board Of Directors, and directly by digitalmusic.org Co‐chairs
Christina Calio (Microsoft Entrainment),
David Levin (Sony
Music Entertainment) and Bill Wilson, NARM VP of
Digital Strategy & Business Development. Topics and actions for each individual work groups are determined by the individual work group leaders.