A2IM: American Association of Independent Music

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

The who’s who of the worldwide Independent music community will come together June 18-20 in New York for A2IM’s 8^th Anniversary Indie Week, an international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of Independent music. All Worldwide Independent Network (“WIN”) and A2IM members are welcome to attend, the full latest agenda is HERE.

A2IM’s Press Release, which was serviced today, is below.

A2IM Talks Business w/ 8^th Anniversary Indie Week in NYC

Press Release
May 15, 2013

The who’s who of the Independent music community will come together June 18-20 in New York for A2IM’s 8^th Anniversary Indie Week, an international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of Independent music.

The three-day members-only conference will assemble more than 500 executives from around the world (including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, New Zealand, etc.) for interactive panels, a think tank and one-on-one discussions; including full trade mission delegations from members of AIM (A2IM’s sister organization in the UK) and AIR (A2IM’s sister organization in Australia) funded by Sounds Australia.

Beginning Tuesday, June 18, A2IM members will have access to full day sessions at the Tribeca Grand Hotel (2 Ave of the Americas), culminating in A2IM’s 2^nd Annual Libera Awards recognizing the year’s achievements by Independent artists and labels at the Highline Ballroom, Thursday, June 20.

Tuesday, June 18  – Licensing & Publishing Day

1:00PM – 2:00PM: Video Monetization – A look into publisher-related issues from a label perspective including premium content vs. user-generated content (UGC), backend data management, and content ID. Moderated by Alisa Coleman (ABKCO Music & Records), the panel will include: Rell Lafargue (Reservoir Media), Barry Daffurn (GoDigital) and Scott Sellwood (YouTube)

2:00PM – 2:30PM: “International Performance Royalties” – Panel discussion with Charlie Phillips of WIN,  Mathew Reiffe of Razor & Tie, and Ryan Lehning of SoundExchange

2:30PM – 3:15PM: Music in Sports Panel – Moderated by Phil Cialdella (Wonderlous Music), the panel will include: Aaron Matusow (WWE), Stephanie Scarpulla (MLB) and Kevin Wilson (ESPN)

3:15PM – 4:00PM: Brands & Bands Panel – Moderated by Brooke Primont (Razor & Tie), the panel will include: Jack Bradley (Hifi Project), Jonathan Hecht (Tribal Brands) and Lori Hon (Gray V)

4:00PM – 6:00PM: Executive One-on-One Meetings with Music

Supervisors and Licensing service providers, as well as one-on-one meetings with the Australian trade mission delegates (10 x 10 min meetings)

6:00PM – 9:00PM: A2IM’s 8^th Anniversary Reception at Santos Party House (96 Lafayette Street, NYC)

Wednesday, June 19 – Digital Media & Emerging Technologies

1:00PM – 1:30PM: “Digital Change: Show Me the Money. The End of

National Borders” – Presentation by Charles Caldas (Merlin)

1:30PM – 2:45PM: “Future of Monetizing Digital” – Panel investigating streaming services, social engagement, music discovery, and the surrounding revenue models. Moderated by Jaclyn Ranere (The Orchard), the panel will include: Oke Goettlich (finetunes), Jason Lekberg (Eleven Seven), Lisa Levy (Robbins Entertainment) and Chris Welz (Dead Oceans / Jagjaguwar / Secretly Canadian / SC Distribution)

2:45PM – 4:00PM: Video Monetization (cont.) – A look into content creation, maximizing revenue streams, developing exciting channels, and fan engagement. Moderated by Amy Dietz (INgrooves Fontana), the panel will include: Jamar Chess (Sunflower Entertainment), Dan Ghosh-Roy (Ultra Music) and Ben Lister (Base79)

4:00PM – 6:00PM: Executive One-on-One Meetings with Digital Revenue, Digital Marketing, Data Management, & Video Monetization service providers (10 x 10 min meetings)

Thursday, June 20

10:00AM – 12:30PM: Think Tank – Members gather in a roundtable breakout session to reflect and strategize on topics discussed over the previous two days. Conclusions of which are then are presented to the membership as a whole.

12:30PM – 2:00PM: Lunch Break

2:00PM – 5:00PM: State of the A2IM Union featuring Rich Bengloff of A2IM, Alison Wenham of AIM/WIN, Nick O’Byrne of AIR, Helen Smith of Impala, and Charles Caldas of Merlin. More TBA.

7:00PM – 11:00PM: 2^nd Annual Libera Awards (The “LIBBYs”) at NYC’s Highline Ballroom (431 W 16th St. NYC). Co-presented by Caroline, The LIBBYs are an award show for Independent artists and labels, nominated and voted on by Independent artists and labels. Tickets are available now and can be purchased for $30 by A2IM members only HERE.

Indie Week is co-sponsored by Consolidated Independent; Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP; Nielsen Entertainment; Rdio; Section 101 and Sounds Australia.

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

A2IM
For Immediate Release
April 12, 2013

A2IM’s (American Association of Independent Music) second International Trade Administration (ITA)-funded trade mission will take 11 independent U.S. music delegates to Brazil April 18-22, continuing the organization’s crusade to bolster the presence of independent music exports abroad. The mission will introduce A2IM members to potential buyers including distributors, mobile carriers and third-party licensing agents in Rio de Janeiro and San Paulo.

In Rio, delegates will attend the Worldwide Independent Network’s Brazilian Independent Music Association (ABMI) conference and meet with their independent music-label counterparts, representatives from the UBC and Abramus performance rights societies, media giant Som Livre, iMusica, and local representatives from services such as Rdio and YouTube, among many others.

U.S. delegates traveling to Brazil include: Rich Bengloff (A2IM), Andrea DaSilva (ITA), Robert Williams (335 Records), Paul Dryden (ATO Records), Seymour Stein (Blue Horizon Records), Alec Bemis (Brassland), Bruce McIntosh (Codigo/Fania), Phil Waldorf (Dead Oceans/JagJaguar/Secretly Canadian), Jurgen Korduletsch (Lollipop/Radikal), Jim Selby (Naxos USA), Randy Chin (VP Records), Tor Hansen (Yep Roc/Redeye) and Jochen Becker (ZOHO Music).

Anticipation for the trip is high:

Randy Chin, VP Records: “Brazil is one of the key international markets for VP Records.  Reggae is a growing genre in Brazil, and throughout South America, and many of our acts are touring there.  The timing of the A2IM trip to Brazil is perfect with the upcoming World Cup and Olympics games scheduled in Brazil.”

Robert Williams, 335 Records: “I found the Asian trip to be very fruitful. It was well planned, and executed from beginning to end by the A2IM executives, and the wonderful team from the commerce department. We have already experienced positive results. Based on that we look forward to the trip to Brazil, and the possibilities it represents.”

Jim Selby, Naxos of America: “I am extremely excited to be a part of the upcoming trade mission to Brazil.  Brazil is important economy and export market for Naxos.  I look forward to meeting current and potential new business partners during our visit.”

Tor Hansen, Redeye Distribution: “I am very excited learn more about Brazil’s thriving music market.  This trade mission to Brazil will provide a great opportunity to develop further relations and partnerships for Yep Roc and Redeye.’

The A2IM label members on this Brazil trade mission reflect the genre, label size and geographic diversity of A2IM’s membership, including businesses that are minority and woman owned.

ABMI Managing Director and Merlin board member Luciana Pegorer said “Our ABMI members look forward to meeting with our Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) A2IM label member colleagues at our ABMI conference to find ways to collectively move ahead our common business interests, including introducing them to our local Brasilian service providers in Rio and Sao Paulo.” Luciana’s own music label, Delira Musica, was founded to develop the Brazilian instrumental music scene and already represents A2IM members Alligator Records and Soundbrush Records in Brazil.

With financial assistance from ITA through the music industry’s first-ever Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award, half or more of each participant’s trip will be reimbursed.  Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA selected A2IM to receive MDCP financial assistance as part of a partnership to support the industry’s growth in emerging foreign music markets. A2IM’s objective is to obtain tangible economic gains abroad for its members, helping improve the balance of trade and underscoring the Obama administration’s initiatives to invest in small- and medium-sized businesses creating intellectual property.

In 2012, A2IM’s pilot STEP trade mission took delegates to Asia with stops in Seoul, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and the first MDCP funded event took delegates to Midem in January.

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

Press Release
April 2, 2013

Caroline joins A2IM to sponsor “The LIBBYs”

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is pleased to announce Caroline as a hosting sponsor of the group’s second-annual Libera Awards — an award show for independent artists and labels, nominated and voted on by independent artists and labels. This year’s ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 20 at New York City’s Highline Ballroom.

“In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Caroline and our re-launch as a full-service partner to the independent label and artist community, we are honored to sponsor the 2013 A2IM Libera Awards,” said Dominic Pandiscia, President of Caroline. “It’s a great opportunity to help acknowledge the most impactful and important labels, artists and initiatives in the independent community over the previous year.” Born from the DNA of the successful EMI Label Services division, which defined itself as a successful service company for labels and artists such as Hopeless Records, Welk Music Group, Slash, Tyrese, Raekwon, Five Finger Death Punch, Candlelight and others, Caroline now provides full services including Branding, Synch, Promotion, Marketing, Publicity and more.

A2IM President Rich Bengloff noted, “We are thrilled to have Caroline be one of the two overall co-sponsors of the second-annual Libera awards. We are equally thrilled that the Capitol Music Group has restored the historic Caroline name to the expanded and revitalized Caroline operation, one of the true historic brand names in the history of Independent distribution and a founding member organization of A2IM. We look forward to working with our good friend Dominic Pandiscia and my long-time friend [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Mike Harris to make both the Libera event and Caroline huge successes.”

The second-annual Libera Awards build on the success of last year’s “decidedly buoyant” inaugural ceremony (Billboard), where, as the Wall Street Journal put it, “fans and music executives gathered to pay homage to indie greats and hand out cool, handmade statuettes to the lucky nominees.” Last year’s winners included Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar) who won for Independent Album of the Year; Epitaph / Anti- Records, whose invite-only Tom Waits listening party garnered the Light Bulb Award for Most Creative Marketing Campaign/Idea; and Charles Bradley (Daptone Records) who took home the Road Warrior of the Year, celebrating the hardest-working, most fan-engaged artist. View the full list of last year’s LIBBY winners.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available — if interested please contact Jennifer Masset at jen@a2im.org or 347.742.5633.

The A2IM Libera Awards celebrate the best independent labels, artists, projects and partners in the following categories:

Album of the Year sponsored by Spotify

Label of the Year Award (5 Employees or less worldwide) sponsored by The Orchard

Label of the Year Award (6 Employees or more worldwide) sponsored by ADA

Up and Comer Award sponsored by eMusic celebrating the next independent label superstar artist

Video of the Year

Best Sync Usage for the most creative or most impactful use of independent music in a film/tv/ad campaign

Music Supervisor of the Year sponsored by Silva Screen Music for the music supervisor/licensing person who was especially supportive of independent music labels

Light Bulb Award celebrating the most innovative/creative marketing campaign by an independent label or artist

Hardest Working/Most Engaged Artist celebrating the independent label band/artist that worked hardest at their job or was the most instrumental in promoting their music

Best Live Act celebrating the independent label band/artist that had the best live act

Creative Packaging Award (Physical or Digital) sponsored by A to Z Media celebrating the best or most creative packaging – including bundled packages, premium offerings or artwork/design packaging – from an independent label or artist in the last 12 months

21st Century Award celebrating the service provider or platform that was most beneficial to independent labels and artists

The submission process for this year’s awards has closed. The finalists for each category as determined by a vote of independent music experts from retail, media and music tastemakers will be announced at the end of April.

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

“One of the true strengths of the independent music label community is that our label members are true brands, whether it be the Blues (Alligator), EDM (Ultra), Metal (Century Media), Reggae (VP), or a leading Alternative brand like Five Seven Music. We at A2IM applaud Allen Kovac and his team at Five Seven Music for creating what we hope will be the first of many independent artist branded tours After its initial launch, A2IM is hopeful that our industry partners will use this template to work with other independent label members to create these turnkey marketing opportunities. The full release is here.

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

Independent label Grammy successes continued with 36 wins at the 55^th Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best Album wins in 18 categories. Mumford & Sons’ win for Album of the Year (Glassnote) is the fifth consecutive trophy for indies in the category, following Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (Concord/Rounder), Taylor Swift (Big Machine), Arcade Fire (Merge), and Adele (who is signed to and marketed by Beggars/XL outside of the U.S.). Below is A2IM’s Grammy Press Release.

Mumford & Sons log 5th consecutive Album of the Year for Indies

2013 marked another strong night for independents at the Grammy Awards, taking 36 of 79 non-producer categories, including Album of the Year and Best Album wins in 18 categories. Mumford & Sons’ win for Album of the Year (Glassnote) is the fifth consecutive trophy for indies in the category, following Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (Concord/Rounder), Taylor Swift (Big Machine), Arcade Fire (Merge), and Adele (who is signed to and marketed by Beggars/XL outside of the U.S.).

Glassnote founder/owner Daniel Glass noted “I’m beyond thrilled and grateful to the band, the independent community that we’re so proudly a part of, to indie retail and the fans that have been a part of this effort.  What can I say about Mumford & Sons?  They’re a joy, a privilege to work with…I can’t even call it work.  And my Glassnote team, I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done in helping build this tremendous achievement.  On behalf of all indies, I thank the Grammy voters for embracing great music and great artists…this is truly part of an independent movement and we’re only just beginning.”

Leading all independent labels, Concord Music Group artists took home eight Grammy Awards. Concord President Glen Barros couldn’t be more pleased sending this message, “I’m so happy that I want to give everyone Kisses On The Bottom…along with all our other Grammy winning and nominated albums.  I’m so grateful to work with such amazing artists and one of the best teams in the business.”

Said Naxos USA CEO Jim Selby (six non-producer awards): ”I would like to congratulate all of the artists, engineers, and producers who helped create these wonderful recordings. Their dedication, excellence and imagination allows all of us to enjoy this amazing music. All of these projects were created by vibrant independent classical labels, proving yet again how important the ‘indie’ labels and classical music are to each other.”

This year marked the third consecutive year that independent labels and artists led the industry with 50% of all nominations, earning 210 of 393 non-producer nominations.

Billboard’s Item is HERE. In addition prior to the Grammy’s Rich Bengloff was quoted in an AP news item on Huffington Post thanking The Recording Academy for its inclusiveness in the Grammy process.

Posted in News, Press Releases by A2IM

SoundExchange announced record distributions for 2012 as digital performance royalties continued to grow. Record labels receive 50% of SoundExchange distributions and Independents share from the reporting services, which include Pandora and Sirius/XM, are strong as these services give greater access to Indie music. The full press statement is here.