Studio A

The Brick Room

10:00am

10 mins

Welcome from Independent Music NZ & Music Commission

Video Feed - Welcome 

10:10am

30 mins

Video Feed - The Market Today 

10:40am

50 min

Video Feed - Keynote: Debunking popular (mis)beliefs about AI: can it help or hinder creativity in music? with Debbie Ball

11:30am

Coffee Break

11:45am

50 mins

What’s Your Elevator Pitch?

Jackie Palazzolo - Riot Games (US), Jacob Daneman - Pitch Perfect PR (US), Kate English - Parallel (UK) & Kodi McKinney - Marauder (US) with Lisa Paris - The Label (NZ)

In the multi-hyphenate world of music work, how do you introduce yourself and make a strong impression? Our expert panel will take you through some of the dos and don'ts of speed-networking and perfecting your personal pitch for an international stage when posed with the pivotal question, "What do you do?"

Our Festival Guide 

Adam Ryan - The Great Escape (UK), Patrick Daniel - Reeperbahn Festival (GER), Tom Larkin - BIGSOUND (AU) & Vaughan Quinn - Golden Plains & Meredith Music Festival (AU) with Sarah Owen - Māori Music Industry Coalition (NZ)

Finding a festival that’s the right fit for you and your band can be a daunting task, particularly when it comes to the overseas market. How do you know who the audience is, or what will suit your vibe and stage of career? Our panel will provide insight into their five festivals across the globe, offering tips to find the international stage that’s best for you. 

12:35pm

Lunch Break

1:25pm

30 mins

SubPoppin’ – An Interview with Tony Kiewel - Sub Pop (US) by Matthew Crawley - Strange News (NZ) 

One of the most recognisable indie labels in the world today, Sub Pop dates back to an era when A&R was all about live music and seeing if a prospective signee could deliver the goods onstage. Conversely, Sub Pop was uniquely placed for the digital music revolution with its fan-based mail order empire, strong label ethos and recognisable brand. After starting in the radio promo department and working all the way up to president of the company,  we talk with Tony about his 20+ years at this legendary indie, including the ups, downs, sideways and future of a label so synonymous with Seattle it has its own airport gift shop.

A Beginners Guide to Outward Sound with Alan Holt, NZ Music Commission

Outward Sound is the Music Commission’s export programme, which assists NZ artists and music businesses to take their music to the world. The International Manager for the Music Commission will present an overview of the Outward Sound programme.

2:00pm

50 mins

Building Artist - Fan Relationships

Debbie Ball - Create Spark (UK), Hallie Anderson - Rareform (US), Jacob Daneman - Pitch Perfect PR (US), & Sweetie Zamora - Remote Control (AU) with Zac Arnold - Naked PR (NZ)

Your fans are your currency - whether it is to sell or stream music, or promote upcoming live performances, they are your key to a sustainable career. 

But you won’t always have new wares to share or shows to promote, so how do you gain fans and keep them as your ongoing allies throughout the years?

Should You Showcase?

Adam Ryan - The Great Escape (UK), Alan Holt - NZ Music Commission (NZ), Patrick Daniel - Reeperbahn Festival (GER), Silke Westera - FKP Scorpio (GER) & Steve Zapp - ITB (UK) with Pip Ryan-Kidd - IMNZ

You’ve been asked to showcase at a festival - but does that mean you should? 

You only get one chance to make a good first impression, so while it might be tempting to accept that offer it’s also important to recognise if you’re ready to present your best artistic self. We discuss what you should be thinking about before you showcase, the pitfalls of showcasing before you’re ready and what exactly are agents and industry looking for when they watch a showcasing artist?

2:50pm

Afternoon Tea Break Thanks to Mortlock McCormick Law

3:10pm

50 mins

SoundCheck: Creating a Safer Global Industry, the Aotearoa Way

Ninakaye Taane-Tinorau (Manager, Tiki Taane & SoundCheck Aotearoa Board), Mel Calvesbert (SHAPRA), Rachel Harrison (Sexual Harm Prevention Specialist) with Anna Loveys (SoundCheck Aotearoa)

SoundCheck Aotearoa is an action group and charitable trust with the mission to foster a safe and inclusive culture for the Aotearoa music community. Join them for kōrero around making our industry safer on a global scale, and what we can do on a grassroots level in the global market.

G'day Australia

Blake Rayner - The Orchard (AU), Maria Amato - AIR (AU), Sweetie Zamora - Remote Control (AU), Tom Larkin - BIGSOUND (AU), Vaughan Quinn - Meredith, Golden Plains & Triple R FM (AU) with Glenn Dickie - Sounds Australia (AU)

Yeah, g’day. What’s happening mate? What’s up in the Western Island? 

Our panel will share an overview of what’s happening in Australia, covering topics including their break-through genres and independent labels, the music festival market, touring hot-spots, new outlets for promoting your music and how things are looking post-pandemic lockdowns in the Lucky Country.

4:00pm

50 mins

Be Your Own CEO

Hallie Anderson - Rareform (US), Kodi McKinney - Marauder / Port Authority Music Academy (US), Nando Machado - ForMusic (Brazil), Henry Compton - FUGA (AU), Dean Cameron and Christy Whelan - Recorded Music NZ

You may be a small or self-releasing label, but these days you don’t need to rely on a big backer when you want to take your music to the world. There are now a myriad of people to work with and services available to help you get the business side of things right and operate a fit-for-purpose label in the current environment. With limited – or no – financial backing, how can you take advantage of all the opportunities that are out there for artists today?

Our guests have all worked with self-releasing artists and small labels to maximise their impact when they were planning to go global. Hear about how you build the team to support your international dream.

Looking after Yourself on the Road

Tom Larkin - Home Surgery & Shihad (NZ / AU), Silke Westera - FKP Scorpio (GER), Carmel Bennett - MusicHelps (NZ) with Ninakaye Taanetinorau - Māori Music Industry Coalition (NZ)

Touring: it’s one of the most exciting parts of playing music - but the late nights, constant travel and adrenaline highs and lows can certainly take a toll. Taking care of your mind and body while you’re on the road is a must- but when you’re busy putting on a show each day, how do you make time to look after yourself? In this session we’ll explore ways to bring your wellbeing A-game while you’re on the road. 

5:00pm

FUGA DRINKS RECEPTION @ BOZO, 309 K’ROAD 

6.30pm

GOING GLOBAL PRESENTS @ WINE CELLAR & WHAMMY BARS

First band on stage 7.40pm - all badge holders welcome and open to public - tix from UTR

Studio A

The Brick Room

10:00am

50 mins

A Conversation with Bret McKenzie (Artist, Songwriter, Flight Of The Conchords) and Tony Kiewel (Sub Pop) with Sarah Thomson (NZ On Air Music)

Bret McKenzie is the only New Zealander to have both an Oscar and a Grammy – alongside seven Emmy nominations and a slew of other accolades. Tony is the man who signed Flight of the Conchords to Sub Pop, before they’d even made their iconic TV show. Their first album working together debuted at number 3 on the Billboard charts, and was the start of a long relationship – most recently working on Bret’s solo album ‘Songs Without Jokes’. How did a comedy duo go from being drowned out at SXSW by Canadian hip-hoppers The Swollen Members to selling out three nights at London’s O2 Arena? And what’s it like having a decades-long relationship in an industry that so often changes album to album? Our guests tell the stories of the NZ band who have their record plaques alongside Nirvana and The Shins at Sub Pop HQ, and the ever-evolving career of Mr McKenzie.

Video Feed – A Conversation with Bret McKenzie & Tony Kiewel

10:50am

50 min

Artist Keynote Interview:Liz Stokes & Jonathan Pearce from The Beths with Rachel Ashby - Breakfast Host 95bFM (NZ)

Freshly home for a fleeting visit after supporting The National on eight dates of their US tour, The Beths are currently Aotearoa’s biggest and most humble music export. Promoting their third album ‘Expert In A Dying Field’, The Beths sold over 20,000 tickets on their own American tour earlier this year, including selling-out the 1,800 capacity Brooklyn Steel in New York. In the past six months alone, they’ve played all three Primavera Festivals in Spain and Portugal, Leeds in the Park, Latitude, Bonaroo, Newport Folk Festival, a NPR Tiny Desk and their upcoming shows supporting Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service will sell over 100,000 tickets. So – how do you go from Whammy Bar to Barack Obama’s Summer Playlist in five years? Hear Liz and Jonathan talk about the whirlwind times and hard work behind the scenes building an international touring act.

Video Feed – Liz Stokes & Jonathan Pearce from The Beths

11:40am

Coffee Break

11:55am

50 mins

Touring UK & Europe - The Post-Brexit Story

Kate English - Parallel Lines (UK), Patrick Daniel - Reeperbahn Festival (GER), 

Silke Westera - FKP Scorpio (GER), Steve Zapp - ITB (UK) with Mel Parsons (NZ)

Whether you’re a seasoned touring artist or about to embark on your first overseas tour, how does the post-Brexit environment affect your tour planning? Hear from our panel of experts on everything you need to know about before heading over to Europe and the UK. 

Getting High Scores – Pitching Your Music For Games, Film & Television

Jackie Palazzolo - Riot Games (USA), Amine Ramer - States of Sound (US/NZ) in conversation with Tim Bern - DISCO (NZ/AU)

Film and television placements are a huge business in sync – and for a growing number of artists, getting your music in games can be a massive boost for an artist's career. ESports are the new frontier, with online championship games being watched by audiences in the multi-millions across the globe. All three of our guests have extensive careers in music placement, so join us to hear a conversation about music supervision and the opportunities in film, television, games and Esports – how you get your music considered and what it takes to get that high score.

12:45pm

Lunch Break

1:40pm

50 mins

Strategies for a Digital World

Hallie Anderson - Rareform (US), Nando Machado - ForMusic (BRA) & Sweetie Zamora - Remote Control (AU) with Annemarie Duff – Cusp Studio (NZ)

The world is literally at your fingertips now - so how do you put together a strategy to get noticed among all the artists promoting their new work every day around the globe. Our panel discusses building the best digital strategies you can employ for your music and what you might want to consider when putting together your digital plan in this new boundaryless world.

Should Indie Labels Embrace AI?

Debbie Ball - Create Spark (UK) & Tony Kiewel - Sub Pop (US) with Wairere Iti - Māori Music Industry Coalition (NZ)

ChatGPT. Music generators. Voice cloning. Virtual artists. The rise of AI technology is without a doubt one of the most hotly debated topics in music. While the response from the industry has been mixed to say the least, are there opportunities we can and should be embracing?

Our experts will discuss the evolving industry landscape, how they’ve adapted and capitalised on digital advances and what further technological shifts we might see in coming years.

2:30pm

Tea Break

TikTok’s SoundOn Workshop with Nathan Wood, Senior Artist and Label Partnerships Manager AUNZ

Get to know SoundOn - TikTok's music distribution and marketing platform. Learn how independent artists and labels are digitally distributing their music internationally, while utilising TikTok to reach a global audience.

3:00pm

50 mins

I’ve Been Thinking with Taylor MacGregor - Moral Support (NZ)

Four of our esteemed guests join us for our annual wrap up of what’s on their mind – reflecting on the discussions they’ve heard, the music they’ve seen, what’s going on here and on their home turf.

Video Feed - I’ve Been Thinking

4:00 pm

60 mins

Speed Networking – All Speakers & Hands

Our guests join us for an hour of 5-minute speed meetings. No bookings, just take the opportunity when you can and move on as soon as you hear the bell ring!

5:00pm

IMNZ DRINKS RECEPTION @ BOZO, 309 K’ROAD [END OF DAY TWO]

6.30pm

GOING GLOBAL PRESENTS @ WINE CELLAR & WHAMMY BARS

First band on stage 7.40pm - all badge holders welcome and open to public - tix from UTR