Photo Credit: Em Walis
On Monday, April 17, the fourth iteration of the Relix Music Conference took place at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville in Nashville, Tenn. The first day of the event overflowed with conversations about artist branding, the intersection of mental health and music, as well as a discussion with music icon Peter Frampton.
Energy remained high throughout the second and final day of the event, Tuesday, April 18, as industry professionals and musicians continued the dialogue. On the docket for day two was talks about children’s entertainment and Web3’s new role in the industry, a case study on Wasserman Music, and a conversation with John Oates.
Tuesday’s schedule resumed with Relix Magazine’s Dean Budnick, who took the stage for the second time and picked up the latter half of the Sound Check: The State of The Business conversation, which was presented by Prism. Budnick was joined by panelist Ben Blackwell of Third Man Records, rock/soul singer Maggie Rose, JC Curleigh of Gibson Brands and WME’s Braeden Rountree. During their sit down, the group discussed what music impacted the panelists’ careers, how the amount of information on artists has grown, how to break through the noise, the musical mythos of Nashville and more.
Next on the docket was the Child’s Play panel, led by Relix‘s Mike Greenhaus, who chatted with Terrapin Station Entertainment’s Jonathan Shank, Stacey Ryan from School Of Rock, Rock and Roll Playhouse’s Stephen Grybowski and Stephen Shaw of Round Room Live. During the back-and-forth, the panelists breach topics related to the resurgence of live children’s events, how kids’ entertainment adapts to the digital age, and more. This panel was presented by School of Rock.
Project Admission’s Josh Baron assembled Wasserman Music’s Chappel McCollister, Jonathan Levine, Lee Anderson and Wasserman’s Molly Bailin to converse about the emergence and success of the company. The group discussed strategically making decisions about opportunities for clients, Wasserman’s focus on artist and genre representation, and the intersection of music with sports and branding.
Deana Burke of Boys Club, The Chernin Group’s Jarrod Dicker and Blockparty’s Vladislav Ginzburg joined moderator Patrick Workman of Unlock to discuss blockchain and Web3’s impact on the music industry. The panelist touched on how Web3 allows for a unique connection for creators and fans, the importance of ownership of digital goods, predictions for the future of the space and more.
The second day of the Relix Music Conference presented a live performance from Music City duo Goldpine and Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores on the back patio at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. The group of musicians ran through a set of music that the Americana Music Association presented in conjunction with the event.
A high point of day two of the Relix Music Conference was music journalist Jewly Hight’s conversation with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Oates. The pair discussed Oates’ historic career, the impact the folk revival in the 1960s had on his life, how he combined all of his influences in his music, and the art of sampling is keeping classic music alive for a new generation. The two also touched on how “Maneater” evolved from a reggae tune and much more. To cap his time on stage, Oates covered Mississippi John Hurt’s “Spike Driver Blues” and an acoustic version of his song “Pushin’ A Rock.”
Scroll down for additional images from Relix Music Converse, which photographer Em Walis captured.
A very special thank you to all of the sponsors of the fourth iteration of the Relix Music Conference: Access Industries, AmericanaFest, Arnett Designs, BlockParty, Can’d Aid, Conscious Alliance, Do615, Dos Hombres, Etix, Evolv Technology, Gibson, HUB International Ltd, Lagunitas, Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), Meyer Sound, Morgan Stanley, Prism, Royal, Potato Family, RYTHM, School of Rock, The Orchard, TN Entertainment Commission, Virgin Hotels and Wasserman.