September 27, 2024 (Atlanta, GA) – The Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) held the Creative Entrepreneurship Summit this week at 4U Recording Atlanta and Georgia State University. The event was designed to explore various facets of creative entrepreneurship in the music industry, offering workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities over the course of two days. It was sponsored by The MLC and Adaptive Music.
Full-size photos can be downloaded here and all photos should be credited to Sean Alleyne except the Sync or Swim: Diving Deeper cover art. Video of the Summit will soon be made available to AIMP members at aimp.org.
For a brief recap of the day’s panels and workshops, see below.
The Summit kicked off with the panel “Structuring Your Business for Good Times and Bad,” facilitated by Kandice Bell (Owner, KandiLand Records)and featuring panelists Robin Kindrick (AIMP Atlanta Board member), Angela Blair (Coach, Adaptive Music), Sean McNamara (Manager, Publisher Services, The MLC), and Tony D. Alexander (President & Managing Director, Made in Memphis Entertainment, and AIMP Atlanta Chapter President). The panel covered essential business strategies for artists and entrepreneurs in the music industry, offering key insights on financial stability, business structure, and insurance strategies, including Errors & Omissions.
The Summit continued with Sean McNamara presenting an overview of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). Attendees learned about streaming royalties and how they as artists and producers are owed over $2 billion in compensation for streaming of their music.
Next, Cheryl Potts (Founder, Cleerkut) presented the workshop “Rights Management Administration for Recording Labels & Publishers.” Explaining the six exclusive rights for copyrighted works, Potts highlighted the importance of copyright protection and the integral role it plays in industry success. Attendees also learned about their legal protections that they may not have been aware of.
Wrapping up the day’s programming at 4U Recording, Ben Yonas (Owner, Yonas Media and Music Production Professor at Georgia State University) led the panel “The Mechanics of Sync: A ‘One Stop’ Shop for Marrying Sound and Picture,” alongside panelists Richard Dunn (ATL Sync) and Matthew Steele (CEO, SteeleSync). Attendees were given valuable insights into the sync licensing world, focusing on how music is paired with visual media, the legal nuances of sync deals, and the potential revenue streams that come from syncing music with film, television, and commercials.
Attendees then headed over to Georgia State University’s Florence Kopleff Recital Hall, where the documentary Sync or Swim: Diving Deeper took center stage with a focus on the challenges and opportunities in sync licensing. Directed by London Elixir, the film offered a unique perspective on the sync industry featuring interviews with key professionals and creatives and providing tips for artists looking to land their own placements. For more information on the film, visit londonelixir.com/sos.
After the screening, attendees had the opportunity to engage with the producers and creative team behind the documentary in a Q&A session moderated by Robin Kindrick. The conversations explored the film’s themes and motifs, as well as the personal experiences of panelists London Elixir (Producer), Jamal “Mogul Mal” James (Executive Producer), Ogechi Ofodu (Editor, Recording Artist, and Film Editor), and Mattie Bethea (Cinematographer).
Kicking off day two of the Summit, Gerald Keys (Chief Producer for Ludacris) presented the workshop “How Creators Can Leverage AI for Their Benefit.” He explained how artists and producers can integrate AI into their music without societal stigma and copyright infringement, detailing yet another way art can be created from the current technological landscape.
Next up, Tony D. Alexander led a comprehensive and interactive financial discussion for his “Money, Money, Money: The Misconceptions in the Music Industry” panel alongside students from Georgia State University.Through crowd engagement, he debunked common myths about income streams, payables, and career financing options, highlighting how paramount it is as a creative to never enter or create environments that intrinsically devalue music.
For the day’s final workshop, David Alexander (Founder, MusicIndustry.Africa) discussed global revenue opportunities in the music publishing sector, focusing on how artists and publishers can expand their reach beyond the U.S. market and tap into international growth.
After wrapping up the workshops, Angela Blair (Adaptive Music) welcomed attendees to a cocktail and networking reception leading into the evening’s keynote.
The Thursday night keynote discussion offered an exclusive look into the operations of Rimas Publishing, one of the most influential music publishing companies in the Latin music industry. Jesús Polanco (Client Success Agent, Rimas Publishing) and Dirrty (Senior Producer, Rimas Publishing) shared valuable insights into the company’s growth, its approach to nurturing talent, and the future of the Latin music market.
About AIMP
The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) was formed in 1977 and has local chapters in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and Atlanta. The organization’s primary focus is to educate and inform music publishers about the most current industry trends and practices by providing a forum for the discussion of the issues and problems confronting the music publishing industry. The opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions with others on issues of mutual concern is fostered by the atmosphere at the AIMP’s monthly meetings, forums, and workshops, the videos of which can be seen (along with more general info on the organization) at www.aimp.org.