Get an Intro to the Music Industry at Fervor Music Business Summit 2019

If you’re thinking of turning your hobby of booking bands and promoting shows into a career, or you think starting a record label is how you’d like to contribute to the world of music, it might not hurt to pop by Fervor Records’ Music Business Summit 2019 on Saturday, April 6, back for its second year.

Fervor owners and operators David Hilker and Jeff Freundlich have been in the game for 30 years, so they probably have a tip or two to lead you toward success. In addition to their collective wisdom, the pair has enlisted a group of music biz professionals from labels like Sub Pop to law firms like Ernst & Young to provide guidance.

The 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. day is filled with back-to-back sessions including Music Licensing Roundtable; Everything You Wanted to Know About Entertainment Marketing but Were Too Afraid to Ask; and Hello, Yellow Brick Road. The latter features Elton John’s tour manager and tour accountant, who dishes on his career development.

Phoenix New Times caught up with Fervor’s Hilker and Freundlich to find out more details about this year’s event.

What about the Summit is different from last year’s inaugural event?
We’ve expanded the hours, added a lunch break with increased food options available, added an event program, upped the ante in the free swag bags, added free coffee from Fervor's favorite Sunnyslope coffee shop, Grinders Coffee Co., and have an entirely new lineup of subject matter experts.

What inspired you to do this?
Our good friend Ivy Jarvis at the Glendale Library approached us about putting together an event. We loved the idea and wanted to focus on the business side of music as opposed to the creative side. Our goal is to bring in music industry experts across all aspects of the biz to share their honest, real-world experiences and career advice.

How did you select participants?
We always strive to provide a well-rounded view of the industry. We also want to mix up the content from year to year. So, we reached out to some of our best clients from Los Angeles, entertainment attorneys, music publishers, label execs, and some folks we know with interesting positions in the industry. The response was once again overwhelming. We are thrilled with the lineup, which includes Gareth Smith from Sub Pop Records publishing side; DC Parmet, Elton John's tour accountant and tour manager; and top music supervisors in the film, TV, and ad worlds. This year's attendees will learn a ton.

Who would you like to see in attendance?
The 2019 Music Business Summit is for anyone interested in being involved in the music industry. Of course, this includes musicians, bands, and songwriters, but also those who are involved on the record label side, music publishing, live performance, legal, music licensing, etc.

And it’s totally free, right?
Yes. We sometimes joke in the office that the new music business seems to be selling goods and services to musicians. Usually, folks pay a pretty penny to gain access to the type of people and information available at the MBS. However, Fervor Records wanted to make sure that we give back to our creative community because the more educated we all are, the stronger we become. Thankfully, we have some great sponsors joining us to continue to make this a reality. And even though it’s free, we do ask people to register, as seating is limited.

Fervor Music Business Summit 2019. 10 a.m. (doors at 9 a.m.) to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Glendale Public Library, 5959 West Brown Street,Glendale; fervormusicbizsummit.com.  Doors open at 9 a.m. and sessions begin at 10 a.m. Admission is free with registration at the summit's website.