Producer F. Reid Shippen (Credit: Nathan Cox)
Music Expo, the multi-city conference series for music makers in association with Sound On Sound debuted its’ Nashville edition with an all-star lineup of speakers and panellists which included Keynote speaker F. Reid Shippen and Nashville’s first-ever female record producer Gail Davies. Each presentation was jam-packed, wall-to-wall with standing room only. Grammy-winning producers, engineers, artists, songwriters and music industry leaders gathered to discuss the latest audio production technology, how the songwriting process is being redefined, how technology is changing the future of the music business, artist development outside of a major label and more.
Founder Loic Maestracci and Nashville's first-ever female record producer Gail Davies. (Photo Credit: Nathan Cox)Among the highlights included Keynote speaker F. Reid Shippen who shared knowledge about several online channels for music creators to get their music heard, how to increase revenue as a music maker, and blockchain technology and its effect on the future of the music business.
Pictured L to R: Dave Pittenger, Daniel Tashian, SE Berrios, Tony Esterly, Femke Weidema. (Photo Credit: Nathan Cox) A panel of some of Nashville's newest generation of Producer/Writers; SE Berrios, Tony Esterly, Dave Pittenger and Daniel Tashian discussed the evolution of songwriting and producing, and how the craft is being redefined in Music City. The panel was moderated by Producer Femke Weidema and attendees had the opportunity to submit a track for feedback during the session.
Pictured L to R: Keith Stegall, Mark Nesler, Bonnie Baker, Mark Irwin, Stephony Smith and Steve Leslie. (Photo Credit: Nathan Cox)Grammy award-winning songwriter Steve Leslie led a panel about hot-button issues facing the songwriting community and talked in depth about topics which included; writing with the artist, publishers as A&R, track guys and union demos and how technology is affecting the craft and Country radio singles and the album cut. The panel brought together a roster of acclaimed veteran Producers and Songwriters including Keith Stegall, Bonnie Baker, Mark Nesler Stephony Smith and Mark Irwin.
Record Producer/Mixer/Engineer Robert Venable (Kelly Clarkson, Twenty One Pilots, Megadeth) shared tips and techniques on how to take a mix to the next level and make it stand out.
Pictured: Femke Weidema. (Photo Credit: Nathan Cox) Live sessions included Forest Fire Gospel Choir’s Dan Closser who shared an in-studio drum demonstration that coincided with Tracking Room Head Engineer, Matt Leigh’s discussion about the tools, tricks, tips and techniques behind crafting a larger-than-life drum sound when working in a small room.
Exhibitors included Audio Plus Services’ brands (Focal, Lauten Audio, SPL and Vicoustic), Genelec, Harrison Consoles, IK Multimedia, LaChapell, Pearl Drums/KMI, Prism Sound, RME Audio, Steinberg, Tascam, and Yamaha.
Special prizes and giveaways were awarded to attendees and included the recently released KOMPLETE 12 ULTIMATE Collector’s Edition by Native Instruments, the brand new Steinberg UR-RT4 Audio Interface, a copy of Steinberg Cubase Pro 9.5 and a pair of Yamaha HPH-MT8 Headphones.
Music Expo Nashville is one in a series of conferences across the country and will return to Nashville for 2019. Stay tuned for more details and information about Music Expo Nashville 2019 at http://www.musicexpo.co. Tickets are now on sale for Music Expo San Francisco, which will be hosted by SAE Expression College on Nov. 10th. Tickets are limited and are available here: https://bit.ly/2ubOVnX.
