With Chicago getting cold soon (and my firm belief that shoveling snow is not the best use of my skill set), it’ll be time to take the Crate Kings crew on award tour, hit up a conference, do some networking, and figure out just what the hell a Hip-Hop website can get accomplished in the real world. Although from my previous experience, conferences and seminars are usually a tedious exercise in lugging around a huge bag full of junk promos while trying to figure out who has the best suite party, they can also be valuable opportunities to network and may yield some big surprises.  Believe it or not, back at the Gavin 2000 conference I actually left with a paying promo gig for my fledgling street team, a crate full of vinyl Ghostface Supreme Clientele albums, and my mind made up to stay the hell away from the radio business (a tough thing for a college urban music director to realize as a senior).

Don’t snub your nose at the regional or college conferences either. Some of the smaller events can be a great way to make a few much needed local contacts interested in doing a joint venture, whatever it may be. If you happen to be somewhere in the area or feel like making a quick trip, be sure to check out one of these music conferences and seminars.

Mid Atlantic Music Conference
www.midatlanticmusic.com
November 3 -5 - Charlotte, NC

Greg Gates Music Conference
www.gatesconference.com
September 28th, 2007 semi-annual  Mobile, AL

Radio and Records
http://www.radioandrecords.com/Conventions/RRconvention.asp
September 26-28th, 2007 - Charlotte, NC

TJ;s DJ’s
www.tjsdjs.com
Novemenber 1st, 2007 - Tallahassee, FL

Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Conference and Awards
http://www.billboardevents.com/billboardevents/rb/2005/index.jsp
Nov. 28 - Nov. 30, Atlanta, GA

Midwest Music Summit
http://midwestmusicsummit.wordpress.com
August 7-9th, 2008.

Jack Da Juice
www.jackdajuice.com
October 12-14th, 2007 - Atlanta, GA

Gainesville Music Summit
www.gainesvillesummit.com
September 19th, 2007 
Gainesville, FL

Atlantis Music Conference
www.atlantismusic.com
September 19th-20th, 2007
Atlanta, GA

Dynamic Producer
www.dynamicproducer.com

Nemo
www.nemoboston.com
Boston, MA

Winter Music Conference
www.wmcon.com
Miami, FL

Mixshow Power Summit
www.mixshowpowersummit.com

Related posts:

1. BMI Producer/Songwriter Panel w/ DJ Toomp, Eric Hudson, DJ Montay
2. Core DJ’s Present: Texas Urban Music Summit
3. 7th Annual Dynamic Producer Conference July 30th - August 1st, 2008
4. Patchwerk Music University Video + DVD
5. AES Convention - San Francisco