Syntax Creative will return to Flavor Fest to manage an expanded music business track during the conference’s 16th annual gathering in Tampa, Florida.
The 2016 program will include six workshops, two more than the previous year, along with panel discussions, audience questions, networking and a premiere of The Hound of Heaven, a film starring Propaganda.
Syntax Creative CEO Timothy J. Trudeau selected speakers from publishing, digital marketing, artist management and music journalism for sessions intended to provide practical guidance to artists and their teams.
“I didn’t just choose speakers solely on their ability to draw a crowd,” Trudeau said. “I picked people who would be able to genuinely help.”
The scheduled speakers include author and filmmaker N.D. Wilson, BubbleUp marketing executive Scott Heuerman, Sierra Management President Roger Holmes and Yahoo Music senior editor Billy Johnson Jr.
Art, work and the Christian label
Wilson will lead “Works of Art and the Art of Work,” a discussion about the frequent debate over whether creative work should be identified as Christian art or simply evaluated as art.
Wilson is the author of the 100 Cupboards trilogy and the Ashtown Burials series. His work also includes Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl, which was adapted into a documentary-style film.
“There is so much opportunity in the genre and the culture,” Wilson said of Christian hip-hop, “as long as it stays firmly countercurrent and doesn’t get swept up or bent by the mainstream.”
Marketing beyond the latest platform
Heuerman’s session, “Technology Changes, Marketing Does Not,” will examine how artists can use new tools without allowing technology and social media to replace clear goals, strong work and an actual marketing strategy.
Heuerman has worked in music and digital marketing for more than 25 years, including roles with Apple, Live Nation, MusicToday and Warner Bros. Records. He now serves as vice president of marketing at BubbleUp.
His central argument is simple: Technology is a tool, not a strategy. Artists may be able to use every available platform, but that does not mean they can use all of them well.
Learning the new business of music
Holmes will lead “The Business of Music,” drawing from 35 years of experience as an artist, songwriter, engineer, producer and manager.
Through Sierra Management, Holmes represents artists including Donnie McClurkin, Richard Smallwood and The Isaacs. He has also served on the Gospel Music Association board and the Gospel Music Trust Fund board of trustees.
“This is not your daddy’s music industry,” Holmes said. “We can’t sell records the same way, we can’t advertise the same way, and we have to understand this new business model.”
Press, perseverance and practical connections
Johnson will participate in “Meet the Press,” a session focused on how artists work with journalists and music outlets. During more than two decades at Yahoo Music and other publications, Johnson has interviewed more than 1,000 artists and industry executives.
Trudeau will lead “Perseverance of the Saints,” joined by additional panelists. The session will address the patience, adaptability and long-term decision-making required to build a sustainable career.
The track will begin with a speed-networking session available to attendees who purchase the conference’s preconference add-on.
Flavor Fest Music Business Track Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 6
- 3 p.m.: Speed Networking
The speed-networking session requires the preconference add-on.
Friday, Oct. 7
- Noon: Technology Changes, Marketing Does Not, featuring Scott Heuerman
- 2:30 p.m.: The Business of Music, featuring Roger Holmes
- 5:30 p.m.: Perseverance of the Saints, featuring Timothy J. Trudeau and additional panelists
Saturday, Oct. 8
- Noon: Works of Art and the Art of Work, featuring N.D. Wilson
- 1 p.m.: The Hound of Heaven, starring Propaganda
- 5:30 p.m.: Meet the Press, featuring Billy Johnson Jr. and additional panelists
Flavor Fest will take place Oct. 6-9 in Tampa. Discounted registration remains available through Sept. 30 before walk-up pricing begins.