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TAXI Road Rally
A prime benefit of the independent A&R organization, TAXI, is free admission for the member plus a guest to attend the company’s annual Road Rally in Los Angeles, CA. This year the Rally will be held Nov. 8 - 11 with hit songwriter Diane Warren receiving the TAXI Lifetime Achievement Award with a corresponding keynote interview.
The Road Rally is immense, and is an event that requires tactical pre-planning as TAXI takes over the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel. Songwriters and music industry professionals of all stripes throng the ballrooms, classrooms and exhibition hall for a serious selection of heavy hitting guests and invaluable music industry information.
Numerous listening sessions are a key draw. Last year a group of execs from Disney, Universal, RCA Records and Sony Music were on hand for a Listening Panel.
New media, fan management and public relations for independent artists are key Road Rally panel and class topics. Befitting a conference held in the entertainment capital of the world, great attention is paid to film and television music, and how to write and create for games.
TAXI is heavy on the one-on-one mentoring sessions and the always-boisterous Mentor Lunches (where participants are joined at 10-minute intervals by a roving band of music industry professionals), plus open mics and other performance opportunities.
A large contingent of TAXI’s international songwriters are also on hand, so you can create cross-cultural collaborations. Hobby and beginning songwriters are welcome. The airport is not near the center of Los Angeles, so plan on staying at the host hotel (or check out cheaper options nearby) and rent a car and stay extra days to take advantage of the trip.
West Coast Songwriters Conference
Held in early September on the campus of Los Altos College near Palo Alto, in Northern California, the West Coast Songwriters Conference is the longest running event—32 years—specifically for songwriters. WCS is a powerhouse organization with a dedicated community and grassroots organizers. They currently hold over 20 monthly events to enhance aspiring writers and performers with creative and career development by music industry professional.
The Conference is the organization’s highlight of the year. It kicks off with a Friday night party, and then takes place over two days with classes, panels, one-on-ones, performance evaluations, song screenings, a noontime concert series, a Saturday evening show with hit songwriters, and much more.
Given its proximity to Los Angeles, the Conference attracts music supervisors, publishers and songwriters from Southern California. Also present are songwriters and industry from Northern California––for example, attorney Elliot Cahn, who has managed both Green Day and Papa Roach. Steven Memel’s performance workshops are consistently rewarding, and new media is well represented with panels and workshops on social and new media.
Hobby, older and beginning songwriters will feel very welcome in this warm community. Also, writers whose songs vary from the mainstream won’t be marginalized here in ever-so-tolerant NorCal. There are panels on children’s music (courtesy of WCS co-founders and hit songwriters Michael and Patty Silversher) and songs with social significance. There is a also a strong Nashville contingent, and regular guests include publisher Dan Hodges, who has a long history of discovering hit songwriters, such as Josh Kear and Chris Tomkins.
http://westcoastsongwriters.org
