Catalyst Music Conference

Connection / Creation / Development / Community
March 3 - 6, 2021
manitobamusic.com/catalyst
Presented online by Manitoba Music, Treaty 1 Territory

Manitoba Music is launching Catalyst Music Conference, a new virtual conference focused on connection, creation, community, and professional development for the music industry in Manitoba.

Building on the foundation of the long-running January Music Meeting, Catalyst kicks off March 3, welcoming music industry pros and music creators from around the world. Programming includes specialized and interactive training through presentations, discussion groups, and networking mixers. Catalyst offers Manitoba's music community a rare opportunity to network with and learn from a cross section of tastemakers and experts while connecting with local peers.

This edition will cover critical music topics in 2021 and concrete advice on how to succeed in the constantly-evolving music business, including skills-building presentations, strategic planning, listening sessions with industry pros, community-focused panels on building a more equitable music industry, workshops for emerging and established music producers, and more.

$30 Members / $60 Non-Members

If cost is a barrier, please send an email to training@manitobamusic.com

Click here if you're already registered to be redirected to the participant portal

Adam Lewis, Planetary Group
Aileen Valencia, Reservoir
Andrew Sannie, The Lytics/BPM Facilitator
Anthony Sannie, Anthony OKS
Crystal Shawanda, New Sun Music/True North Records
Debbie Patterson, Artistic Director of Sick + Twisted Theatre
Elliot Walsh, Nestor Wynrush
F. Reid Shippen, Robot Lemon
Felix Idigbe, Zuki
Geoff Goddard, Frontside Group
J. Riley Hill, No Fun Club Studio
Jamelia Campbell, Sony Music/ADVANCE
Jay Devonish, Director of A&R Marketing / eOne Music
Jen Doerksen, Birthday Cake Media/BNB Studios
Jeremy Haywood-Smith, JayWood
Joanne Pollock, Producer/Artist
Joanna Hawkins, Deaf actor, 100 Decibels
Jonathan Li, Prosody Digital
Jordan Howard, CCS Rights Management
Josephine Cruz, Jayem Kayem
Kara Purto, 604 Records/Light Organ Records
Kayla Fernandes, Vagina Witchcraft
Kelly Bado, Artist
Kim Temple, Six Shooter Records/High Priestess Publishing
Lana Winterhalt, Artist/Producer
Matt Berry, Music Director, X92.9
Matt Maw, Red Music Rising
Matthew Monias, Mattmac
Matt Peters, Royal Canoe/deadmen
Nathan Stein, Dine Alone Records
Rayannah, Artists/Producer
Rich Kidd Beats, Artist/Producer
Ryan Chung, Broadcaster/Radio Personality/Producer
Sara Franczyk, ZYK Marketing
Sarah Burke, SiriusXM
Sarah Tudzin, Producer/Engineer
Simone Torres, Vocal Producer & Engineer
Stefanie Blondal Johnson, Mise en Scene
Sun Sun, heart lake records
Tao-Ming Lau, Blue Crane Agency
Tracy Bone, Artist
Vivian Barclay, GM, Warner Chappell Music Canada

Schedule suject to change.

Wednesday, March 3

12PM | Breaking the Stigma for Music Moms

Moderator: Elise Roller, Manitoba Music
Speakers: Kelly Bado; Tao-Ming Lau; Tracy Bone

When it comes to the acceptance and inclusion of women working in music, the industry has certainly been doing a better job in recent years, but being a mother in entertainment has its own set of challenges and stigmas. This discussion will address the systemic barriers that make it increasingly difficult for mothers who are music entrepreneurs, and will share ideas about what the music community can do to be more supportive of these hard-working women.

This panel will be streamed to Manitoba Music’s Facebook Live and made available to the general public

4PM | Your Story IS Your “Brand”

Host: Anthony Sannie
Presenter: Josephine Cruz

A "brand" isn’t just some cleverly designed logos and a color palette, a "brand", or at least a good one, tells the story of the product, company, or entrepreneur. As a music entrepreneur, how do you find your authentic brand, and how do you use it to communicate the things that you want people to see and hear? This presentation will offer solutions and inspiration for those who want to stand out from the crowd by telling their story through their brand.

5:30PM | Mixing Methods

Host: Matt Peters,
Presenter: F. Reid Shippen

It takes a great team to make a great product. One of the keys to amplifying your sound and having listeners “feel” the music is finding the right mixing engineer for the project. Experiencing the wizardry of multi-Grammy Award winning F. Reid Shippen, this session will take participants through the mixing process of a song from beginning to end, and allow them to hear the powerful difference of a quality mix.

7PM | Demo Listening Session (Multi-genre)

Host: Elise Roller
Panel: Aileen Valencia; F. Reid Shippen; Geoff Goddard; Kara Purto

This experience is designed to showcase how professionals are listening to music and what they consider before working with it. Each session will give participants the opportunity to submit a song and hear from reps working in radio, label A&R, publishing A&R, and professional production, who’ll offer live feedback. Al Catalystl participants are welcome to attend these sessions.

Thursday, March 4

12PM | BLM: How the Music Industry is Responding

Moderator: Jamelia Campbell,
Speakers: Andrew Sannie, Kayla Fernandes, Ryan Chung

The Black Lives Matter movement shines a light on the injustices and inequities that Black people have been experiencing for years. While this isn’t a new social issue, it left many individuals and organizations, including those within the music industry, to look inwards, check themselves, work towards equity, and amplify Black voices. This conversation, led by Jamelia Campbell of ADVANCE and Sony Music, will talk about how the music industry is responding, and what new programs and resources are being made available to Black professionals working in music.

This panel will be streamed to Manitoba Music’s Facebook Live and made available to the general public

4PM | User-Friendly Apps for Content Creation

Moderator: Felix Idigbe
Speakers: Lana Winterhalt; J. Riley Hill; Stefanie Blondal Johnson

Content, content, content! Is anyone else sick of this word? The good news is, content creation doesn't have to be a scary or expensive thing. There are tons of free and inexpensive apps that have been designed to help music creators look like they've got an entire production team behind them. We'll be talking to a crew of musicians who’ve mastered the phone apps that amplify their profiles to get the skinny on what they’re using, how they use it, and their tips and tricks for making it work for them.

5:30PM | Vocal Production

Host: Stefanie Blondal Johnson
Presenter: Simone Torres

One of the key elements to a quality recording is outstanding vocals. Vocalists are their instrument and in turn, when something goes wrong it can be extremely personal. Nobody understands this more than Multi-Platinum, Grammy Nominated, engineer, vocal producer, and vocalist Simone Torres. She has worked with artists such as Cardi B, Sia, Usher, Dua Lipa, and many more. In this session, Simone will take us through the inner-workings of her vocal production skills and show us what a difference it truly makes.

7PM | Demo LISTENING SESSION (Multi-Genre)

Host: Ashley Bieniarz, Manitoba Music
Panel: Simone Torres; Kim Temple; Sarah Burke; Kara Purto

Friday, March 5

12PM | Resilience in the Music Industry with Crystal Shawanda

Host: Ashley Bieniarz
Presenter: Crystal Shawanda

"Resilience in the music business is the only way to survive, so I’ll talk about educating yourself about all the different roles within the business, so you can know how to properly maneuver through it. I think it’s important to know every aspect of the music industry, and this was vital in my own ability to alway land on my feet. Too many times I see people blow perfect opportunities simply because they didn’t understand what a person’s job description is, or even basic things like proper protocol. I’ll give examples of the good and the bad, all of which can help any artist to become more self-sufficient. That way when the team you’ve relied proves otherwise, you can continue to rise above, and find your place. There’s enough room for all kinds of artists even if you don’t fit a mold, finding your niche can help you stand out, and your resilience will make it possible to push yourself into that position." - Crystal Shawanda

This panel will be streamed to Manitoba Music’s Facebook Live and made available to the general public

2PM | Building a Release Timeline

Host: Felix Idigbe
Presenter: Jay Devonish

Artists spend an incredible amount of time and energy on creating their music in hopes that when they send it out into the world, people will listen. What many artists don't understand is the incredible amount of time and energy that they should also be putting into a strategy for a release timeline that will give their music the greatest chance at being heard. This presentation will go through what a release timeline looks like, and how to be properly equipped to share your music with the most amount of listeners possible.

3:30PM | Ads Manager Pt. 1: Facebook

Host: Anthony Sannie
Presenter: Jonathan Li

Social media and the world wide web have been a great tool for music entrepreneurs looking to get their name out and create a stable following, but with the ever-growing saturation and competition for space, advertisements are becoming more necessary for increasing engagement.

This session will go through the basic steps of setting up the Facebook Ads/Business Manager, the Facebook Pixel, best practices for FB ad sets/targeting. This is part one of a two-part session. Part two, on Saturday, March 6 at 3PM, will address Instagram & Creative Tips

4PM | Production Tips + Tricks

Moderator: Sierra Noble
Speakers: Sarah Tudzin; Sun Sun; Rich Kidd Beats

You just built yourself a new home studio and you're beginning to play around with recording software but it would really help if you could get some tips from more experienced producers. This is the session for you! We'll be chatting with producers in various genres to find out some of the shortcuts, secrets, tips, and tricks they're willing to share with aspiring producers.

5:30PM | Basic Studio Set-Up

Host: Ashley Bieniarz, Manitoba Music
Presenter: Joanne Pollock

If there's one thing we learned from the pandemic, it's that every artist suddenly wants and needs to learn how to record from home. For those who haven't started yet, or are still in the middle of setting up their home studio, this presentation will cover how to set up a basic home studio in an economical way.

7PM | Demo listening session (Hip Hop)

Host: Elise Roller, Manitoba Music
Panel: Adam Lewis; Jay Devonish; Rich Kidd Beats; Vivian Barclay

Saturday, March 6

11AM | Making Music Accessible for All

Host: Debbie Patterson,
Panel: Elliot Walsh; Joanna Hawkins; Matthew Monias

COVID has given all of us a chance to see how hard it is to not have access to live performance. How can we make our industry more inclusive for people with disabilities? What are the barriers that prevent people from accessing live performance? What are the barriers that disabled musicians face in developing their chops and in meeting their audience?

This panel will be streamed to Manitoba Music’s Facebook Live and made available to the general public

1PM | Playlisting + Radio Promotion

Host: Jeremy Haywood-Smith
Presenter: Sara Franczyk

You've made the record, you've created a release strategy, and now you need people to hear the music. Getting your tunes onto playlists or radio is still one of the great mysteries that delivers great results. This presentation will talk about what curators are looking for, how to find and approach them, and share some strategies for giving your songs the best shot at being heard.

3PM | Ads Manager Pt. 2: Instagram

Host: Jen Doerksen
Presenter: Jonathan Li

Social media and the world wide web have been a great tool for music entrepreneurs looking to get their name out and create a stable following, but with the ever-growing saturation and competition for space, advertisements are becoming more necessary for increasing engagement.

This session will go through the best practices for IG ad sets/targeting & best practices on creating/designing ads. This is part two of a two-part session. Part one, on Friday, March 5 at 3:30PM, will also address Facebook Ads and getting started on ads manager.

5PM | Demo listening session (Multi-genre)

Host: Ashley Bieniarz, Manitoba Music
Panel: Jordan Howard; Matt Berry; Nathan Stein; Sarah Tudzin

Demo Listening Sessions at Catalyst Music Conference

DEADLINE: Closed

Want to get your demo in front of music industry decision-makers and professional creators? We’re now taking submissions from Catalyst Music Conference participants for demo listening sessions! This experience is designed to showcase how professionals are listening to music and what they consider before working with it.

Each session will feature a panel with reps working in radio, label A&R, publishing A&R, and professional production, who’ll offer live feedback.

We encourage folks to submit demos (unreleased songs) as some of the feedback may challenge you to make some important changes. Previously released songs will be considered, but priority will be given to unreleased material.

Four panelists per session will contribute feedback. Manitoba Music will do its best to place songs with a group that is most suitable to their genre. One panel will be solely dedicated to hip hop.

Important Dates:

March 3: Demo Listening Session #1 (multi-genre)
March 4: Demo Listening Session #2 (multi-genre)
March 5: Demo Listening Session #3 (Hip Hop)
March 6: Demo Listening Session #4 (multi-genre)

Panelists:

Adam Lewis, Planetary Group
Aileen Valencia, Reservoir
F. Reid Shippen, Robot Lemon
Geoff Goddard, Frontside Group
Jay Devonish, Director of A&R Marketing / eOne Music
Jordan Howard, CCS Rights Management
Kara Purto, 604 Records/Light Organ Records
Kim Temple, Six Shooter Records/High Priestess Publishing
Matt Berry, X92.9
Matt Maw, Red Music Rising
Nathan Stein, Dine Alone Records
Rich Kidd Beats, Artist/Producer
Sarah Burke, SiriusXM
Sarah Tudzin, Producer/Engineer
Simone Torres, Vocal Producer & Engineer
Vivian Barclay, GM, Warner Chappell Music Canada