JANUARY MUSIC MEETING

Music industry gathering. Heart of the country. Middle of winter.

January 29 – February 1, 2020
Manitoba Music, Treaty One Territory, 1-376 Donald St, Winnipeg

The seventh edition of January Music Meeting (JMM) welcomes some of Canada’s top music industry pros in a conference format that includes specialized and interactive training through presentations, discussion groups, networking mixers, and mentor meetings. Music industry reps from across North America will converge on Winnipeg to discuss the state of Canada’s independent music industry and provide concrete advice on how to succeed in the constantly evolving music business. JMM offers Manitoba's music community a rare opportunity to network with a cross section of tastemakers and experts while connecting with local artists and industry peers.

REGISTRATION

***Online Registration is now closed. The registration will open at Manitoba Music on Thursday Jan 30 at 12PM***

Registration includes all panels and presentation, round table discussions, and one-on-one meetings (by submissions only), as well as coffee and snacks throughout the weekend, and brunch on Saturday.

Cover for showcases is not included. Lunch and other meals will not be provided. 

$60 Members
$90 Non-Members 

FUNDERS & SPONSORS

Thank you to our funders and sponsors for making JMM 2020 possible:

FACTOR through the financial support of the Government of Canada and Canada's private radio broadcasters
Province of Manitoba
The SOCAN Foundation
Indigenous Music
CIMA
Musicians' Rights Organization Canada (MROC)
CD Baby
Stingray
Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts
HUB
National Music Centre
Pitblado Law

SPEAKERS & MENTORS

Alethea Beetson, BIGSOUND
Andrea Kessler, MROC
Ashley Au, Bassist / Composer, / Teacher / Musician
Beth Cavanagh, What's the Story 
Chelsey June, Twin Flames 
Curtis Running Rabbit-Lefthand, Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM)
Darryl Hurs, CD Baby / Indie Week
David Amar, Covey Law 
David McLeod, NCI FM
Elaine Bomberry, Artist Manager
Gilad Carroll, First Date Touring / Real Love Winnipeg
Jaaji, Twin Flames
Jeff Leake, Sirius XM Canada Inc
Jheanelle Henry, Jarjour Co 
Julia Ryckman, Pitblado LLP 
Malcolm-Jamal Wilson, Artist
Matt Gorman, Ocean Town Music
Morgan Coates, Six Shooter Records
Sam Rayner, CIMA
Sara Franczyk, ZYK Marketing 
Stephen Carroll, Manitoba Film & Music 
Vanessa Kuzina, Six Shooter Records
and more...

SCHEDULE


Wednesday, January 29

Location: The Forks, South Aisle

6PM | Welcome Ceremony + Networking Mixer
Our kick-off night will include a networking mixer to welcome our out-of-town mentors and JMM participants, and include a traditional territorial welcoming from an Indigenous Elder.

7PM | Indigenous Is Not a Genre: Indigenous Perspectives on the Music Industry
Presented by Indigenous Music West
Speakers: Alethea Beetson, BIGSOUND; Chelsey June + Jaaji, Twin Flames; Curtis Running Rabbit-Lefthand, Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM); David McLeod, NCI FM; Elaine Bomberry, Artist Manager

This will be a conversation, for a broad audience, about the music industry, from an Indigenous perspective with the direction of conversation moving towards Indigenous identity and labels within music, marketing, and presentation. We’ll discuss the role of ceremony, Elders, women, men, children, two-spirit, family, community, and how the music industry can learn from this. We’ll also cover cultural appropriation, reconciliation, and the autonomy and identity among artists and industry professionals who identify as Indigenous and how this contributes to their music career.


Thursday, January 30


12PM | Conference Registration 
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor

1PM | Meet the Mentors: My Best Piece of Advice
Presented by Stingray
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor

Get to know who the JMM mentors are, what they do, and get their advice for artists and industry professionals working in today’s music market.

2:30PM | Creating a Safe(r) Space for Artists
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Vanessa Kuzina, Six Shooter Records

Six Shooter Records has started adding a personalized code of conduct to their artists’ contracts to ensure they’re creating a safe(r) environment where each individual is treated with the respect and professionalism they need to carry out their work. Learn about how this policy was developed, where the idea came from, and how each code of conduct is catered to and carried out for the artists’ needs.

3:30PM | Music Copyright Law
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Julia Ryckman, Pitblado LLP

Copyright protects artists all over the world but what does “copyright” actually mean? How do you ensure your own songs are protected? What are the laws when it comes to recording, performing, or making videos of other people’s songs? What about using movie clips or samples in a song? This session will help break down the different creative works that are most often involved in musical works and sound recordings, and determine how artists can protect themselves while also ensuring they’re covering all their legal bases.

4:30PM | Royalty Review
Presented by MROC
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenters: Stephen Carroll, Manitoba Film & Music; Andrea Kessler, MROC

The meeting of art and commerce can be a tricky one, and one key place where these two worlds meet is in the realm of royalties. Navigating the various royalty streams can seem daunting to even a seasoned musician, like an instructional manual written in an unknown language. In this session, we'll navigate rights management and learn how artists can collect the royalties that are out there waiting to be claimed.

6PM | From Zero to Sixty: What We Can Learn from Hip Hop
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Speaker: Jheanelle Henry, Jarjour Co 
Moderator: Ashley Au

In the past fifty years, hip hop has gone from being a virtually unknown genre to one of the most influential, with many of the highest-grossing artists in the world. What is it about the marketing, branding, cross-promotion, and collaboration of the hip hop community that his made it such a powerhouse genre, and what can artists from other genres learn from its success stories?

8:30PM | Manitoba Music x Real Love Thursday Showcase
Location: The Good Will Social Club


Friday, January 31


9AM-1PM | One-on-One Meetings (by submissions only)
Location: TBA

One-on-one meetings are available for export-ready artists and industry professionals. Submissions are open until January 26 at 11:59PM CST and will give you the chance to select your priorities and describe your rationale. Meetings will be between 30-60 minutes depending on demand. We aren’t able to guarantee your selections but will do our best to accommodate. If your application is successful, confirmation will be sent to you by Tuesday, January 28. Click here to make your submission.

10AM-11:30AM | Interactive Training: What’s Your Story?
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Facilitators: Beth Cavanagh, What’s the Story and Jheanelle Henry, Jarjour Co 

With the growing number of musicians who can record at home along with the demand for space on digital streaming platforms, social media, and other spaces, simply releasing music and touring isn’t enough to break through the noise. Beyond having a great song, artists must have a great story. Finding a unique narrative behind the music can be difficult for some – but everybody has their own story to tell, and being creative in how you express it will ultimately increase your relatability and fan engagement.

This interactive session will guide participants to discover their own authentic brand, and teach them to deliver their story in an interesting way, with the goal of leaving the session with a well-written “elevator pitch”.

Participants are encouraged to bring an example of an existing bio and/or elevator pitch to work on.

12PM | Digital Release Checklist
Presented by CD Baby
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Darryl Hurs, CD Baby 

This session will cover everything you need to know about releasing new material using a digital distributor which ensures you’re being heard on streaming platforms across the world. Be informed about the backend of your songs including the importance of ISRC and UPC codes, what “meta-data” is, and how publishing admin may be helpful. Learn about how digital distributors can be utilized fully to create engagement so you can begin receiving more royalties, recognition, and sales money.

12PM | Navigating U.S. Visa Applications + Border Laws
Presented by CIMA
Location: Manitoba Music, 1st floor
Presenter: David Amar, Covey Law

The U.S. music market is one of the world’s biggest influencers so it’s no surprise that Canadian artists are eager to travel south of the 49th parallel. One of the greatest barriers for breaking into the U.S. market is the permit necessary for artists to cross the border. The application process can be expensive, daunting, and there are many common misconceptions for artists obtaining a U.S. visa. This session is targeted towards export-ready artists or professionals poised to break into the U.S. touring market in 2020 and will explore the various options for work permits and the laws behind the process.

** This event doesn't require a JMM pass to attend, but does require pre-registration: 
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lunch-learn-03-navigating-us-visa-applications-border-laws-tickets-89066762083 **

1PM | Exploring Satellite Radio
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Jeff Leake, SiriusXM

Radio has always been a leader in the music market delivering new artists to new listeners, daily. As the music industry continues to change, where does satellite radio fit in and how is it being used in the timeline of a release campaign? This session will explore the ins and outs of satellite radio, what it takes to reach the decision-makers, and uncover why it’s one of the top platforms for royalty revenue.

2PM | Digital Streaming: Increasing Engagement + Reaching Playlisters
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Sara Franczyk, Zyk Marketing

Digital streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have become key tastemakers of our industry and having your tune added to a playlist with a lot of followers can increase awareness of and opportunities for your music. This session will cover methods for getting added to playlists, and what you can do to amplify engagement, follows, and listenership.

3PM | Digital Tools + Video Strategies
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Morgan Coates, Six Shooter Records

Using examples from The Dead South’s release campaign for their Billboard-charting record Sugar & Joy, Six Shooter’s Director of Digital Marketing will guide participants through setting up and utilizing a digital toolkit using engines like Facebook Pixel and LinkFire. An in-depth look at YouTube’s Official Artist Channel will equip participants with skills to convert video content to revenue, and viewers to fans.

4PM | Content Calendars, Release Timelines, and Creative Advertising
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Panel: Sara Franczyk, ZYK Marketing; Beth Cavanagh, What’s the Story?; Morgan Coates, Six Shooter Records

Understanding all the tools to build a brand and create engagement is one thing, but knowing how to put them into action is another. In this panel discussion, participants will learn the best practices for sharing content on social media, how to effectively roll out the assets for a release campaign, and where publicity and advertising fits into the mix.

5PM | The Importance of a Band Agreement
Presented by CIMA
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Presenter: Matt Gorman, Oceantown Music

It doesn’t take long to discover that being in a band is similar to being in a relationship. There are multiple personalities, priorities, and schedules to manage, all while working towards one common goal. In the early stages, it’s easy to get excited, set your eye on the target, and work as a team, but what happens if things turn sour? disagreements arise? Music careers can suffer major set backs because of difficult band break-ups. This session will highlight the importance of band agreements, why everyone needs one, when you need one, and how you can legally protect yourself from a potentially harmful split.

6PM | Live Performance, Festival, and Touring Strategies
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Panel: Alethea Beetson, BIGSOUND Australia, Gil Carroll, First Date Touring / Real Love Winnipeg; Malcolm-Jay, Artist; Darryl Hurs, Indie Week

Moderator: Ashley Au          

Performing live is a fundamental strategy for gaining new fans. What are the best strategies for touring in Canada, and how can you ensure people show up? What unique opportunities are out there for artists to gain live show credibility and how do up-and-coming artists get a shot at playing a festival stage? This session will cover finding new opportunities and how the reasons for playing each might be different, how much a difference a solid rationale makes in performance applications, and how to have the best shot at being included in the festival market.

9PM | Manitoba Music Showcase
Location: Forth, main floor


Saturday, February 1


10AM-11:30AM | Apple Music Presentation + Brunch
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor
Free and open to the public

Spend a morning brunch  with the team from Apple Music and learn how to get the most out of it as an artist, manager, or independent label. Bring your curiosity, bring your questions, and get ready to dig deep. You’ll learn about the business, their editorial philosophy, and their analytics platform, Apple Music for Artists. You’ll also get a preview of what’s coming next for Apple Music, and how you can be part of it.

If you’d like to try out Apple Music before attending this session, click here for a three-month free trial.

** This event doesn't require a JMM pass to attend, but does require pre-registration: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/manitoba-music-presents-a-morning-with-apple-music-tickets-90425223277 **

12PM-6PM | Roundtable Discussions
Location: Manitoba Music, 2nd floor

Participants will be divided into breakout groups based on level of experience within the music industry. Forty-five minute, small-group discussions will be conducted by two mentors in a specific area of expertise such as DIY management, touring, digital, and release strategies, publicity, and more.

* Schedule subject to change without notice *

Description of Manitoba Music Location

Manitoba Music leases space on the main floor of a heritage building in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

Entrance & Parking

First Floor

Second Floor

External Locations