Why do you make music? There are as many answers as there are artists in the world, but we can all agree that there’s real magic in creating something where there was once nothing. As an artist in this modern age, you’re uniquely positioned to see your art’s impact on your audience—whether that be face to face at shows, or on social media. You can watch your music’s ripple effects in real time.

These days, when you put a release into the world, you’re a click away from seeing how it’s being played, by who, and where. And now that you have more access to your audience and more information about them than ever before, the question is what to do with this knowledge. How do you scale a fanbase and engage people on a deeper level? How do you utilize a team effectively? What opportunities can you maximize? What paths can you travel that haven’t been considered?

For the first Co.Lab of 2019, we’ve brought together a diverse group of experts from various corners of the industry to share their insights and experiences. We hope their presentations and one-on-one conversations will provide guidance and help inform your strategies when it comes to getting your music into more ears and taking your career to the next level.

Who’s going to be there?

We’ll have an amazing group of artists and musicians there to learn from our host—Mark “Frosty” McNeill, Co-Founder and Creative Director of dublab—and five incredible experts from the music industry:

• Morgan Rhodes – Music Supervisor, Dear White People, Queen Sugar
• Christian Coffey – Tour Director, Childish Gambino
• Amit Nerurkar – Founder, face-less
• Sharell Jeffrey – Founder, QLEEN Artist Relations

What’s going to happen at Co.Lab: Finding Your Audience?

You’ll have the chance to hear tips, tricks, secrets, and strategies to use in your career, gather useful resources, get direct access to the industry experts at the event, meet other artists, have a few drinks and get your picture taken. We’re going to learn a lot and have a lot of fun.

6:00pm ..... Doors open

6:30pm ..... Kick Off: A quick panel with our experts and host. This is an opportunity for them to introduce the Finding Your Audience theme and for you to get to know the experts a little before deciding what to do in the Breakouts.

7:00pm ..... Breakout No. 1: Your choice of Group Sessions or Office Hours.

7:45pm ..... Chill: Fifteen minutes between Breakouts for you to catch your breath and grab some food or another beer.

8pm ..... Breakout No. 2: Your choice of Group Sessions or Office Hours.

8:45pm ..... Roundup: A chance for our host and experts to recap some of what they discussed with artists during the Breakouts and say goodnight.

9pm ..... Socialize: You’re invited to hang out in the space for as long you want, as long as you leave by 10pm. :)

What are Office Hours?

These are one-on-one conversations between you and an expert. You get five minutes; first come, first served. This is a space for scheming, collaboration, and access that would not otherwise be possible.

What are the Group Sessions?

Workshops, group conversations, and brainstorms hosted by our industry experts:

Authenticity Over Everything: Why Keeping It Real Will Always Win You know your audience and how to tap into your algorithms, but how do you utilize your data without compromising your authenticity? Amit Nerurkar, founder of face-less management company, provides a comprehensive strategy on how to maintain originality and create a genuine connection to fans while growing your audience. From approaching how to release a project, to posting on social, to playing shows, Nerurkar walks through exactly how to keep it real every step of your career.

Finding Your Place Through Sync Placement One of the quickest ways to get your music in front of a massive audience and instantly gain new fans is through getting your song placed on screen. Getting your song on the right show often means reaching a completely new audience that hasn’t been exposed to your music. Morgan Rhodes, Music Supervisor for Dear White People and Queen Sugar, lays out the best practices to get your music discovered by music supervisors and the steps you can take to set yourself up for sync placement success.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going on Tour Before you can take your sound across towns, cities, states, and countries, Christian Coffey believes it’s imperative to know who you truly are as an artist. Tour Director for Childish Gambino and Run The Jewels, Coffey will walk you through key questions to help you build your identity and core audience at home—before you hit the road.

A Spreadsheet at the Table: Converting Audience Data into Business Deals Understanding your audience data is easier and more important than ever. Now, when you post a track on any platform, you have instant access into who’s listening, where they live, their interests + influences, and how they spend money. Knowing how to access, track, and use this data to your advantage can be the difference that helps you build your audience or land a brand sponsorship. Sharell Jeffrey, founder of QLEEN Artist Relations, will help you know what numbers to look for—and how to make sense of them.

There are plenty more events in the Co.Lab series on the way, and updates will be incoming, so follow along on Instagram and Twitter or you might miss something!