In the age of social media, platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have proven to be viable channels for artists, especially indie artists, to promote their music.  However, are musicians now tasked with being both an influencer and artists to become successful?  If so, how does an artist tackle being a musician, aspiring influencer, and possibly working another job to make ends meet?  

This panel discussion will feature Chicago-area musicians, influencers and those who work in influencer marketing as we tackle these crucial and complex questions while equipping attendees with solutions and the next steps to navigate this world.

This event will also serve as the book launch event for Public Relations for Influencers and Content Creators - a toolkit that helps content creators and influencers understand how to develop their relationships with PR professionals and to help them leverage PR for themselves.  

Vanessa Abron | V-Aye of Agency Abron will host and moderate the event.

Since 2017, Agency Abron has hosted yearly music business events, starting with the Music Monday in May Mix N’ Mingle event. This networking event includes a music-related networking game, performances by local talent and DJs, and simply connecting cool people with other cool people.  

Since the 2017 Music Monday in May Mix N’ Mingle event, these events evolved to include the following:

The Prelude to Pitch Workshop

The Prelude to Pitch Workshop is for music and other creative professionals who seek to understand public relations better and establish a PR foundation for their brand but are not sure where to start. While all businesses and brands need PR, those in music and art have unique challenges which we address in this workshop. In this session, attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of public relations and why it is important for their brand, in addition to understanding the tools they can use to implement public relations initiatives on a limited budget.

Music Monday N’ May Panel Discussion 
Many music professionals have mentioned the need to discuss the state of the music industry in Chicago. At one point, Chicago was thriving with several major-label offices in the market, but now times have changed. However, just because times have changed, is Chicago no longer a player in the business?  During our discussions, we feature Chicago-area music business influencers and those outside the city to discuss the current state of the Chicago music business scene, where it’s going, and where it’s been.  

 Music Entrepreneurship Discussions 
Oftentimes, when we think of entrepreneurs, we sometimes forget those in creative spaces, such as music. However, indie music artists are entrepreneurs as well. Their talent is their product/service, their name is their brand, and they all face similar obstacles as a tech start-up.  In these discussions, we discuss the highs and lows of being a music entrepreneur and address some of the questions and concerns attendees may have about their entrepreneurial journey in music.  Our featured guests share the challenges and opportunities they experienced throughout their careers.