Idiots Unite! Panel and Blog at SXSW

It's a blog. It's a SXSW Music Panel. Idiots Unite! will address how to survive, thrive, and be happy working with the universally loved art form called music.

From today through the conference, our panel, led by SXSW veteran David Katznelson of Birdman Recording Group, will be posting their thoughts on this topic. Other bloggers/speakers include Yobie Benjamin of goodstorm.com, attorney Jon Blaufarb, Scott Booker of World's Fair/Hellfire Enterprises LTD, Jeff Castelaz of Dangerbird Records/Cast Management, and Celia Hirschman of One Little Indian. Your comments are welcome as is your attendance at the panel.

The SXSW 2007 Music panel Idiots Unite! takes place Thursday, March 15th at 2:45 PM in the Austin Convention Center.

SXSW 2007 Music Conference Preliminary Panel List

Wednesday, March 14

A Field Guide to Indie Labels
Mentor Session 1
Crash Course #1: Management
Crash Course #2: Legal Matters
Touring on a Shoestring Budget
Demo Listening 1
Mentor Session 2
Crash Course #3: Merchandising
Working the Web: Resources for Musicians
Crash Course #4: Recording
Demo Listening 2
Crash Course #5: Press & Publicity
SXSW Interview: Gilberto Gil

NEW DAY/TIME/LOCATION FOR KEYNOTE!

Keynote: Pete Townshend in conversation with Bill Flanagan

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Thursday, March 15

SXSW Interview: Emmylou Harris
SXSW Interview: Terry McBride
Mentor Session 3
Record Companies: Who Needs Them? Presented by David Byrne
A&R (Before, During, and After the Deal)
Is College Radio Still Important?
Demo Listening 3
Artists Speak Up
Idiots Unite!
Songwriters Strum and Sing
China's Emerging Music Market
Demo Listening 4
Mentor Session 4
Music, Money and Success
Reinventing Payment Models for Digital Music
Greening The Music Industry

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Friday, March 16

SXSW Interview: Rickie Lee Jones
Placement in TV and Movies
Can Art Survive Google?
Studio DOs and DON'Ts
The Relevance of Retail
Mentor Session 5
Comedy on the Music Circuit
SXSW Interview: Booker T Jones
Latin Music in a Fragmented Marketplace
Net Neutrality and Your Music
CLE 1 - Litigation: Decision Review
Demo Listening 5
CLE 2 - Advocacy and Legislation
SXSW Interview: Joe Boyd
What Do You Want From Life?
What Makes a Successful Tour?
Why Does Today's Music Sound Like Shit?
Mentor Session 6
Demo Listening 6
CLE 3 - Deals of Tomorrow
SXSW Interview: Iggy Pop
Indies and Artists
Come Together: Mobile Phones and Portable Music Players Converge
Navigating the Publishing Landscape
Rock and Roll Is for Kids!
CLE 4 - Music Law Practice: Past, Present, and Future

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Saturday, March 17

CLE 5 - Recording Deals: Master Plans
A&R and the Recording Process
Covering Music In New Media
Breaking AAA Careers in a Multi-Platform Environment
Nick Drake Remembered
Mentor Session 7
Doing Service, Giving Back
CLE 6 - Touring: On the Road Again
Say It Loud, I'm WHAT? and I'm Proud
Selling Music Digitally
World Music Roundtable
CLE 7 - Publishing: A New Administration
Producers: R&B Meets Hip Hop
Aggregation Without Aggravation
The Managers Panel
CLE 8 - Licensing: Exploitation as a Good Thing

All above information is subject to change. The most current information will always be available via sxsw.com

South By Southwest Music & Media Conference 2007

SXSW's daytime program of educational, informative and entertaining presentations is a core component of the event which covers business and creative issues in music. Over the four days at the Austin Convention Center, more than 70 separate panels, speeches, interviews and workshops are open to all SXSW Music registrants.

On Wednesday, March 14, a series of Crash Courses and Music Biz 101 panels present basic information on the music business in plain language. These sessions serve as a great introduction to the many components of a musical career, as well as provide a refresher course for the more experienced registrants.

Topics to be addressed at the 2007 include major label A&R issues, indie labels, the growing digital market, touring at the club level, DIY promotion strategies, legal issues, publishing and ancillary sources of income for songwriters, performers and businesses, internet resources, studio and recording matters, and much more.

Check back here for announcements of our featured speakers at SXSW '07. In 2006, these special sessions included our keynote Neil Young, k.d. lang (shown above), Morrissey, Chrissie Hynde, Beastie Boys, Sam Moore, Kris Kristofferson, digital guru Ted Cohen, and Mathew Knowles.

Registrants seeking one-on-one personalized advice can utilize the Mentor Program, where short sessions with professionals featuring a wide variety of experience are offered. The popular Demo Listening Sessions, where tracks submitted from the audience are picked at random for review from an expert panel, provide invaluable direct response from people who evaluate music as part of their job.

Advanced level gatherings are also available at the SXSW Music Conference. Our Continuing Legal Education program offers attorneys a great opportunity to advance their knowledge and earn accreditation toward their specialty. Venue representatives, booking agents, retailers and other groups will gather in peer meetings to share experiences and discuss mutual concerns.

Along with the SXSW Exhibition Hall, SXSW Film Screenings, and the Flatstock poster show, the SXSW Conference draws registrants to the Convention Center daily to do business, make new contacts and renew ties with old friends. The SXSW Music Conference is the place to learn about how the music business is meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

Twenty Years of Keynotes

2006 - Neil Young

2005 - Robert Plant

2004 - Little Richard

2003 - Daniel Lanois

2002 - Robbie Robertson

2001 - Ray Davies

2000 - Steve Earle

1999 - Lucinda Williams

1998 - Nick Lowe

1997 - Carl Perkins

1996 - Krist Novoselic

1995 - Bob Mould

1994 - Johnny Cash

1993 - Gov. Ann Richards

1992 - Michelle Shocked
Willie Nelson

1991 - Rosanne Cash

1990 - Kinky Friedman
(Invocation: Exene Cervenka)

1989 - Robert Christgau
(Invocation: Mojo Nixon)

1988 - Bob Guccione, Jr.

1987 - Huey Meaux

SXSW Music Panels Schedule

SXSW Is happy to provide the 2007 Music Conference Panels Schedule. Don't forget to use the SXSW Calendar to plan your course of action.

SXSW 2007 Music Conference Confirmed Panelist Alpha List

Ken Abdo Lommen Abdo Cole King & Stageberg Minneapolis, MN
Karen Allen Mobile Entertainment Forum Los Angeles, CA
Ali Aydar SNOCAP Inc San Francisco, CA
Roggie Baer Elm RajiWorld/RTC Austin, TX
Juan Balbi Enertainmex
Louie Bandak Capitol Records Hollywood, CA
John Beiter Loeb & Loeb LLP Nashville, TN
David Bendeth Independent Montclair, NJ
Richard Bengloff A2IM New York, NY
Yobie Benjamin goodstorm.com San Francisco, CA
Bill Bennett Warner Bros Records Nashville, TN
Howard Benson Sparky Dark Music Calabasas, CA
Bill Bentley Fuzz Artists San Francisco, CA
Paul Bezilla Lommen Abdo Cole King & Stageberg Minneapolis, MN
Jeff Biederman Manatt Phelps & Phillips, LLP Los Angeles, CA
Amy Blackman Tsunami Entertainment LG Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan Blaufarb Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes LLP San Francisco, CA
Fiona Bloom The Bloom Effect Brooklyn, NY
Scott Booker World's Fair/Hellfire Enterprises LTD Edmond, OK
Mark Boquist New York, NY
Joe Boyd Carthage Music Ltd
Jeffrey Brabec Chrysalis Music Group Los Angeles, CA
Todd Brabec ASCAP Los Angeles, CA
Tom Bridgewater Loose Music London
Ron Burman Roadrunner Records New York, NY
David Byrne New York, NY
Gary Calamar SuperMusicVision Los Angeles, CA
Jon Campbell YGTwo Productions Beijing
Rick Carnes Songwriters Guild of America Brentwood, TN
Chris Castle Christian L Castle Attorneys Los Angeles, CA
Jacqueline Charlesworth National Music Publishers' Association New York, NY
Bev Chin Scorch Marketing Los Angeles, CA
Sean Coakley Songlines Ltd Mount Kisco, NY
Ted Cohen Tag Strategic CA
David Cohn MTV2 New York, NY
Matthew Covey Tamizdat New York, NY
Larry Crane Tape Op Magazine Portland, OR
David Cross Fired! Los Angeles, CA
Caitlin Davidson Esther Creative Group New York, NY
Rodel Delfin HITS Hollywood, CA
Marty Diamond Little Big Man Booking New York, NY
Ben Dickey Constant Artists Management Los Angeles, CA
Bob Donnelly Law Office of Bob Donnelly New York, NY
Gabrielle Drake
Christopher Dunn Tulane University New Orleans, LA
Andrew Earles Memphis, TN
Rick Farman Superfly Productions New York, NY
Bill Flanagan MTVN New York, NY
Nancy Fly The Nancy Fly Agency Austin, TX
Mike Flynn Epic Records Santa Monica, CO
John Frankenheimer Loeb & Loeb LLP Los Angeles, CA
Lawrence Gelburd Gelboni Productions Philadelphia, PA
Gilberto Gil GeGe Producoes New York, NY
David M Given Phillips Erlewine & Given LLP San Francisco, CA
Karen Glauber HITS Hollywood, CA
Jake Gold The Management Trust Ltd Toronto, ON
Richard Gottehrer The Orchard New York, NY
Rebecca Greenberg Recording Artists' Coalition Los Angeles, CA
Jason Gross Perfect Sound Forever New York, NY
Mark Hallman The Congress House Studio Austin, TX
Jeremy Hammond Sanctuary Records Group Los Angeles, CA
Nic Harcourt KCRW Santa Monica, CA
Emmylou Harris Nashville, TN
Don HarveyThe Management Austin, TX
Matt Hickey High Road Touring Sausalito, CA
Celia Hirschman One Little Indian San Francisco, CA
David Hirshland Bug Music Los Angeles, CA
Robyn Hitchcock London
Dawn Holliday Slims/Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
Rita Houston WFUVBronx, NY
Brian Howes Interscope Records Los Angeles, CA
Ken Irwin Rounder Records Cambridge, MA
Jack Isquith AOL Music New York, NY
Mike Jacobs Jacobs & Assoc Huntington Beach, CA
Nels Jacobson Jagmo Design Studios San Francisco, CA
Megan Jasper Sub Pop Seattle, WA
Garland Jeffreys New York, NY
Peter Jenner Sincere Management London
Neville Johnson Johnson & Rishwain Beverly Hills, CA
Booker T Jones 525 Worldwide Marblehead, MA
Rickie Jones New York, NY
Rick Karr neuUNIT(US) Inc Brooklyn, NY
Mark Kates Fenway Recordings Boston, MA
Joel Katz Greenberg Traurig Atlanta, GA
David Katznelson Birdman Recording Group Inc San Francisco, CA
Season Kent Season Kent Film Music Los Angeles, CA
Jon Kertzer Microsoft Redmond, WA
Michael Krumper Razor & Tie New York, NY
John Kunz Waterloo Records & Video Inc Austin, TX
Kaiser Kuo Ogilvy Beijing
Rob Lanni Coalition Entertainment Management Richmond Hill, ON
Camilo Lara EMI Music Mexico
Jo Lenardi Barsuk Records Seattle, WA
David Lessoff Capitol Records Hollywood, CA
Harry Levy Levitation Entertainment Los Angeles, CA
Adam Lewis Planetary Group Boston, MA
Miriam Linna Norton Records New York, NY
Michael LoJudice Modernsky Entertainment Co Beijing
Vickie Lucero Propaganda Grou Kyle, TX
Bob Ludwig Gateway Mastering & DVD Portland, ME
Trey Many Aero Booking Seattle, WA
Dave Marsh Rock & Rap Confidential Norwalk, CT
Terry McBride Nettwerk Music Group Vancouver, BC
Bob Mehr Commercial-Appeal Memphis, TN
Heath Miller Excess dB Entertainment Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Flavio Morales Mun2 Universal City, CA
Chris Morris Los Angeles, CA
Lynn Morrow Adams and Reese LLP Nashville, TN
Dennis Mudd Broadband Instruments Corp. San Diego, CA
Kris Munoz Bug Music Los Angeles, CA
Joan Myers Myers Media Costa Mesa, CA
Wayne Nagel Luther Wolf Agency Austin, TX
Jackie Nalpant Monterey Peninsula Artists Monterey, CA
Robb Nansel Saddle Creek Records Omaha, NE
Vickie Nauman CrossBorderWorks Seattle, WA
Josh Neuman The Ascot Club New York, NY
Josh Norek LAMC c/o Cookman International N Hollywood, CA
Patton Oswalt Lord Loudoun Inc Burbank, CA
Henry Owings Chunklet Magazine Athens, GA
John Pantle The Agency Group, Ltd Los Angeles, CA
Virginie Parant Artist Law Group Burbank, CA
Clay Pasternack CPI/Burnside Dist/Cleveland Int Rocky River, OH
Sandy Pearlman McGill University San Rafael, CA
Marybeth Peters US Copyright Office Washington, DC
Edward Pierson Warner/Chappell Music Los Angeles, CA
Jon Pikus MySpace Records Beverly Hills, CA
Jonathan Poneman Sub Pop Seattle, WA
Iggy Pop Ann Arbor, MI
Tim Quirk Real Networks, Inc San Francisco, CA
Scott Reilly Amazon.com Seattle, WA
Frank Riley High Road Touring Sausalito, CA
David Ring Universal Music Group eLabs Santa Monica, CA
Henry Root Law Offices of Henry W Root PC Santa Monica, CA
Bobby Rosenbloum Greenberg Traurig Atlanta, GA
John Rosenfelder Earbender New York, NY
Jay Rosenthal Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe Washington DC
Patrick Ross The Progress & Freedom Foundation Washington DC
Tuhin Roy Digital Rights Agency/Om Records San Francisco, CA
Steven Scharf Steven Scharf Entertainment/Carlin America New York, NY
Geoffrey Schulman Austin Community College Austin, TX
Craig Schumacher TapeOpCon Tucson, AZ
Andy Schwartz Robert Quine Memorial Society New York, NY
Matt Schwartz Verizon Wireless Warren, NJ
Joseph Serling Serling Rooks & Ferrara New York, NY
Sylvie Simmons Sylvieland San Francisco, CA
Janine Small Carroll Guido & Groffman LLP New York, NY
Bruce Solar The Agency Group Los Angeles, CA
Stan Soocher University of Colorado at Denver Denver, CO
Greg Sowders Warner/Chappell Music Los Angeles, CA
Jenni Sperandeo Astralwerks Hollywood, CA
Russ Steele Amplifier Austin, TX
Peter Strand Holland & Knight Chicago, IL
Cameron Strang New West Records Los Angeles , CA
John Strohm Johnston Barton Proctor and Rose LLP Birmingham, AL
Stuart Sullivan Wire Recording Austin, TX
David Taylor Red EMusic Production Regina, SK
Judy Tint Counselor At Law New York, NY
Peter Torres Thrive Records Los Angeles, CA
Pete Townshend London
Cydney Tune Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP San Francisco, CA
Neal Turley Who is Guy Grand Austin, TX
Jaan Uhelszki Rhapsody Music Service Berkeley, CA
Marsha Vlasic MVO Ltd New York, NY
Madonna Wade-Reed Whoopsie Daisy Los Angeles, CA
Ed Ward Freelance Berlin
Bruce Warren WXPN Philadelphia, PA
Perry Watts-Russell Warner Bros Records Burbank, CA
Marco Werman PRI/BBC's The World Boston, MA
Lisa V White 9:30 Club Washington DC
David Whitehead Columbus, OH
Mark Williams Interscope Records Santa Monica, CA
Norm Winer WXRT Chicago, IL
Kevin Wommack Loophole Management Austin, TX
Luke Wood Interscope Santa Monica, CA
Jon Wurster Stereolaffs Chapel Hill, NC
Russell Ziecker Lionsgate Los Angeles, CA