Saturday, March 1st, 2025 Music City SF presents
Artist
Development
Day
Advancing Your Career in Independent Music
A DAY FOR ARTISTS & BANDS!
Join us for an engaging afternoon designed specifically for independent artists and bands tailored to empower independent musicians with the knowledge and tools needed to advance their careers and protect their creative interests.
Doors 11:45 AM
Main Stage
12 PM – 1 PM
Activism in Music: What it means to integrate advocacy into your music career.
Presented by ShowUp
A conversation on how artists can integrate activism and advocacy into touring and release strategies and the positive and negative impacts that may follow. Moderated by Mat Hall, Co-Founder, CEO ShowUp with panelists:
1 PM – 2 PM
Breaking & Entering: Navigating a Career in the Independent Music Industry.
Presented by Bandcamp
Learn from members of San Francisco's independent music community as they share their stories and insight about how to navigate the ever evolving music industry today.
Tshego Letsoalo, KALW Editorial Director
EMPIRE Kush Arora, EMPIRE VP of Operations
Liz Liles Brown, Another Planet Booking Coordinator
Mariana Timony, Bandcamp Senior Editor
Tim House, Local A&R / Festival Producer
2 PM – 3 PM
Maximizing Social Media for Artists & Industry Pros - Presented by Side of Stef
Led by @sideofstef, founder of @socialbystef, this workshop is designed to help artists and industry professionals take their social media presence to the next level. With over seven years of experience as a creator and strategist, Stefanie shares her expertise in partnering with and mentoring brands, businesses, and creatives to build impactful digital strategies.
In this session, she’ll share actionable tips and tricks on content strategy, audience engagement, and branding—so you can grow your reach, connect with fans, and make the most of every post. Whether you're looking to optimize your current approach or start fresh, this workshop will equip you with the tools to stand out in the digital space.
3 PM – 4 PM
Keynote by Anthony Arya
Join Anthony Arya as he discusses navigating the music industry as a young professional. From his tenure on The Voice, to playing local gigs and leading jam sessions, Anthony has a lot of experience on the scene. Stick around for a special solo performance after this insightful talk.
Anthony Arya is an Americana rock performing & recording artist from San Francisco. Anthony started out in Santa Cruz gaining a large local fanbase after his appearance on NBC’s The Voice, followed by the release of three studio albums. The Anthony Arya Band takes his Dylanesque folksy lyricism up several notches with a rockin configuration that has quickly made them known across the Bay Area. Arya’s songwriting has won multiple national awards and is the core of the band’s success.
Hall Of Fame Entrance
12 PM – 4 PM
San Francisco Audio Engineering Society
Meet members of The Audio Engineering Society to talk all things audio! The AES is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the USA in 1948, the AES is now an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students by promoting the growth, knowledge, and appreciation of the science and art of audio, connecting people and ideas worldwide.
1:15 PM
Music City Tours + Rehearsal Room Giveaways
Take a tour of the new Music City San Francisco with visionary founder Rudy Colombini. A complex built with artist development at the heart of its design. From Rehearsal spaces to a music themed hotel and hostel to performance spaces, content creation rooms and a podcast room, Music City has it all. Enter your name and email address for the chance to win some free rehearsal time at Music City San Francisco.
3:15 PM
Music City Tours + Rehearsal Room Giveaways
Take a tour of the new Music City San Francisco with visionary founder Rudy Colombini. A complex built with artist development at the heart of its design. From Rehearsal spaces to a music themed hotel and hostel to performance spaces, content creation rooms and a podcast room, Music City has it all. Enter your name and email address for the chance to win some free rehearsal time at Music City San Francisco
Stage 2
12 PM – 1 PM
Home Studio 101
presented by Women's Audio Mission
Want to start recording your own music at home but don’t know where to begin? In this session, WAM will guide you through the essentials of setting up a home studio, from choosing the right gear to optimizing your space for the best sound. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to upgrade, we’ll cover budget-friendly equipment options and practical tips to help you create high-quality music from home.
1 PM – 2 PM
Stand Out & Stay Seen: The Power of Design, Branding & Social Media
presented by Balanced Breakfast
In a world of endless content, getting noticed—and remembered—is everything. This session dives into design, branding, promo, marketing, and social media to help you build a brand that turns heads and keeps audiences engaged. You’ll learn how to design for recognition, craft a brand identity that sticks, use promo and marketing to stay top-of-mind, and leverage social media to turn visibility into loyalty. If you want to be the brand people remember, this is the talk for you.
2 PM – 3 PM
Band Coach Workshop and Q&A with Jeff Cayton
Join Drummer Jeff Cayton for his Band Coach/Mentor Workshop. As a Band Coach, Jeff share his decades of experience as a Professional musician, Teacher, and Mentor.Jeff offers an outside point of view helping bands of all styles to build foundation, collaborate, achieve goals, breakthrough roadblocks to get back on track, preparation for upcoming gigs and performances, and answering those questions that bands and band members have. Jeff understands every band is unique and has different needs. He doesn't work with a set curriculum, he works with the band.
3 PM – 4 PM
A Singer's Essential Guide to Jam Sessions with Pamela Rose
All singers become stronger and more confident by going to jam sessions. But there are definite skills we need to master, and a 'musicians language' every band needs singers to understand. Blues and jazz singer Pamela Rose, along with guitarist Bob Brumbaloe, will explain some music theory basics, and demonstrate how to explain the form, groove, count off and safely end your song.
Stage 3
12 PM – 2 PM
Office Hours with OutPut CoLAB
Meet with industry experts in various aspects of the industry for short 1:1 meetings!
2 PM – 4 PM
Office Hours with Bandcamp, Sam Hunt (Wasserman), Counsel LLP, and Nicole White - Manager, Briliant Corners.
Speed Networking with Goldenvoice.
Meet Bandcamp staff for their Artists & Labels team, Editorial Team, Support Team and Engineering / Design team to discuss aspects of their respecitve departments including:
Best Practices for Pitching Your Music on Bandcamp
Releasing your Album on the platform
Insight on upcoming features
Tips for how to optimize your artist or label page for success."
Meet with Sam to discuss how you/ your band can best approach, evaluate and leverage working with a booking agent. Sam works with artists such as Diplo, Flying Lotus, Jamie xx, Animal Collective, Suki Waterhouse, Run the Jewels, Big Boi, 100 gecs and Major Lazer.
Lawyers from Counsel LLP will be on hand to discuss contracts, copyrights, royalties and more!
Meet with Nicole to discuss how managers operate as a part of an artist's team and contemporary approaches to digital marketing / social media in today's ever-evolving music landscape. Nicole works at Brilliant Corners Artist Management with artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Toro y Moi, Soccer Mommy and The Dip.
Speed Networking: If you’re new to the live event industry, SF Live is your opportunity to learn from Goldenvoice’s emerging leaders. The team behind The Regency Ballroom, The Warfield, and Portola will share insights about how they work with artists when promoting and producing concerts and festivals. Come prepared to engage, learn, and ask questions about your future in live events.
Stage 4
12 PM – 2 PM
The Art of Vinyl Scratching and Mixing
Join our hands-on DJ workshop to master the art of vinyl mixing. Learn essential skills like beatmatching, scratching, and mixing from experienced instructors. Dive into the rich culture of vinyl records and get exclusive tips on rocking the decks. Perfect for all skill levels!
2 PM – 6 PM
Open Jam Room!
Get to know someone new over a jam session.
Karaoke Room
12 PM – 6 PM
Open Karaoke Room! Sing your heart out to your favorite songs at any time during this event!
Stage 6
12 PM – 2 PM
Musixmatch Pro: The Ultimate Lyrics & Video Solution for Music Creators
Join us for live demos of Musixmatch Pro, the all-in-one platform for managing lyrics, song credits, and creating videos for major streaming platforms and social networks. Learn how to distribute your lyrics effortlessly while ensuring proper attribution. Whether you’re an artist, label, or publisher, discover how Musixmatch Pro can amplify your music’s reach and engagement.
Stop by for a demo and see how we’re revolutionizing the way artists connect with their audience through lyrics!
2 PM – 3 PM
Rights and Revenue Streams for Independent Artists
This presentation by music business and entertainment law firm Counsel LLP will cover the following vital topics for musicians:
Copyrights - Masters and Publishing - what these terms mean, and what they mean to you.
How money flows from your music, i.e. from streaming, record sales, syncs, radio, social media.
How to collect your royalties.
A brief overview of various classic and modern record deal and publishing deal structures, and their pros and cons.
3 PM – 4 PM
Songwriting Workshop with Kaitlyn Williams
In this songwriting session with Kaitlyn Williams, the discussion will cover song forms and examples of songs that break these norms. There will be focus on melody and lyric development, as well as the importance of harmony between chords, lyrics, and melodies. The session will also provide practical tips for achieving this harmony and staying on topic while writing.
Podcast ROOM
12 PM – 4 PM
Pantheon Podcast + Music City San Francisco
Live podcast recording– we’re conducting short interviews with speakers, vendors, performers and panelists to put together an awesome recounting of the event. Want to listen? We’ll be featuring some of this content on the Music City San Francisco podcast, produced by Pantheon.
Artist Development Day: Advancing Your Career in Independent Music
DATE: Saturday, March 1st, 2025
TIME: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Music City SF, 1355 Bush Street San Francisco, CA
TICKETS: FREE to attend with registration.
SAVE THE DATE:
Google Calendar • ICS
With Representatives From
And more!
All locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 554-4669 or contact Kate.Patterson@sfgov.org.
Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.