The Value of the Music Business Conference:
2006 West Coast Songwriters Conference Review featuring Jean Mazzei & Groovy Judy

By Alex Walsh

The 26th Annual West Coast Songwriters Songwriters Conference on September 9 & 10 (formerly Northern California Songwriters Association) was a great success. The conference was held on the peninsula at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills and attracted songwriters from all over the country for two days of seminars, songscreenings, performances, lyric reviews, one-on-one consultations, performance showcases, networking and a fantastic sunset concert.

This was my second time attending the conference (the first was in 2001). Having recordings of songs judged and possibly picked up by potential music licensors and publishers is a nerve wracking experience to say the least. This time around I attended a few songwriting workshops, something new for me, and in general felt more relaxed about the whole thing and able to enjoy hanging out with my peers.

At the conference I ran into two Local 6 members, Jean Mazzei and Groovy Judy, and decided to interview them briefly about their experience and their thoughts on music business conferences in general:

How was the 2006 West Coast Songwriters Conference for you?

Jean Mazzei: I thought it was a successful conference. One thing I think conferences are really good for is to get inspired by some of the people and their stories. This time I went to some of the workshops rather than just song pitch. I found that the seminars were really inspiring.

Groovy Judy: I totally think it’s valuable. I try to go every year, unless I’m gigging. It’s good to see people again and again and again. It’s good to see other singer/songwriters, it’s good to support them. WCS is a very supportive organization. You just never know who you’re going to meet and what’s going to become of it. So I think it’s worth it, definitely.

What’s your take on Music Business Conferences in general? How do you approach them?

Jean Mazzei: The most important thing in going to one of those conferences is to go in knowing what you want to get out of it. Why are you going? Then you can focus your whole experience around getting what you want. If your goal is to get a song picked up, then those are the people you’re going to talk to. If the goal is to network with other songwriters, then that’s when you’re out schmoozing, talking with people at lunch. If you’re there to get inspired, or learn something about the process, then go to some of the workshops. 

Groovy Judy: They’re invaluable, especially if you’re starting out and you don’t have a lot of information about the music business and how it works. Because it definitely is a business, it’s not just about going out and playing music. You’ve got a lot of other things that go into it, like marketing and promotion, copyrighting your songs, making a CD, presenting yourself as a professional--these are all things you can learn by going to these conferences. WCS is another great one for that because they have a lot of seminars and you get a chance to get your songs in front of publishers and potentially make a little money off of your music, not only by playing your gigs, but if you get your song placed in a film or a TV show, that’s income there too. It’s the music “business”, there are many angles, many aspects—and revenue streams. By going to these conferences you can find out how to do that and network and meet people and make some of those things happen for you.

Is there something tangible you get that you can utilize in your career?

Jean Mazzei: It’s so NOT measurable. Someone can have a perfectly crafted song and it doesn’t PING. Someone else could have a song that breaks all the rules and just rocks the house. The tangible thing is I walk away with business cards, I make notes. If I have to contact someone, at least I have a name. If I have an interaction with someone that means anything, I try to get back to them, or send a thank you card. “Hey, great meeting you, etc.” You never know when a contact is going to pay off. So getting face time with somebody is always good

Groovy Judy: I would recommend going to as many networking conferences as possible, even if nothing ever comes of it. It doesn’t really matter, that’s not why you’re doing it. You’re doing it because you want to get your name and your music out there. You want to try to make contacts, make these relationships happen, because you never know. It’s a numbers game. I haven’t gotten anything placed yet. I think eventually I will. I haven’t gotten a “record deal” yet, but who knows, you know? If I keep putting myself out there and keep meeting people, someone might say, ”You know, so and so might really like your music.” It could happen that way. Unless you put yourself out there, it’s not going to happen.

For more information about Jean Mazzei, Groovy Judy, and the West Coast Songwriters Association, visit their websites:

www.jeanmazzei.com

www.groovyjudy.com

www.westcoastsongwriters.org

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