They include Peter Noble (Bluesfest) who is also making a keynote speech, Chris Sampson (Bonnaroo Festival, Superfly Presents USA), Malcolm Haynes (Glastonbury UK),), Rhoda Roberts (Boomerang), Val Wolfe (The Agency Group LA), Grant Paley (Agent, Paquin Entertainment, Canada) Kerry Clarke (Calgary Folk Music, Canada), Lu Zhiqiang (Yugong Yishan Cultural Promotions, Beijing) and Marc-André Sarault (Montreal International Jazz Festival, Canada).
Reps from other festivals as Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (USA), Sfinks Mixed Festival (Belgium), Port Fairy Folk Music Festival, Splendour In The Grass, Reggae Sun Ska Festival(France), Riddu Riddu International Indigenous Festival (Norway), Ulsan World Music Festival (Korea), Warsaw Cross Cultural Festival (Poland) and Sakifo Festival (Reunion Island) are also speaking.
They will be involved in sessions as Touring Internationally, selecting the right bill, the non-music element in a festival and taking on New Zealand.
Other panels include Crowd funding or Bust, Keeping the ‘Indie’ in Indigenous Music, Australia Council Funding Session, Old Song for the New Ceremony (the importance of preserving traditional culture), New Directions: Future Forecasting, Music of the Revolution, Labels & Publishing, Marketing & Publicity and APRA 101.
The speakers list also includes Ian James (Mushroom Music Publishing), Shin Fukuzumi (A&R – P-VINE, Japan), Andy Rantzen and Frank Trotman-Goldman of the Australia Council, triple j’s Sarah Howells, Millie Millgate (Sounds Australia), Tim Cole & Michael ‘Miki’ Smith of CAAMA Music, Alice Springs, Professor John Bradley of Monash University, producers Anna Laverty, Tony Buchen and Steven Schram, NZ artist managers Scott Grafton and Cushla Aston, while artists being interviewed include Archie Roach and Roger Knox while Jeff Lang is on the international touring panel.
Said AWME founder and director Simon Raynor, “We’ve got an excellent conference program this year, covering topics which strongly reflect current trends within the industry and address some of the issues of marketing and touring internationally. AWME presents an opportunity for musicians, managers and anyone who works in the industry to build relationships across borders, in a bid to strengthen professional outcomes for local artists, as well as to share ideas, culture and knowledge.”
