Theorganizers of Yellow Phone Music Conference are the first to admit that thebusiness of music isn’t as interesting or rewarding as the actual art of music. Fun or not, though, it is important, especially for musicians looking to get paid for (oreven make a living doing) their craft, which is why they founded the Milwaukeemusic conference three years ago.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is, if you’re a musician starting out nomatter at what level you are at in your career, of if you’re a budding manageror agent, we try to give some of the nuts and bolts, or overviews of the nutsand bolts, that you need in this business,” says Scott Ziel, who co-founded theconference with Doug Johnson and David Silbaugh. “How the managers and managementcompanies work, how entertainment law works, how touring works—we’re trying toprovide an overview of all of that.”
Yellow Phone runs from Thursday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 8 this year. Itwill include panels on intellectual property and social media, and seek tointroduce musicians to opportunities that they might not have considered.
“We’ve always been surprised when we have the conference how many bands from Milwaukeeand around the Midwest have a good thing going in Europe, so we’ve added aninternational touring panel to talk about opportunities there,” Ziel says. “Thereare a lot more of them than artists realize. I know sponsorship is another areathat a lot of bands don’t pursue, but there are a lot of them there. We’retrying to help musicians focus their energies on where they’ll have the mostimpact.”
This year’s conference will be keynoted by Jeff Castelaz, president of ElektraRecords. Badges are $149 (or $69 for students) through Thursday, Sept. 5. Theschedule is posted on Yellow Phone's website.
The conference will also host artist showcases at five Third Ward venues onFriday, Sept. 6 and Saturday, Sept. 7, which will be free to the public. Thecomplete showcase schedule is below.
Friday, Sept. 6
The Irish Pub
124 North Water Street
8:00 PM - The Guilty Wanted (Oshkosh, WI)
9:10 PM - Aktar Aktar (Chicago, IL)
10:15 PM - Todd Kessler & The New Folk (Chicago, IL)
SPIN
233 East Chicago Street
8:30 PM - Jayk (Milwaukee, WI)
9:30 PM - Bennett (Grand Rapids, MI)
10:30 PM - Ryan Powers & The Secret Weapons (Chicago, IL)
11:30 PM - The Traveling Suitcase (Oshkosh, WI)
12:30 AM - I'm Not A Pilot (Milwaukee, WI)
Milwaukee Ale House
233 North Water Street
9:00 PM - Vic & Gab (Milwaukee, WI)
10:15 PM - Stop Light Observations (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
11:30 PM - MODOC (Nashville, TN)
12:45 AM - The Delta Routine (Milwaukee, WI)
Fire on Water
518 North Water Street
8:45 PM - The Noble Thiefs (Manitoba, Canada)
10:00 PM - Kaleido (Detroit, MI)
11:15 PM - Mise En Scene (Manitoba, Canada)
12:30 AM - Communist Daughter (Minneapolis, MN)
Translator VIP Lounge
415 East Menomonee Street
Open to Badge Holders and Showcase Artists Only
8:15 PM - TBA
9:45 PM - Canyon (West Port, CT)
10:45 PM - Joe Neary (Milwaukee, WI)
12:00 AM - TBA
Saturday, Sept. 7
The Irish Pub
124 North Water Street
8:00 PM - Tall Heights (Boston, MA)
9:10 PM - Caroline Rose (Burlington, VT)
10:15 PM - The Championship (Milwaukee, WI)
SPIN
233 East Chicago Street
8:30 PM - Familiar Looking Strangers (Liverpool, United Kingdom)
9:30 PM - Midwestern Charm (Milwaukee, WI)
10:30 PM - Poor Young Things (Ontario, Canada)
11:30 PM - Kelsey Montanez (Chicago, IL)
12:30 AM - Kiings (Milwaukee, WI)
Milwaukee Ale House
233 North Water Street
9:00 PM - Deanna Devore (Ontario, Canada)
10:15 PM - Blah Blah Blah (Nashville, TN)
11:30 PM - The Balconies (Ontario, Canada)
12:45 AM - Ivy Spokes (Milwaukee, WI)
Fire On Water
518 North Water Street
8:45 PM - Blood Red Boots (Chicago, IL)
10:00 PM - Enemy Planes (Minneapolis, MN)
11:15 PM - June Divided (Philadelphia, PA)
12:30 AM - Vinyl Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)
Translator VIP Lounge
415 East Menomonee Street
Open to Badge Holders and Showcase Artists Only
8:15 PM - TBA
9:45 PM - TBA
10:45 PM - TBA
12:00 AM - TBA
