will address:

Simon Grant of the American Federation of Musicians

The AFM is the largest organization in the world representing the interests of professional musicians. Whether negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying our legislators, the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape.

The product of music education combined with 15 years of work and career advancement in the Tech Industry - Simon Grant has come full-circle and spent his 21st century years immersed in the business of music and other fine arts.

Simon’s current work and community involvement summarizes as follows...

Photo by: Ginny Shoosmith, circa 1997

Musician/Composer
Simon Grant has performed on countless stages across the globe and worked as a session drummer on over 100 indie albums. As a band member- Simon is best known for recording and touring with his acts- Jackhammer Trio, Scream Radio, Disjunkt and Rik Wright’s Zen Tornado. Additionally Simon has written a number of jazz performance works as well as numerous music works for television & radio advertisements and independent film soundtracks.

Music Producer
Specializing in artist development- Simon goes beyond the technical facilitation of song recording in the studio- working with the Artist to create a release strategy and/or label support. Simon has recorded approximately 40 albums to date.

Hipsync Records / Larkin & Wright Publishing
Principle Partner in a profitable “indie” label where Simon and partner Rik Wright promote and disseminate avant-garde, experimental, and/or improvisational music.

Musicians Association of Seattle
Simon represents the Showcase and Recording Industry business sectors on the Executive Board of Seattle’s American Federation of Musicians Local 76-493. In addition to an Executive Board responsibility for steering the business direction of this AFM local- Simon’s duties also extend to involvement in the following organizations on behalf of the Seattle Musicians Association...

       ■ Delegate- AFM National Conference
       ■ Delegate- King County Labor Council
       ■ Board Member- Recording Musicians Association, San Antonio Chapter
        also- Delegate to the RMA’s National Conference
       ■ Board Member- Theatrical Federation of Puget Sound ...an industry  
        development organization which is comprised of representatives from
        those unions who are involved in our region’s Entertainment Industry-
        e.g. IATSE, SAG, AFTRA, AFM, Actors Equity and The Teamsters.
       ■ Member, Advisory Board- Seattle Mayor’s Office of Film & Music.

Arts Business Consultant
Along with his Music Industry involvement- Simon combines his corporate experience in Fortune 500 and startup/IPO management- offering his insight as a consultant to arts industry ventures that require business expertise and assistance with the complex communications challenges that come with applying a business framework to an Artist’s world.

Examples of current work include...

       ■ Contractor, Staff Recording Industry Representative for the Seattle
        Musicians Association
       ■ Member and incoming co-chair- Arts & Youth Subcommittee for the
        Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association
       ■ Founder/Chair- Indie Tour Coalition
       ■ Founder/Chair- Earth Artists Organization

Launched in 1995, Festivals.com today is the largest resource on the Internet for information about community festivals, fairs and special events. With more than 40,000 community events worldwide behind the pages of Festivals.com, they are the most popular and widely used web site devoted exclusively to the global festival industry.

CEO Charles Brown and Customer Service Manager Nicole Redecker
will introduce some of the opportunities available through Festivals.com

      >> Consumers with ways to find festivals around the corner or around the world, to
           plan travel, to make reservations and to learn something about how communities
           around the world celebrate.

      >> Producers and managers promotion to consumers, a marketplace and services
           to raise sponsorship, and a resource for finding performers, vendors and
           suppliers.

      >> Sponsor organizations an online resource to evaluate festival sponsorship
           opportunities by geography, types and sizes of events, and consumer
           demographics.

      >> Performers, suppliers, vendors, consultants and others who work in the industry
           ways to present their products and services to hundreds of thousands of
           consumer prospects, and to find new festival sales locations by geography,
           attendance and date, right from their desktops.

NATHAN MARION, BlueTree Artists, Booking & Management. Clients include Late Tuesday, Mindhead, Farewell Addison & others.  Nathan managed The Pale up through their record deal in late 2003 and managed booking at The Paradox (Seattle), various Bellingham venues and others around the Northwest.

DIAMOND
ROCK
MANAGEMENT
& BOOKING

Eric Perdue
American Federation of Musicians
Chris Knab, Fourfront Media & Music
Christian Musician Magazine
Michael Laskow, TAXI
WRPS (Web Radio Puget Sound)
Lisa Wood, KEXP / KJR / KFNK
Traci Kelly, Ryko Distribution
The Whole Bolivian Army
John Gilbreath, Earshot Jazz
Ted Brown, T-Town Productions
Nathan Marion, Blue Tree Artists
Jennifer Johnson, Diamond Rock Ent.
Noreen Hobson, NFI Talent
Joe Riggio, House of Sound
Mark Simmons, Pacific Studios
AnitaMedia Digital Productions
Sean & Aaron Bendickson
Cindy Beckett & Mike Kempf