Music Biz And Reeperbahn Join Forces To Amplify Nashville’s Diverse Music Business
Photo: Courtesy Music Business Association and Reeperbahn Festival International
The Music Business Association (Music Biz) and Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival International came together May 10 – 12 for an exclusive virtual conference focusing specifically on Nashville and its relationship with the global music industry.
Through this partnership, Reeperbahn curated a delegation of executives from the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Estonia, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway to engage with a curated group of Music Biz’s member companies. Reeperbahn Festival International is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
Music Biz President Portia Sabin opens the event with Reeperbahn International Host & Music Journalist Annette Yang
“Music Biz prides itself on bringing together global decision-makers to create meaningful connections within our business,” says President of the Music Business Association, Portia Sabin. “We’re grateful for our partners at Reeperbahn Festival International for continuing this partnership with us as they expand globally. While we weren’t able to meet physically for the past two Music Biz Conferences, the experience Reeperbahn put together built a virtual bridge from Nashville to the rest of the world, which allowed our members to connect in ways they have never before. We’re looking forward to the next time we can make this happen—which should be in person at Music Biz 2022 in Nashville in May!”
On Tuesday, May 11, the spotlight was shown on the Nashville music community, as international delegates were treated to interactive virtual office visits with diverse teams based in Music City; including Songfluencer, The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), and Big Machine Label Group. Each global company met with the European delegates in a private setting to show them how they operate and discuss what unique factors led them and other sectors of the music business to call Nashville their home base.
Kris Ahrend, CEO, The MLC shows delegates future site of The MLC Office in The Gulch
To close out the conference on May 12, 40 delegates from the United States (approximately half of which hailed from Nashville) met with the 40 delegates from Europe via speed dating-style networking. Nashville-based participants included EMPIRE, Symphonic, Sorted Noise, Big Yellow Dog, Reel Muzik Werks, Reservoir, Anthem Entertainment, Songfluencer, Muziqueen / Nashville Is Not Just Country Music, Resin8, Curb | Word Entertainment, Prescription Songs, Taylor Guttman Law, ISA+JUDE, Ingrooves Music Group, Spotify, The Orchard, Kobalt, mTheory, and Vydia.
Joel Timen, Curb | Word Entertainment; Chelsea Kent, Songfluencer; and Sina Wahnschaffe, Budde Music take part in the Creative Process Panel
“Nashville’s history as an international music city has and continues to be ever present through genre-defying copyrights, genuine artistry, and tech-led business. Conferences focusing on strengthening Nashville’s bonds with the international market, such as Reeperbahn International, spur growth and opportunity for our creative culture. Thank you Reeperbahn and Music Biz for helping spearhead the essential partnership between Nashville and the global creative community!” says Chelsea Kent, Director of European Operations, Songfluencer.
