PROGRAM 2018

Program Detroit 2018 (subject to change without notice)

DAY ONE

9 AM-9:10 AM
WELCOME
Bryan Ekus,  President & Executive Producer & Larry Jaffee, Conference Chair

9:10 AM – 9:55 AM 
PANEL DISCUSSION: RECORD STORE DAY, 11 YEARS LATER
RSD Co-founder Michael Kurtz leads a panel to explain why and how nearly three-quarters of a million new records were sold in the U.S. on April 21, and what’s in store for RSD Black Friday next month to keep the momentum going. Participants: Gerard Blum, Sony Music International; Billy Fields, Warner Music Group; Ryan Kerr, RSD Canada; Bryan Burkert, The Sound Garden, Bruce Ogilvie, Chairman, Alliance Entertainment

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM 
PANEL DISCUSSION: NEW VINYL PLANTS FIRE UP THE PRESSES
Not for the faint-hearted, building a new pressing plant from scratch is quite an undertaking from both a financial and technology standpoint. Hear from newbies on whether the early performance is meeting their expectations. Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet. Panelists: Sean Rutkowski, Independent Record Pressing (New Jersey); Jeff Truhn, Cascade Record Pressing (Oregon); Gator Russo, Gold Rush Vinyl (Texas); Justin Crowther, Burlington Record Plant (Vermont); Dustin Blocker, Hand Drawn Pressing (Texas); Second Line Vinyl (California); Ryan Lewis, Kindercore Vinyl (Georgia)

NETWORKING BREAK — 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM
VINYL’S GROWTH BY THE NUMBERS
BuzzAngle’s Chris Muratore provides statistical evidence the format’s growth from near oblivion is not a fad

11:30 AM 12:15 PM
PANEL DISCUSSION: WOMEN IN VINYL

James Brown once sang “It’s A Man’s World,” but women are playing a major role in vinyl’s rebirth in every job category. Moderator: Carrie Colliton, Record Store Day (retail). Speakers: Connie Comeau, The ADS Group (media manufacturer COO); Jessa Zapor-Gray, Intervention Records (label VP); Karen Emanuel, Key Production (packaging firm owner); Ali Miller, Furnace Mfg. (pressing plant VP); Caren Kelleher, Gold Rush Vinyl (pressing plant owner); Lori Hines, Welcome to 1979 (electroplating partner)

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM KEYNOTE: Steven Van Zandt, Founder, Renegade Nation
Colloquially known as “Little Steven,” this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is a true renaissance man: actor (The Sopranos, Lillyhammer); musician/producer (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band); radio broadcaster (internationally syndicated “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” & two SiriusXM channels); band leader/recording artist (Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul); and label owner (Cool Wicked Records).

LUNCH: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Sponsored by Colonial Purchasing Co-Op

 

AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Side A

2:00 – 2:45 PM
Panel Discussion: The Importance of Killer Packaging

Moderator: Jennifer Freund, Dorado Music Packaging. Speakers: Sean Mosher-Smith, Echosmith Lab. Panelists: Nina Palmer, Ross-Ellis; Maribeth Poalson, Bertelsmann/Coral Graphics; David Gorman, 1021 Creative; Rob Maushund, Stoughton Printing

3:00-3:30 PM
HD Vinyl Arrives

Guenter Loibl, Founder, HD Vinyl. Find out how Rebeat Digital ’s mastering technology will reduce the time needed to produce a master disc by 60%.

3:30 – 4:15 PM
Panel Discussion: Vinyl Mastering & Cutting Intricacies
Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet Panelists: Scott Hull, Masterdisk; Clint Holley, Well Made Music; Jeff Powell, Take Out Vinyl, Mandy Parnell, Black Lagoon Studios

4:15-4:45 PM
Reaching Kids Through Music Education
Keynoter Steven Van Zandt’s TeachRock project (teachrock.org) provides lesson plans and teaching resources on a monthly basis at no charge. Presenter: Bill Carbone, Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.

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Side B

2:00-2:45 PM
Panel Discussion: Brokers Keep the Orders Coming
Moderator: Connie Comeau, The ADS Group. Panelists: Sarah Robertson, AtoZ; Tony Van Veen, Discmakers; Yash Bedi, VDC Group; Alexis Castiel, Diggers Factory, Steve Sheldon, Rainbo Records

3:00-3:30 PM
Panel Discussion: How Pressing Plants Can Avoid Making Unauthorized Records
Bootlegs are showing up in the vinyl supply chain,
Moderator Larry Jaffee, Making Vinyl. Panelist: Marcus Cohen, Sr. Vice President, Anti-Counterfeiting Investigations and Enforcement, with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

3:30 – 4:15 PM
Report: Raw Material Supplies, Equipment Trends
Moderator: Dave Hill, Tapematic. Panelists: Alban Pingeot, MPO International; Per-Olof Ragnerius, Pheenix Alpha; Joe Helfrich, RPA, Inc., Robert Brown, Viryl Technologies
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Bonus Track – The Listening Room 

(Sponsored by Paragon Sight & Sound, Inc.)
2:00 – 5 PM – Listen to your records on a great audio system, and at 4 PM hear a demonstration of the Return of Quadraphonic by KamranV of CyKiK, which recently produced the first quadraphonic vinyl release in more than 30 years: Suzanne Ciani’s LIVE Quadraphonic

6:00-7:00
PRE-AWARDS COCKTAIL RECEPTION

MAKING VINYL AWARDS

7:00 PM- Hosted by Craig Braun
Returning to host the Making Vinyl Awards, is Grammy Award-winning Craig Braun, renown for executing such groundbreaking album covers conceived by Andy Warhol as the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and the Velvet Underground & Nico, as well his own Alice Cooper’s School’s Out. About 15 years ago, Braun shifted careers to full-time acting, since then chalking up a long list of feature film, television and theater credits.

DAY TWO

8:30 AM – 9:15 AM (General Session)
PANEL DISCUSSION: THE POWER OF CRATE DIGGERS
Vinyl’s re-emergence as the preferred physical music carrier is keeping at least 50 pressing plants around the world pumping out new records purchased by vlogging enthusiasts who are individually reaching via social media audiences numbering hundreds of thousand loyal followers. Moderator: Jeffrey Smith, Discogs. Panelists: Sam Pennachio, Vinyl Junkies; Jessa Zapor-Gray, Vinyl Reviews; Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Radio; Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press

9:15 AM – 9:45 AM THE NEW VINYL ENTREPRENEURS
Hear from the heads of 2 vinyl-based, e-commerce startups on why they’re even more bullish on the market than when their companies launched. Speakers: Matt Fiedler, CEO/Co-Founder, Vinyl Me, Please; and Dan Melnick, President, Reverb LP

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM INDIE LABELS STILL CATALYST FOR SUSTAINED GROWTH
The vinyl marketplace has become increasingly competitive with renewed interest from major labels and a rise in re-issues. While the increase in vinyl sales is exciting for the independent community, we are now challenged to compete within the vinyl release cycle. This session will unveil exclusive and compelling marketing strategies designed for independents who can move the needle.
(Organized by A2IM) Moderator: Lisa Hresko, A2IM. Speakers: Mason Williams, Concord Music Group; Patrick McCarthy, Light in the Attic; Matt Sawin, Caroline Distribution

NETWORKING BREAK: 10:30-11:00 AM

11:00 AM-11:45 PM THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL FILLING THE VINYL PIPELINE
Entrepreneurial thinking by labels prove short runs of limited editions can still be profitable. Production managers combing tape vaults for unreleased gems and direct-to-consumer vinyl clubs defy long-accepted notions of economies of scale. Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet. Panelists include: Chad Kassem, Acoustic Sounds/Quality Record Pressing; Josh Bizar, Music Direct/Mobile Fidelity; Cameron Schaefer, Vinyl Me, Please; Jay Millar, Sundazed

11:45 AM -12:45 PM STANDARDS & QUALITY: OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT
To ensure that all the momentum the vinyl value chain we achieved over the past decade, Making Vinyl announces guidelines to making records. Moderator: Eric Astor, Furnace Mfg. Panelists: Chris Mara, Welcome to 1979; Matt Earley, Gotta Groove Records; Billy Fields, Warner Music Group; Don MacInnis, RTI; Dorin Sauerbier, RTI; Jack Stoughton, Jr., Stoughton Printing

1:00 PM
CONFERENCE ENDS

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch on your own in the Cass Corridor Neighborhood (buses leave from Cadillac Westin)

2:00 PM
THIRD MAN PRESSING TOUR
Sponsored by Third Man Pressing

2:00 PM
MOTOWN MUSIC CRAWL* Click here for more information
*(separate fee required) departing from the Cass Corridor Neighborhood