PROGRAM

(SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE)

MAKING VINYL PROGRAM
DAY ONE (MONDAY, OCT. 14)
REGISTRATION OPENS AT 8:30 AM

9:00-9:10 AM  Welcome: Bryan Ekus & Larry Jaffee, Making Vinyl

 9:10 – 9:30 AM Michael Des Barres: The Magic of Vinyl
An all-around entertainer, Musician/DJ/Actor Michael Des Barres is a European Marquis, raised in England and living in Los Angeles. As the host of Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM Radio Channel 21, he is heard by more than 6 million listeners, five days a week (5 am-8 am and 9 pm-midnight PT). He has appeared in over 150 hours of American television (MacGyver) and more than 40 feature films, and has sold over 7 million albums as both a recording artist and songwriter. His latest single, “Crackle and Hiss” on Wicked Cool Records, is about the magic of vinyl.

9:30-9:50 AM  Bandcamp: Bridging the Digital with Physical
Bandcamp started as a digital platform for independent musicians. Ten years on, fans have sent artists and labels over $425 million using the service, including purchasing 8.3 million merch items. Andrew Jervis, head of artists and labels, will explain how the site has become a great place to buy, sell, and even make vinyl, and how artists selling physical goods on the site are likely to make 10x more per month than those that don’t. Speaker: Andrew Jervis, Bandcamp

9:50-10:05 AM            Physical Media Sales By the Numbers
David Bakula, Nielsen Music’s Head of Analytics & Insights, oversees the research company’s global music industry analytics, label and major brand relationships in the U.S. and Canada.  We find out the latest physical media trends.

10:05-10:50 AM          The State of the Business
More than a dozen years into the format comeback nobody expected, has the revival plateaued? Our diverse panel including representatives from retail, manufacturing, distribution and an indie label in what they observing in the trenches.
Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet. Panelists: Michael Kurtz, Record Store Day; Dean Tabaac, Amped Distribution; Liz Dunster, Erika Records; Rosie Lopez, Tommy Boy Records; Justin Kristal, Copycats Media

10:50-11:00 AM         Tech Spotlight: TBA

11:00-11:30 AM NETWORKING BREAK 

11:30 AM-11:50 AM   Jampol Artist Management: We Manage Legends
Jeff Jampol explains what the vinyl comeback has meant to managing the estates of legends, such as The Doors, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, The Ramones, John Lee Hooker, the Mamas and Papas, Charlie Parker, and Peter Tosh. Speaker: Jeff Jampol, JAM Inc.

11:50 AM-12:30 PM  Bootstrap or Outside Funding to Jump on the Vinyl Bandwagon?
Launching a startup is hard enough, but raising enough money for vinyl pressing or mastering services comes with its own challenges. Hear how you get past the first year and figure out financing needs for future growth. Moderator: Larry Jaffee, Making Vinyl.
Panelists: Dan Lauricella & Remi Foulon, New Orleans Record Press; Caren Kelleher, Gold Rush Vinyl; Gudmundur Ørn Isfeld, RPM Records ApS; Piper Payne, Infrasonic Sound

12:30-12:50 PM          Straight Out of New Orleans: Label Owner/Artist Lilli Lewis
For 25 years, Red Hot Louisiana Records has been releasing albums on CD and LP from local musicians from the Big Easy, including such luminaries as Cyril Neville. Besides managing the label, singer/pianist Lilli Lewis somehow finds time to record and put out her own records. Speaker: Lilli Lewis, Red Hot Louisiana Records

12:50-2:00 PM            LUNCH 

2:00-2:45 PM              How Vinyl Figures in the Overall Release Strategy
There’s no question vinyl is a growing revenue stream for indie labels. To what extent, does physical factor in digital album rollouts, and any difference between that thinking for new releases and reissues? Moderator: Lisa Hresko, A2IM
Panelists: Felicia Risolo, Epitaph/-Anti; Joe Abajian, Fat Beats;  Lindsay Scharpiro, Mom + Pop

2:45-3:30 PM  Vinyl: More Sustainable Than You Think
Yes, it’s primary consumable may be derived from a fossil fuel, but today’s record is not like yesteryear’s from the perspective of raw materials including lead-free PVC and recycled paper. Hear from the environmental-minded record label, pressing plant, PVC supplier, a printing firm, and a professor who has proven that digital music leaves a bigger carbon footprint than physical media.
Moderator: Sarah Murray, Music + Sustainability Consultant. Panelists: Kyle Devine, University of Oslo; Sam Gay, Stoughton Printing Co.; Liz Dunster, Erika Records; Parks Vincent, NinjaTune; Ashby Baum, Westlake

3:30-3:35 PM              QC Research from Vinyl Junkies
Consumer advocate Sam Pennachio explains his grading system that gets the VJ Seal of Approval for choice records.

3:35-4:05 PM              NETWORKING BREAK 

4:05-4:55 PM              Focus on Restoration & Preservation
Vintage recordings require tender loving care because the archives are full of gems waiting to be released for the first time or reissued sounding better than ever. Our panelists restore old tapes and even cylinders, advocate for audiophiles, clean records, maintain music archives, and refurbish lathes.
Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet
Panelists: Bob Levi, LA/OC Audio Society; Bob George, ARChive of Contemporary Music; Len Horowitz, History of Recorded Sound (HRS); Charles Kirmuss, Kirmuss Audio; Greg Reierson, Rare Form Mastering

4:55-5:20 PM              Blue Note Records: 80 Years Old
The vast jazz catalog of Blue Note Records has been spruced up for the “Tone Poet” and 80th anniversary series. Series producer Joe Harley explains the thinking that goes into which LPs are selected for mastering directly from the original analog master tapes by engineer Kevin Gray (who will share the session with Joe) at his facility called Cohearent Mastering.
Speakers: Joe Harley, Blue Note & Kevin Gray, Cohearent

5:20-5:40 PM              Lifetime Achievement Award for Bernie Grundman
Blue Note is among the countless labels for whom Bernie Grundman has mastered and cut acetates. His credits include: Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Van Halen, Prince, The Carpenters, Steely Dan, Herb Alpert, Barbara Streisand, Steve Vai, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, and Outkast, among thousands of other top recording artists.  Award Presenter: Steve Vai

6:00-8:00 PM              MAKING VINYL NETWORKING RECEPTION (SPONSORED BY COPYCATS HI-FI MEDIA)

DAY TWO (Tuesday, Oct. 15)

9:00-9:20 AM              Carl Sagan’s 1972 Space Record Won a 2017 Packaging Grammy
“The Voyager” set the bar in terms of a vinyl boxed set in the digital age. Learn the packaging philosophy of its creator, Lawrence Azerrad, LAD Design.  

9:20-10:00 AM            Presentation of the 2019 Making Vinyl Packaging Awards
More than 30 judges on both side of the Atlantic sifted through 234 submissions in 15 categories for vinyl, CD and cassette.

10:00-10:30 AM          The Return of the Cassette?!?
Vinyl isn’t the only physical format that has made a comeback. Hear from a new French tape manufacturer, a Souther California retailer that also releases new cassettes, a veteran of bulk tape-loader machinery, and moderated by a USC professor who is fascinated by the cassette revival as a sociological phenomenon. Moderator: Joanna Demers, USC Thornton School of Music. Panelists: Jean-Luc Renou, Mulann; Sean Bohrman, Burger Records; Robert John Hadfield, Audiomover; David Hill, Tapematic

10:30-11:00 AM         NETWORKING BREAK 

 11:00-11:45 AM         Where’s the Merch?
Today’s album releases are more than the music in whatever format. Hear from some of the leading suppliers of artist merchandise, such as t-shirts, posters, mugs, etc., including A to Z Media, Awesome Merch, DIY Media, and intheclouds. Moderator: Jim Kaplan, Record Collector News. Panelists: Luke Hudson, Awesome Merch; Sarah Robertson, A to Z Media; Tony Van Veen, DIY Media/Merchly; Dan Marter, intheclouds

11:45-11:50 AM         Tech Spotlight #2
Speaker: Harm Theunisse, Symcon Group

11:50 AM-12:35 PM   Distributing Time-Sensitive Physical Music
Our diverse panel includes representatives from UPS, a major entertainment distributor, a major label, and a retailer. Moderator: Chuck Gorman, Distribution Consultant. Panelists: Roxanne Rosello, UPS; Jocelynn Pryor, Alliance Entertainment; Billy Fields, WMG; Rand Foster, Fingerprints

12:35-2:00 PM            LUNCH BREAK 

2:05– 2:20 PM   W Hotels Is Also a Record Label and Record Studio
Our host not only gives you a comfortable bed, but it also recently launched W Records, a global label, and recording studios in four of its locations, including Hollywood, Seattle, Barcelona, and Bali. Hear from Maurice Bernstein, the principal of Giant Step Marketing, which launched W Records, as well as the careers of Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, and Janelle Monae, to name a few. Speaker: Maurice Bernstein, Giant Step Marketing

2:20-2:40 pm              Women In Vinyl: A Website
A panel at last year’s Making Vinyl in Detroit inspired Jenn D’Eugenio, of Furnace Manufacturing, to launch an online community of women who work in vinyl in various capacities. Hear what she’s learned in the first year from giving a voice to diversity in the industry. Speaker: Jenn D’Eugenio, Founder & Curator, Women in Vinyl; Jett Galindo, The Bakery

2:40-3:00 PM              Tale of 2 Record Clubs: Run Out Groove & Vinyl Moon
Last year we heard from Vinyl Me, Please, which has set the bar in record clubs. Run Out Groove founder Matt Block explains how his WMG-owned club allows its members to decide what gets released, while Vinyl Moon founder Brandon Bogajewicz gives his take on curating for a fan community of music lovers. Speakers: Brandon Bogajewicz, Vinyl Moon; Matt Block, Runout Groove

DJ Session Sponsored by:  

                 
3:00-3:40 PM              Last Night a DJ Saved My Life – and Format (SPONSORED BY PIONEER DJ and curated by Stokyo) 
The DJ nightclub market saved the vinyl format during the wilderness years. Hear from some of LA’s luminary spinners who know how to get people move on a dance floor and a major turntable manufacturer catering to the professional DJ market.
Moderator: Joseph Abajian. Speakers: DJ Shortkut; DJ Nu-mark; DJ Jab; DJ Z-Trip & DJ Cut Chemist.

3:40-4:00 PM            “Specialized in the IMPOSSIBLE: First Polaroid, Now a Lathe?”
Austrian entrepreneur Florian “Doc” Kaps, of Vienna-based Supersense, is credited with saving Polaroid instant film from extinction in 2008 by starting “The Impossible Project”. His latest project PHONOCUT aims to solve another impossible analog dream: an affordable, all new, quality lathe.

END OF CONFERENCE AT 4:00 PM