On June 14, The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) will once more host its annual conference, A2IM Indie Week presented by SoundExchange, as a virtual global conference. The four-day international event will run through June 17. The largest independent music conference in the world, Indie Week will feature four days of keynotes, workshops, panels, and international networking opportunities.
A2IM has announced keynotes from U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries; Marian Lee Dicus and Jeremy Erlich, VPs, Global Co-Heads of Music, Spotify; and Pat Chin, Co-Founder of VP Records (a member of A2IM). These leaders are poised to offer perspectives on the organization’s three key pillars — advocacy, education, and community — in discussions that span across the key role that streaming plays for artists, the struggles faced by creatives over the past year due to the pandemic, diversity in independent music, and how support from legislators is essential in empowering and protecting independents.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has been the U.S. Representative for New York’s 8th Congressional district since 2013. Known for his genuine love of music (and for his tweets about the Notorious B.I.G.), the Representative is a co-author of the Music Modernization Act, a groundbreaking piece of copyright and royalty legislation that was signed into law in 2019.
As Vice Presidents & Co-Heads of Music, Marian Lee Dicus and Jeremy Erlich lead a global team focused on delivering a best-in-class experience for both Spotify users as well as artists and their teams. The Music Team creates opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers to connect with fans on Spotify, while providing Spotify users with outstanding editorial and programming experiences that allow them to discover and re-discover their favorite music.
Pat Chin, a 60-year veteran and female trailblazer in the music industry, was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the A2IM Libera Awards (Chin took home the honor in 2015). As the co-founder of the Queens, NY-based reggae label and A2IM member VP Records, she nurtured the careers of artists such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Elephant Man, Estelle, Junior Reid, Raging Fyah, and many more. In January, Chin published My Reggae Music Journey, an autobiography documenting her groundbreaking, decades-spanning career.
Featuring keynotes, panels, exclusive networking sessions, and more, A2IM Indie Week has historically drawn an attendance of over 1,200 participants from more than 30 countries. A2IM Indie Week 2020 was slated to take place in New York City, but in response to COVID-19 lockdowns, A2IM took Indie Week 2020 online, blazing trails as the first major music conference to go fully virtual. With more than 60 interactive panels, presentations, and happy hours that were gender-balanced and diverse, the virtual version of the conference drew wide acclaim, retaining the high-powered content for which Indie Week has become known. A2IM Indie Week 2021 will be even bigger and more robust. In addition to the sponsored and curated panel presentations, A2IM has created innovative and seamless ways for attendees to network and connect in the virtual environment.
On its final day, A2IM Indie Week 2021 will culminate in the capstone event — the 10th Anniversary A2IM Libera Awards.
Presented by SoundExchange, A2IM Indie Week 2021 is sponsored by Bandcamp, Ingrooves, Merlin, Musiio, Qobuz, Songtrust, Spotify, and Vydia.
More information about this year’s exciting lineup is coming soon. To learn more, visit: a2imindieweek.
To purchase A2IM Indie Week tickets, visit: eventbrite.
