Each year more than 2,500 musicians, agents, managers, record company executives, radio DJs, folk music fans and others gather at the International Folk Alliance Conference, held this year in Kansas City February 18-22, 2015. For an independent musician, this is a great opportunity to showcase, network and learn from professionals in the business. Included in the $250-$350 price per person to attend the conference are numerous lectures and discussions about the music industry, workshops, networking opportunities and access to showcase performances. Showcase rooms are hosted by various groups, often record labels or venues. Generally, the hosts charge musicians a fee to perform in their room.
This year, a hand full of Wisconsin-based artists are getting together to host "The Wisconsin Room" which will showcase artists from our state to an international music industry audience without charging the musicians to play. In fact, we are hoping to raise enough money to offset some of the other costs to attend the conference: registration fees ($250-$300 per person), hotel room ($900 for the Showcase room + $125/ room for musicians to sleep in), travel expenses, food, etc. Obviously, the more we raise, the more it will benefit the artists. We are pooling together our resources to offer some great incentives for anyone who donates to our campaign! And we are also seeking support from Wisconsin-based businesses that might be interested in sponsoring our room in return for advertising at the conference.
Risks and challenges
Since we are working with a group of 10-20 musicians who all have busy schedules and travel a lot, there will be a great deal of organization required to fulfill our goals. There are fast-approaching deadlines for ad artwork, CD duplication, registration for the conference, etc. but we feel confident that we can meet these deadlines and fulfill our goals without problem.
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Funding period
- (21 days)