Conference for Aspiring Musicians

NEXT week ASCAP will hold a conference dedicated to beginning and mid-career musicians and songwriters: The I Create Music Expo, held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, will school them in the business side of things and in staying afloat during a very tough time in the industry. It's an especially tough time for aesthetes and introverts: The current climate requires a strong degree of self-promotion.

HERE is my story from The Hollywood Reporter. It's only online for subscribers, but that may change this week. (Here's the conference website.)

Speakers, panelists and so on range from hacks to middle or the roaders to eccentric talents like Van Dyke Parks and Pharrell Williams.

My story, which includes an interview with diminutive songwriter Paul Williams, who currently heads the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers begins this way:

Music and song- writing typically attract idealists who love melody, harmony and the creative process. Navigating the business, however, requires pragmatism and discipline, and in these unstable times, striking the right balance can be a challenge.