The movers and shakers of the music world will descend upon the Burin Peninsula this fall. From October 10-13, Burin, Marystown and Grand Bank will play host to Live At Heart Newfoundland. The global music business conference is the sister company to the highly successful Live At Heart out of Orebro, Sweden.
The four day industry conference features a slew of workshops, panels and networking opportunities for budding artists and those with designs to make a mark on the music industry.
The Next Level
“What you’re dealing with is the top aspects of the music industry,” shared Evan Murray, Live At Heart event co-ordinator. “We have bookers coming out from major festivals from all over the world. What this is is a portal. When you come into this you come in for information coming from the mouth of people who are working in the music industry. You’re entering a portal to basically get to the next level of your career. You have an attempt to step onto the professional stage.”
Modelling after Sweden’s near 10-year-long conference, which promotes innovation, entrepreneurship and technology within the music business, Live At Heart Newfoundland’s chief goal is to bring the music business of the world to Newfoundland and Labrador, while promoting the Burin region along the way. “This isn’t happening in New York, it’s not happening in Toronto, not in Vancouver, it’s happening down here in the Burin Peninsula,” Murray says enthusiastically. “We’re not talking about little boutique agents or someone who will book in a city. We’re talking about people who are fully immersed, have full careers inside the music industry.”
Panelists and special guests for the conference read like a who’s who of the music world. There’s Grammy winning producer Jeff Bova, who has worked alongside the likes of Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Iron Maiden and Billy Joel, business development executive Robert Singerman, who represented the likes of R.E.M., James Brown and Bad Brains, Peter Åstedt senior advisor of Sweden’s Live At Heart, head booker of Rockin’ In Rio Artur Peixoto and established industry veteran Kyria Kilakos. All bring something unique to the table, a once in a lifetime meeting of the minds that will prove invaluable to rising artisans.
“A lot of musicians have to remind themselves that it’s not always about carrying a guitar,” says Murray. “You need to carry a guitar in one hand and the briefcase in another. In these kind of conferences we teach a lot about the business side and we offer opportunity inside the music sector itself and the industry itself.”
Must-Attend Event
Murray and the team at the not-for-profit organization Vision 360 have designs on making Live At Heart Newfoundland an annual, must-attend event for Newfoundland and Labrador, one that will hopefully raise the profile of not only local artists and professionals, but the island itself, over time. “It’s with great hope and great aspiration that the people of Newfoundland and the artists of Newfoundland realize that this is something for them,” he says. “Yes, it will always be about bringing other people here, for the trade and the tourism, but at the heart of it all this is for Newfoundland.”
For more information on Live At Heart Newfoundland visit the official Facebook and Twitter and web at liveatheartnl.ca