Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 9

FIRST
TAKE
Music Industry
Summer Camp
By Andrew King
C
atching up with old friends year
after year, days full of fun and
educational activities, and maybe
a bit of mischief when the sun
goes down…
While attending the 2018 edition of
BreakOut West in Kelowna, BC, I overheard
someone describing the annual event as
“basically summer camp for music” and all
I could do was smirk and nod in agree-
ment to nobody in particular. Save for the
fact that the event doesn’t happen during
the summer, it’s an apt comparison.
Of course, BreakOut West is far from
the only event that fits the description.
The fall months are ripe with Canadian
industry gatherings that combine learn-
ing, networking, and performance op-
portunities in various combinations – Pop
Montreal, the Halifax Pop Explosion, Indie
Week Canada, M for Montreal, the Alberta
Electronic Music Conference… The list is a
long one, and then a few months into the
new year, the “spring season” starts and the
calendar fills up fast once again.
The point of this piece isn’t to beat you
over the head with an elaborate metaphor
(as was the case last issue); rather, it’s to
encourage anyone still on the fence about
investing their time, money, and resources
into these types of events to give it a go.
You’re investing in yourself, your career,
and your industry, as all stand to benefit
from your participation if you’re serious
about it.
First and foremost, there are the inter-
personal connections you’ll make. One
of my first events as an industry delegate
was the 2010 edition of East Coast Music
Week in Sydney, NS. I sat on a panel with
Allan Reid, who was then the GM of
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M

MapleMusic. We hit it off and reconnected
every few years at various events. Now,
he’s president and CEO of CARAS and The
Juno Awards, and immediately following
his keynote interview at BreakOut West
this year – when dozens of people were
competing for his attention – he was kind
enough to sit down for an interview with
Canadian Musician.
What’s more, a musician in the audi-
ence approached me after that initial
panel in Sydney with some kind words
about some of the advice we’d shared. He
introduced himself as Rich Aucoin, and I
gushed about how much I enjoyed his set
with The Weakerthans and Constantines
a few months prior. He has appeared in
these pages a few times since then, which,
to be clear, had a lot more to do with his
art and dedication to his craft and career
than it did our meeting, but still…
I met a local musician at a Manitoba
Music event in Winnipeg in 2016 and saw
him at nearly every single panel or work-
shop on offer, then caught him again at
BOW in Regina later that year doing much
of the same. The next year, when BOW was
in Edmonton, he was there as a delegate,
presenting his own panel.
Beyond the networking and learning
opportunities with the invited delegates,
these events are equally – if not more –
important for the connections you can
make with fellow attendees. Book shows
together, collaborate on design projects. I
know at least a handful of people who’ve
landed jobs through connections first
made at a music conference.
So yeah, it’s fun making friends at
camp and then reconnecting every year
to see how people have grown person-
ally and professionally. Then there are the
activities.
At summer camp, you learn about
problem solving through strategy games,
concentration through archery, nutrition
through meal prep.
I remember an NXNE panel back in
the day with Carole Pope from Rough
Trade, a pre-MMA Robin Black, Dave Foley
from Kids in the Hall, and one of the guys
from White Cowbell Oklahoma. The panel
was basically just them trading (mostly
hilarious) horror stories from the road, but
laced throughout that hour-plus of com-
edy were countless tips for artists looking
to start touring.
It’s learning that doesn’t feel stuffy or
overly formal – the good kind, as far as we
creative types are concerned. The song-
writing challenges, demo critiques, online
asset reviews – all are great means of
having fun and socializing while adding to
your artistic and entrepreneurial skill sets.
I’ve tried to zoom out a bit and not
base this entirely on my own experiences,
but that’s admittedly hard as I’m such
a big fan of these kinds of events. I’ve
benefitted from them substantially on a
professional and personal level, and hope
that’s been reciprocated through advice
I’ve given from the stage or connections
I’ve made in crowds or giving coverage to
artists who’ve blown me away with their
showcase performances.
As with anything that requires some
preparation, commitment, and hard work,
you’ll only get out of these events what
you put into them, but I strongly encour-
age you to give it a try.
I’m looking forward to being back at
camp in 2019. Roll call!
CANADIAN MUSICIAN • 9