How can artists, promoters and rights holders enable key influencers to document and promote the music in their own communities? How does this confluence of art, tradition and commerce allow for new models to expand and evolve the traditional concept of a local music "scene"?
PJ CHRISTIE is a songwriter, performer, and entrepreneur in Austin Texas, and a champion for the under recognized Indiana music scene. Since 1998 he has channeled his seemingly limitless energy towards empowering independent musicians and artists to publish their work to the web, allowing for direct connections to their audience free of corporate influence.
Currently his independent consulting practice includes founding Press:A, being CMO for NowLegal.com, PMD and Music Supervisor for films, SEO, social media, email marketing, and plays bass in Vulgar Boatmen and Native Transplants.
JULIE NIEHOFF has more than 15 years in technology marketing. She speaks regularly on engagement marketing strategy and best practices
at conferences/conventions and facilitates seminars and workshops for small business and nonprofits. Julie’s primary focus is on helping small businesses and nonprofits incorporate technology into their
marketing plans, finding creative, affordable, effective strategies for building strong relationships with their customers and member base.
Julie is a member of Austin Music Foundation, Texas Travel Industry Association, National Speakers Association, Meeting Professionals
International, and Austin Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the marketing communications committee for Association of Fundraising
professionals International and is Vice Chair, Communications, Marketing & Outreach for the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
JOHN P. STROHM is a transactional entertainment and intellectual property attorney based in Birmingham, Alabama, where he is an associate with the firm Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP. John's practice focuses on the representation of musicians, songwriters and independent record labels. John is also an adjunct law professor at Samford University's Cumberland School of Law, where he teaches Entertainment Law.
Prior to becoming an attorney, John was a professional musician and producer for over a decade. He performed and recorded as a member of several notable alternative pop/rock acts, including The Lemonheads and Blake Babies. He continues to record and perform his own music when time permits, which is not very often, as John and his wife Heather are the parents of three young children.
JEB BANNER, CEO of SmallBox and Founder of Musical Family Tree. SmallBox is an Indianapolis Web design and marketing agency. Musical Family Tree is an online Indiana music archive with a related Ning community. Jeb coordinates the Broad Ripple Music Festival that raises money for local non-profits. Jeb lives in Indianapolis with his wife Jenny and their three daughters. He still gets to play and record music from time to time.
CRAIG “DODGE” LILE launched MyOldKentuckyBlog.com in late 2004 and has grown the site into a nationally recognized source for finding the best in independent music. As the site has continued to grow, Dodge has launched a concert production/promotion company called MOKB Presents (http://www.mokbpresents.com) that brings 80+ concert events to Indianapolis each year. This venture, coupled with his gig as a DJ on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio's Blog Radio program on channel XMU, led to the creation of Laundromatinee.com (http://www.laundromatinee.com), an audio/video in-studio session site that has filmed and recorded with over 250 bands. In 2010, Lile launched Roaring Colonel Records, a small label designed to incubate and support up-and-coming acts. Lile also serves as the Director Of Content for Raidious Digital Content Services, an interactive marketing firm that works with brands like Adidas, Finish Line, Ingersol Rand, and more.
