In recent years, the easy accessibility of digital music has stifled the music industry.
The early crumpling of once-mighty major record labels has spawned plenty of questions among industry experts and music fans alike.
This weekend, music experts will attempt to answer some of these questions at UF’s Levin College of Law.
The ninth Annual Music Law Conference, presented by the college’s Music Law Society, will be held Friday and Saturday.
Dubbed “DON’T PANIC: Navigating the Changing Universe of the Music Industry,” the conference will include music showcases as well as day-long panels and breakout sessions.
Things kick off at 10 p.m. Friday at :08 Nightclub, 201 W. University Ave., where bands Hollowbody Hellraisers, Fastlane, Big Boat and Pedagogy will play.
On Saturday, the main day, a panel of music experts will meet.
Stephanie Falcon, the president of the Music Law Society and the executive director of the Music Law Conference, said there will be five panels and two breakout sessions from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Among the 18 panelists are entertainment attorneys, musicians and record label executives. The keynote speaker will be Greg Galloway, an attorney who has practiced entertainment law since 1988.
Also on the panel are local record label representatives Vinnie Fiorello, founder of Paper + Plastick Records, and Var Thelin, founder of No Idea Records.
Topics include negotiating music contracts, do-it-yourself techniques and a demo listening panel for music professionals.
Sal Picataggio, the vice president of the Music Law Conference and the director of the conference’s Live Music Showcase, said the event is trying to get back to its roots in its ninth year.
“For the first time in a while, we’re having multiple showcases,” Picataggio said. “We really wanted to get more involvement from local musicians.”
Another way the conference is getting back to its roots is by hosting Brian Mencher on the panel.
Mencher is a founder of Beame & Mencher LLP, and he founded the first Music Law Conference when he was studying law at UF in 2003.
He said the goal with the first conference was to provide a place where businesses and artists could promote themselves and meet.
He wanted to put the Levin College of Law on the map, making it known as a place that produces quality entertainment attorneys.
“Considering that this idea was started by students with very little support from the faculty aside from them just saying, ‘Go for it,’ it’s good to see that people have been inspired to continue it,” he said.
Falcon said she thinks the conference will appeal to all kinds of students. She said even those who aren’t studying law could come to learn something interesting about the industry and about how things work behind the scenes.
“Anyone who is interested in music is going to come away with something new from this conference,” she said.
