Just a quick reminder for anyone planning to attend the IBMA World of Bluegrass convention and Fan Fest this fall, but hasn’t yet registered (like me), that the $100 discount off the full registration fee ends on Tuesday (7/7) at midnight.

You can register online 24/7, or call the office in Nashville during business hours (888-438-4262).

See you there?

The seating of five newly-elected members of  the Board of Directors for the International Bluegrass Music Association has just been announced. Three incumbent board members return to their seats along with two new members to fill the Board’s full complement of 17 members.

From IBMA’s press release…

• Alison Brown, an executive with Compass Records and an award winning artist from Nashville, Tennessee was re-elected to represent members involved in recording, distribution and marketing.
• Mike Bub, an award-winning musician from Nashville, Tennessee, was re-elected to represent artists, composers and music publishers.
• Craig Ferguson, a festival producer with Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colorado was elected by members involved in event production.
• Jim Roe, of Roe Entertainment from Owensboro, Kentucky was elected to represent agents, managers and publicists.
• Neil Rosenberg, an author and historian from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada was re-elected by all professional members to an at-large post.

Fooled you…

The headline intrigued us when we saw it online, but it wasn’t the International Bluegrass Music Association but the Indian Biscuit Manufacturers Association that was taking a stand against excise and VAT taxes.

Besides, our IBMA is too busy making preparations for the 2009 World Of Bluegrass convention September 28 through October 4 in Nashville to worry about biscuit taxes.

Or maybe the biscuit tax has something to do with resonator guitars?

The International Bluegrass Music Association reminds its membership that June 30 is the deadline for nominations for Special IBMA Awards. These are the “behind the scenes” honors that are distributed during the afternoon prior to the gala evening awards show during IBMA week in Nashville.

These awards nominations, and the award recipients, are chosen by a select committee appointed by the IBMA board. The categories are:

• Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year
• Print Media Person of the Year
• Best Graphic Design
• Best Liner Notes
• Bluegrass Event of the Year

Eligibility is described thusly:

The eligibility period for special awards is April 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009. Broadcasting and print media accomplishments during this time frame should be considered, to be nominated for these awards. Bluegrass events nominated need to have taken place during this time frame, and writers/designers nominated for the Liner Notes and Graphic Design awards should have their work included on CDs released during the eligibility period.

Full details for suggesting nominations can be found at ibma.org.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has begun the marketing campaign for this year’s World of Bluegrass event in Nashville, TN. As usual, the week long event will include the IBMA business conference/trade show, the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, and the Bluegrass Fan Fest.

The dates for this year’s WOB are September 28 through October 4, 2009.

The IBMA has made a 9 minute video available, which shows highlights from last year’s event.

If you watch closely you may even see one of your blog authors make an appearance at about 2:20 into the video.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has struck a deal to allow its members to attend the Summer NAMM show in Nashville at no charge, and without registering as a NAMM member. To take advantage of this option, you need to register through IBMA by June 12.

After June 12, IBMA members can register to attend for $25.

The Summer NAMM show runs from July 17-19 at the Nashville Convention Center, the same site as the annual IBMA World of Bluegrass event in the Fall. It is hosted primarily for the sake of music retailers with manufacturers of all sorts of music gear and services exhibiting their wares.

NAMM also hosts a myriad of educational seminars over the weekend, and the whole event offers the same sort of networking opportunities in the wider musical instrument, sound reinforcement and recording worlds that IBMA conference does in the bluegrass community.

To register through IBMA, contact Jill Crabtree by email or phone (888-438-4262). The space alloted to IBMA members is limited, so get your registration in soon if you would like to attend.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the bands they have invited to showcase during the 2009 World Of Bluegrass Convention, to be held September 28 through October 4 in Nashville.

IBMA says that they received 121 applications, which have been narrowed down to 13 showcase acts:

• Darin Aldridge & Brooke Justice
• Audie Blaylock & Redline
• Bankester Family
• The Crowe Brothers
• Davidson Brothers
• G2 Bluegrass Band
• Gold Heart
• Donna Hughes Band
• The Martins
• Michael Martin Murphey
• The Quebe Sisters Band
• Billy Smith
• Spring Creek

These artists will have the opportunity to perform before industry leaders, musical peers and event producers from all over the world who will assemble in Nashville for IBMA 2009.

Six other bands will be chosen for the sponsored showcases that follow immediately after each day’s official showcase presentations during IBMA week. These bands are recommended by their labels, and will be named shortly.

Every year IBMA hosts a three day event called Leadership Bluegrass. Leadership Bluegrass provides an opportunity for disparate members of the community, such as artists, engineers, label reps, etc., to all gather together for three days, in Nashville, to learn from each other and brainstorm about the future of the bluegrass music industry.

One of this year’s attendees was kind enough to write us with a copy of a paper he wrote summarizing his experience at Leadership Bluegrass.

Danny Clark attended the event, wrote this paper, and received 3 credit hours toward his Recording Industry Major at MTSU. The specific course he applied these credits toward is entitled Individual Problems in the Recording Industry.

Danny also wished to express his thanks to Stephanie Taylor, assistant professor of music business at MTSU, for her help in gaining university credit for his Leadership Bluegrass experience.

Here’s Danny’s report.

In March of 2009 I participated in an intensive informative program put on through the International Bluegrass Music Association. For three full days I was actively involved in Leadership Bluegrass. The goal of Leadership Bluegrass is to bring together musical insiders and to create a musical think tank.

There were many themes discussed in Leadership Bluegrass, topics ranged from using cloud computing to further my online marketing potential, to the advantages and disadvantages of having my own publicity and marketing team. The three day course was broken down into hour increments of concentrated information. Every hour a new guest speaker talked about their daily job routine and how I can use their insightful concepts to increase my job potential. Guest speakers included Grand Ole Opry General Manager Pete Fisher, Bobby Cudd who has worked for Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs, Dan Keen of ASCAP, professional musician Del McCoury, and many other remarkable presenters.

Leadership Bluegrass was a useful resource that will help further my livelihood in Bluegrass music. The intensive three day program kept me informed and updated on current trends in Bluegrass and Country music. I have gained an immeasurable amount of musical knowledge thanks in part to IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass. I feel more prepared to tackle the everyday problems that surround a young industrialist musician.

During the summer of 2008, Billboard Magazine reduced the number of charts included in the print edition of the magazine. The Bluegrass chart was one of the casualties. Removed from the print edition, it was only available to subscribers via Billboard.com

With the upcoming issue (March 27), Billboard is returning the Bluegrass Chart to the pages of the print edition.

According to chart manager, Wade Jessen, he is working on making it a regular feature of the magazine.

That from IBMA Executive Director, Dan Hayes. The IBMA is excited to see the chart return to the print edition.

Having it appear in print helps to keep the music in front of key decision makers in the entertainment industry.

Good news for Bluegrass.

Leadership Bluegrass 2009 took place earlier this month in Nashville, Tennessee, and the class of 26 participants examined such topics as The State of the Industry and a Profile of the Bluegrass Consumer, Songwriting and Publishing, Getting Music to Consumers and The Artist’s Team.

I sought the views of two graduates from the Class of 2009.

Firstly, was Hannah Johnson, the lead vocalist and mandolin player with the British bluegrass band, The Toy Hearts. She was particularly effusive about the three day event …

“What can I possibly say to start to try and articulate what an immense and awesome time I had at Leadership Bluegrass! I researched quite a lot into the course and spoke to some past class members so I think the course kinda matched my expectations…. to try and describe, the three days of Leadership Bluegrass were very intense, immensely enjoyable, extremely informative, a platform for innovative thinking/idea sharing and the chance to forge what I am sure will be long-lasting friendships with multiple fellow bluegrassers from across the US and Canada.

For me personally, as an artist, I have 19 pages of notes that I now need to work through and formulate into some sort of action plan…. To pinpoint specifically, I know I have learned an awful lot about the technological side of promoting and marketing a band… to embrace the ways in which the music industry as a whole is changing and indeed, maximise on the modernising capabilities of bluegrass music to help elevate its success as a genre.

I know that Leadership Bluegrass has been an invaluable tool to help further my career in bluegrass and I would highly recommend the course to anyone!” (more…)

Priority hotel registration for IBMA World Of Bluegrass 2009 will open next week. This first shot at accommodations is restricted to attendees and exhibitors from the 2008 event, and will allow for reservations at 9 downtown Nashville hotels adjacent to or near the convention site.

This window is open from March 2 through the 31st, with all remaining rooms at these hotels being offered to all comers on April 1. Rooms at the Renaissance Hotel in particular - attached to the convention center - tend to be snapped up very rapidly, and there may be none available by the end of March.

To access these restricted reservations (at IBMA-negotiated discount rates), you need to call 877-259-4716. The reservation center will have a list of eligible names, so don’t try to pull one over on them.

IBMA 2009 will run from September 28 through October 4, and will include the annual Business Conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards and their Fan Fest.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the names of the participants in the 2009 class of Leadership Bluegrass.

Leadership Bluegrass, now in its 10th year and with more than 200 alumni, is an intensive three-day program of advanced level, interactive learning experiences that invites participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing our music along with related leadership issues.

The forthcoming program takes place at the BMI offices, in Nashville, Tennessee, from Tuesday, March 10 through to Thursday, March 12 and includes seminars on such topics as The State of the Industry and a Profile of the Bluegrass Consumer, Songwriting and Publishing (in two parts), Getting Music to Consumers (in five parts) and The Artist’s Team (in two parts).

A sample of some of the presenters for the 2009 program include The Del McCoury Band, Dan Keen (ASCAP VP), Pete Fisher (Grand Ole Opry General Manager), Brian Smith (co-founder and VP of Value Music Concepts), and Anastasia Brown (award-winning producer, President of 821 Entertainment Group and Nashville Star judge).

My thanks are due to Trisha Tubbs, of the Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee, for provide much of the above information.

One of the members of the class of 2008, Katy Daley, speaks highly of the IBMA and the opportunity that she had to attend the class and learn more about the bluegrass music business ….

“Fred Bartenstein serves as the facilitator and does a great job of keeping all 25 participants on point and on time. Fred sees to it that every person is heard and that no one person or group gets to dominate the conversation. You’re seated with different people during each session so that by the end of the week you’ve had a chance to get to know every attendee. Guest speakers stay and participate in the next ’social’ activity, i.e., lunch, coffee break or dinner so you get a chance to talk with them on an informal basis. This networking was a very important part of the week for me.

It’s easy to go to work every day and repeat what’s worked in the past. The Leadership Bluegrass guest speakers were from all parts of the ‘bluegrass industry’ — performers, teachers, luthiers, lawyers, songwriters, public relations, agents/managers and media. I suppose the most obvious eye-opening topic is what’s going on in the digital world. But every speaker revealed methods and techniques they’re using now and discussed how they’re going to handle the trends they see coming. It made me think about how I could apply that information to my job and how it could polish up my act.

Guess you can tell I really got something out of it; can’t recommend it enough.” (more…)

Richard Hawkins, who is involved in the publication of both the Bluegrass Ireland Blog and the European Bluegrass Blog, dropped us a note about a piece he recently cross-posted on both of those sites.

The post contains advice for non-US bands who would like to have a presence at the annual IBMA World Of Bluegrass convention.

As Richard tells us…

“It takes the form of a report prepared by Hannah Johnson of the Toy Hearts band (UK), which makes full use of the IBMA’s own published recommendations, and, just as importantly, of the Toy Hearts’ own experience in WOB 2008. The EBB and BIB posts have a link to the full text of the report, a copy of which is attached to this e-mail.

As the deadline for applications for official showcases is now less than a month away, I hope the Bluegrass Blog can give it some publicity - it’s sound advice, and Hannah’s work deserves to be widely known.”

We agree. It is a major undertaking for a band to make the trip to IBMA from Europe, and with the substantial costs involved, it is crucial that any band seeking to do so have clear goals and do the requisite planning to take best advantage of the experience.

Here’s how Hannah begins her report:

“My name is Hannah Johnson and I sing and play in The Toy Hearts bluegrass band from Birmingham, UK. This year our band performed at some ‘After Hours Showcases’ at IBMA and attended the International Summit Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. During the Summit many salient points were raised, including the discussion of promoting and witnessing a larger International representation at IBMA World of Bluegrass in the future. After organising our band’s trip in 2008 and having learned about applying for showcase slots, I volunteered to write a statement advising how bands can best go about making similar approaches. Performing at IBMA really was an amazing experience and provided a truly unique opportunity for networking and making contacts. For any International bluegrass band considering applying… DO! You may not get much sleep, but you will have the time of your life!”

Her report can be downloaded in full as a Word document online.

November 30 is the deadline for submissions in this year’s Bluegrass Lesson Plan Competition.

The contest is part of IBMA’s efforts to bring the music we love to the next generation through it’s Bluegrass In The Schools program. School teachers, home schooling parents, or college students majoring in education are eligible to submit lesson plans. IBMA membership is not a requirement to enter the competition. The lesson can be designed for any subject in grades K-12, as long as it utilizes bluegrass music.

The competition is designed to encourage and reward the creation of instructional units at all grade levels that will expose students to the sounds and the analysis of bluegrass music. Lesson plans are judged by a team of experienced teachers familiar with the genre, with the aim of honoring plans that deliver high quality instruction in an interesting way, while conforming to educational standards nation-wide and also being easily adaptable by other teachers who may or may not be familiar with the genre.

Aside from the satisfaction you might derive from a job well done, the prize packages are impressive this year.

The first place winner receives $750 and two tickets for the Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike Bluegrass Cruise in January 2010. During the cruise, you will be invited to present the winning lesson plan for industry reps and fans present onboard, as a professional development workshop.

The second place winner will receive $500 and the third place lesson plan will receive $350. Additional plans may be noted as “Honorable Mention.” All award recipients will be honored with a plaque, onstage at the IBMA Special Awards Luncheon during annual World of Bluegrass events in Nashville, Tenn.

Winning lesson plans are posted online in the Bluegrass Lesson Plan Archive at the IBMA website for use by teachers and home schooling families around the world.

The application form is available on the Bluegrass Lesson Plan Competition webpage.

IBMA is now soliciting applications for Leadership Bluegrass 2009, their 3-day networking and mentoring event held in Nashville each spring.

The 2009 class is scheduled for March 10-12 and applications must be received by November 15.

We have never attended, but have heard nothing but glowing feedback from the many people in the bluegrass industry who have. IBMA describes the class as follows:

Leadership Bluegrass is an IBMA-sponsored annual program designed to build commitment, motivate talents and instill enthusiasm for addressing the future of the bluegrass music industry.  The purpose is to bring together a cross-section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities into a network of learning and communication. Class members represent current and future leaders from various facets of the industry, as well as diverse regions of the country and world.

The fee for the event is $250 for IBMA members and $325 for non-members. Participants must shoulder the travel and accomodation costs, but some scholarship assistance is available on the basis of need.

You can find more details and application information at ibma.org. 

In an article entitled Panel offers survival tips for small businesses, Laura Copeland wrote recently in The Tennessean newspaper about the economy and the various ways to deal with the issues facing the world.

It’s a dry old subject I know, but it affects us all.

While in Nashville for the IBMA World Of Bluegrass Convention and Fan Fest, I had occasion to wonder about what we were doing and the costs involved. Apparently, those in attendance plowed nearly $4.5 million dollars into the local economy. That’s great for Nashville, but what were the costs to us individually? For me it was sometimes a surreal experience.

All of the people at the IBMA Convention are small businesses, or part of one, and many will have thought deeply about the consequences of attending or, on the other side of the coin, not attending.

Subsequently, each will have assessed how good it was for their business.

Economists have voiced their opinions and the experts have predicted a worsening of the situation or opined that it will be 2010 before the financial situation improves. Either way, those professionals in the bluegrass world have challenges to face.

The article can be located on The Tennessean web site.

I will leave you to pick out the salient parts and apply what is relevant to you and your situation, but the closing paragraph offers solid advice for good times or bad.

Know all aspects of the business. Manage them well. Be open and flexible. Seize opportunities. Take smart risks. Do all these things and a business can thrive even in tough economic times.

The IBMA is now accepting applications from artists who would like to be considered for an official showcase spot during the 2009 World Of Bluegrass convention in Nashville, September 28 - October 4, 2009.

Keep in mind that these showcase opportunities are not designed solely for new acts. Here is the way the IBMA board describes them:

The showcases are designed to introduce any one or all of the following to the bluegrass industry:

• Emerging talent capable and willing to broaden their market
• Established bands who have significant changes in their act
• Artists who have significant, new recorded product

Submissions are not limited to IBMA members, but they must join the organization prior to next year’s event if selected.

Full application details and the address where they should be sent can be found on the IBMA site.

Our own intrepid correspondent, Richard Thompson [bluegrassmercury], spent a week in Nashville, having traveled from the UK to attend the IBMA convention. It was his first trip to IBMA in 20 years, and we thought that his post-IBMA impressions and reflections would be of interest both to others who were likewise in attendance, and our many readers who would love to have been there.

bluegrassmercury - Travelogue #5
by Richard F Thompson

Nashville, Tenn Monday, September 29

Having spent a few days at a leisurely pace we continued in that vein on Monday morning and the impression that I got when registering at that IBMA booths in the lobby of the Convention Center was that not many other people were in a rush either.

However, a shortage of numbers didn’t mean a shortage of personalities as Karen and I gathered behind Ken Irwin and his wife. It was good to see him again and we recalled our first meeting, when he accompanied the Johnson Mountain Boys to England for their 1987 trip to headline the Edale Bluegrass Festival (June 1987) and appearances elsewhere in the country.

As first-timers for a convention in Nashville, we thought it prudent to attend the orientation presentation, but for me that was not before I had a few very anxious moments with a faulty mobile phone. How did we ever manage without them? In my frantic attempts to get the phone working I bumped - almost literally - into the Johnsons [Stewart, Sophia and Hannah], three fifths of The Toy Hearts. Would you believe it? We travelled so many miles and the first people I should meet live 20 miles from my home!

Later, Karen and I grabbed some food, had a drink and sat and watched people passing, hoping to see people we know or names that we recognised. Roland White was busy at a table not far from us. After a while, Katy Daley walked by and Roland and I spent some time chatting with her. Later, Roland, who was a traveling companion with me as a ‘roadie’ when the Nashville Bluegrass Band played some dates in England, generously gave me a copy of a Lester Flatt songbook, one of a handful that he had recently found in his loft. Aren’t bluegrass people so thoughtful and generous?

It wasn’t long afterwards that The Bluegrass Blog team had its first board meeting, so to speak. The minutes indicate that business was swiftly completed with introductions and a check that we all had what was needed for an enjoyable, yet business-like week.

One of the purposes for my attending the Convention was to learn; there was a lot that I either didn’t know or that needed improvement. All right, there still is! But that’s not the fault of seminar panelists or mentors. So, I went along to learn about writing a Press Release. Kudos here to Karen Byrd, the moderator, who provided an agenda and notes for all who attended and, since it was an interactive session, participated. It was a good session and I will refer to the notes repeatedly. (more…)

Attendance figures for the 2008 IBMA World of Bluegrass trade show and Fan Fest have been announced. The big numbers are 19,546 and $4,300,000 - the cumulative daily attendance and the estimated economic impact of the week’s events.

While the move to Nashville from Louisville has generated the four highest attended conventions since the first was held in 1986 in Owensboro, KY, the 2008 numbers do show an attendance decline of nearly 11% from 2007.

This bears out our impression based on both discussions with exhibitors and traffic in the exhibit area this year. Given an uncertain economic climate and then-still high gas prices, I think everyone expected to see a drop for 2008. In truth, I had thought it might have been even steeper.

Our take is that the primary decline was among the non-business and/or part-time professional people - the many folks who typically come to jam, socialize and do a little business as well. The attendance at the official showcases, meals, keynote address and special awards didn’t strike me as off from 2007, nor did the crowds for the late night showcases.

The awards show at the Ryman sold out again, and the only serious complaints we heard came from exhibitors, especially those who depend on the traffic from serious fans and amateur pickers.

Here are the raw numbers as supplied by the IBMA.

Business Conference 2008

• 1729 Unique Attendees (5742 cumulative/4 days)
• 72 Exhibitors
• 19 Showcasing Artists (Avg. Attendance - 700)
• 10 Showcasing Songwriters
• 337 “After Hours” Artist Showcases
• 22 Seminars Attended by 1138
• 151 Mentor Sessions on 33 topics
• 1 Gig Fair (520 appointments for event producers and artists/agents)
• 2 Song Demo Listening Sessions
• 1 Crash Course for New Artists attended by 65
• 1 Crash Course for Songwriters attended by 94
• 1 Leadership Bluegrass “master class” for 38
• 1 General Membership Meeting
• 8 Member Constituency Meetings

IBMA Awards Show

• Attendance – 2,225 (sold out)
• Radio Broadcast on 320+ Network Affiliates (live on XM)
• Largest Broadcast of any Bluegrass Special

Fan Fest 2008

• 4,487 Unique Attendees (11,579 cumulative/3 days)
• Performing Artists - 60+ Acts on Three Stages
• 76 Exhibitors

Bluegrass In The Schools Programs

• Accredited Teacher In-Service Training Program for 52

Dan Hays at IBMA told us that Fan Fest income has not yet been fully tabulated and may not be available to the board for another couple of months.

Our friend Ted Lehmann has posted a very nice overview of the recent IBMA convention in Nashville on his blog.

He titles his piece IBMA - Why You Should Care, and uses nearly fifty of his fine photos to make the point, to wit, that reading online discussions…

“…it’s easy to get the impression that IBMA only gives unsatisfying awards and generates complaints from traditionalists, progressives, neo-proto-pseudo bluegrassers. Instead, what we encountered was a vital organization seeking to increase professionalism, provide opportunities for musicians and promoters to meet and make connections, showcase new and experienced bands, examine the many issues confronting bluegrass music in these difficult times, raise money to support bluegrass people in distress through Fan Fest, and provide a great time for all those who attend. That’s a pretty big agenda, and IBMA fulfilled its goal.”

Ted visited as many of the various World Of Bluegrass Activities as he could, and has photos from the Mentor Sessions, Gig Fair, Exhibit Hall and the official and late night showcases.

He concludes with the statement that titles his piece…

“So why should you care about IBMA? Because it’s about you. If you want to have a voice, IBMA is the place to have it. If you want to learn about the world of bluegrass, IBMA is the place to do it. If you want to luxuriate in an abundance of great bluegrass music from all the schools and strains of the genre, IBMA is the place to hear it. If you want to see your favorites and get a chance to talk with them, IBMA is the place to interact. We’re eager to get on board for next year’s event.”

Read the full piece online.