On Friday, September 30, 2011, and Saturday, October 1, 2011, the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter and the Producers & Engineers Wing presented Grammy GPS: A Roadmap for Today’s Music Biz. Held over two days at the Stax Music Academy, Grammy GPS encompassed numerous musical performances and a full day of professional development including six panels and a keynote by Daniel Glass, who is head of indie label Glassnote Records, whose roster includes The Givers, Mumford & Sons and Phoenix, among other critical favorites.
From left: Recording Academy Memphis Senior Executive Director Jon Hornyak; Producers & Engineers Wing Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney; and producer/engineers Ken “Duro” Ifill, Paul Ebersold, Jeff Powell, and Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young.
Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy/Wireimage.com © 2011. Photographed by Greg Campbell.
Glass’ keynote set the tone for the conference with comments about the importance of true record business professionals who have knowledge and solid experience in everything from A&R to touring to publicity, illustrating his talk with highlights from the path Mumford & Sons took from signing to their 53rd Annual Grammy Awards appearance.
Following the keynote was “Art of the Craft: Corralling the Chaos,” presented by the Producers & Engineers Wing and featuring Memphis-based producers Paul Ebersold and Jeff Powell and New York City-based producers Ken “Duro” Ifill and Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young. Topics included how innovations in recording technology have opened the doors to both creativity and chaos, and how today’s engineers and producers deal with the resulting challenges as they strive to make great recordings.
Following the conference, attendees adjourned to a reception at the Stax Museum and a post-party with plenty of music at Memphis’ legendary club Ernestine and Hazel’s.
