Bridging the gap between DIY independent artists and music industry professionals, Scenario 2024 seeks to provide a new kind of music conference that helps solve many challenges working creatives face today.

Taking place over three days at The Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles, Scenario 2024 will host 20+ panels and discussions specifically tailored to the needs of the modern DIY musician, as well as showcases that feature independent tastemaker labels such as Leaving Records, Ruby Yacht, Juke Bounce Werk, and Alpha Pup. The kickoff party starts April 8th with Kiefer at the Moroccan Lounge, with panels and shows running from April 9th to the 11th.

Developed by Daddy Kev (Kevin Moo), Liz Frank, Mitchell Frank, Lindsay Rawls, and Liz Garrow, the mission of Scenario 2024 is to provide artist empowerment by giving them the tools and relationship-building opportunities to help them build a sustainable, long-lasting career in the music industry. The planned workshops will cover a wide range of topics from marketing strategies, publicity and A&R to building a fanbase, navigating distribution platforms and tutorials on various budgeting and project management tools.

Uniting independent artists together to build community is a keystone to the aims of the conference, born from the pain points that Grammy-winning engineer and Low End Theory founder Daddy Kev sees his fellow musicians struggle with. After years of attending major music conferences, he found that they all offered an approach that excluded the most important parties—the artists themselves. “Most industry conferences are very B2B (business to business). There’s very little artist-centric programming. What we’re trying to do differently here is make each panel for artists, and explore it from a DIY artist point of view. We are here for the artists who are not interested in signing to a label, maybe not even interested in having a manager. They want to approach this industry on their own terms. There are more artists like that than ever, yet very few places for them to gather and talk about business, and to elevate that part of their lives.”

An important component of the programming is focused on improving financial literacy for musicians, with panels such as Artist Finance 101 with Earl Little and Geoff Campbell (Praxis Pioneering), Publishing and Rights Claiming by David Streit (BMI) and Kristina Benson (Sweet On Top), and Negotiating Stakes with Michael Cantor (SVP Business Affairs, Virgin Music Group), Danny Johnson (VP Little Empire), and Brigitte Wright (The Assembly) meant to subvert the gatekeeping of information. “One of the things that bewilders me is how few reliable online resources there are, specifically on the finance side. If a young artist asks me how to find more information about financial planning for artists, I have no answer to that. I think that’s a metaphor for so much of what an artist needs to understand to succeed long-term.”

Daddy Kev shares that Scenario 2024 is meant to be “a starting point. There’s a movement happening, and the sands are shifting. There are so many anti-artist practices happening in the industry, from the devaluation of sound recordings to the over-leveraging of big promoters. This is not sustainable, and it is going to force a revolution in this industry of how artists are treated and compensated. As artists, we’re all in the same boat, whether people want to realize it or not. I want to be a part of that movement. I want to help push the narrative forward and I think these events are a step in the right direction.”

The full conference schedule and showcase events can be found below. 3-day and single day tickets are available through the Scenario 2024 official website.

DAY 1: APRIL 9, 2024 (ALL TIMES PACIFIC

10:30 A.M. – DIY Publicity
Running your own publicity campaign for new releases and tours.

Panelists: Reid Kutrow (VP Sacks & Co); Lynn Tejada (Green Galactic); Daniel Gill (Forcefield PR); Arielle Lana LeJarde (Resident Advisor)

1:00 P.M. – Finding the Right Distribution Partner
What is distribution in 2024? Finding value in label services and aggregation.

Panelists: Matt Swain (VP Virgin Music Group); Oz McGuire (VP Symphonic); Patrick Ferrell (AudioSalad); Courtney Young (Too Lost); Kylie Everitt (Stem);

1:30 P.M. – Artist Finance 101
Accounting principles for artists; Present and explain artist business P&L; Basic planning and revenue goals.

Panelists: Earl Little; Geoff Campbell (Praxis Pioneering)

3:00 P.M. – New Release Marketing
How to maximize the moment with publicity, retail and D2C. Best practices for digital diasporas.

Panelists: Eamon Mulligan (SVP EMPIRE); Michele Ceazan-Fleischli (Like MGMT); Jason McGuire (GM Stones Throw); Jennifer Ferrer (Too Lost)

3:30 P.M. – Intellectual Property for Artists
Introduction to legal aspects of artist business, covering DIYable processes for trademark and copyright.

Panelists: Banch Abegaze (CEO Amlak Music); Sam Roseme (King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano); Richard Ginsburg (Attorney)

4:00 P.M. – Beatport Workshop
Best practices for releasing music on Beatport.

9:00 P.M. – Leaving Records Showcase at the Regent Theater
With Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, Arushi Jain, Teebs, Green-House and Matthewdavid.

9:00 P.M. – Juke Bounce Werk Showcase at the Love Song Bar
With Noir JBW and Dance Maniacs.

DAY 2: APRIL 10, 2024 (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)

10:00 A.M. – Bandcamp Workshop
Best practices for releasing music on Bandcamp.

10:30 A.M. – Publishing and Rights Claiming How to maximize your revenue across sound recordings and publishing. Setting up collection for mechanicals (MLC), public performance royalties (ASCAP, BMI), neighboring rights (SX, PPL), etc.

Panelists: David Streit (BMI); Kristina Benson (Sweet On Top)

1:00 P.M. – Teambuilding
Discuss the fundamental infrastructure of an artist business (e.g., management, booking agent, label, publicist).

Moderator: Lorrie Boula (Soul Kitchen)

Panelists: Chris Taylor (CEO MNRK); Michelle Cable (Panache); Dominick Prieto (Soulection); Laurel Stearns (Primary Wave)

1:30 P.M. – Side Hustle: Auxiliary Jobs That Expand Your Music Career
How to find entry-level jobs that also add relevant skills, expand your network and develop yourself as an artist.

Panelists: St. Panther (Artist); Emily Rose (Zebulon); DJ Nobody (Low End Theory)

3:00 P.M. – Licensing to Film, T.V. and Video Games
How to get started in licensing. Preparing your pitch, and who to send your music to first.

Moderator: Jeff Rona (composer)

Panelists: Chris Lakey (SVP Kobalt); Miwa Okumura (SVP Beggars Group); Gary Calamar (Go Music); Tricia Halloran (KCRW); Dan Wilcox (KCRW)

3:30 P.M. – Managing Long-term Relationships in the Industry
Collaboration vs. Competition: Strategies of running an artist business in today’s landscape (i.e., zero-sum game). Explore value propositions, conflicts of interest.

Panelists: King Britt (UC San Diego); Alejandro Cohen (dublab); DJ Noir (Juke Bounce Werk); Stephanie Morgan (MNRK); Open Mike Eagle (artist)

4:00 P.M – Pioneer DJ Workshop
Demo of Rekordbox software and new AlphaTheta gear.

9:00 P.M. – Ruby Yacht Showcase at the Regent Theater
With R.A.P. Ferreira, Psalm One and more.

9:00 P.M. – Alpha Pup Showcase at the Love Song Bar
With Daddy Kev and more.

DAY 3: APRIL 11, 2024 (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)

10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. – Ableton Workshop
Production workflows by Ableton certified trainer featuring Live 12 and Push 3.

10:30 A.M. – 11:45 A.M. – Live Show Mixing 101
How to make your live performance sound great. FOH and monitoring demo. Acoustics, gain staging, impedance, mic placement and basic EQ.

Panelists: Tristan Calder (CenterStaging Inc.); Daddy Kev (Grammy-winning engineer)

1:00 P.M. – 2:15 P.M. – Throwing Your Own Show
Discuss the importance of venue choice, marketing, and curating support acts.

Panelists: Matthewdavid (Leaving Records); Kumi James (Hood Rave); T.J. Petracca (Emo Nite); Bianca Oblivion (Warp Mode); Mapamota (Direct Drive)

1:30 P.M. – 2:45 P.M. – Negotiating Stakes
What’s a fair deal? Discuss and explain recording and publisher agreements from the perspectives of the artist, label and management.

Panelists: Michael Cantor (SVP Business Affairs, Virgin Music Group); Danny Johnson (VP Little Empire); Brigitte Wright (The Assembly);

2:30 P.M. – 3:45 P.M. – Creating a Dynamic Visual Live Show
How to create dynamic visuals to accompany your live music performance. Discuss the use of costumes, stage props, lighting, and video projections. Panelists: Geneva Jacuzzi (Artist)

3:00 P.M. – DIY A&R
You are the A&R. The creative buck stops here. How to create project plans and make meaningful A&R decisions.

Panelists: Maral Mahmoudi (Ninja Tune); Jack Sills (Stones Throw); Chris Douridas (KCRW); Paul Preston (Brainfeeder)

4:00 P.M. – Tour Booking and Marketing
How to book and advertise your own tour.

Panelists: Mitchell Frank (Live Nation); Coco Fernandez (TBA Agency); Domenico DeCaro (Nettwerk); Sal Moreno (Gasolina); Victor Valle (Siempre Agency)