June 10 through the 13 this year will be A2IM’s three day Indie Week Conference, held in New York City. A2IM is the American Association of Independent Music, helping independent labels, indie artists, and associates. They rely completely on dues, yet artists are able to become members for free. If you want more benefits, like help with insurance however, you can move up to the second tier of membership; A2IM Artist Pro. 

The annual Indie Week event in NY will feature more than 60 panels and workshops, 1,800 business meetings, and a lot more opportunities benefiting indie artists, producers, labels and more people in the music industry. Hopeless Records will be there this year, hosting a Lifetime Achievement Award show with their 30th Anniversary Museum exhibit featuring behind the scenes photos and docs from artists including Avenged Sevenfold, Neck Deep, The Wonder Years, All Time Low, Taking Back Sunday and many more. 

Panels this year include Empowering Indie Voices Against Industry Titans from United We Create, and there will be a ton of invaluable workshops like uncovering strategies to land sync placements in video games. 

A2IM exists to support and strengthen independent entrepreneurs in the music industry, from songwriters to label organizations. As of April 2024, the independent sector of the music industry had a 36.09% market share, which is larger than any individual major label. Indie music is not dust in the wind; it’s here to stay, and it’s expanding. It’s responsible for 80% or more of all new music released globally. And the more you know, the more successful you’ll be with your independent projects or ideas. 

So take a moment to think about attending this year’s conference if you can make it there. Unfortunately, the early bird badges are already sold out. They do have online-only memberships, and you can watch past events here.  (Scroll down the page)