Among the changes made to the structure of the 2014 World of Bluegrass is a push to attract more event producers and talent buyers to attend. The move is a fine example of the organization listening and responding to feedback from the membership, in this case artists and artist reps, who have asked the IBMA for years to step up their outreach to decision makers at festivals and other venues who book music.
IBMA has declared 2014 the “year of the Talent Buyer” during their Business Conference in October, and are providing a number of inducements to lure them in. A big one is free registration for Thursday, October 2, when the association hosts a Gig Fair that gives artists a chance to schedule face-to-face meetings with talent buyers.
Through August 15, you can register as a talent buyer for the Gig Fair, and have the $100 daily registration fee waived. This includes access to all of the events scheduled for the day, in addition to the Gig Fair, which runs from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Among Thursday’s sessions is a special morning seminar designed to familiarize presenters with the bluegrass scene, and demonstrate the value of including bluegrass among your offerings.
Of course they hope that visiting talent buyers will stick around to enjoy Thursday’s IBMA Awards Show, and the late night Bluegrass Ramble artist showcase events.
IBMA has put together this preview video to tempt you even further.
You can find all the details about the various events surrounding World of Bluegrass week in Raleigh, NC online.
