Folk Alliance - The Organization: The North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance is the trade organization serving folk, world and ethnic musicians and music businesses in North America. In their own words, the organization "exists to foster and promote traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music and dance, and related performing arts in North America."
Folk Alliance - The Conference: Annually, Folk Alliance holds a music business conference which offers musicians a chance to see and be seen, festival and club owners to scout talent and network with each other, and other music business professionals the opportunity to get the word out about their products or services.
Who Attends: Musicians, booking agents, publicists, festival managers, club and venue managers, record labels, music writers, radio deejays, instrument makers and vendors, international talent buyers, and many more!
The Conference - Exhibition Hall: During the day, the main floor of the conference hotel becomes a typical conference exhibition hall. Here, booking agents, festivals and record labels set up booths and attendees wander the floor meeting others and making connections. Lots of business deals are made here.
The Conference - Showcases: At night, the conference sparks up with musician showcases. Some rooms offer night-long "themed" showcases (such as Celtic night or Canadian night), some are just random samplings. Generally, during official showcases, each artist or band plays for only 20-30 minutes, offering them only a brief interlude in which to make themselves stand out.
The Conference - Unofficial Showcases: While the official showcases are going on, "guerrilla" showcases are happening in actual hotel rooms. Hitting up these showcases is somewhat surreal; you'll find yourself listening to a top-notch singer-songwriter in an environment that could only be described as intimate.... literally sitting on a bed in a hotel room with a few other listeners while they play their hearts out.
Where It Is: Since Folk Alliance's inception in the late '80s, the conference has taken place in a different North American city each year. However, in 2007, the conference will make its permanent home in Memphis, Tennessee. Every fifth year, the conference will take place in a different Canadian city, but Memphis will be the primary home.
