The Asian American Music Conference
Unifying the APA music community.

By Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels for AIA, January 2005

A panel discussion at last year's conference.

Many notable endeavors come from plain aspirations. Such is the case of the Asian American Music Conference (AAMC), an annual event now celebrating its second run on January 29, 2005 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame, California. The goal of the conference is to unify and strengthen the Asian American music industry through panels, workshops on artist development, touring, promotions, music production, retail and distribution, radio, and media. Aside from workshops there will be informational and commercial booths, as well as various networking opportunities.

History
It was a simple desire to help aspiring Asian American artists obtain a foothold in the Asian American music industry that resulted in the organization of AAMC. The first AAMC was held on November 15, 2003 at the Crowne Plaza in Burlingame, California. Included in the one-day event were topics like Promotion, Artists Spotlight, Entertainment Law 101, and more.

AAMC was the brainchild of Christina Luna, director of Prime Image Media Group, an event management and marketing company in San Francisco, California that specializes in the Asian market. Because of her working knowledge and history with Asian American artists, Luna recognized a need for more resources and education on the music industry. "Most artists love to do what they do, but not many of them have the resources to continue forward and transition into doing what they love, into making it a career. The principals involved have been myself, and the staff of Prime Image Media Group. Being the first of its kind, this event contributes to the community, enhancing a different side of Asian American artists."

Attendees at a workshop.

Luna envisioned AAMC as an avenue for the Asian American music community to come together. She had been working with Asian American artists for the past five years and came up with the concept of the music conference in order to cultivate awareness in the music industry and to create additional opportunities for artists. Luna enthuses: "I'd like us to get one step closer to being the next wave of ethnic artists to hit mainstream. The conference seeks to unify and strengthen the Asian American music community."

The one-day conference features workshops, panels, guest speakers and performers. They are targeted towards artists and music industry professionals who are looking to gain more music business education, as well as more networking opportunities. Individuals from the mainstream and independent music industries conduct the workshops and panels.

Two of the highlighted speakers for the 2005 event are Albert Lao from Sony BMG Entertainment and Edwin Banacia from Columbia Records. Personalities from record labels, radio stations, record stores, management and booking agencies are also guest speakers. The conference concludes with a music showcase featuring six selected artists from across the nation. Adds Luna: "We will have topics that include Music Business 101, Production & Recording, Publicity & media, Making a CD and Getting it to Retail, DJs and Radio Personalities, the Making of a Star, the Matrix of Distribution, the Importance of Vocal Training and many more."

Challenges
One of the obstacles in organizing this event has been the lack of support in believing that the Asian American music industry can grow to a new level. However, the organizers have received a tremendous amount of support from many of the guest speakers who will be presenting and people from the mainstream industry. It has mainly been a matter of publicizing and spreading information in the community.

Networking with other industry professionals.

Luna says that it's been a great experience hearing comments about the conference afterwards. One particular organization from the mainstream music industry approached her about getting more involved with the community. The main comment she heard from people was that they had no idea about the Asian American music scene. She says that "from there I was able to talk about the different artists and companies involved across the nation -- it was fulfilling to know that through something such as the conference, we're able to create an awareness to people who would otherwise not even know about it. It reaffirmed the whole concept of the conference being able to reach out to that organization."

And what does Christina personally get from her involvement with the AAMC? "The only gain we get from producing this event is knowing that we've begun to help create that awareness of Asian American artists," she explains. "Personally, I just want to help make people's dreams happen --- whether it is through a conference that helps them meet a certain person they need to meet, or through listening to a speaker from a major record label and learning about how they once were in the same position." Artists are fortunate to have Christina Luna providing them with these invaluable insights to the music industry.

For more information on AAMC, sponsorship opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and interested speakers contact:

Asian American Music Conference
January 29, 2005
The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame, CA
Phone: 415-543-3837 Email: cluna@prime-image.com
Website: http://www.asianamericanmusicconference.com