What Do You Want to Know: Saturday Sessions at GIG
GIG is more than an art show, you can learn something too!
Want to learn how to make your mark on the interwebs? How about going legit with an LLC? Want to be part of a live podcast recording? What about meeting up with old friends and new ones? You can do all this on Saturday at GIG - The Art of Michigan Music 2024.
Saturday Sessions at GIG
Sure, we could have stopped at putting together a killer music art show featuring gig posters, album art, and concert photos from 22 outstanding Michigan based artists. That certainly will be a spectacle to behold. Then, we had the bright idea of adding live music to celebrate the art on Friday and Saturday nights. But our restless minds wouldn’t stop. We wondered what else we could throw in to make GIG - The Art of Michigan Music even more awesome and give you something besides great art and music. The answer: Saturday Sessions!!
Expand Your Mind
On Saturday afternoon (1p to 3p), November 9th, after the big opening night on Friday, we’ll have a series of sessions designed to expand your mind. In all seriousness, we hope these sessions will offer information that is useful to anyone. Whether you are a photographer, graphic artist, musician, or music and art enthusiast, we’ve got something for you. Before we dive in, special thanks to Lori Stratton (The Stratton Setlist) for writing up the descriptions of our mind expansion sessions.
Booking With Katie Kirchner (Michigan Music Alliance)
Katie Kircher, a talent manager and booking agent with Katie K Wrangles, will discuss the booking process for artists, including how to get an agent, what metrics to track, how to pitch, and more. She also will highlight tools and resources for independent artists, EPKs, and venue outreach and tracking.
Start Your LLC With Chris Newberg (Michigan Music Alliance)
Chris Newberg, a Michigan business lawyer/entertainer and Michigan Music Alliance board member, will offer insight into the various business and legal entities available to musicians and the steps needed to set up a formal company. He also will walk through filing for a Michigan LLC, getting an Employee Identification Number, and putting together an operating agreement.
Note: Be sure to bring a laptop and notebook along with existing documentation and specific questions about your business. If you plan to apply for an LLC at the session, please come prepared to pay the $50 registration fee directly to the State of Michigan via their online portal.
Unlocking Artist Funding Basics: Grants, Sponsorships, and More With Cindy McSurely (Michigan Music Alliance)
Cindy McSurely, a nonprofit consultant and Michigan Music Alliance board member, will provide valuable insights about various funding opportunities for artists. The workshop will cover grants, fiscal sponsorships, residencies, and fellowships, including guidance on how to start researching these opportunities. Participants will work with the Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists workbook from Springboard for the Arts, along with other resources.
Note: Please bring a laptop. Visit Springboard for the Arts to receive a free digital download of the workbook and mention “Michigan Music Alliance” when asked how you heard about it.
Social Media and Branding With Sadie Quagliotto (Hip in Detroit)
Sadie Quagliotto, a social media manager/educator, marketing consultant, brand strategist, and co-owner/director of Hip in Detroit, will highlight the state of social media in 2024 and explore how to use it to connect with your community. Learn how to manage social media, market your brand, and reach new fans and customers.
Tapping Into Creation
Have you wondered what inspires the artist who creates those iconic album covers or posters? Or perhaps how they became artists in the first place? Well, we’ve got a treat for you: Bad Idea Social Club will be in the house.
Bad Idea Social Club is a podcast that explores creativity through lively and honest conversations with creative people. Aaron McCall, freelance graphic designer and independent artist and host of the podcast, along with co-hosts Joe Matteson and Amber Gray, will talk with GIG 2024 featured artist Craig Horky.
This is your opportunity to be part of a fun and certainly intriguing conversation about creativity, life, and everything in between. As the Bad Idea Social Club tagline goes “It’s for growers and showers and failures and friends.” Be prepared to laugh out loud. Who knows, you may learn something too.
We recently attended a Bad Idea Social Club live recording at City Built Brewing in Grand Rapids. Aaron, Joe, and Amber spent time getting the story from City Built owner Ed Collazo. You can read more about that experience on Life In Michigan. Trust me, it was very fun.
Mixing It Up
We’ll wrap up Saturday afternoon with a mixer hosted by Jennifer Westwood. Jennifer, along with her husband Dylan Dunbar, are the heart of the soulful Americana band Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils. The mixer is an opportunity to network with artists, media reps, industry pros, and music fans from across the state. Learn about resources and opportunities to collaborate with others who share your desire to shine a light on the regional music and art scene. Come hang out, relax, and make some friends.
Get Your Tickets
Tickets for GIG—The Art of Michigan Music 2024 are on sale now at Passage Event ticketing. A single-day ticket costs $25, or a weekend pass costs $45. Stay the weekend! We have reduced room rates at the Courtyard Jackson and TownePlace Suites Jackson (rooms must be booked by October 8th to get a special rate).
Thank You, Sponsors!!
Huge thanks to our sponsors, who are helping bring this inspiring event to life! They include:
Rocket Printing
Guitar Hi-Fi
Manchester Underground Music and Art
Life In Michigan
ART 634
Dawn Corporate Giving
Experience Jackson
Ogma Brewing
Michigan Music Alliance
The Sun Times News
The Stratton SetList
Lucky Monkey Tattoo
McShane Photography
Virtue Drums
Adorned Tattoo Studio
I encourage you to support these businesses that see the value in supporting the arts in Michigan because it reflects their commitment to you as a customer.
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Jam packed event, can’t wait!