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Indie Connect Featured In The Nashville Business Journal! http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2011/08/12/groups-target-songwriters-artists.html?ana=fbk

Indie Connect, Inc. — The New ‘Chamber of Commerce for Independent Singers, Songwriters, and Music Professionals’— Opens Full Time Workshop Facility in Nashville

NASHVILLE, TN, JUNE 28, 2011—  In the past, if you were an independent singer/songwriter or music professional in Nashville, you had to learn the ropes mostly by yourself.  You had to network by yourself . . . learn how the industry works by yourself . . . learn what works and what doesn’t by yourself.  Now all that has changed—with the much-anticipated opening of the new Indie Connect, Inc. facility at
2720 Old Lebanon Road  Suite 108,  Nashville, TN 37214.

Positioning itself as the “Chamber of Commerce for singers, songwriters, musicians and music professionals,” Indie Connect is, in the words of CEO Vinny Ribas, “the one place where people from all aspects of the indie music industry unite with the common goal of helping each other to be successful.”

Asked what key benefits members receive, Ribas answered, “Indie Connect is where you can make vital connections, learn how the music industry really works, get real-world advice, get your questions answered, participate in brainstorming sessions on how to move your career forward, and receive ongoing coaching.”

The new facility in Nashville hosts various music industry events throughout the day, six days a week. This means that artists, songwriters, and musicians now have a place to network with each other, network with service providers such as vocal coaches and marketing experts, and network with other professionals such as managers and booking agents. They can also participate in empowering workshops and seminars on every aspect of the music business. (Event schedules are posted at IndieConnect.com.) Past workshop speakers have included hit songwriters, former major label artists, established publishers, top producers, indie record label owners, artist managers, and others who now work in the independent sector of the industry.

“To make your musical dream come true,” says Ribas, “you must have a plan for your career. You must have direction.  Many artists have talent and drive. They just don’t have the direction and connections. That is where Indie Connect comes in.”

 The organization began as an informal weekly musicians’ luncheon in September 2008 and incorporated in May 2009.  It has received so much demand for expansion of its benefits and services that it decided to open its own Nashville meeting location.

Indie Connect is a membership organization, although it welcomes non-member visitors. Members get into meetings and workshops at a reduced rate; have access to an in-depth library of more than 300 instructional articles, videos, tools and podcasts; have access to numerous industry discounts and more. Indie Connect also publishes a free monthly e-magazine with educational videos, articles, and more in it, and hosts a free, music-industry-only online community.

Besides its general industry meetings and workshops, the organization holds a monthly Christian musicians’ meeting and a monthly workshop for people who are new to the Nashville music scene. Some of the upcoming events include “Pitch to Publisher” nights, “Pitch to Artist” nights, songwriting classes, genre-specific meetings (jazz, rock, bluegrass etc.), music professional events as well as classes and events for youth and young adults. 

Indie Connect now has chapters in New York; Dayton, Ohio; and Nashville, with a goal of establishing chapters worldwide so artists have a home to “plug into” wherever they travel.

ATTENTION JOURNALISTS AND PRODUCERS