Nashville.com recently caught up with Nashville Indie/Folk artist, writer, and producer Paul Johnson. This past year, Johnson has been able to make the transition to full time musician thanks to hard work and some valuable guidance through the conference portion of the Americana Music Festival. The annual conference has impacted Johnson and his new project Canyon City.
What were some highlights of the conference portion of the Americana Music Festival and Conference from your perspective?
“A few sessions I attended included master-classes for using the analytics portals in Spotify & Pandora, the trends & potential in the growth of the streaming model, and updates in the conversation about licensing in regards to the DMCA safe harbor law as well as the PROs consent decrees (a big topic at the time)”
It looks like there was something to learn from each of the hats you wear in the music industry at least the writing, artist, and performance aspects.
“Yes, I attended some informative panels that helped me better understand & navigate the ever-shifting landscape of the music industry, specifically the panels featuring experts from the major streaming platforms.”
In the music industry today it is very important to increase exposure and the opportunities to monetize your efforts, have you seen a lift from your attendance at the festival last year?
“Yes, the connections & insights that resulted have been instrumental to a year of growth in my music’s streaming audience and also contributed to a greater understanding of the increasingly powerful tools available to indie artists. In an industry that changes as dramatically as ours from year to year, it has definitely become a priority for me to refresh, connect, & learn at events like these, not to mention the killer shows in the evenings!”
You have had a great year, how did the conference contribute to the success in getting your music out there?
“It’s been a mix of factors & timing but the support from the Americanafest connections and knowledge learned at the panels definitely sparked the fire. It also helped tip the scales to streaming being a sustainable full-time income for me. The way it lined up within a week of the release of the first Canyon City record felt like a supernatural push. In streaming, I have seen a massive change, from 9,000 monthly listeners & around 3-4k plays a day in Sep. 2016 to now just shy of 700,000 monthly listeners and around 100k plays a day.”
Those are great results and it does help to have talent.
–Brad Lykken
Check out Paul’s musical project, Canyon City at www.canyoncitymusic.com.
The American Music Association’s Americana Music Festival and Conference will be held in Nashville September 12th through the 17th.
Registration for the conference and festival wristbands can be purchased at www.americanamusic.org. Conference rates increase July 21st .
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