Backstage Pass

The Memphis Music Foundation recognizes that some of the education needed for success in the music business cannot be taught in a classroom or workshop; it comes from the personal knowledge of industry veterans. The Backstage Pass program was created to give Memphis Music Resource Center and Music Foundation members an opportunity to hear directly from these professionals. Sharing stories, ideas, and techniques in an intimate setting, Backstage Pass events are an essential element for viewing the music business from a 360 degree perspective. Each event includes an experienced moderator to guide the conversation and concludes with a question and answer session. The insight and advice given through the program offers professional career development to individuals and communicates best practices to music business leaders.

The Backstage Pass program guests vary from local representatives to visiting artists and industry professionals working or performing in Memphis. The program kicked off with legendary producer Terry Manning. Manning was performing in Memphis as a part of the 2nd Annual Pops Fest. For the Backstage Pass event Manning returned to his former studio home, Ardent Studio where he talked about his collection of work from Lenny Kravitz and Shakira to The Staple Singers and Big Star. The program gave engineers, producers and artists a chance to hear some of Manning%u2019s production secrets and studio problem solving solutions, alongside tips on career planning and artist relations based on his own experience.

Backstage Pass has gone on to feature artists like Roxanne Shante and Eric Roberson, as well as Andrew VanWyngarden from MGMT and Hank Sullivant from Kuroma. We wrapped up 2010 with a Backstage Pass workshop with Ian MacKaye, seminal independent artist who’s played with bands Fugazi and Minor Threat and is the co-founder of Dischord Records. MacKaye spoke to a capacity crowd at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in September 2010.