The San Diego Music Thing is back!

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WHEN: March 30, 2025, 11am

WHERE: Downtown San Diego, at Park & Market, located at 1100 Market St.

 

TICKETS: Registration tickets are required; seating is first come first serve.
To attend the San Diego Music Thing, CLICK HERE

 

Join us at Park & Market on Sunday March 30th for Two Music Business Education Panels

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Panel One • 11:15am - Booking and Promoting
You have a release? A single or an E.P. or album, maybe a big show to promote? We will talk about how to book that gig and get the word out. Shows can help promote a release and new releases can give writers a reason to write about your tour dates and shows. What does it take to book shows and the extremely important part of then promoting those shows? What are media writers looking for and how to find a good publicist for today’s markets. How do you promote your releases and your shows? How to promote your single, E.P., or album release, and promote your live events. Posting once on social media is not enough.

Our group of panelists include touring musicians, booking agents and talent buyers.

Panel #1 Booking and Promoting Panelists

• Joe Rinaldi (talent buyer and promoter) – Music Box, Bay Fest, NIVA Leader and more
  Joe Rinaldi has been a talent buyer and promoter for over 30 years. Rinaldi booked the legendary Viper Room, House of Blues Sunset strip and numerous theatres and clubs around southern California. He has spent the last 5yrs also advocating for Independent Venues across America. Joe has insight into what small clubs and larger venues would be expecting from bands eyeing their chance to play at these venues. What should you expect, what does the venue and or the promoter expect of You. How should you be promoting and what will earn you those key opening slots for larger national touring acts.
   

• Daniella DeFrance (artist management, event promoter, talent buyer) – Core Creatives, Lou Lou’s, Music Box, etc.
  Daniella DeFrance is the powerhouse behind Core Creatives, an artist management and events company dedicated to cultivating talent and creating unforgettable live music experiences. With deep roots in the San Diego music scene, she’s also a promoter for Music Box and books shows at various venues across the city. Beyond her work with local artists, Daniella has a hand in the national circuit, booking tours for multiple bands across the country and helping emerging talent navigate the industry. Her expertise spans booking, promoting, artist management, and strategic growth, making her a go-to figure for up-and-coming musicians. 

 

• Shelbi Bennett – Shelbi is a well known local music artist having fronted amazing local Redwood artist, The Midnight Pine. Shelbi is more recently renown for her solo singer songwriter performances and her pumped up electric punk rock with the Havnauts. Sheli is also voice teacher. Shelbi will share her experience in booking her own shows and working with her bands to tour and book shows and the ways she works to keep he fans up to date on her shows and finding ways to bring in new fans.
   

• Ric Scales – Ric is a well respected local hip hop artist. Ric also books and promotes shows and has built a following for his “Slappin Hands” nights at local clubs. Ric works to build community and work with other artists to put on shows and promote them. Ric will lend some wisdom on the trial and tribulations of trying to get venues and spaces to allow hip hop shows and how to promote these events and draw in fans.
   

Panel #2  • Songs and Syncs (to follow panel #1 approx. 12:30pm start)
A conversation about what you need to know to get your work out there; tips and ideas of getting the attention of Music Supervisors, how to build a relationship with regular “soundtrack/ background” or sync work. And maybe more importantly what makes a good song, key elements to songs that get and keep people’s attention.
 

***This panel will have a limited DEMO Listen section where the experts will give feedback on a limited number of pre-submitted songs.
 

Panel #2 Songs and Syncs Panelists

• Josquin Des Pres (Jona Music Group)– Co CEO of Jona Music Group
  Josquin is a composer, songwriter, and producer renowned for his vast contributions to the music industry. Notably, he co-wrote over a dozen songs with Bernie Taupin, known for his work with Elton John. Josquin's collaborations have been covered by global artists. He has also worked alongside Jason Mraz, JAX, Gipsy Kings etc. Additionally, Josquin has produced numerous CDs for major labels (Universal, Warner, RCA, Cargo, MCA, Virgin etc.) His compositions have graced over 40 TV shows globally, including shows like Ellen, Oprah, Anderson Cooper, American Idol, The Bachelor, Miss Universe and numerous shows on MTV, CNN, NBC Universal.
   

• Kevin "K.J." Greene (Professor and Intellectual Property Law Attorney)
  A Yale Law School graduate, Kevin Greene is a prominent professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. His expertise lies in copyright and entertainment law, with a focus on intellectual property. He has worked for prestigious law firms and represented notable clients in the entertainment industry. Greene is sought after as an expert witness in complex copyright cases and has received recognition for his contributions to academia. He frequently presents his work and has appeared in various media outlets. Currently, he is working on a novel that explores the intersection of copyright law and African American music history. 

 

• Timothy Joseph (Songwriter/ multi instrumentalist / Producer/Vocal Producer/Engineer / radio show host)                                       As an award winning songwriter, producer, and recording artist, TJ brings a lifetime of experience to any musical endeavor he participates in.. Recording, playing and touring in bands since his early teens, he possesses a unique perspective on the music business. His songs and bands have been featured in soundtracks for video games, films and commercials. His production work with other artists has gained wide recognition as well. He is an adept producer, excelling across genres, orchestrations, and collaborations. TJ has owned and operated Phaser Control Recording Studio in San Diego since 2012. As a band leader, TJ has learned the ins and outs of what it takes to bring a project to it’s fruition. His current band, miniaturized formed in 2022, has garnered critical and listener acclaim alike for their self-titled debut album. They toured nationally in 2024 opening for Built to Spill and will head out on tour again again in the fall of 2025. TJ also co-hosts and curates Loudspeaker on 91X a San Diego-focused specialty music show dedicated to shining a spotlight on the greater San Diego music scene and the artist who comprise it.

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• Additional Songs and Syncs Panelists to be announced.
   

If time permits at 1:40pm we will have a short Demo Listen session.
 

DEMO Listen Rules – There will be a short demo listen of 5 songs chosen at random at the end of the 2nd panel. Please submit your demos in person on CD or call out a Spotify account and song. Five songs will be chosen. Please submit only ONE song. Choose your best song.

 

Moderated by Lou Niles of 91x Loudspeaker, In Your Neighborhood w. Lou Niles, and the San Diego Music Foundation.

 

Lou Niles has decades experience in the music business as an A&R executive, signed artists to record deals, planned and promoted releases in media and on radio, booked and promoted tours regionally and nationally, has done radio promotion campaigns, is a radio show host, and has also been an artist manager.​​