OUR NEXT WORKSHOP DATE & TIME: Saturday, March 21, 2026, 11am

WHERE: Rock & Roll San Diego, 3360 Sports Arena Blvd (off Kurtz Street)

 

TICKETS: Registration RSVP is required; seating is first come first serve.
To attend the workshop, CLICK HERE

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Join us at Rock & Roll San Diego on March 21
for Two Music Business Education Panels​​

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11:15am-12:15pm
Booking events and tours: locally and regionally building your following to support your release, and vice versa 

Talent buyers, bands, and managers give advice on how to properly go about booking your shows, locally and regionally. We will also talk about what to have prepared, what is expected of you and how to get on those coveted national act opening slots.

 

Panelists include:

Pete McDevitt (National Talent Buyer, The Belly-Up Tavern, The Sound, and various venues) Pete McDevitt is a veteran talent buyer and booking agent for the renowned Belly-Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California. He plays a key role in booking national acts for the venue, having joined the team after previously booking at the Blue Note in Columbia, Missouri. Pete also books numerous venues around San Diego with The Belly Up Presents, placing events into venues such as The Sound, The Music Box, Frontwave Arena, and various festivals. McDevitt is also active in local venue advocacy related to the Save Our Stages movement.

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John Cooper (Redlight Management, Allen Stone, Switchfoot, etc.) Born and raised in San Diego, John Cooper fell into the music industry nearly 25 years ago. Starting in the mail room shipping tee shirts to finding himself out on the road in arenas and amphitheaters at the age of 18, he was immediately thrown into the fire and exposed to all that the music world had to offer. The good bad and the ugly. Throughout his 20’s, Cooper played in and fronted several San Diego based bands and dove headlong into taking advantage of every opportunity presented. Selling out shows within San Diego, touring, playing alongside idols and even writing songs for TV and films. For the past 10 years, John has found himself in the world of management, working for Red Light Management on a long list of marquee clients. The experiences of getting out on the road at a young age, playing in bands have all given him a unique and well rounded perspective on the industry.

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Tyler Dingvell and Buddy Donner (Glory or Death Records, and Great Electric Quest) If your heart beats to the sound of fuzzed-out riffs, thunderous grooves, and the raw soul of underground rock, then welcome home. Glory or Death Records, straight outta Oceanside, California, is here to melt faces and spin wax like it’s a sacred ritual. Founded in 2016 by three die-hard rock disciples — Buddy Donner, Jeff Wilson, and Tyler “T-Sweat” Dingvell — Glory or Death was born with one mission: to champion the hardest-working, loudest, and most genuine bands in the underground. Bands such as Mos Generator, Formula 400, and Sea of Snakes and many others. Glory or Death isn’t just a record label. It’s a community. A movement. A loud, sweaty, riff-fueled cult built for those who still believe in rock and roll as a way of life. Live gloriously or die trying.

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12:30-1:30pm
Recording Your E.P., Album, or Demo 

Artist, studio owners, and producers give advice on How to prepare yourself for recording. How to plan and be prepared so as not to waste time and money. What to expect from a studio, an engineer, a producer. What to expect from yourself and the rest of your band, hired musicians, and team. Do you need help with certain instrumentation and expert studio players for certain songs? Do you need preproduction? What is your goal and what should you expect to budget for time, and money?

 

Panelists include:

Joe Marlett - Two-time Grammy-nominated Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Songwriter. Joe Marlett has been producing records for over two decades. Starting out in the San Diego scene in the mid 90’s, engineering in local studios with legendary acts like Blink-182(Take Off Your Pants and Jacket), Switchfoot, and Fenix TX. In 2001, Joe made the move to Los Angeles recording with heavyweights such as Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Seal, Destiny’s Child, Relient K, and many more. His talent and versatility caught fire, and soon his name was buzzing across the border into Mexico and overseas to Spain, UK and Morocco.  From Unwritten Law, Angels and Airwaves, The Bronx, and Jewel to collaborating with members of Nine Inch Nails, New Found Glory, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joe’s discography is a testament to his genre-spanning prowess. 
 

Ben Moore (Singing Serpent) At 18 years old, Ben Moore walked into a recording studio and never left. Sometimes engineering, sometimes producing, sometimes mixing, and often all of the above. Ben currently haunts the halls of the Singing Serpent recording studio complex in San Diego California where he manages the studio and makes records.

Ben’s clients include Hot Snakes, Rocket From The Crypt, Burt Bacharach, Ravi & Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam), Diamonda Galas, Angels & Airwaves, Metz, Pinback, Switchfoot, Drive Like Jehu, Kris Kristopherson, The Damned, The Expendables, Gregory Page, Berkeley Hart, Ron Blair (Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers), Wage War, Kasha's Out, Eek-a-mouse, Rob Crow, Finch, Fattburger, Buck-o-nine, Weatherbox, Gilbert Castellanos, Plosivs, Karl Denson, Cindy Lee Berryhill, and hundreds more over the last 30 years.

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TJ aka Timothy Joseph (Phaser Control) As an award winning songwriter, producer, and recording artist, TJ brings a lifetime of experience to any musical endeavor he participates in. His production work with other artists has gained wide recognition as well. TJ has owned and operated Phaser Control Recording Studio in San Diego since 2012. A one of a kind class A recording studio designed by renowned studio builder, Rod Gervais.. Notable collaborations include The War on Drugs, Descendents, Death Cab for Cutie, Peter Murphy, The Offspring, The Shins, Manchester Orchestra, Super Furry Animals, Louis XIV, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and many more. As a band leader, TJ has learned the ins and outs of what it takes to bring a project to it’s fruition. 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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Jordan Krimston (various productions, Band Argument, Jordan Krimston, Oso Oso, Weatherbox, Say Anything). Jordan Krimston is a musician and producer who has been touring since 2014, with international experience performing across the United States, Europe, and Japan. He plays in touring bands such as Oso Oso, Say Anything, The Obsessives, and Weatherbox, and has appeared at major festivals including Lollapalooza, Pitchfork Music Festival, and Riot Fest. Jordan is also a producer based out of Singing Serpent Studios, where he works with artists including Benches, Foxtide, Somme, Omo Cloud, The Band Cope, Band Argument, and more.

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Panel Moderator: Lou Niles Co Host, producer, and curator of 91x Loudspeaker. Lou was a part of Loudspeaker when it started in 1988 as a segment on the legendary new music show, “Listen To This”. From 1990 through 1996, Niles hosted 91X's Loudspeaker show when he left for L.A. to work in the industry. After returning from Los Angeles to San Diego, in 2004, Niles and his wife started Love Machine Films and he began a web series and event series called In Your Neighborhood with Lou Niles. They help run the Oceanside International Film Festival since 2018 where Niles is executive director. He returned to Loudspeaker in 2014 and is currently a Co-Host and Producer alongside TJ. Lou started in College Radio in New York in 1986 and has been Director and Vice President of A&R at an independent label partially owned by William Morris. He has been on the San Diego Music Foundation board since 2015. Niles was one of the first to airplay demo tapes from Jewel, Blink-182, P.O.D. and Steve Poltz. He managed numerous independent artists tours in the early 90’s through the mid 2000’s. He also managed several local artists including Inch and Rochelle, Rochelle. Lou also has experience in music publishing and radio promotion.

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DEMO LISTEN

A panel of experts give feedback on your song; Lou Niles, John Cooper, and others.

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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.