Top 100 Must-Follow Music Resources on Twitter, Pt. 8: Festivals and Conferences

by CD Baby | July 19, 2012

They’re crazy-crowded, overwhelming, costly to attend, and utterly exhausting, but music conferences/festivals can also be incredible opportunities for independent artists to network with other bands, bookers, managers, labels, and get their music heard.

Curious which ones are worth your time and money? Wondering which bands and industry experts will be appearing where? Want to stay up to date on featured panel discussions, showcases, and more?

Here are 10 music conferences/festivals you should be following on Twitter.

(Note: These are mostly national or international events, but we also recommend you look into local/regional events for your genre.)

1. SXSW

@sxsw– The SXSW Music Conference and Festival is one of the big-daddy music industry events, taking place each Spring in Austin, TX.

http://sxsw.com

2. NXNE

@nxnefest– Held each June in Toronto, the North By Northeast Music, Film & Interactive Festival and Conference features 800 Bands, 50 Panels, 40 Films.

http://nxne.com/

3. CMJ

@CMJ– The CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is held each fall in NYC and features hundreds of showcases, more than 80 music industry panels, dozens of Film Festival movies, and more.

http://www.cmj.com

4. Folk Alliance

@folkalliance– Dedicated to increasing public awareness of the artistic and cultural importance of folk music and dance, the Folk Alliance Conference is held each February. 2013 will be in Toronto!

http://folk.org

5. Popkomm

@Popkomm- Held annually in Berlin, Germany– Popkomm is the meeting place for the international music business, with showcases, conference, B2B marketplace, and more.

http://www.popkomm.com

6. Midem

@midem- Get year-round tweets from midem, the annual event held on the coast of France (26-29 Jan 2013, Cannes) where artists, technology and brands are connected by music.

http://www.midem.com/

7. NAMM

@NAMMShow– NAMM is the meeting place (in Anaheim, CA) for musical instrument and product manufacturers and retailers from around the world.

http://www.namm.org

8. NACA

@THENACA- NACA is an organization that helps to advance campus activities in higher education. The NACA Convention can be a great chance to score some lucrative college gigs!

http://www.naca.org

9. Winter Music Conference

@wmctweets– They don’t tweet all that often, but the Winter Music Conference is worth following for when the annual party kicks back into full swing. Now in its 27th year, WMC attracts thousands of artists (with a heavy focus on electronic music) and industry delegates from over 70 countries for events, parties, seminars, and workshops.

http://wintermusicconference.com/

10. MusicfestNW

@MusicFestNW– Well, CD Baby is based in Portland, Oregon– so we have to play hometown favorites on one of these festivals! MusicFestNW takes place in Portland each September, featuring national and international artists, as well as regional acts from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

http://musicfestnw.com

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There are hundreds of great music festivals every year, so I’m sure we missed a few good ones. Let us know which conferences/festivals you follow on Twitter in the comments section below.