Panel Discussions: State Of The Industry ... The Record Labels' Perspective

Monday, April 30, 10 - 11:30 AM, during the Opening Session & Annual Meeting

You heard about the state of the industry from the retail perspective during the last NARM convention. At this session, we'll take a look at the state of the industry from the suppliers perspective. Billboard Magazine's Scott McKenzie will lead the heads of the distribution companies and some of their labels in a focused discussion of the challenges, opportunities and short- and long-term outlook for their companies and the industry at large.

	Richard Bengloff, A2IM Prior to becoming President of A2IM in January of 2007, Richard Bengloff spent much of his career in the music and entertainment industry, having served in various capacities at Sony Corporation of America - Vice President of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; Vice President of Finance and Administration at Relativity Records/R.E.D. Distribution; and Vice President of Distribution Operations for Sony Music Distribution. He then joined Elektra Entertainment Group to become Senior VP/CFO, where, in addition to the traditional financial role, his responsibilities included pricing strategies and management of marketing spending priorities and new technology implementation. In 2005, he became the WNYC Radio's VP of Finance and Administration and CFO.
	Mike Dungan, Capitol Nashville Since 2000, Mike Dungan has been President and CEO of Capitol Records Nashville. It is under his direction that new artists such as Keith Urban, Chris Cagle, Cyndi Thomson, and Dierks Bentley have enjoyed solid career breakthroughs, while catalog artists such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Trace Adkins have enjoyed a resurgence of fame. Dungan has worked in the music business since he was 16 years old. In 1979, RCA Records hired him as its Pop music promotion representative for Cincinnati. There, he was instrumental in developing radio success for new artists Rick Springfield and Bruce Hornsby. In 1990, he moved to Arista/Nashville to be Director of Sales and Marketing for the label. He was rapidly promoted to the rank of Vice President, and, in 1997, to Senior Vice President and General Manager.
	John Esposito, WEA Corp. John Esposito is President and CEO of WEA Corp., Warner Music Group's U.S. sales and retail marketing company. In this role, Esposito oversees WEA's sales and marketing activities, distribution, and global management and distribution of WMG's digital assets. He also oversees WMG's Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), the music industry's leading distributor of independent record labels; WMG's "incubators," Asylum and East West Records; and the groundbreaking digital-only label, Cordless Recordings. Esposito joined WMG from The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) where, as General Manager/Executive Vice President, he managed the company's day-to-day operational activities. Prior to IDJ, Esposito held a variety of executive positions at PolyGram, Inc., and The Wiz retail chain.
	Jordan Katz, Sony BMg Music Entertainment In January of this year, Jordan Katz was named President of U.S. Sales of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, where he is in charge of all U.S. physical sales accounts. He and his team work closely with the company's labels both on day-to-day and strategic physical sales activities, as well as with the U.S. Digital Sales team on joint initiatives. Previously, Katz served as President of Sony BMG Music Entertainment Sales Enterprise since 2004. Immediately prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of BMG Distribution. From 1999 to 2004, he was Senior Vice President of Sales, Arista Records, where he oversaw the sales team and was a key member of Arista's executive team. At Arista, he held a number of sales and retail marketing positions since joining the label in 1987 as an intern.
	Diarmuid Quinn, Warner Bros. Records Diarmuid Quinn is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Records. Quinn’s career began in CBS Records’ college department. He has held a number of high-ranking positions with the marketing departments at MCA, Columbia, Hollywood and The Work Group. Quinn has worked with artists such as Harry Connick Jr., Barbra Streisand, Queen, Jennifer Lopez, Fiona Apple, and Green Day, among many others.
	Richard Sanders, RCA Records Richard Sanders is Executive Vice President and General Manager of RCA Records. He started his music business career selling t-shirts and later graduated into tour accounting and road management. After leaving the road he booked the legendary Heavy Metal club L’Amour and was responsible for signing acts like Metallica, Twisted Sister, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. He then turned his attention towards management and founded Loud and Proud Management and Shohola Music, his publishing company. In a sudden career shift, he left management and joined Arista Records as the Head of Artist Development. Sanders left Arista for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Richard Branson in founding V2 Records. As the President of North America for V2 Records he guided the label toward their dominance in electronic music, culminating in the 8 million-selling “Play” by Moby. Wishing to hone his skills at the major label level, he left V2 for his current position at RCA Records.
	Jim Urie, Universal Music Group Distribution Jim Urie is President of Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), where he oversees the activities and business strategies of UMGD, the sales and distribution arm of the Universal Music Group and UMGD Visual Entertainment, and Fontana Distribution, which is UMGD's newest venture. He first joined the company in August 1996 as Executive Vice President and General Manager, and then assumed the role of President in August 1999 and has since led UMGD to record-breaking success. In 2005, he was named one of 20 music industry innovators, alongside such luminaries as Steve Jobs and Jimmy Iovine. UMGD has garnered many awards, including being named the National Association of Recording Merchandisers' Distributor of the Year three years in a row. Prior to leading UMGD, Urie first worked for CBS Records, later moving to PolyGram Records, and joining Arista Records where he worked alongside President Clive Davis to build the careers of many great stars.
	Amaechi Uzoigwe, Definitive Jux Over the course of hi long-running career in the independent music business, Amaechi Uzoigwe has launched a highly successful record label, a recording studio, an artist management company, and most recently, World's Fair, a forward-thinking artist and label management boutique. While initially a filmmaker by trade, Uzoigwe jumped head first into the world of music after striking up a close friendship with the enigmatic MC/Producer EL-P. In 1994, Uzoigwe co-founded the artist management company, Ozone Entertainment, and soon began managing EL-P's first group, the hugely influential and fiercely independent Company Flow. Together Amaechi and EL-P founded Definitive Jux Records in 2000. With World's Fair, Uzoigwe and partners oversee the careers of the Flaming Lips, EL-P, Devendra Banhart, Beans, Britich Sea Power, and more.
	Ronn Werre, EMI Music Marketing Ronn Werre is President of EMI Music Marketing (EMM), overseeing physical and digital sales and distribution for EMI Music North America and its labels, including Capital, Capitol Nashville, The Blue Note Label Group, EMI Televisa and Virgin. He also leads EMI's Catalogue Division, which includes the Artist and Brand licensing initiative. Werre started with EMI in 1998 as Vice President of Major Accounts. Prior to joining EMI, he held several posts in sales and marketing with Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company, Quaker Oats and Campbell's.

The Experience With Chaka Khan: Artist Interview And Performance
 
To see the industry from the artist's point-of-view, come experience "The Experience," a series of  interviews between Chicago music guru Dedry Jones and selected artists that will allow attendees to ask questions of the artists about their careers, interests, and latest releases. In past interviews, these conversations have marked the beginning of long-lasting relationships between the artists and their fans. The interviews will be followed by brief performances. Jones, who started "The Experience" in 2002, is a 17-year music industry veteran who, in addition to owning  The Music Experience, a Chicago-based retail outlet, is an active voice for urban retailers worldwide.

Interview with Chaka Khan
Tuesday, May 1, 6-8 PM

“This was the best promotion that was done for me for the entire year.” - Will Downing

“Child, this is like the Actor's Studio - only more fun.” - Patti Labelle

Dedry Jones

Chaka Khan

NPD Consumer Research Presentation: Exposure To Acquisition: What Motivates The Consumer

Monday, April 30, 2 - 2:45 PM

Russ Crupnick is President of NPD Music, the music information division of The NPD Group. He has 21 years of experience in the development, management and application of consumer tracking panels. Prior to joining The NPD Group, Crupnick worked at ACNielsen, where he held various positions, including VP/Group Director of the Homescan Consumer Panel Unit and VP/Director within Nielsen's Category Management team. Crupnick has extensive background in targeting systems using GIS and geodemography, as well as experience in brand-positioning research.
  

Russ Crupnick
   

Monday, April 30, 2:45 - 3:30 PM

Chris Muratore joined SoundScan in 1994 and currently serves as Director of Retail Relations & Research Services for Nielsen Entertainment. He is responsible for securing and maintaining agreements with all retailers, including Internet, digital and mobile data providers, and for collecting weekly data for the Nielsen "Scan" businesses in the United States, Canada and internationally - products that include Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen VideoScan, Nielsen BookScan, Nielsen SoundScan International and, most recently, Nielsen RingScan, which tracks the sales of all ringtone purchases made by consumers through their cell phones. Prior to joining SoundScan, Muratore was Advertising Coordinator for Trans World Entertainment.

Rob Sisco is President of Nielsen Music and Chief Operating Officer of Nielsen Entertament East Coast Operations. Prior to joining Nielsen Entertainment, Sisco was VP of Marketing Services for Fairwest Direct, a company specializing in database-driven direct-marketing programs. Sisco began his radio career in San Diego in 1975. He later became assistant program direcor at 99X in New York City, part of the legendary RKO chain. In 1979 at the age of 21, he became the youngest major market program director in America when he was appointed to WPEZ-FM (now WWSW-FM) in Pittsburgh. He served as program director at K-101 in San Francisco and Program amd Operations Director at KMGI/KIXI in Seattle.

Chris Muratore

Rob Sisco

"Extend Your Reach" — Alliance Entertainment's WEB AMI Interactive Presentation

For Indie Retailers Only

Monday, April 30, 3:30 - 4 PM

Enhance your store’s special order business by learning to use Alliance Entertainment’s WEB AMI Interactive B2B resource, the definitive special order tool. See why retailers who have used WEB AMI in their stores have realized increased special order business. Using WEB AMI, your store can extend its Music & DVD in-store footprint “virtually,” with no extra costs or added inventory.

Ken Glaser, Alliance Entertainment Corp.
Ken Glaser, Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing, Independent Retail Division, has been with Alliance Entertainment for 16 years. Beginning his career in retail and then moving on to wholesale distribution in 1991 with Bassin Distributors, Glaser has held various sales management positions within the Alliance organization. In his current position, his goal is to continue to garner support for the independent retail community while also identifying opportunities AEC’s independent retail partners can use to grow their business.

Ken Glaser

Best Practices: Making The Most Of Your E-mail Lists

Monday, April 30, 4 - 4:30 PM

Hear how savvy music retailers are developing or improving their direct-response programs. Whether you have a shoestring budget or deep pockets, you’ll benefit from these best practices for growing your e-mail list and reaching your customers. Following the session, the “E-mail Diva” will answer your questions, one-on-one.

Melinda Krueger, Krueger Direct/Interactive
Melinda Krueger is a nationally-recognized expert in the field of e’mail marketing. As the E-mail Diva, she writes a weekly advice column for the E-mail Insider, published by MediaPost. As the head of Krueger Direct/Interactive, she helps companies develop and improve their e-mail marketing programs and other interactive initiatives. Clients include Miller Brewing, Harley Davidson and Trek Bicycles. She holds an MBA from Marquette University and is a frequent speaker for business schools and professional organizations. 

Melinda Krueger

NARM is pleased to offer the following special programming for our indie members.

Sign-up for the Speed Dating, Mentoring, and the Merchandise Mart is required; to do so, contact Evelyn Dichter at 800.365.6276 or dichter@narm.com.

Speed Dating: One-On-One Meetings
Sunday, April 29, 1-4 PM
The ever-popular pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings are your chance to discover and develop new business contacts. Pastparticipants have called these brief meetings (10 minutes each) the most efficient and productive meetings of the Convention.

Indie Retail Mentoring And Meet & Greet
Sunday, April 29, 4-5 PM and throughout
Are you an independent retailer who is new to the NARM Convention? For the first time this year, we're working with our loyal indie retail membership to help mentor new retail members and welcome them to the fold. Starting on Sunday, April 29, from 4-5 PM with the Indie Mentoring Meet & Greet, you'll be paired up with a NARM indie veteran for introductions, NARM etiquette, and a discussion of industry ins and outs. Then, your mentors will guide you through the Convention to help you make the most of the meeting, networking and new business opportunities that NARM is famous for.

Field Trip: Chicago Merchandise Mart
Wednesday, May 2, 12:30-3 PM
NARM invites all indie retailers to join us on a tour of Chicago's Merchandise Mart, the largest trade center in the world. The tour will take you through gift wholesale showrooms, and expose you to alternative specialty and lifestyle products to sell in your stores. Come prepared to do business - bring your credit information and business cards. NARM will provide transportation to the Chicago Merchandise Mart.

If you have a seminar idea or would like to participate on a panel, contact Susan L'Ecuyer, NARM's VP of Communications, at 856.596.2221 or lecuyer@narm.com.