I’ve had it in my head for a while to do an in-person event. It’s so easy to tune out of online events. In fact, when Tom and I started Music Manumit, the idea was always to do an in-person event. I moved, then moved again, then again, then again (and then two more times but in the same city so not even counting those). And then the pandemic happened.

More to the point though, the first email I sent out about the Midwest Summit was January 21. It’s not a lot of time to plan an event, but I kept the venue small and figured you have to start somewhere.

All of this came in the middle of an existential crisis. Whether that crisis was mine or the CC Music communities or both, I am not entirely sure but out of that crisis we birthed this website. We had to pick a name, etc. It all takes time.

If you are not from the Midwest, you can still join us in Minneapolis on July 13. Tickets are limited (but we are two months out and no one has purchased a ticket, so probably not that limited, eh?)

For now, we are focusing on speakers from the Midwest, but probably some people will not be from the Midwest. The Census Bureau has an official definition of Midwest, and there’s really no reason not to use it:

That said, there is also no reason to adhere to it like it was given to us by God on a stone tablet. Louisville sit in an region called Kentuckiana, because it is literally across the river from Indiana. CC is about sharing anyway, right? In any case, if you are from the coasts or Nashville, maybe come join us but don’t ask for a speaking slot, cool?

Also, the Creative Commons music scene has long had a white male problem. The problem being not so much the white males, but the lack of anyone else. This was very evident when Tom and I were doing Music Manumit. Maybe it’s not really the case anymore, and I am just stuck talking to the same people. There are some new faces, of course, but the fact that someone like Jason Smith from Both Sides of the Surface (bsots) sticks out suggests there is still a problem.

In any case, I am not going to be turning away cis white males that come to me asking for a speaking slot, but I want to encourage trans folks, women, and people of color to speak. Right now, I have half an hour lined up for lightning talks. I think we’ll plan for 5 lightning talks in a half hour, so if you have 5 minutes to show off a musical instrument you made or a cool piece of technology you don’t think people know about or whatever, we can make that happen. Music is supposed to be fun, and a music conference/summit/whatever should be fun too. If you are stressed out, then it’s not going to be fun.

There are probably some things I left out, but I am tired and it is time to get the boys ready for bed, so I am going to call it here. I can always edit the post later…

If you are interested or if you have any questions, drop a comment, email me at doug@blocsonic.com, hit me up on LinkedIn, Facebook, Last.fm, or Mastodon.