Q&A: Scott Mesiti discusses Sydney’s new music summit, AMW

Sydney is getting a new music festival and conference summit.Australian Music Week is running at Cronulla Beach during November 18-22, and the team is looking for fresh talent to perform at the live part of the event.

Featuring panels, master classes, celebrity interviews, breakout sessions, workshops and live showcases, AMW is targeted at industry executives, recording professionals, artists and music fans, with a focus on the business of global music.

Scott Mesiti, Festival Director of AMW and Director of MJR Presents, chats to TMN about what he looks for in new talent, how the idea of AMW came about, and his hopes for the summit.

Who are the team behind AMW?
We have a great team with very complimenting skill sets, and we've all had over 10-15 years experience in the music industry, events and festivals.

Our team is:
Geoff Trio (Festival Director)
Scott Mesiti (Festival Director)
Karen-Lee Goody (Marketing & Brand Partner)
Jonathan Howell (Conference Manager)
Ryan Van Gennip (Production Manager)

How did the idea for AMW come about, and what influenced it?
It's the brainchild of Geoff Trio. Geoff is from Cronulla and really passionate about the area. He approached me about the idea a few years ago and I kept saying no due to the amount of work involved. He recently caught me at the right moment and we built the team from there. The main reason is that we felt Sydney could really do with it's own conference/event, there's a lot of Australia's industry based in Sydney so it makes it easy to attend as speakers and see bands perform.

What are you looking for in up-and-coming acts?

We're looking for any artists who is playing live and feel they are ready showcase in front of Australia's music Industry. As with any of these events, while we hope to have some immediate success stories, a lot of these acts will have a chance to network and create ongoing relationships that will be crucial to their career.

What will festival-goers be learning in the workshops/masterclasses?

We have plenty in store covering a range of different topics. If you're a self-managed artist or would like to a career in the industry, you'll have a chance to hear Australia's topindustry professionals cover topics such as playing live, festivals, record labels, publishing and a whole lot more. We have a great line up of speakers that we'll announce next week.

Is AMW comparable to Brisbane's Bigsound or Melbourne's Face The Music?

They are similar in the way they are set up but we definitely have a point of difference. Big Sound has amazing international focus for artists that already have a lot going on. We are focused on the tier of artist underthat the focus is in all kinds of Australian Music, from Rock, Pop, Indie to Blues, Country and World music

What do you hope that AMW will achieve as a team?

As cliché as it may sound, we really just want to achieve a successful gathering in celebrating music. We'd love to help facilitate future relationship and partnerships between our industry professionals and our most up and coming artists, aspiring managers, agents, labels etc. On top of that, it's a great opportunity to see the faces of many friends we on see on email day to day.

When can we expect more details about the AMW event? (I.e. When will the line up drop?)

We have a heap of announcements plans for the next month. The conference goes on sale and applications are open next Wednesday 8th July. Be sure to check out ourwebsite for more details!