Hundreds of GRAMMY U members excitedly gathered at Riverside Revival in Nashville for the annual GRAMMY U Fall Summit. Presented by Mastercard, the two-night summit offered networking and educational opportunities, as well as several performances.
The 2024 Fall Summit kicked off on Sept. 30 with a networking mixer and performance showcase featuring Nashville-based artists Bekah and Josh of Girl Named Tom, as well as Keearah and Mille Manny, the latter of whom are GRAMMY U members from Tennessee State University. Following the performances, attendees participated in a curated networking mixer with notable mentors from the Recording Academy, Mastercard, Amazon Music, and other organizations. This colorful evening also included a Y2K-themed photo activation and a Mastercard sensory experience that left attendees excited to return for the next night.
The second day of the Summit began with the #Trendsetters panel, a conversation in which industry marketing professionals discussed the past, present, and future of album marketing.
Afterward, GRAMMY-nominated artists Charli XCX and Troye Sivan took the stage to kick off "From Concept To Culture," the keynote panel. In collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan discussed how their pop culture disruption connects with their commitment to authenticity through songwriting and collaboration.
Read on for five takeaways from this year’s GRAMMY U Fall Summit in Nashville, presented by Mastercard and in collaboration with participating sponsor Amazon Music.
All photos by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images
Embrace Your Individuality To Create Successful Collaborations
Troye Sivan (L) and Charli XCX (R) speaking at the 2024 GRAMMY U Fall Summit
During their joint SWEAT Tour, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan discussed how they embrace their individuality as solo artists in the midst of artist collaboration and touring.
Sivan and Charli said their songwriting journeys have grown exponentially. For his part, Sivan has continued to trust his gut when it comes to songwriting, embracing both individuality and feeling. "Make what you love," Charli echoed Troye’s sentiment, adding that they no longer write music in a "commercial style."
Sivan said his and Charli’s individual "manifest[ations of] different versions of pop music" are exciting individually, but become even more so as they intertwine during their national joint tour. Sivan described this collaboration as "the collision of worlds," recounting how their individual sounds complement each other when brought together on tracks like "Talk Talk."
The key to staying open-minded in any collaboration is "letting yourself be moved and really zoning in on something magical," Sivan said. That ability to hear and trust new ideas has led to fruitful collaborations with touring partner Charli.
Change The Narrative By Being Authentic
Charli XCX
The second day of the GRAMMY U Fall Summit, held simultaneously as Music Advocacy Day 2024, highlighted the importance of authenticity, a prominent topic amid the rise of AI’s role in music creation.
"[I’m] all for new tools, but there will always be people who exploit new tools," Charli XCX said. Both she and Sivan described AI as a potential musical instrument, rather than something to fear. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools can lower barriers in music, empowering anyone to create and express themselves.
Moving beyond AI’s use in music production, the pair also discussed the importance of authenticity in songwriting. Both GRAMMY-nominated artists’ originality and honesty has not only transformed pop culture, but also made safe spaces for fellow songwriters.
To Be A #Trendsetter, Define The Artist’s Vision
Erich Buchi, Fred Rubenstein, Bri Small and Nathan Pyle during #Trendsetters panel
The GRAMMY U Fall Summit kicked off with an insightful marketing panel featuring industry executives reflecting on how to create impactful music marketing campaigns.
During the #Trendsetters panel, esteemed marketing experts Erica Buchi, VP of Marketing Partners at mtheory LLC; Fred Rubenstein, VP of Digital Marketing at Sony Music Nashville; and Bri Small, Director of Digital Content Strategy & Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville discussed how to create innovative music marketing strategies that captivate audiences and disrupt the pop culture landscape. Moderated by Nathan Pyle, Director of Operations at Songfluencer, the panel also included discussion about influencers, experiential marketing and fan engagement.
The panelists discussed their experiences working with artists to ignite their creative personality. Buchi described her position at mtheory LLC as being "very artist-centric," keeping the artists’ creative visions in mind as campaigns are curated.
"We get to help steward along these artists' great work, and there's a load of responsibility with that, but there's also the lean-in that we can provide to help realize their vision," Sony Music Nashville’s Rubenstein said.
Network With A Purpose
Bekah and Josh of Girl Named Tom
Following the success of the curated speed networking session at the 2024 GRAMMY U Conference in New York, the Fall Summit in Nashville curated a similar networking opportunity. Attendees gathered at various mentor stations to meet and learn from esteemed professionals including Todd Dupler (Chief Advocacy & Public Policy Officer, Recording Academy), Latoya Bennett-Johnson (Vice President of Global Sponsorships, Mastercard), Sarah DeMarco (Label Relations, Country, Christian & Gospel at Amazon Music), and Jon Blass (Mixing Engineer and Recording Academy Board Member).
"It was incredible to see GRAMMY U members so driven to get to know the mentors and each other," said Della Anderson, GRAMMY U National Membership Representative, who led the networking mixer. "It can be intimidating to network with people you don’t know, but respect so much. I thought this type of experience, where members have a limited time to connect and had to move on to the next mentor, was valuable because it allowed them to discover different types of people in the industry and network with a purpose."
After the networking session, members stayed and mingled in between performance acts and returned the following night eager to continue connecting with their new industry contacts.
Immerse Yourself For A Rewarding Experience
GRAMMY U Reps Ily Aguilar, Samantha Kopec and Jim Slife at the Mastercard Photo Activation┃Photo Courtesy of GRAMMY U
Summit attendees explored various activations throughout the venue. These immersive and "Instagrammable" activations allowed attendees to experience the moment from many perspectives.
Mastercard's red-and-orange infinity photo booth and ambient candle-ladden courtyard setup enabled attendees to activate all their senses. GRAMMY U members could also try some of Mastercard’s signature cocktails — the Passion and the Optimism — and enjoy these refreshing tastes as they mingled with other attendees. The setup of the event also included an immersive stage, which had an otherworldly look set with neon pink and green pieces; the Y2K photo corner featured a bright pink inflatable couch, tying into the SWEAT Tour Y2K style.
GRAMMY U members were also interviewed on GRAMMY U Live!, which allowed members tuning in virtually to hear another perspective of what was happening in real time and gave attendees their own moment in the spotlight.
The GRAMMY U Fall Summit was jam-packed with as much excitement as there were learning and networking opportunities. Rewatch the #Trendsetters marketing-focused panel HERE and the keynote panel with Charli XCX and Troye Sivan HERE.