More instructors. More subjects. More opportunities to learn, grow, and connect with the music industry.
We’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world, learning from independent artists and industry professionals alike. A common thread in these conversations? While there are countless people with talent across the musical landscape, talent is only part of the equation.
The modern creative landscape makes being an independent artist so much more complex than write-record-release-perform-succeed-repeat. Embarking upon a career in the music industry requires us to challenge ourselves in new and evolving ways. We must learn how to communicate our messages, foster genuine relationships, and create opportunities. Building a career as an independent creative means keeping an open mind to possibility, a willingness to learn new skills, and the ability work in community with others moving in a similar fashion.
We’ve built that community — and it’s full of professionals who are ready to equip you with everything you need, as you scale the mountain toward your creative destiny!
Introducing UMC Academy 2.0
Our revamped UMC Academy gives you the power to build your own curriculum, based on your needs at this point of your creative journey. Our Faculty is skilled, well-versed, and successful in a variety of disciplines across the entertainment landscape — and they’re here to pay their knowledge forward!
Each UMC Academy Faculty member gives you the option to join them on a free discovery call, giving you the opportunity to share what you’re working on, while helping them understand how they can best serve you. From there, you and your Faculty member work together to decide your best path forward, developing a roadmap for greater success and visibility in the greater creative landscape.
Click the image below to meet our new UMC Academy Faculty!
A New Year has begun, and with it, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to connect with the music industry (and the creative world at large) throughout 2026.
We have seen first-hand that venturing out into the world and exploring the greater creative landscape can be transformative, leading to new ideas, partnerships, and collaborations that will elevate not only your creative platform, but those of the people around you. Not to mention, traveling gives you an opportunity to see new places, meet new people, and create unforgettable experiences.
With that, we’re here to give you a list of some of our favorite music industry conferences and festivals that will be well worth your time to check out in 2026.
You know about this one, right? Going strong since 1987, SXSW is the crossroads where creatives from all over the world come together to push creativity, technology, and society forward. Music is still very much a core component of the annual conference and festival.
The networking opportunities at SXSW — and all throughout Austin that week — are second to none. In our travels last year, we connected with so many new friends and collaborators whom either led to or enhanced our involvement in some of the other events on this list. If you’re looking for a tone-setter to kick your year into overdrive, this is the one!
A brand-new conference from the folks at Jump Global, Hits Home bills itself as “your space to reconnect — with the music, the mission, and the community that makes it all possible.” While speakers and schedule details are still forthcoming, the conference promises an alternative approach, pledging to“feature people and perspectives instead of topic-specific panels” alongside surprise moments peppered throughout the experience. Color us intrigued!
This also fills an important need in the Nashville landscape. With Music Biz migrating to Atlanta last year (and with other planned locations in the works), Nashville was left without a music conference that isn’t genre-specific. Hits Home has the potential to become Music City’s signature industry event.
Now in its second year as the re-imagined Canadian Music Week, Departure presents an opportunity to learn everything there is to know about the music industry North of the Border. The conference’s programming continues to expand, with seven planned conference tracks spanning music, technology, marketing, and more. Speakers at last year’s conference included Bryan Adams, Shaggy, Lindsay Ell, Chantal Kreviazuk, and many more.
In similar fashion to its U.S.-based cousin, SXSW London provides a global stage for the creators driving society forward. Based in Shoreditch in the heart of East London, this event (and the city in which its based) provides you and your music a gateway to the other side of Planet Earth, as well as an opportunity to discover new artists and iconic venues.
Musikfest (Bethlehem, PA) July 31-August 9 (Conference Aug. 2-4)
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival (and the pride and joy of our original hometown)!
Now in its 43rd year, Musikfest features close to 500 free performances by independent artists from over the world, as well as a full slate of renowned headliners every year. This year also marks the return of the Musikfest Music Industry Conference, a three-day opportunity to network, learn, and connect within the music industry. (Did we mention that we’re already planning to be involved?)
Heading a bit further into Ontario, this three-day, all-indie festival has become a staple of our year. A community-grown effort started by Russ and Valerie Robson, Gussapolooza features three stages, a vendor and artisan village, educational opportunities, on-site camping, and plenty of opportunities to connect before, during, and after festival hours. Not to mention, the lineup always provides a healthy sampling of North America’s hungriest, most talented independent artists. Our summer simply wouldn’t be complete without this one!
The Queen City is alive with arts and culture, and Confluence does an excellent job bringing the region’s top creative minds together to explore the many gems Charlotte has to offer. Of course, this occurs within the greater context of music industry education, with Charlotte’s reputation as a financial powerhouse playing a key role in helping independent artists and other changemakers move toward building sustainable careers.
NOLA MusiCon (New Orleans, LA) Dates TBD (Late October)
For the past two years, NOLA MusiCon has served as our grand tour finale. You can bet that we’ll be back again for the third consecutive year!
NOLA MusiCon brings professionals from across the musical world to the Big Easy. Attendees have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the city’s unique culture while learning from some of the best and brightest the industry has to offer. Overall, NOLA MusiCon combines New Orleans’ rich cultural heritage with the latest industry knowledge, all while advocating for a richer and more diverse music ecosystem.
Previous speakers include Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Dawn Richard, Samantha Fish, Todd Rundgren, and many more.
We exist in a music industry that seeks to convince artists and consumers alike that efficiency and optimization matter more than truth; that creating as a means to an end is more important than the sanctity of the creative process itself.
For years, the industry-prescribed blueprint for artist success has been as follows: Chase trends. Go viral. Write and record the music that we know will sell, regardless of what *you* want to pursue creatively. Oh, and get those social and streaming numbers up. Otherwise, we won’t take you seriously, and we won’t even have a productive conversation with you in the first place.
Oh, and that’s not even getting into all of this AI stuff. Personally, I’m not against AI as a companion tool to enhance your business processes. For example, if you need something to help optimize your email marketing process, so you can get back to what you’re *actually* here to create – and you can’t afford to hire a human – it’s reasonable to delegate that work to your hypervirtual assistant. In that case, you’ll free up time to focus on your piece of this – the creation itself.
However, this notion that AI could somehow *replace* the artist – that, for the sake of optimization, it can and should be used to generate music, images, video, and tell the stories that human artists have been telling for centuries – is a slap to the collective face of creators everywhere. The art that inspires us (and whose data exists within these servers to be replicated, not duplicated, and certainly never improved upon) was created from genuine human experiences by living creative beings. Each song, image, novel, or film tells the story of the individual moment and its own unique conditions – events that can only truly be experienced alongside other living things, and the world in which we live.
But, I digress…
The over-optimization of the creative process – where the focus is not on connection, but consumption – is at odds with the innovative spirit of the independent artist. Straighten up, fly right, and do what we say… or we’ll just find the next person who will, and you’ll be left fighting Spotify for fractions of a cent with all of your other aUtHeNtIc, oRiGiNaL indie buddies.
Feels hopeless, doesn’t it? Especially when you consider that those who put this structure in place are also the ones who hold the cards…
…under this model of the industry.
We need an alternative.
The industry is in dire need of people with fresh ideas. The artists have them. They’re the ones who have observed from the bottom of the totem pole for as long as there has been a music industry. They’re crafty, resourceful, and they know what it takes to persevere and keep going. They’ve also seen everything that’s wrong with this version of the music industry, and therefore, have the best perspective on how to make it better.
Artists understand business. They understand that, to build your passion into a career, it takes more than just talent, good looks, or a viral moment. It takes waking up every morning – sometimes after a long night – and putting in consistent effort over years. Decades, even. It takes balancing the creative process with other jobs, school, business responsibilities, relationships, family obligations, and their own checkbooks. It means a lot of trial and error; each time they get something wrong, big or small, they must learn to trust themselves all over again, and strive to get it just a little more right the next time.
You want dedication? You want commitment? You want someone who has meticulously developed a versatile skillset? Someone who is going to keep working, and who will keep getting back up every time they’re knocked down? Look to your local independent artist. A savvy one is the best business partner you could ever have.
Oh… and did I mention that they’re the reason we even *have* an industry in the first place? There is no art without artists. And there certainly wouldn’t be any AI slop without them, either.
The artists deserve seats at the table, and we all need to hear what they have to say.
As we head into 2026, Underground Music Collective pledges to provide a forum for these artists. Through our multimedia content, live experiences, expanding suite of Artistpreneur services, and travels to music industry events across multiple continents, we will elevate our creative community to have their music and their voices heard around the musical world.
Here in Nashville, 2026 also provides an opportunity to enhance our ability to serve the local community with our own dedicated physical creation spaces. Updates on that project are expected soon.
Thank you for making 2025, without question, our Best Year Ever. We’ve loved every minute.
If you loved that, though? Wait until you see what’s to come.
As 2025 winds into its final days, we’ve caught a glimpse of some of the excitement to come in the New Year — including some taking place around our original stomping grounds.
Our friends at ArtsQuest have announced the return of the Musikfest Music Industry Conference, taking place August 2-4, 2026 inside of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in our original hometown of Bethlehem, PA. The conference — which will take place in the middle of Musikfest, the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival — promises to offer “interactive sessions, cutting-edge technology demos, inspiring keynotes, and real-world insights designed to bridge the worlds of music education and today’s evolving industry,” according to ArtsQuest’s official website.
Full lineup details are forthcoming, but key presenters and supporting organizations have been announced, including:
Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Cutler, acclaimed author of The Savvy Musician and The Savvy Music Teacher.
The Museum of Music Technology Powered by EMEAPP: Discover how electronic instruments, live production, and classroom integration are transforming the sound of tomorrow.
Underground Music Collective (that’s us!): Learn how to Build Your Authentic Artist Brand and stand out in today’s music landscape.
In addition, ArtsQuest has announced several key program additions, expanding from the inaugural edition of the conference in 2024. These include:
Band Showcase Program: Selected youth and emerging bands (ages 10–adult) will receive coaching, perform on an official Musikfest stage and receive live feedback from talent buyers, agents and producers. Submissions will open in October.
The Green Room Mentorship Lounge: One-on-one and small group mentorship with industry veterans, modeled after NAMM’s “Networking with the Pros”.
Museum Collaboration: A pop-up exhibit in partnership with the Museum of Music Technology highlighting the history of sonic innovation.
Conferences passes are on sale now for the Early Bird rate of $150 until March 1. After that, the price of a regular badge will increase to $175. Students, ArtsQuest members, and 2026 Musikfest performers receive discounted badges for just $100. For more information, visit the conference webpage.
Without question, 2025 has been a year for the ages. In fact, we’ve proclaimed it the best year of UMC’s life (so far), and we’re in a mood to celebrate.
Whether you’re near or far, we’re going to keep things festive around here until the ball drops to ring in 2026. And, to show you how epic this year has been, we have an entire backlog of content captured throughout the year that we haven’t even rolled out yet!
We’ve got some catching up to do — and it gives us the opportunity to relive some of the year’s most magical moments with a series we call 2025’s Greatest Hits.
We have festival photos from Canada to New Orleans. We have special insights to share on the moments and lessons that made 2025 special. Throughout December, we’ll be popping in to give you a few last glimpses of this incredible year, while also providing a taste of what’s to come.
Stay tuned, because we’ll begin dropping these Greatest Hits later this week. We invite you to sit back, reflect, and appreciate the year that was!
You have the talent. You’ve developed your skills. You have big dreams about where you can take this music thing. All you’re missing… is the next step.
Your audience is out there. Connecting with them means joining in community with those who share your values. Keeping them in your orbit means finding ways to provide them with something that they won’t find anywhere else.
It might sound intimidating at first… until you realize that everything you need to connect with your audience — and keep them there — is already within you. You have a purpose behind your art that has yet to be uncovered. You have countless ideas, and just need some help organizing those thoughts into action. You have a story to tell, and more tools than ever to reach the masses.
We’re here to help you put it all together. That’s why we’re announcing the return of our popular BRANDCAMP from UMC Academy to start the New Year!
Our six-week program — beginning the week of Monday, January 12 — is designed to help creatives like you uncover your values and develop a clear vision for your creative ecosystem, complete with actionable goals. We achieve this by providing a proven brand-building roadmap, bespoke one-on-one mentorship, and access to a community of purpose-driven artistpreneurs.
BRANDCAMPers receive:
Our Values-Mission-Vision (VMV) Workshop, as presented at major international music conferences. ($500-1,000+ value)
Weekly 1-on-1 mentor sessions, aimed toward sparking fresh ideas and defining your goals.
Weekly Connection Calls with your fellow UMC Academy BRANDCAMPers.
A FREE UMC UnderDogs community membership for one year. ($250 value!)
Early “inside track” access to new UMC feature/performance opportunities.
If you’re ready to enroll (or just want to learn more), head on over to the Academy page, where you can hear testimonials from previous UMC Academy grads!
After last week’s epic trip to New Orleans for NOLA MusiCon — and a year that saw UMC everywhere, from Austin to London — we’re already dreaming of more travels in 2026.
Fortunately, new adventures are always on the horizon, for both artist and educator alike. In fact, some of our favorite haunts from the past couple years have open submission processes ongoing right now. So, if you’ve been bitten by the travel bug — and want to scratch the itch by doing your thing in new markets — we’ve compiled information on a few of our favorites right here.
SXSW London
Dates: June 1-6, 2026 Location: London, UK Deadlines: November 24 (Performer), December 7 (Speaker) Notes: The European edition of SXSW — now in its second year — has an open application process for those looking to make their mark overseas in 2026. Both emerging and established artists, as well as organizers of forward-thinking lineups, are encouraged to submit for performance consideration. That deadline is coming up quick, but you still have time. If you’re a speaker, you have a couple extra weeks to get your proposal together! Link to apply:SXSW London 2026 | Public Submissions Now Open
Musikfest
Dates: July 31-Aug. 9 (Festival); Aug. 2-4 (Conference) Location: Bethlehem, PA Deadlines: November 15, 2025 (Conference), February 28, 2026 (Festival) Notes: Musikfest itself is entering its 43rd year in 2026, and is the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival, bringing nearly 1.5 million people to downtown Bethlehem in 2025. The Musikfest Industry Conference — now in its second year — aims to put world-class ideas and music industry knowledge (like yours) in front of the artists who comprise this growing, talent-rich regional arts hub (and UMC’s original hometown). Links to apply:Festival | Conference
Gussapolooza
Dates: Aug. 21-23 Location: Cookstown, ON, Canada Deadline: January 31, 2026 Notes: Our favorite weekend getaway is on for next August! This all-independent, three-day festival — nestled just an hour or so north of Toronto — brings some of the most notable rising acts from across North America together in the name of music, art, and community. Gussapolooza also invites vendors and artisans across the creative landscape to get involved. In that spirit, we’ll include the vendor application below, as well. Links to apply:Festival | Vendor
Which events should we know about? Did we miss any? Let us know, and we’ll add them to the list!
One of the many highlights of NOLA MusiCon — seriously, we UnderDogs will be talking about this one for months — was the chance to sit down with David Adams and the folks at Elation Entertainment to join the live NOLA MusiCon broadcast of the Elation Podcast.
My interview — part of an epic three-hour episode featuring folks from around the conference — starts at 1:51:30. We discuss the ways environments like NOLA MusiCon give creatives a seat at the table, the importance of building genuine community in the music industry, and the one decision that defined my (and UMC’s) year.
Before NOLA MusiCon officially kicks off this Tuesday, we invite you to get a head start on the festivities — whether you’re in New Orleans, or anywhere in the world with internet!
Immediately following our Have You Met…? interview broadcast, we’ll stay put at Cafe Istanbul (2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans) to offer you a special UnderDogs Across Borders lineup, featuring artists from across the Southeastern U.S. Several UnderDogs are making the trip to perform alongside rising stars on the New Orleans local scene, offering an exciting preview of the magic to come throughout the week.
The event is open to the public for a $10 suggested donation, which will directly support our ongoing UnderDogs Across Borders campaign. And, if you can’t attend in person, we have good news: this one will be broadcast on YouTube, as well! Funds from this campaign help us connect our creative community to amazing opportunities across the musical landscape — just like those we’ve helped create this year in the Big Easy!
As for the lineup? We think you’ll like it! It features performances from (in order of appearance):
January marks five years since I took the leap from my last corporate job.
“The leap” will teach you everything you need to know about yourself — professionally, as well as personally. It lands you in a high-stakes wilderness that holds up a mirror; one where you see, in full view, that all which you attract is a reflection of how you currently view yourself.
“The leap” requires boldness. The boldness to communicate a truth that only you can see. The boldness to say yes to possibility and accept any associated risk. The boldness to say no to fear — or, for that matter, anything or anyone that pulls you in a direction incongruous with the one you’ve chosen in this season.
(And, if you’re a recovering people pleaser like me, that last part will be the hardest — and the most essential — hurdle to clear.)
You take “the leap” when you know what is inside you. You may have trouble articulating or putting it into practice at first. Regardless, you’re going to have to learn sometime, and so, you’ve chosen now. “The leap” requires you to become the person who can bring your ideal vision to reality. That means understanding who you are right now — strengths and weaknesses alike. That means changing what needs to change — even if it’s uncomfortable for you or others.
Many will admire you. Others will lament the change, and a few of those may lurk in the shallows like crabs, waiting for an opportunity to pull you back into their bucket. This is where understanding your values is especially important.
Will you cave to the pressure and conform?
Will you revert back to your previous state?
Or, will you stand up for the version of you that so craved change, that they inspired this leap in the first place?
In the end, it’s not about being admired. It’s not about impressing anyone, and you certainly don’t need to worry about proving anything. You took this leap to become who you are called to be.
That person is good. That person is worthy. That person is loved right now. That person has gifts and wisdom to share through the lens of a unique life.
Your reward for sharing, should you keep going, is the opportunity to live so authentically that your impact — your ability to leave this world better than you found it — cannot be denied.
You know what’s inside of you — the ability to create a life so memorable that it serves as a blueprint to others trying to get in touch with what’s inside of them.
You have a purpose to serve. You have a voice — and many people have kept theirs muted, for fear of judgment or being ostracized.
You have a vision. Don’t let the noise distract you. Lock in, let ’em talk, and stay on the path.
Appreciate the love, as it is a beautiful reflection of the love you have to give. Always look to reciprocate kindness, support, and care.
Take any opportunity you can to make somebody’s day. Discover how your purpose can help someone else walk in theirs.
Don’t ever stop working on your vision — or yourself.
You’re a leader in the way you dig in and do the work. You’re not afraid of making a mess — because sometimes, it’s the first step toward finally clearing the clutter.
Messes are problems that force us to find solutions. They teach us how to show up better and with more direct intention. They show us which actions and relationships to repeat, as well as which to avoid. They teach us the right way, by inviting us to detour through the wrong.
Personally, I’m glad I’ve made it this far past “the leap.” I wasn’t always sure I would. I’ve let fear pull me from purpose on occasion, and in especially lean times, I almost retreated entirely, in favor of good ol’ corporate sTaBiLiTy.
And, just when I thought I was done, I couldn’t rip myself away from this mission: to give a platform to those daring enough to create. Those still standing — no matter what has happened.
Same as it’s been since 2013, and as it will be in 2025, 2026, and beyond.
