Category Archives: workshops

Going Further Together (ft. Austin Breckenridge)

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Austin Breckenridge is the Executive Director of The A&R Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit entity dedicated to transforming creative passions into sustainable businesses, by providing independent musicians and creative arts businesses with tools, resources, and education on entrepreneurship.

The A&R Foundation offers the Music Business Accelerator cohort, a 12-week program which teaches musicians and creative entrepreneurs the fundamentals of building their businesses. Austin joins us on The Quinn Spinn to discuss the program, which is coming to Nashville for the first time this spring, alongside details on how to apply.

This episode of The Quinn Spinn was recorded at The Russell: https://russellnashville.com

Opening theme: REVEL 9 – All I’ve Become

Join our mailing list or become an UnderDog to apply!

Learn more about the Music Business Accelerator
Learn more about The Quinn Spinn

A ‘Human-First’ Approach to AI (ft. Joel Kaiser)

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Over the course of his career, Joel Kaiser has worn a number of creative hats: songwriter, performer, graphic designer, brand expert, festival organizer, and more. Now, he steps into the music tech space as the co-founder of First Rule, a ‘human-first’ company that employs AI to give artists control over how their Musical Essence is used throughout the ecosystem.

Joel joins us for an in-depth conversation on the state of art, creativity, and technology, while previewing the first annual Music City Make-a-Thon, taking place in Nashville from March 23-28.

Learn more about the Music City Make-a-Thon: https://www.firstrule.ai/musicCityMakeAThon

Opening theme: REVEL 9 – All I’ve Become

This episode of The Quinn Spinn was recorded and produced at The Russell, a historic East Nashville church converted into a boutique hotel: https://russellnashville.com

Learn more about the show: https://umcworldwide.com/thequinnspinn

A Message from A&R Foundation Executive Director Austin Breckenridge

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We met Austin Breckenridge of The A&R Foundation last year during SXSW. We loved their mission, and we knew we had to work together.

Just about a year later, we’re bringing their Music Business Accelerator program to Nashville for the first time — and it’s an exclusive offering for the UnderDogs!

Ready to apply? Join now!

NASHVILLE: FREE Music Business Accelerator Applications Now Open

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For independent creatives, producing art is just one piece of the puzzle. To build a fully functioning creative ecosystem — and turn it into a viable career — there comes a time when we must all get down to business.

That means leaning into a world that may be entirely new, and learning a whole bunch of things that you don’t yet know. Once it becomes business, things get serious. The pitfalls in this strange wilderness seem to multiply. The question of “what if I fail?” becomes more prevalent.

Scary, isn’t it?

It doesn’t have to be. In fact, we’re teaming up with The A&R Foundation based out of Austin, TX to make it feel like a breeze. We’re excited to offer their Music Business Accelerator cohort for the first time ever in Nashville — and it’s free to all current UnderDogs members!

Music Business Accelerator is a 12-week program tailored for performing musicians and creative arts businesses within the music ecosystem who are looking to strengthen business acumen and build sustainable, long-term creative ventures.

The program is divided into two core tracks:

  • Entrepreneurial Fundamentals: Covering the foundations of starting, structuring, and operating a creative business.
  • Music Business Essentials: Diving into industry specific topics, real world application, and developing a healthier, more intentional relationship with money.

Throughout the program, you will gain practical tools, frameworks, and guidance you can immediately apply to your careers, whether you are just getting started or looking to level up an existing project.

The Music Business Accelerator is offered for FREE. The only two requirements to apply are that 1) you live in the greater Nashville area (because sessions take place in-person) and 2) you are a current UnderDogs member. You can learn more about how to join here.

Once you become an UnderDog, you can apply to be considered any time between now and Friday, March 6 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Selected applicants will be notified no later than March 11, 2026, and the program is scheduled to begin on April 4, 2026 for orientation and end on June 27, 2026. A tentative graduation celebration is scheduled for July 18, 2026.

About The A&R Foundation
The A&R Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit entity dedicated to transforming creative passions into sustainable businesses, by providing independent musicians and creative arts businesses with tools, resources, and education on entrepreneurship.

Unveiling UMC Academy 2.0: Meet the Faculty!

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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!

Apply to These 2026 Festivals & Conferences

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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!

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s UMC Events in Nashville

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October and the home stretch of 2025 are set to begin with a bang tonight, right here in Nashville.

We’ll be back at Helping Our Music Evolve (615 Main St., Suite G1, Nashville) this evening for a double dose of fun with the UnderDogs, beginning at 6 p.m. with a live taping of our Have You Met…? interview series. Join host Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess as she welcomes outstanding UnderDogs and special guests to share about their projects, processes, and the ways life informs the creative journey. Tonight’s lineup includes:

  • Hip hop artist, producer, and 1/2 of Da’ Healerz Foundation Mecca
  • DJ, sound engineer, producer, and songwriter Agie Gee
  • Revolutionary hip hop artist and industry educator T.R.A.N.E. Spitta

Speaking of industry education, you’ll want to stick around after Have You Met…? concludes, as we offer a special, FREE presentation of our Building Your Authentic Artist Brand workshop. This workshop — as experienced at SXSW 2025, and soon to be experienced at Confluence Carolinas and NOLA MusiCon later this month — guides musicians (and other creatives) through the steps of developing a purpose-driven, values-based creative ecosystem. Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is designed to help artists identify the unique “why” behind their work; learn best practices for attracting their true audience across three key segments (fans, collaborators, and business partners); and build a sustainable, profitable creative business on their own terms.

Want the inside track on all of these opportunities and more? Consider checking out the buttons below!

BECOME AN UNDERDOG!
ENROLL IN UMC ACADEMY

NASHVILLE: ‘Building Your Authentic Artist Brand’ Returns October 1!

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We’re gearing up for an action-packed October, with events happening all over the Southeastern U.S. — including our debut at Confluence Carolinas, and an exciting, expanded collaboration with NOLA MusiCon.

(More details on NOLA are coming soon, we promise — and they’ll definitely be worth the wait!)

Of course, it all starts from a solid foundation at home. That’s why we’re kicking off the month by bringing our popular Building Your Authentic Artist Brand workshop back to Nashville!

Join us at Helping Our Music Evolve (615 Main St., Suite G1, Nashville) on Wednesday, October 1 from 7-9 p.m. This interactive workshop — as experienced during SXSW 2025 — guides musicians (and other creatives) through the steps of developing a purpose-driven, values-based creative ecosystem. Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is designed to help artists identify the unique “why” behind their work; learn best practices for attracting their true audience across three key segments (fans, collaborators, and business partners); and build a sustainable, profitable creative business on their own terms.

Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is free to attend, and it’s all part of the work we do to educate and connect artistpreneurs through the UMC Academy. You can learn more about what we offer here!

Let’s Take a Trip Back to Austin!

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In March, I had the special opportunity to present a workshop — Building Authentic Connections as an Independent Artist — during SXSW in Austin, TX.

A recap is below, and the opportunity to send us *back* to Austin to present an all-new workshop in 2026 is right here!

Video shot by NewLeeMade.

‘Don’t Say No’: 20 Years as a DJ (ft. Dominic Longo)

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Our latest guest on The Quinn Spinn is… my brother.

My brother Dominic has been a professional DJ for the past two decades. Like anybody building an entertainment-based business from zero, he’s learned countless lessons along the way — lessons which he now looks to teach the next generation of aspiring event DJs.

Also, this episode offers a throwback all the way to the pre-historic days of The Quinn Spinn. In case you didn’t know, we got our start as a college radio show called Dominic & The Quinn at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA in 2007-08.

Join Dominic’s Facebook group
We now mentor aspiring DJs through UMC Academy!
Become an UnderDog!

The Quinn Spinn is recorded and produced at Helping Our Music Evolve, Nashville ,TN.

Opening theme: REVEL 9 – All I’ve Become

The Quinn Spinn
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