Upcoming events.
CCE Music Cohort Showcase
Join us for the grand finale of the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship's inaugural Music Cohort! We proudly present our talented artists:
Jesse Garcia
Harley Omega
Naomi G
Kathleen Lane
Raphael Olivier
Under the guidance of industry experts, these artists have been on a 3 month journey of growth and development through weekly workshops, online courses, and networking to help them gain valuable insights and skills in the music industry.
The night will feature great performances and fun networking with Chicago music industry professionals.
Access Capital to Buy or Renovate Your Small Business Space
Presented by Kimberly Brisky, Managing Director of Communications & Engagement at SomerCor
The SBA 504 loan, Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) grant, and Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) grant, are targeted financing solutions for small businesses looking to make real estate purchases and/or permanent building improvements. This presentation will provide details on eligibility rules, benefits, application instructions, and client success stories on these impactful capital resources. SomerCor is a non-profit lender, certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and contracted by the City of Chicago to administer the SBIF and NOF programs.
In recognition of National Small Business Week
Accelerate Business Growth with the Help of AI
On top of all that small business owners and entrepreneurs balance daily, continuing to grow their businesses can be even harder when access to funding seems scarce and new fraud risks have emerged. Enter AI.
Visa has invited a roundtable of experts to explore how business owners can harness the power of AI to help not only protect against payment fraud but also help find new funding opportunities.
Cosponsorship Authorization # 24-1-C. SBA’s participation in this Cosponsored Activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any Cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
How to Create a Government Marketing Strategy for Your Business
You’ll need a solid government contracting strategy and marketing plan to compete as a small business in the government marketplace. In this webinar, we will create and develop a government marketing and sales plan to outline the activities that you will conduct to meet your goals.
SAFE SPACES | LAUNCH EVENT
Women in Music is launching new initiative called Safe Spaces which is committed to fostering a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing within the music industry.
Mission: Our mission is to ensure that every person can work in the music industry without being subject to harassment, assault or abuse. We provide tools and guidelines for businesses in the industry to establish and sustain a safe work environment for employees. Likewise, we provide support and resources to individuals who have experienced harassment, assault, and trauma, assisting them in their path to recovery and justice.
CCE Coworking Day For Artists
Our next Coworking Day is on Monday, May 1st, from 10 AM-3 PM!
Come and work for the day at 2112, and join us for a lunch & learn with an industry expert. Details coming soon.
Webinar: Building KOIA: How to Succeed and Avoid Operational Pitfalls
Maya French and Justin Baker co-founded Koia, the natural plant-based protein drink that’s been incredibly successful. Join me as they share how they helped build Koia to become a leading brand. They’ll be joined by Marco Matla for a look at how to build a successful brand while avoiding operational pitfalls that early stage brands often face.
Open Mic Fridays
Emerging artists are invited to showcase their talent for fans everywhere on our virtual stage. Participants receive performance coaching in advance as they get ready to shine and music industry professionals join the show to provide feedback to help artists hone their craft.
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Raising Capital - Legal Considerations for Founders
Join MHub for this workshop with Cooley to learn about legal considerations across every stage of startup fundraising. This informational workshop will cover legal entity selection, early pitfalls for founders, types of financing, valuation, and other key topics to know as founders.
License to Generate Is this music real?
Like it or not, AI is here to stay and it will continue to be harder and harder to know if what you are seeing and hearing is real, derivative, or fake. How will we be able to discern between a track or video that has AI influence and one that doesn’t? What does it look like for an artist and their team to closely track where their name, image, and likeness are being used?
Learn from the experts how new technologies are allowing artists to track their content and own their identity:
Charles Alexander, ViNIL
Amadea Choplin, Pex
Remington Scott, HYPERREAL
The Blueprint: Crafting a Winning Strategy for Retail Partnerships to Scale Your Brand
Presented by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chicago member Melinda Herron, CEO of 103 Collection
In today's competitive retail landscape, establishing fruitful partnerships is paramount for brand expansion and sustained growth. This engaging presentation will highlight the intricacies of creating a robust strategy to navigate retail partnerships successfully. From identifying the right partners to fostering collaborative relationships and scaling your brand, this session offers invaluable insights and actionable strategies for emerging and established brands alike. Join us as we unravel the secrets to forging impactful retail partnerships and unlocking the potential to elevate your brand to new heights.
ISA Roundtable: Gigs, Feedback, and Your Career
Join in on the discussion with the ISA Team as we discuss:
The state of the industry today
How to make yourself stand out from the pack
How do ISA Writing Gigs work and how to apply to them
The importance of feedback and how to successfully implement it into your script
Plus, connect with us and fellow writers and get your questions answered on the spot.
Roundtable Panelists:
Craig James (Founder, CEO)
Felicity Wren (VP of Development)
Max Timm (Director of Education)
Shayna Weber (Creative Executive)
Moderated by Scott Markus (Senior Content Manager)
INDIESCUSSION: CHOREOGRAPHED SPORTS AND PERFORMING ARTS
DESCRIPTION
Presented by ClicknClear: Choreographed Sports and Performing Arts: How to get paid in this untapped $2.4Bn performing arts opportunity.
Choreographed Sports and performing arts that use music as a part of their routine represent a huge new global opportunity for music licenses, but find it difficult to successfully interact with the music industry.
Speakers Chantal Epp (Founder & CEO) and David Walsh (Director) will explain the licensing issues faced by this market, the opportunities, and how music rightsholders can get access to an additional 10% of current annual worldwide music industry revenue through a tech-enabled channel.
Webinar – Amazon.com 201: Driving Sales and Growth
Are you already selling on Amazon but curious on how to grow your sales? This intermediate level webinar is designed to help you build an Amazon strategy, optimize how your brand shows up, and ultimately increase sales.
The session will be split in 3 parts:
Amazon Strategy
Amazon Optimization
Your Questions Answered
I invited Daniela Bolzmann, founder of Mindful Goods to join me as she’s an Amazon expert and knows the platform really well.
Sustaining and Empowering the Creative Community Through Copyright
Each year on April 26, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organizes a global World IP Day (WIPD) celebration to help foster a greater understanding of Intellectual Property (IP) rights. For WIPD 2024, the Copyright Alliance, along with our Community Partners and Organizations, will host a panel via Zoom, titled Sustaining and Empowering the Creative Community Through Copyright. Our panel is in keeping with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) 2024 theme, IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity. During the event, which will be held via Zoom on April 23 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT, we will discuss how creators can meet their goals today while helping to ensure that tomorrow’s creative community is sustained through job growth, a strong creative economy, and continued growth of the arts, all of which are perpetuated through copyright protections. The event will be free and open to the public.
ACCESS TO CAPITAL DIRECT LENDING PROGRAM INFORMATION SESSION
Securing capital may be an important step in fueling your business’ growth. The Access to Capital team is holding an information session on the Direct Lending Program, an alternative capital option for good businesses and owners with less-than-perfect credit history. Join us for an informational webinar to learn more about the Direct Lending Program, borrower eligibility and other requirements. Register now!
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Membership 101: How to Join The MLC
So you’re ready to join The MLC. This webinar will walk you through the entire process step-by-step, showing you how to create both a user profile and a Member account and giving you a tour of The MLC Portal – where Members register, maintain and update all of their musical works data – to showcase its functionality and capabilities.
INVESTING ESSENTIALS: INTRO TO CORPORATE VENTURE CAPITAL
Join the Polsky Center and Career Services for a workshop featuring Polsky Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, Managing Partner, Cobalt Ventures. This workshop is an introduction to Corporate Venture Capital and explores the goals of CVC organizations, how to structure CVC organizations, how to measure success in CVC, and how to compare CVC to traditional VC. This is also a great opportunity to get your questions about CVC answered, so feel free to bring your questions.
Procurement Fundamentals: Doing Business with the City
Presented by the City of Chicago Department of Procurement Services (DPS) Do you have questions about how to become a successful bidder on City contracting opportunities? Unsure where to begin? This informational workshop highlights the role and responsibility of DPS in the City’s purchasing process. Join the City of Chicago Department of Procurement Services to learn about different procurement methods and the laws which govern the procurement process. Once completed, you will better understand what it takes before you start the bidding process and your responsibilities after you have won a contract with the City of Chicago.
INVESTING ESSENTIALS: SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN ONE’S LIFE AND CAREER
Join the Polsky Center’s Investor in-Residence for private equity, Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, for an interactive workshop to discuss special topics in EQ.
Tim has been involved in private equity for nearly three decades in senior leadership and investment management roles with Allstate Insurance Company, Heller Financial, GE Capital, and Adams Street Partners. Tim began his career with Goldman Sachs & Co. in Chicago where he traded over-the-counter (OTC) securities and managed the office’s OTC market expansion efforts. He went on to manage billions of dollars in private equity related investment programs and to complete hundreds of successful international partnership and direct equity and fixed income investments. He is proud of an extensive global network of general and limited partner relationships he developed throughout his career as a result of his personable interaction style, objectivity and candor, and desire to help others succeed. His vast industry knowledge and experiences transcend finance, investments, law, international business, and complex capital formation structures.
Indiescussion: Harmonizing Finances: Navigating Advances and Fundamentals for Creatives
Are you a creative looking to take control of your financial future and maximize your earnings? Join Peter Harvey, Co-Founder of RoyFi & Celines Barrington, Founder of Independence Wealth Managers, for a special seminar, "Harmonizing Finances: Navigating Advances and Fundamentals for Creatives," where they will explore essential strategies and principles to help you explore advances and achieve financial success in the industry.
FINANCIAL WELL-BEING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Whether you're a freelancer, recently laid off, or simply seeking to enhance your financial literacy, this webinar is designed to provide practical strategies for navigating the unique financial landscape of the music industry. We'll explore smart money choices, essential financial skills, and proactive steps to bolster your financial resilience in an ever-changing industry. From budgeting to building savings and planning for the future, this webinar offers valuable insights to help you achieve greater financial well-being in your music career.
A Basic QuickBooks Guide for Small Business Owners
If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve heard about QuickBooks. That’s because QuickBooks is the most popular accounting software on the market.
In this webinar, our expert presenter will walk you through the basic features of QuickBooks and explain how to use it to streamline your financial management. Whether you're new to QuickBooks or looking to enhance your existing skills, this webinar provided practical strategies to manage your business finances with QuickBooks effectively.
Learning objectives:
How to get started with QuickBooks
How to track your sales and expenses
How to pull reports
How to create invoices
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.
The Basics: What is The MLC and Who Should be a Member?
In this introductory webinar, you’ll learn about how and why The MLC was created, discover the full scope of our work, hear answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about The MLC and get a detailed breakdown of who should join The MLC for free in order to receive mechanical royalties they may be owed.
GENERATIVE AI BASICS | FREE ONLINE CLASS
ABOUT THIS CLASS
There’s no time to wAIt. Whether you’re brand new to generative AI, or you’ve already been doing some research, this free, one-hour session is the perfect place to get a glimpse into the true potential of this powerful technology — live from an industry expert.
Join us for an action-packed hour of generative AI basics like best practices for writing effective prompts and using generative AI tools responsibly. Then, get a live demo of ChatGPT in action and get a glimpse into how you could use generative AI to streamline productivity at work and at home.
So we’re all on the same page:
There will be no hands-on component to this class. It’s more of a sit back, watch, and learn experience.
We'll save some time at the end for audience Q&A.
This free class is held in a Zoom webinar. Mic and camera access will be disabled, but we’ll interact using chat, Q&A, and reactions in Zoom.
TAKEAWAYS
Understand the basic overview of generative AI.
Answer questions like: What are LLMs? How do they work? Which should I use?
Learn best practices for writing effective prompts.
Identify bias in LLMs and the ethical principles to follow when using generative AI tools.
Experience a live demo to see how ChatGPT can be used to simplify your life at work (and at home).
The MLC Presents: Q&A for Self-Administered Songwriters
Are you a self-administered songwriter (also known as independent songwriter) with questions about The MLC and your digital audio mechanical royalties? We invite you to join MLC staffers for this interactive webinar to get answers to any questions you have about MLC Membership, The MLC Portal and all of the tools and resources available to help self-administered songwriters register their musical works data with The MLC and get the mechanical royalties they are owed.
E-Commerce & Social Media
Learn marketing fundamentals for successful e-commerce and social media that drive business results.
Secrets to Driving Sales Velocity in Retail
New retail launches are exciting, but once you’re on the shelf, how do you actually drive velocity and consistently sell product? This webinar focuses all around the levels you have to actually move product at retail so you can reach customers and get more rings at the register.
This webinar is designed for any brand who’s getting started or growing in retail and looking to maximize your success at each store you’re selling in.
We’ll be covering:
Core product fundamentals.
Preparing before you get on shelf.
Driving velocity at the shelf.
Promotional Strategies.
Tracking your success.
How to Startup
Hear from expert Bob Moczydlowsky, former Managing Director of Techstars Music, what trends and investment shifts he sees shaking up the music tech startup space.
Join this event to learn what he has to say about the value of incubators, accelerators, pitch competitions, events, and more. From prepping your deck and speaking with investors, to getting funding and licensing your product, every startup needs a plan. What's yours?
Startup founders and music industry players of all stripes will want to join this conversation to hear what's on the horizon for the music industry and how these puzzle pieces fit together.
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO UX DESIGN | FREE CLASS
Whether you’re looking to expand your tech skills, or thinking about starting a career change into UX, this class is the perfect starting point.
Join us for a free, 2-hour class to get hands-on practice with the basics of UX Design. We’ll answer questions like, "What’s the difference between UX and UI?" and "What is it like to actually be a UX Designer?" Then, you’ll go through the full UX design process and along the way get hands-on experience with key UX Design skills like user research and sketching.
Bonus: there will be time at the end for live Q&A with the instructor.
See you in class.
TAKEAWAYS
An understanding of the UX Design Process
Simple user research techniques to get the most out of your interviews
Hands-on practice with sketching as a tool to generate and share ideas
Confidence to continue practicing your UX skills
PREPARATION
This is an entry level class, so no prior knowledge is necessary.
We’ll send a Zoom link to your email the day of class.
Note: your mic and camera will be off for the duration of the class.
A recording will be shared via email after filling out our in-class survey.
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INVESTING ESSENTIALS: FROM ASSOCIATE TO PARTNER – THE NEUROSCIENCE BEHIND BEING AN EFFECTIVE LEADER
Join the Polsky Center’s Investor in-Residence for private equity, Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, for an interactive workshop to discuss special topics in EQ.
Tim has been involved in private equity for nearly three decades in senior leadership and investment management roles with Allstate Insurance Company, Heller Financial, GE Capital, and Adams Street Partners. Tim began his career with Goldman Sachs & Co. in Chicago where he traded over-the-counter (OTC) securities and managed the office’s OTC market expansion efforts. He went on to manage billions of dollars in private equity related investment programs and to complete hundreds of successful international partnership and direct equity and fixed income investments. He is proud of an extensive global network of general and limited partner relationships he developed throughout his career as a result of his personable interaction style, objectivity and candor, and desire to help others succeed. His vast industry knowledge and experiences transcend finance, investments, law, international business, and complex capital formation structures.
How To Better Engage And Expand Your Audience in 2024
As founders and makers, it can be challenging to step outside of the business and ensure we're not putting a biased perspective on our decision making. But the reality is, it's no longer enough to make decisions based on what we THINK our audience wants. Even worse, as founders we can no longer assume our ideal audience are mere copies of ourselves.
As we look to the upcoming year, regardless of industry, regardless if you offer a product or service - if you start out 2024 leveraging the power of research to move beyond focusing on internal assumptions - but rather focus on embracing the humans behind those data points - you will absolutely allow for better product refinements, branding, communications, and innovation founded in and expressed authentically by the audience you serve.
Please join us for an interactive session where we will uncover best practices related to identifying your target market, unpacking your own entrenched beliefs about your target audience, building relationships with them out in the world, getting to know them as people, and co-creating iterations of your product/brand so that you can ensure you're refining your business based on what you KNOW your audience needs.
Suggested Prework:
We highly encourage you to come to this session with a short description of who you think your target audience is today. Your description might include age, sex, race & ethnicity, income, their likes, their dislikes, and/or brands they engage with outside of your own.
Benefits of Volunteering with SCORE as a Business Mentor
If you have business experience or skills and are eager to help small business owners and entrepreneurs grow in your community, you should consider volunteering as a SCORE Mentor.
SCORE is the nation's largest source of free, expert mentoring, resources and educational content for small businesses. In 2023, SCORE helped start 31,167 new businesses, creating 120,948 non-owner jobs; 91% of SCORE's "in business" clients were still in business at the end of 2023 and 48% of "in business" clients reported an increase in revenue.
In this webinar, you'll hear firsthand from our dedicated SCORE mentors about how they utilized their expertise to help local small business owners and how you can become a SCORE Mentor and make a difference in your community.
Nonprofit Sales Tax Exemption
Interested in learning more about Illinois sales tax exemptions, including what organizations may qualify for the exemption, how the application process works, and what is eligible for exempt purchase?
Join Lawyers for the Creative Arts and attorney Mary Kay McCalla Martire from McDermott Will & Emery LLP for an informative session on the sales tax exemption process for arts organizations in Illinois. We’ll cover eligibility, the application process, rules around sales tax exemption, and reporting and renewal requirements. The seminar will include a question and answer session.
About the Speaker:
Mary Kay McCalla Martire focuses her practice on a wide variety of state and local tax issues. She advises clients on matters related to sales tax, with an emphasis on the sale of digital products. In addition, she advises business clients on income tax apportionment and remote employee withholding obligations. Mary Kay counsels individual clients on residency and income sourcing questions, and frequently advises captives and their insureds on direct procurement tax issues. She also has experience with state and local utility and telecommunications tax matters.
More on McDermott Will & Emery LLP at www.mwe.com
Open Mic Fridays
Emerging artists are invited to showcase their talent for fans everywhere on our virtual stage. Participants receive performance coaching in advance as they get ready to shine and music industry professionals join the show to provide feedback to help artists hone their craft.
Legal Considerations When Buying A Business
Presented by Shareholder, Robert E. Harig, Robbins DiMonte, Ltd.
The presentation will focus on the key legal steps to review when purchasing a business, including 1)Considerations for structuring the deal with asset purchase vs. stock purchase; 2)Purchase price considerations; 3)Financing the purchase price; 4)Letter of intent; 5)Focus on the due diligence review of seller’s business; 6)Purchase agreement provisions and negotiation; and 7)Closing and post-closing matters.
Harnessing the Art, Technology and Business of Dolby Atmos Music
Join the Dolby Music Partnerships Team for an exclusive discussion on how creatives, labels, and services are expanding their offerings and growing their business with Dolby Atmos Music.
MMF-US Chicago Chapter Spring Mixer
Join us for a fun evening of networking and fun at Park & Field. This in-person event provides the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals in the music industry. Whether you're an artist manager, self managed artist or a music industry professional this mixer is the place to be. Our quarterly networking events offer our community the opportunity to learn, share and connect with one another. Don't miss out on this amazing chance to expand your professional network and have a great time doing it. Mark your calendars for the MMF-US Chicago Chapter Spring Mixer!
Please note that this is a 21+ event and cash bar.
The Next Evolution of Marketing
Join us on the first Wednesday April 3, a conversation by professionals shaping the future of marketing through spatial computing. In a world where the virtual and real seamlessly intertwine, we’re here to guide you through the possibilities, whether you’re a tech enthusiast, marketing guru, or just curious about the next wave of innovation. Come be a part of The Next Evolution, where immersive technologies meet the marketing frontier, and the future is an open canvas waiting to be painted.