Music Technology Meetup + Vinylmnky

We at Vinylmnky recognize that in this high-tech age we live in, technology supports the music industry we love.  That is why we are proud to be partners with Alan Cross and the Music Technology Meetup, where anyone who is interested in connecting with veterans in the Music and Technology industries can engage.

Through a serendipitous encounter, Vinylmnky met Nathalia Ribeiro in November 2015 as the result of an effort to seek out like minded partnerships.  The mutual liking was immediate.  After one brief meeting, you could feel the ambition and passion exuding from her.  These same qualities abound in the Music Technology Meetup, for which she co-founded, a rising star and fresh not for profit organization that fosters innovation and collaboration between the music and technology industries. 

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nathalia had an excitement for music at a young age and became a student of the art.  This was refined while living in London and Southern California as a teenager, both epicenters for creative and modern music.  These experiences fed Nathalia’s desire to work in the music industry. Upon returning to Brazil, she learned from a pen-pal who lived in Halifax (Canada) about a forward thinking radio rock documentary called "The Ongoing History of New Music," hosted by a DJ named Alan Cross from Toronto, Canada. 

A few months later, Nathalia applied and received a scholarship to study in Toronto and soon after her arrival she knocked on Alan's door and told him that she should be in charge of researching content for his radio show. “I showed him over one thousand pages of transcribed notes of his show, all handwritten by me.”  She continues, “Maybe he thought I was too determined and diligent not to be given a chance.” This was in 2006, and Alan and Nathalia have been working together ever since on strategic projects and music/tech-related ventures.

The idea of the Music Technology Meetup originated from conversations over a four-year span. Amidst those discussions, it became clear that “the music and technology communities needed to get together in the same room and discuss how one could benefit and work with the other. These two communities usually work in silos, hence the miscommunication between the two groups.” Examples of this gap are prevalent and abound; Musicians complain that the music industry should adopt technology solutions to optimize album sales and royalty payments. Technology Developers claim that musicians don't want to use/are slow to adopt current solutions already developed or are ineffective at communicating what they want developed. Finally, music executives are often skeptical of cutting edge technology.

The resulting realization of the need for a forum to enable these disparate discussions to collaborate, the Music Technology Group was created by Alan, Nathalia, and Andrew Dick.  The group is geared towards a community interested in making connections, building partnerships, sharing their thoughts, exploring career opportunities, and learning more about how technology affects the music industry (and vice-versa).  The first event happened in November 2015. Since then, there have been six events, all hosted by Alan Cross, and feature different speakers from the music, technology, and music business industries.  Each Music Technology event has a unique theme which, according to Nathalia, is an effective way to “allow for more focused and productive discussions and networking.” 

Being that the Music Technology Meetup is a not for profit organization, all events are free and anyone is welcome regardless of their level of expertise in the industry (events regularly include first year students to music aficionados and veterans in the Music and Tech industries alike).  The growth plan is to continue to foster quality events with dynamic speakers and collaborative dialogue. 

Vinylmnky couldn’t be happier about our association with Nathalia and the Music Technology Meetup team.  We look forward to further development from the ambitious and passionate endeavor of helping to bridge the gap between music and technology. For more info, please visit: www.musictechnology.ca.



Official description:

The group was founded by Alan Cross, multiple award-winning broadcast and Music Technology expert, consultant, and prolific writer.  He is best known nationally and internationally as a long-time personality on 102.1 the Edge/Toronto and the host of the syndicated radio series The Ongoing History of New Music (the longest-running radio rock documentary in the world, since 1993). Alan is also involved a vast array of projects, most of which involve the intersection of music and technology – such as our Music Technology group.

Events Details

• Always free to attend.
• Take place in the evening, on a weekday, from 6pm--9pm. (We are flexible re: date/location depending on the partnership and event theme.)
• 2 featured speakers (minimum)
• Pizza, snacks, beer, and drinks are served (free). We ensure that the quantity always exceeds the total number of RSVPs. 
• Frequency: every 5-6 weeks.
• Group members: around 1100
• Average event attendance: 250 attendees

 

Contact:

For more information on partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, please email us at nathalia@musictechnology.ca or call Nathalia Ribeiro: 416-268-2893

Get Social with Music Technology Meetup 

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