Madonna Was There in '84, You Can Be There in 2009: The Legendary NEW MUSIC SEMINAR Returns to NYC on July 21
Above: Madonna at the New Music Seminar, 1984.
What are some of your favorite memories of the first incarnation of NMS?
So many memories. The violent confrontations on the panels were the best theater and thus most memorable. Nona Hendryx calling Madonna slutty. The DJ and MC battle for world supremacy…Racial call outs on the rap panels. The fights, the drugs, the sex and the rock ‘n’ roll. You had to be there. – from Big Shot Magazine’s recent interview with New Music Seminar co-founder, Tom Silverman.
July 21 marks the return of the legendary cutting edge music industry get-together, the New Music Seminar, the #1 networking event to meet the Music Business – labels, artists, booking agents, managers and future partners. Founded by Tommy Boy Entertainment’s namesake, Tom Silverman, the NMS ran from 1980 through 1995, attracting more than 8,000 people from 35 countries and is credited for spawning almost every important music event worldwide since, including South By Southwest, Winter Music Conference, In the City, and Canadian Music Week.
Not just another convention, from the start, the NMS was known for its dizzying mix of serious music industry advice and jaw-dropping rock star moments. Newbies and veterans alike crammed into panels where household names like Madonna, James Brown, LL Cool J and Trent Reznor, execs like Sire Records’ Seymour Stein and industry insiders debated and dispensed timely advice to frantically note-taking audiences. It was the hottest ticket in town for anyone serious about the music business.
