MusicGamingCon, Powered by Amanotes (Recap)

By Justin D Williams

On December 2nd and 3rd MusicGamingCon took place. The concept of this virtual convention what's the bring three mediums together music, gaming and technology. The two-day event Featured some interesting conversations from industry luminaries about the state of music in gaming and much more in addition how technology is able to enhance the music experience. Due to the state of the world's pandemic this convention was done virtually.

There were several panels held for each day. Ranging from various topics such as a panel featuring Ryan Johnson (Cxmmunity) Founder and CEO of nonprofit community, which is committed to increasing participation in minority esports. Cherie Hu founder of Water and Music. I found their panel to be remarkably interesting especially as a New Yorker. Cherie Hu has introduced a first ever course for NYU that combines Music & Gaming. It was a very great 20-minute conversation on how music and gaming are really becoming the forefront of a lot of entertainment. I like how they show parallels to gaming and music. A lot of music artists are huge gamers, some even have investments in Esports teams, some even have games in development and some finance independent studios. I felt that this panel really touched on how both music and gaming industries go hand in hand especially when it comes to the economic success. Cherie brought out a great presentation which really showcase how gaming has really grown over the years.  She illustrates how the music industry can partner up with the gaming industry for musicians to get a wider reach. Showing charts and data of how much a huge market gaming is and how beneficial it can be. This was just one of many panels they had great conversations about the industry of gaming and music.

The con overall had great presentations, thought provoking topics and giving the COVID-19 circumstances I felt like this was one of the better virtual cons. Engaging conversations with some well-informed information. The panels were time just right and didn’t overstay their welcome and I like the balance of length for panels. Some panels were 10 mins, 30 and some an hour. Gaming and Music were the central focal point but I did enjoy a refreshing panel about podcasting. The panel discuss the impact of podcasting, gave tips to people who are just starting out. It’s refreshing to have a panels that talk more about the journey than the destination. Each panel the guest was able to tell and share some experiences on the subject matter of the topic and talk about the journey which many might find inspirational.  For a virtual con I would say MusicGamingCon has a great concept, and hopefully when the world opens up they can turn this into a con that allows those in the community to network and really bridge the gap of music and gaming.

Speakers:

·        Lee Trink- CEO and Co-Owner of Faze Clan

·        Tommy Knapp- Ultimate Gamer and host of Level Up Podcast

·        Wim Stocks- Chairman of  CSL Esports

·        Keith ‘Keefa’ Parker- VP of A&R at Atlantic Records

·        Steve Martocci- CEO of Splice

·        Aaron Levant- CEO of mobile-first shopping platform NTWRK

·        Gavin Johnson- Head of Gaming at independent music label Monstercat

·        Dan Runcie- Founder of weekly hip hop business memo Trapital

·        Raphi Lima- Global Music Partnerships & Marketing at EA

·        Cherie Hu- Founder of Water & Music

·        Ryan Johnson- Founder and CEO of non-profit Cxmmunity, committed to increasing participation in minority esports

·        Silver Nguyen- Founder of Amanotes

With performance by: DJ Kitty Ca$h

The conference featured sessions on trending topics in the world where music and gaming intersect; sample themes include:

·        Music x Gaming Culture – A deep dive into the culture of music and gaming, the key intersection points of the industries.

·        Music Production - The making of music for games, and how specifically music enhances the gaming experience from the perspective of a music producer, gamer, and technologist.

·        Newsletter Culture + Podcasts – How newsletters and podcasts are driving culture, featuring the top music tech podcasts and creators to share insights and best practices

·        Sync - Is licensing music the new A&R? How does that apply to the gaming world?

·        Monetization - Innovative ways to create unique revenue streams, leveraging culture in the gaming space.

·        Games Launches & Marketing – How to successfully launch new games and drive excitement and buzz.