There’s a lot of star power at this year’s NXNEi, but the best presentations might just be by people you’ve never heard of. Below, our picks:
1. FACTOR Funding 101s
Receiving a FACTOR grant makes a huge difference to any band or artist, whether it’s for touring, recording or marketing music. The program’s director of operations, Phil Gumbley, takes you through the ins and outs of the newly revamped application process. Saturday (June 21).
2. The Psychology Of Conversion Rate Optimization
Designers and strategists, take note. AlterSpark researcher and consultant Brian Cugelman will share the tools and technologies he says will persuade your web audience to visit and stay on your site by examining NXNE speakers’ websites. Thursday (June 19).
3. Fashioning An Icon: The Power Of Music And Style
Pharrell’s enormous hat was at first confounding, then irritating, and then, strangely, we seemed to accept it. How does style work for or against artists, and why should we care? A panel of fashion insiders will attempt to explain that to us. Friday (June 20).
4. The Case For A Free And Open Internet
Brian Knappenberger, director of The Internet’s Own Boy, about the late activist and Reddit founder Aaron Swartz, is in town, in some ways, to finish what Swartz started: argue for an internet unregulated by governments and corporations. Thursday (June 19).
5. Chris Kaskie: Digital Disruption – The Undercurrent Of Media
You may not know Chris Kaskie’s name, but you certainly know Pitchfork Media and how it became a music tastemaker. At his keynote, its president shares tips for web managers on how to stand out amid the digital noise. Friday (June 20).