Miami Music Festival storms into town

Live music resurfaces with the second annual Miami Music Festival. With more than 400 musical performances across 45 venues throughout the city and a conference filled with informative sessions for musicians and fans alike, Miami Music Festival will bring a hurricane whirlwind of live music to the city this weekend.

The three-day festival, running Nov. 11-14, will feature a plethora of musical genres, including Latin, hip-hop, rock, jazz and Caribbean. Stages are located in Bayfront Park and nightclubs and restaurants in Downtown Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, Wynwood, the Design District and Little Haiti.  Miami Music Festival (MMF) will cater to students of various musical tastes at a wide range of locations.

“Student and non-student music fans have the opportunity to discover an amazing array of local, national and international artists right here in their backyard,” said Irwin Kornfeld, management consultant and CEO of MMF.

Showcasing the bands in close quarters only fuels the fire, spicing up music performances.

“You get to experience live music in a more personable manner rather than being in a huge stadium,” explained sophomore Ashley Dixon, who attended MMF last year.

Along with live music, MMF also offers students the opportunity to attend the festival’s conference on Friday and Saturday. The conference includes guest speakers and panelists who are prominent figures in the music business industry.

“They’re all there to share their unique, timely, real world views. Students should expect to come away changed,” Kornfeld said.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include the legal details and deal points involved in typical licensing agreements, the five things an artist must do at every gig, how one can start his or her own music-related business and how to analyze the strength of a song. The list of sessions at the conference goes on and on.

“The only way you can get a jump start in your career is learning about other people’s experience,” said Jeff Henderson, a Frost music graduate student and an MMF volunteer.

MMF offers guidance for those interested in a music career, but also accommodates those students who are simply fans of music.  With a numerous amount of unknown bands, MMF broadens the scope of students’ musical knowledge.

“Until you’ve discovered your favorite band for the first time, you’ll never know they’re out there,” Kornfeld said.

An MMF attendee might not have heard of Vivian Girls, Dead Till Classic, 2AM Club or Jim Lauderdale, but that does not mean they’re not worthy to check out.

“The knowledgeable music fan delights in discovering great new music,” Kornfeld continued.

MMF also has a laundry list of sponsors, such as Miami New Times, Pollo Tropical, ASCAP, BMI and Best Buy. The wide range of products being promoted at the festival will add to the diversity of MMF, bringing the festival full circle.

“The people you meet, the atmosphere of the different venues, and the music, all come together to create a pretty cool vibe,” Dixon said.

Only in its second year, MMF hopes to spread live music throughout Miami, expanding the city’s music scene.

“If you are a music lover, you want to go to this festival because you are improving the quality of music that is produced. You are not only helping out the artist, but you are actually helping out yourself,” Henderson said.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Miami Music Festival
WHEN: Nov. 11-14
WHERE: Venues located across the Miami area, with some even located in Coconut Grove, andCoral Gables. Conference sessions are located at the Hyatt Regency Miami, 400 Southest 2nd Ave.
COST: Single-day tickets vary in price from $10-15 depending on location and time of day. Log on to Miamimusicfestival.com for more specific information.