Aspen Live, the annual live music industry conference, is returning to Aspen, Colo., Dec. 4-6. Capped at an attendance of 150 people and scheduled around Colorado’s winter activities, the event is the brainchild of longtime touring and event producer Jim Lewi, who heads up production and business development for Embarc Events.
“The first year we did it in 1996, everybody who came was a skier or snowboarder,” says Lewi. “It was dumping snow, and everybody wanted to go out and ski. So I said, ‘Okay, no meetings until after the lifts close.’”
That philosophy continues today, even though only half of the attendees ski or snowboard, according to Lewi. Mornings feature a group breakfast, followed by activities — skiing, cooking classes, nature walks — that are designed to keep attendees networking. Panel discussions happen in the afternoons, followed by cocktail parties and dinners around town.
The conference’s most anticipated panel brings together Dave Marcus from Ticketmaster, Dean DeWulf from AXS and Sean Stewart from StubHub, moderated by manager Randy Nichols. It’s a lineup that Lewi acknowledges could get contentious.
“I warned StubHub before they said yes that it could get rough with people in the room,” Lewi says. “But this is part of our distribution network now. We can fight it, or we can do business with them and try to get rid of the bots.”
Lewi sees the secondary market as an opportunity for rights holders to capture upside they’re currently missing. “If you’re gonna charge more money for my ticket, I want to get paid on the upside,” he explains. “That’s Sean’s job — to have that direct relationship with the rights holders.”
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Aspen Live’s programming reflects Lewi’s belief that the live music industry can learn from adjacent sectors. One panel focuses on Latin music, exploring how that market has grown beyond border states to continually expand its audience. Another panel brings together performing arts center executives with venue operators and artist managers.
“How do we utilize their models?” Lewi asks. “They have subscribers, they have mailing lists, they book further in advance. What can we learn from them?”
Perhaps most intriguing is a session featuring representatives from minor league baseball team the Nashville Sounds. “They sell more tickets than Major League Baseball, without the names, without the money,” Lewi says. “How are they so good at engaging fans? They’re selling the same product over and over again.”
What distinguishes Aspen Live is its commitment to honest discourse in an intimate setting. “We want it to be more of a discussion and a dialogue than a monologue,” Lewi says. “People yell out their own thoughts throughout the meetings.”
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Lewi notes with pride that the conference has spawned numerous business relationships and partnerships over the years: “A lot of people have created their whole business out of Aspen,” he says.
As the live music industry faces mounting challenges — from affordability concerns to changing consumer behavior — Aspen Live’s intimate, problem-solving approach feels increasingly relevant. As Lewi puts it, the goal is for the industry to find sustainable models in an increasingly difficult market.
“The theme is always, ‘Solve problems and try to learn from each other,’” Lewi says. “I’ve always been very dreamy. I dream that Aspen becomes a place where problems can be resolved.”
Learn more and register at AspenLive.com.
