MACON, Ga. — Macon has a rich music history. Mercer Music at Capricorn wants to honor the past while also building Macon's music present.
They are hosting the first ever Music Business Summit in February.
Award winning producer Steve Ivey is a Mercer University alumni and got his music start in Macon.
"We're really excited to bring all of this to Macon and just help grow the arts in Macon," Ivey said.
Ivey and several others are speakers during the one-day conference.
At the summit there will be talks with Grammy award winning songwriters, producers, managers and a host of other music business notables.
The goal: to help Macon musicians sharpen their skills and move their careers forward by learning from others.
Ivey says he's worked with lots of people in the music industry and while they all have their own creative processes, the one thing they have in common is an exceptional work ethic.
"They have a crazy work ethic, know how to survive and then thrive. And that is the key factor that a lot of younger artist don't understand, that the hustle never stops whether you're unknown or whether you're Bruno Mars and Garth Brookes," Ivey said.
The summit will help creatives at every level of their career learn something new from people who have been in the industry for a long time.
Ivey says these are people he has worked with often and they are all about helping artist grow in their passions and career.
There will be a variety of topics discussed from writing and recording for TV and film to developing a performance to some helpful tips for live sound techniques.
Ivey says this event is really about connecting the music community. He says, as a creative, it can be hard to go out and meet the people who are going to help you grow.
He and Mercer Music at Capricorn hope to bridge the gap.
"The music business summit is a fantastic event to not only hear how to do it but meet people who are doing it and get their email addresses, maybe they give you their phone numbers. That has been a part of everybody I'm bringing in, I have personally worked with every one of these folks," he said.
The Music Business Summit will be held at Mercer Music at Capricorn on Feb, 23 from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. The event will end with a live performance and networking opportunity in Mercer Music at Capricorn’s Phil Walden Memorial Studio.
The registration fee is $79 and you can register on the Mercer Music at Capricorn website.