The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel's Grand Ballroom was set to embrace the appearance of legendary Quincy Jones, Ludacris, and Justin Timberlake to casually sit down and reveal the secrets of their success or to share the words of wisdom earned from more than six decades in the music business.
Despite his record-breaking success in music for 60 years, Quincy Jones says his proudest achievement is his seven childres and six grandchildren. Jones talked about his life and music career during an hourlong on-stage conversation with Ludacris Friday night as part of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' annual "I Create Music" expo.
As if that weren't enough to create a lasting impression further discussions with icon Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, Bill Withers, and a performance by Natasha Bedingfield continued the momentum of such a fabulous and intimate three day expo.
On ballroom stages and in smaller panel rooms, music creators and industry experts discussed a wide range of topics on the first day. They covered social media, legal issues, TV composing, how to sell your music without a label, how to record professional demos, international markets, how to navigate the Nashville music scene and more. While some of the biggest names in music shared their knowledge onstage, the EXPO exhibit area buzzed with activity.
John Mayer provided a fascinating look into his craft and career in a humorous and engaging interview with ASCAP’s Erik Philbrook. Among his pearls of wisdom was his advice to not let outside forces validate who you are as an artist. He said anybody could be the next big thing, and advised audience members to just with their vision and stick to it.
It’s not everyday that a music legend sits down for a casual conversation to reveal in very simple terms the secrets of his success or to share the words of wisdom earned from more than six decades in the music business. But that is exactly what happened on day two of the EXPO when Quincy Jones shared the EXPO stage with music superstar Ludacris for a very educational and entertaining interview.
With over 2,800 participants and more than 50 major sponsors sharing three days of inspiration, education and discovery, the 2010 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO was an unqualified success. While the number of participants can be measured, what can’t be tracked is the intensity of the drive that everyone carried away with them from this year’s event.