POP Symposium Archive

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2022

This year’s POP Symposium presents an inspiring suite of hands-on workshops and panel discussions aimed at empowering the next generation of artists to build sustainable careers.

  • Gigging outside the box: Making your own stages with Thanya Iyer
  • Granting Access: How the grant landscape is changing & what you need to know with Rachel Weldon
  • How to connect with your audience in live performance
  • Releasing in 2022: What you need to know with Tess Roby, Sarah Armiento (Hot Tramp Records)
  • Chasing Syncs: Demystifying TV and Film Syncing with Jeff Waye and Isabelle Banos
  • The rise of the social media first artist with Star Amerasu, Melissa Vincent, Maryze, David Schellenberg (Constellation) and Austin Archer
  • Love it or Block it: The Social Media Roasting Panel with Star Amerasu, Austin Archer, Melissa Vincent and Eve Parker Finley
  • Discussion Panels: Conversations on Diaspora, Career Sustainability, Mapping Montreal’s Diverse Black Music Scenes, CALLIARI: Language and Belonging, Green Touring & Live Performance, Sustainable Merch, The Artist’s Role In the Climate Crisis, Artists & Indigenous Land Struggles: Marlene Hale & Stefan Christoff in Conversation, Music Labels & Sustainability, XR, AR, and Music, Blockchain & Beats: New Horizons in Tech and Art, Geo-coding & Radio Storytelling: Mapping Montreal Music, Mental Health, Wellness & the Music Industry

2021

For this 20th anniversary festival edition, POP Symposium is looking into the future!

Taking a leap forward off of the heels of the pandemic, this year’s panel discussions and roundtables envision new possibil- ities for a recovering music industry and explore the many ways that creating art and music can generate knowledge, and work to revolutionize our world.

  • ARCMTL: Montreal soul and rnb legend Skipper Dean in conversation with Andy Williams
  • Kind of a Big Deal – Publicity for Independent Artists
  • Roaring 20s – Music 100 years ago
  • Cakes da Killa in Conversation with Aiza
  • Writing Genealogy and History through Artmaking
  • Everything TV
  • Music-making as Racial Solidarity
  • Discussion Panel with: Anahita Norouzi and CODE BLANC,
  • Discussion Panels: Redefining Emergence, Going Viral, Concert Promotion in Montreal, Then & Now, Labour Lobbying in Music, Art and Anti-Gentrification Movements
  • Lotus Collective presents Building Community in Artistic Industries

2020

  • NVA x POP Montreal Legend Series: Suzanne Ciani
  • Creating in Times of Uncertainty with Lido Pimienta
  • Oreo (Rah Eleh) in conversation with Peggy Hogan
  • Cooking Beats with Shash’U
  • Spirituality and Activism moderated by Aerin Fogel of Venus Fests on the impact that spiritual work can have on oneself and one’s community and the impact of such practices on activist work
  • The role of sports and entertainment in civil rights with a mini-documentary on the history of the Dynasty Sports Institute basketball academy in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, produced in partnership with R&B / Funk group Fredy V & The Foundation

2019

  • Artist talk with Laurie Anderson
  • Moor Mother in conversation with TiKA Cooking Beats with Foxtrott
  • Black Beyond the Box with James Spooner, co-founder of Afropunk, on the experience of Black people in alternative music scenes not normally associated with Black identity
  • Meeting in the Margins, an intimate series of networking sessions between grant funders from across Canada and musicians from historically marginalized communities
  • Free do it yourself music repair clinic

2018

  • Leanne Betasamosake Simpson in conversation with Moe Clark
  • SOPHIE in conversation with Julie Matson, co-presented by Art POP
  • Intersessions DJ workshop with Chippy Nonstop
  • Artist talk with Jace Clayton
  • Artist talk with Lena Platonos
  • Roundtables on gentrification and artistic communities, mental health and burnout among musicians, the streaming economy, emerging technologies in the music industry and more.

2017

• Royal Trux in conversation with Malcom Fraser
• Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite) in conversation with Michael Venus, co-presented by Never Apart
• William Basinski in conversation with Erin Gee
Juana Molina in conversation with Vic Galloway
• Artist talk with Moor Mother
• Beat-making master class with Lunice
• Panel discussion “Celebrating and Supporting Indigenous Resurgence, Past and Future”
• Panel discussion “Accountability, Industry and Community: Improving Music Scenes from the Inside Out”
• Panel discussion “Gentrification, the Venue Crisis and Sustainability of Music Communities”

In 2017, POP Symposium also launched a new quarterly workshop series called Lil’ Biz: affordable, full-day sessions hosted at Espace POP on a year-round basis. Each workshop consists of 4-5 presentations by community experts speaking on a variety of practical topics related to career development for emerging and independent artists. Topics have included PR, grants, taxes, SEO, publishing/copyright, touring.

2016

• John Cale
• Wally Badarou
• Rough Trade Records
• Susan Rogers
• Hennesy Youngman
• Producing Change with FoxtrottMeryem Saci and APigeon
• Groundbreakers LIVE with Joe Namy and Sundus Abdul Hadi at the CCA
• DAIS creates with Sol Guy and Gavin Sheppard
• Combat Jack Show LIVE at Artgang
• Cookin’ Beats with High Klassified

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2015

• “We Are the Medium” conversation between B+ and Coleman of the collective Mochilla
• A conversation with Jean Grae
• The first edition of POP Arcade presented by Miscellaneum Studios, Heroes Never Lose and Multijoueur
• A conversation with Andy Kim


2014

• Recording workshop with Steve Albini
• Talk on quality of music recording with Jonathan Sterne and George Massenburg
• Artist talk with Phil Collins and Damon & Naomi
• A conversation with Danny Goldberg
Special events: • A cooking workshop with Steve Albini


2013

• Artist’s Talk with Dan Graham
• A conversation between Glen O’Brien and Andrew “Noz” Nosnitsky, in collaboration with the SBC Gallery.
• A conversation with Tony Visconti
• A conversation with King Yellowman discussing How to Write a Love Letta


2012

• A conversation between David Byrne and Win Butler
• Artists’ talk with Cory Arcangel, Howie Chen and Alan Licht
• A conversation between Venus X and Bear Witness
• A conversation between Jeannette Lee and Vivien Goldman
• A panel discussion with Vincent Morisset, Damian Taylor, Melissa Weigel (Moment Factory) and Navid Navab


2011

• A conversation with Seymour Stein
• A conversation with The Raincoats
• A conversation between Tim Hecker and Grimes
• Art Spiegelman’s What the %&! Happened toComics?, in collaboration with the SBC Gallery.


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