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# SF MusicTech Summit Next Week; Interview With Coordinator Brian Zisk
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/sf-musictech-summit-next-week-interview-with-coordinator-brian-zisk/
- Published: 2012-10-03T12:33:47.000Z
- Updated: 2012-10-03T12:33:47.000Z
- Description: Next Tuesday (10/9) in San Francisco, the SF MusicTech Summit kicks off from the Kabuki Hotel in S.F.’s historic Japantown district. The ever-popular event continues its tradition of bringing together. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/10/sf-musictech-summit-next-week-interview-
- Author: admin
- Tags: Conventions & Awards, Startups & Funding, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:49

[![Screen Shot 2012-10-02 at 10.55.33 PM](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2017ee3edd193970d-150wi "Screen Shot 2012-10-02 at 10.55.33 PM")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2017ee3edd193970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

Next Tuesday (10/9) in San Francisco, the  
**[SF MusicTech Summit](http://www.sfmusictech.com/?ref=hypebot.com)** kicks off from the Kabuki Hotel in S.F.’s historic  
Japantown district. The ever-popular event continues its tradition of bringing  
together some of the **[top minds and](http://www.sfmusictech.com/speakers/?ref=hypebot.com)**  
**[companies](http://www.sfmusictech.com/speakers/?ref=hypebot.com) within the music and technology sectors**, along with a number of developers,  
entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and  
organizations. Hypebot’s [Hisham Dahud](http://twitter.com/hishamdahud?ref=hypebot.com) reached out to event organizer [Brian Zisk](https://twitter.com/Zisk?ref=hypebot.com)  
for insights as to what makes **San Francisco an appropriate fit** for  
the event, **what’s new** for this  
year’s summit, and much more.

  
**Hisham**  
**Dahud:** For  
those not familiar with SF MusicTech, whom would you say the event is primarily  
geared towards?

**Brian Zisk:** The SF MusicTech Summit  
is geared towards those interested in meeting and interacting with many of the  
leading lights from the music/technology community. It’s for those looking to  
learn about what's working at the bleeding edge and seeking business  
opportunities with folks who will be leading the way into the evolving  
music/technology ecosystem. It’s also a great place to help to grow and  
participate in a Northern California music and related technology market.

Some folks ask if the Summit is  
appropriate for indie musicians. As a B2B event, the answer is that the Summit  
is quite appropriate for indie musicians (or any other folks) who are actively  
doing business with music/technology companies. For those with just a demo,  
hoping to get signed, without an active online dealmaking presence, no, not  
really.

**Hisham:** What inspired you to organize  
this event?

**Brian:** I love getting people  
together. My core mission is to assemble the smartest visionaries in music and  
technology to connect, do business, have a great time, and generally come out  
much better off than before they attended the Summit. Our aim is to move the  
entire music technology ecosystem forward in a positive way. Attendees can  
expect to connect and do business, to share what we they are doing and to spot  
future trends, to see old friends, and meet new ones, and to build community.

**Hisham:**  
What  
significance does the San Francisco Bay Area represent in being the origin for  
this event?

**Brian:** There are more exciting  
music/technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area than anywhere else in  
the world. Yet many of us saw each other rarely, once a year at Midem, or in  
Austin for SXSW. The SF MusicTech Summit was created to bring all of these  
folks together in our local community, to reach a critical mass where lots can  
happen for everybody, to enable access to these music/technology luminaries for  
anyone who chooses to participate.

We also aim to mix in core Bay Area  
music/technology folks who may not be able to make it to out of town events due  
to time, family, or budget limitations. Start-ups can bring their whole  
team for a fraction of the price of bringing a few folks to Midem, and be back  
in their Bay Area bed that night. We're also thrilled to provide a  
platform where those who visit can connect with the vast majority of Bay Area  
MusicTech luminaries, and are amazed to see registrations from as far away as  
Asia.

The San Francisco Bay Area is the  
epicenter of Internet innovation. In fact, Mayor Ed Lee (who did the  
introduction at our last Summit) has placed Innovation Month SF around our  
upcoming event, to highlight events like ours that encourage folks to relocate  
to the San Francisco Bay Area.

**Hisham:** How has the Summit grown  
over the years?

**Brian:** When we first started the  
Summit, no one knew what to expect. Over time, a thriving community of music  
tech enthusiasts has revealed itself. It's more about amplifying a great group  
of smart, innovative and interesting individuals … and that group has more  
than doubled since our first summit in 2008.

**Hisham:** What does this year's Summit  
have in store that separates it from previous ones?

**Brian:** Each Summit tops the last. At  
our next Summit this October 9th, we'll expand to surrounding  
venues in Japantown to accommodate our rapidly growing audience. Additions  
include the New People Cinema and Yoshi's Jazz Club's main room for our  
Gracenote sponsored after party featuring a performance by Pomplamoose.  
 Also, this time we are promoting [SF MusicTech Week](http://www.sfmusictechweek.com/?ref=hypebot.com) to focalize the many events  
of interest during the week of the Summit.

We've also added [SF MusicTech Hackday](http://hackmusictech.eventbrite.com/?ref=hypebot.com) the day before on  
October 8th for our hardcore programmers. Finally, we  
added the SF MusicTech [Start-Up Challenge](http://sfmusictech.wufoo.com/forms/sf-musictech-summit-xi-startup-challenge/?ref=hypebot.com) Showcase for  
hot new companies competing for an opportunity to appear on our stage.

**Hisham:** How do you envision  
technology helping to advance the music industry? What about the livelihoods of  
musicians?

**Brian:** The music industry has changed. No longer  
is it about shipping plastic discs all over the place, and paying to get them  
displayed in stores. Now musicians can record professional tracks at home, put  
them online, and get paid directly by their fans. No longer do musicians have  
to sign away their rights in order to participate in the industry. Musicians  
can keep their rights, connect with fans, and build successful careers around  
the work they've created. As the industry grows, and technology and innovation  
evolves, more and more success stories are going to come out, and it’s going to  
be a healthier ecosystem.

**The [SF MusicTech Summit](http://www.sfmusictech.com/?ref=hypebot.com) takes place October 9th from the Kabuki Hotel in San Francisco.**

**Hypebot readers get 20% off their**  
**admission by clicking [here](http://sfmts11.eventbrite.com/?discount=hypebot%20&ref=hypebot.com).**

—

***Hisham Dahud*** *is a Senior Analyst for Hypebot.com. Additionally, he is the head of Business Development for [Fame House](http://famehouse.net/?ref=hypebot.com) and an [independent musician](https://soundcloud.com/hishamdahud?ref=hypebot.com). Follow him on Twitter: [@HishamDahud](http://twitter.com/hishamdahud?ref=hypebot.com)*