The Five Face The Music Conference Panels You Can't Miss

Controversy, debate and headlines - that's what we're expecting from the Face The Music industry conference in Melbourne this week.

Kicking off tomorrow at the city's Arts Centre, previous years have seen the likes of AJ Maddah, Ken West and Michael Gudinski generate headlines during keynotes and panels. But what about 2014? Where are the stories going to come from there? 

Here's five tips for sessions we reckon might be talked about well after they've finished.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: STEVE ALBINI 

Saturday 15 November, 1.25pm — ANZ Pavilion 

Has opinion, will tell them. A respected artist, music journalist, industry commentator and recording engineer, Steve Albini is a champion of the independent music business. He is regularly quoted by music media for his views on topics ranging from piracy to crowd funding to royalties and recording. He has recorded more than 1500 albums, working with some of the world’s most seminal and pioneering rock acts such as Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey and The Stooges.

In his recent interview with theMusic.com.au Albini said, "I just want to pierce the partition between the perception that the music business is failing and the reality that being in a band and being an active musician right now is pretty fucking great.”

BREAKING DOWN A BREAKTHROUGH RELEASE 

Friday 14 November, 11.25am — ANZ Pavilion

How much planning goes into being an overnight success? This session takes a look at the 2014 breakthrough release from In Hearts Wake. Jake Taylor from the band joins the band’s manager and label representatives (Aaron Smith, Luke Logemann, Mayay Janeska and Narayan Wallace) to talk about the album campaign which included planting a real life forest and creating a video game and resulted in a #5 ARIA debut for the album. 

HENS IN THE COCKHOUSE - A LOOK AT GENDER IN MUSIC

Saturday 15 November, 2.40pm — Members Dining Room

How sexist are we? With gender becoming an increasingly debating topic in Australian current affairs (and those debates becoming increasingly heated), it's time to have a look at gender inequalities in the music industry. How big is the divide, why is it so big and how do we fix it? With the AMID Power 50 often dominated by males, this panel will look at both who gender is embedded into music and the industry around it. Features the likes of Evelyn Morris and Kirsty Rivers. 

HOW TO LEARN A LIVING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Saturday 15 November, 11.25am — ANZ Pavilion

The title says it all really. In an age where the rhetoric is all too often doom and gloom, there are still ways to make money through music. Yesterday's Screen Music Awards proved, once again, that publishing's a big part of that. The grants process is getting simpler from the various bodies around the country. And what else is out there at the moment? A great line-up of speakers including Dave Batty and Briese Abbott will pick this crucial topic apart. 

APRA AMCOS FOCUS ON THE LIVING END

Friday 14 November, 2.40pm — ANZ Pavilion

Where there's ups, there must be downs. One of Australia’s most revered and long-running bands, The Living End have become part of the Australian rock firmament across their storied 20-year career. The band will press pause on their first run of headline shows in two years to share an in-depth look at their career, in what will be a conference first. All three band members – Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan – will discuss the stories behind their songs, their songwriting process, the highs and lows plus what the future holds as they begin work on their seventh album. The band will be joined on stage by their highly-respected, long-standing manager Rae Harvey.

Tickets to Face The Music will be available on the door tomorrow. The conference has released its official app today. Download the full program here.