Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriters Pete Mroz (who performed on NBC’s The Voice) and Maya DeVitry (formerly a founding member of the roots trio The Stray Birds) will deliver keynotes and perform during the conference, while some 130 other pre-selected musical acts and artists of various genres will showcase their talents at 15 local bars, restaurants and hotels on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Now in its 13th year, Singer-Songwriter Cape May launched in 2008, continued through 2019, and resumed in last year following a five-year hiatus. The conference also features two days of hour-long music business panel discussions and workshops, as well as mentoring sessions, at Congress Hall & Harrison Conference Center. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking with other singer-songwriters, musicians and music industry professionals.

While AcousticMusicScene.com is my labor of love, I am also a seasoned public relations and strategic communications professional and will moderate a panel discussion entitled “Story to Strategy: Marketing & Branding for Independent Acts & Artists” during a Friday afternoon conference session similar to one that I participated in last year.

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has many implications for the music industry and is rapidly changing how music is written, recorded and shared. Aspects of AI will be explored in three workshops. Professor Emeritus Jeff Snyder, who spent 25 years in higher education and chaired a music department, will lead ones on “AI … What Have You Done?” and “AI for Musicians: From Creation to Promotion,” while Dr. Michael Harrington, a frequent speaker at SS Cape May and other music conferences, will explain how to leverage AI as a creative tool while safeguarding your intellectual property in “Harnessing AI for Music Creation: A Legal Perspective.” Harrington, who created a popular Berklee College of Music course on copyright law in the music business, has served as an expert witness and co-authored amicus briefs on behalf of big-name artists and as a consultant in hundreds of music copyright and intellectual property matters.

Bill Pere, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and author of Songcrafters’ Coloring Book, returns to the conference to again present a workshop on “Building A Successful Career as a Songwriter” and share “The 8 Keys to Success in the Music Business” in another one. His wife, Kay Pere, a nationally known vocal and creativity coach, again leads a workshop entitled “Regenerative Creativity: Making a Musical Life that Matters. The Peres have been sharing their decades of experience and knowledge on the craft and business of songwriting at SS Cape May every year since its inception and are glad to be returning. “Among the dozens of music conferences we have presented at over the last 30 years, SS Cape May is clearly one of the best for both new and experienced singer-songwriters to learn, network, and enhance their career goals,” they told AcousticMusicScene.com last year. “We always look forward to this weekend filled with the creative energy and aspirations of current and upcoming singer-songwriters.”

Lou Plaia (Hot Rats Entertainment), co-founder of ReverbNation – the world’s largest DIY artists services platform, moderates a panel discussion on “Maximizing Your Potential as a Musician,” Fellow music industry veteran Les Scott (Source Q Boutique), who specializes in music placement in film & television and has represented hundreds of writers and artists, speaks on “Marketing Your Music for Film & Television,” as well as “Breaking Down the Doors” of gatekeepers/decision makers. Other workshops and panel discussions will delve into “From Songs to Stages: Building a Sustainable Career as a Singer-Songwriter,”  “Recording and Releasing New Music in 2026,” “The Independent Advantage: Shaping the Future of the Music Industry,” “Redefining the Modern Musician: The Shift from ‘Artist Only’ to Creative Entrepreneur,” and “Maximizing Your Potential As a Musician.”

The conference registration desk opens at 10 a.m. on March 27, while panel discussions and workshops take place between 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Showcasing artists and panelists will receive credentials for the conference, while a limited number of others may still register to attend the daytime events for $135. Evening showcase performances  — apart from those at Congress Hall featuring keynoters Laura Stevenson and Adam Weiner, which are ticketed — are free and open to the public. The venues hosting them are all within walking distance of Congress Hall.

For more information, to register for the conference, and to view the evening showcase schedules, visit www.sscapemay.com.

Laura Stevenson (a Long Island, New York-based singer-songwriter) and Adam Weiner (who fronts the Philadelphia-based band Low Cut Connie) will deliver keynotes and perform during the conference, while some 130 other pre-selected musical acts and artists of various genres will showcase their talents at 15 local bars, restaurants and hotels on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Singer-Songwriter Cape May also features two afternoons of hour-long music business panel discussions and workshops, as well as mentoring sessions, at Congress Hall & Harrison Conference Center. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking with other singer-songwriters, musicians and music industry professionals.

While AcousticMusicScene.com is my labor of love, I am also a communications and public relations strategist and will participate in a panel discussion “ on “Marketing & Branding for Independent Acts & Artists” during a Friday afternoon conference session.

Bill Pere, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and author of Songcrafters’ Coloring Book, will present a workshop on “Building A Successful Career as a Songwriter” and share “The 8 Keys to Success in the Music Business” in another one. His wife, Kay Pere, a nationally known vocal and creativity coach, leads a workshop entitled “Regenerative Creativity: Making a Musical Life that Matters.” The Peres said that they are glad to be returning to SS Cape May for the 12th time to share their decades of experience and knowledge on the craft and business of songwriting. “Among the dozens of music conferences we have presented at over the last 30 years, SS Cape May is clearly one of the best for both new and experienced singer-songwriters to learn, network, and enhance their career goals,” they told AcousticMusicScene.com. “We always look forward to this weekend filled with the creative energy and aspirations of current and upcoming singer-songwriters.”

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has many implications for the music industry. Aspects of these will be explored in two workshops. Jeff Snyder, a professor emeritus who spent 25 years in higher education and chaired a music department, will share examples of the many uses of AI that are already happening during a workshop entitled “Hey AI … What Have You Done?,” while Dr. Michael Harrington, a frequent speaker at SS Cape May and other music conferences, will explain how to leverage AI as a creative tool while safeguarding your intellectual property in “Harnessing AI for Music Creation: A Legal Perspective.” Harrington — who created a popular Berklee College of Music course on copyright law in the music business, has served as an expert witness and co-authored amicus briefs on behalf of big-name artists and as a consultant in hundreds of music copyright and intellectual property matters — will also present a workshop on “New Copyright & IP issues in Music, Film, TV, Adverts, & Games.”

Lou Plaia (Hot Rats Entertainment), co-founder of ReverbNation – the world’s largest DIY artists services platform, moderates a panel discussion on “Maximizing Your Potential as a Musician.” Fellow music industry veteran Les Scott (Source Q Boutique), who specializes in music placement in film & television and currently represents more than 400 writers and artists, speaks on “Marketing Your Music for Film & Television.” There will also be a “Producer Panel” that will delve into the roles of producers, recording sessions, mixing & mastering recordings, production budgets, supervision, and more.

The conference registration desk opens at 11 a.m. on March 28, while panel discussions and workshops take place between 1 and 5 p.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Showcasing artists and panelists will receive credentials for the conference, while others may register to attend the daytime events for a small fee. Evening showcase performances –- apart from those at Congress Hall featuring keynoters Laura Stevenson and Adam Weiner, which are ticketed — are free and open to the public. The venues hosting them are all within walking distance of Congress Hall. In addition, Behr Brewing on Seashore Road in Cape May hosts a SS Cape May Kick-Off Party featuring live music on Thursday, March 27, from 6-9 p.m.

For more information, to register for the conference, and to view the evening showcase schedules, visit www.sscapemay.com.

Singer-songwriters Jesse Terry and Erin McKeown will deliver keynotes and perform during the conference, while some 150 other pre-selected musical acts and artists of various genres will showcase their talents at more than a dozen local bars, restaurants and hotels on Friday and Saturday evenings.

“Jesse Terry is a gentle soul with a formidable songwriting talent and a clear artistic vision,” says John Platt, host of Sunday Supper on New York’s WFUV. A true musical journeyman, Jesse Terry has made it his mission to share his love of music fully and completely, without regard for shading his emotions or tempering his convictions. By his own definition, the Connecticut-based performing artist has never been a cautious individual, but rather one who finds inspiration and optimism in the solace and joy that making music brings him and which he can impart to others both through his recordings (five albums and an EP to date) and his live performances throughout the U.S., Europe, Greenland, and New Zealand. More information may be found online at www.jesseterrymusic.com.

Here are links to the official music videos for Jesse Terry’s “Kaleidoscope” and “Stargazer” from his album Stargazer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGW9irhdZUQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydOal9N6jw4.

Although often referred to as a folk-rock singer-songwriter and musician, Erin McKeown’s music defies stylistic boundaries – as her 10 full-length albums over the last 20 years attest. Her first musical, Miss You Like Hell, which opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater last year, was nominated for five Drama Desk Awards and was named as Best Musical of 2018 by The Wall Street Journal. A western Massachusetts-based international touring artist, McKeown has performed at such notable festivals as Bonnaroo, Glastonbury and the Newport Folk Festival. Her songs have been widely played on NPR, the BBC and other radio stations. She has secured song placements in numerous commercials and television shows, and she even wrote a song via text messaging with her friend Rachel Maddow. “In several distinctive ways – voice, dynamic subtlety, and sheer songwriting ability – Erin McKeown is in a class of her own,” writes a music critic for The Sunday Times (UK). For more information, visit www.erinmckeown.com.

Here’s a link to a video of Erin McKeown performing “Now I’m Here“ from Miss You Like Hell live at WFUV’s Studio A in New York City in 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qtQ9v-VxTY.

AcousticMusicScene.com Editor & Publisher, Connecticut Songwriters Association Leader and ReverbNation Co-Founder are Among the Panelists During the Singer-Songwriter Cape May Conference

Singer-Songwriter Cape May also features two afternoons of music business panel discussions, workshops and mentoring sessions at Congress Hall & Harrison Conference Center. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking with other singer-songwriters, musicians and music industry professionals.

While AcousticMusicScene.com is my labor of love, I am also a communications and public relations strategist and will be among the panelists discussing “Press, Publicity and Promotion” and “Branding, Marketing and Social Media for Independent Artists” during afternoon conference sessions. Although the media landscape is in a continual state of flux, independent singer-songwriters have many options for promotion these days. I hope to help SS Cape May attendees set the right course and navigate through the many channels available to them to reach and connect with their target audiences. Talented artists with some promotional and social media savvy, or the smarts to surround themselves with people who do, can strike a responsive chord through strategic public relations and creative communications.

Evening Showcases at Venues Around Cape May Are Free and Open to the Public

The conference registration desk opens at 11 a.m. on March 29, while mentoring sessions extend from noon to 5 p.m. each day, and the workshops take place between 1 and 5 p.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Showcasing artists and panelists will receive credentials for the conference, while others may register to attend the daytime events for $55. Evening showcase performances –- apart from those featuring the keynoters Jesse Terry and Erin McKeown, which are ticketed — are free and open to the public. For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.sscapemay.com.