For Immediate Release
24th Annual Durango Songwriters Expo OCT 3-5, 2019 at Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, CO
ASCAP and BMI are Proud to Support the 24th Annual Durango Songwriters Expo
*Slots Still Open for Colorado Singer-songwriters to attend!
“Every Handshake Here is Important" ~ Grammy winner Meghan Trainor
The Durango Songwriters Expo Lets Musicians Write, Perform, and Learn ~ Santa Barbara Independent Newspaper
Music industry gem The Durango Songwriter’s Expo 24th will again showcase its conglomeration of the who’s who of music industry pros, Hit songwriters of our age, and 200 hand-selected aspiring national and international singer/songwriters on October 3-5, 2019, in Broomfield, Colorado, when it returns for its three-day retreat at the Omni Interlocken Resort.
A longtime press darling, the Durango Songwriter’s Expo (DSE), which made its debut back in the mid- 1990s in Durango, Colorado, has been dubbed “one of the nation’s premier artist/songwriter events” and endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, CODA (Colorado’s CD Rom’s Manufacturer), UC Denver and more. Rendering a unique opportunity, the event not only gets attendees’ music critiqued in listening sessions, but they can sit in on workshops, industry panels, and perform their music during evening open-mic showcases.
A big, impactful draw for singer/songwriters from Denver, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, as well as abroad (Australia, U.K., Canada) to flock to Broomfield each year is in the last several years, there have been 10 major signings that have taken place at the expo, including superstar ASCAP writer and Grammy winner Meghan Trainor, who signed with Big Yellow Dog Music and Epic Records.
Trainor first attended the expo in 2009 at age 15, and a few years later, created a demo with co-writer and producer Kevin Kadish that got the attention of Epic. In 2014, the label signed her and her song, “All About That Bass,” topped the charts for eight weeks and earned her accolades and awards, including a Grammy. Making a cameo appearance at DSE a couple years after she hit fame, she reminded attendees that “every handshake here is crucial, very important, even if you don’t think it is, because now I get to do what I love to do every day because of a handshake.” Pop/folk singer Alissa Moreno, who credits DSE with launching her career, signed with Universal after the song “Every Day” she penned (at the expo) with country/rock hit maker Jeffrey Steele became a Grammy-nominated hit for Rascal Flatts. Her music has since appeared in several films and in MTV shows “The Hills” and “Laguna Beach.”
And it doesn’t stop there. Other successes include Kate York, who’s written hits for Little Big Town, Fall Out Boy, and for numerous hit TV shows and films including Grey’s Anatomy, The Fosters, the film New Year’s Day, One Tree Hill, and countless songs for the TV show “Nashville.” Grammy-winning songwriter Tim Fagen, who was signed at the expo, took home the coveted gilded gramophone statue for “Lucky,” his co-write with Grammy-award-winner Colbie Caillat. And, a big supporter of the expo, UC Denver, and some of its students such as Olivia Rudeen attribute the expo for opening the doors to the music industry.
Going strong since 1996, the Durango Songwriters Expo takes place twice a year, alternating between Broomfield, Colorado and Santa Barbara, California’s wine country, a locale that grants easy access to L.A.-based musicians and professionals. Attendance for both expos is restricted to 200 musicians, which makes the event undeniably intimate. In addition, 40 hit songwriters and industry pros are invited to speak, perform, educate, and provide insight and encouragement. The philosophy then, and now, remains the same—to fuse an inviting setting with a close-knit atmosphere where musicians can interact, create, learn, and become inspired.
The hotel halls breathe with music as co-writers conspire in suites, rooms and stairwells. There is no shortage of artists, and the listening sessions are intimate and real as publishers, music supervisors, label reps and many others spend quality time with the songwriters, giving feedback and suggestions.
According to Jim Attebery, the event’s co-founder, “There’s nothing else like it. People come from all over to attend workshops and listening sessions and to perform in open mic’s. They come to meet industry pros, big names from L.A., N.Y. and Nashville, who are otherwise totally inaccessible.”
DSE is open to 12-year-old beginners and 70-year-old hitmakers alike. “It’s amazing how humble these songwriters and professionals are,” said Attebery, a longtime well-connected songwriter and music producer. “For three days, they’re a truly captive audience. There’s really no separation, no distinction between the biggest successes and the as-yet unknowns.”
Attebery, who moved from L.A. to Durango, Colorado, to raise his then three-year old daughter, initially launched the expo on the grounds of combining industry folk and singer-songwriters, all the while held at a beautiful, remote setting—away from the hustle-bustle of cosmopolitan cities. “I did a lot of music for film/TV, and bands, so when I moved to Colorado I pretty much had to bring the industry to me, and since I had lots of relationships in the business, it was not that difficult to get them to come to scenic Durango. Also, I had been to a lot of the music events and found them to be unsatisfying, attendees were just numbers, never got heard, and were disillusioned—Durango was the antithesis of that. We limited the registration and brought a lot of industry pros and hit writers so the ratios were incredible.”
*The Durango Songwriters Expo has available registration slots open for Singer/songwriters from Denver, Boulder and throughout Colorado. The expo itself is open to anyone with a passion for music, whether it’s rock, pop, indie, or country, and is geared toward those songwriters who’d like to kick start or reenergize their careers. For more information and to find out how to register, please visit www.durango-songwriters-expo.com, call Jim Attebery at 970-259-9747 | 970-946-9521 (cell), or email [email protected].
Some of the confirmed Industry Pros attending this year:
AL ANDERSON, Nashville: Formerly part of legendary group NRBQ and mega-hit songwriter with #1hits, "The Cowboy In Me", "Trip Around The Sun", "Unbelievable", and “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright”
HOWARD BENSON, LA: Producer who has worked with numerous hit artists, including All American Rejects, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, and Rascal Flatts
MONICA BENSON, LA: Owner, President of BOK Music Publishing
MARK BROWN, Nashville: Vice President and General Manager, Round Hill Music
LYNDSIE CHLOWITZ, LA: Music Supervisor at Walt Disney Company
SHAWN COHEN, LA: Senior Director, A&R for Elektra Music Group
STEVE GARVAN, Sandpoint: Owner of Garvan Management and Consulting
NICK HAUSSLING, LA: Senior Director of A&R at Concord Music
ERIC HURT, Nashville: VP of A&R, EMPIRE-Nashville
BRIAN NAGUIT, LA: Manager, Creative Music at CBS Television Studios.
CHEN NEEMAN, LA: Hit songwriter and producer who has worked with the likes of Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus
*To see the full list, please see the attached DSE brochure.
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