Music business shows interest in alt-weeklies

AAN hosted a booth last weekend at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers annual convention in San Francisco, the first time AAN has participated in the key music industry convention and trade show.

“We were very well-received,” says Adam Ebbin, AAN director of marketing. “There was a real recognition of our industry.”

Not only were industry giants like The Village Voice well known to attendees, even AAN members in smaller towns were mentioned.

“I always get a copy of the Boise Weekly when I go home,” jazz soloist Curtis Stigers, whose home town is Boise although he lives in New York state, told Ebbin.

The convention and trade show drew about 1,800 attendees from all over the world, including retailers, distributors, label executives and some artists.

Representatives of several AAN papers attended the convention, including SF Weekly, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, East Bay Express, the Boston Phoenix, The Village Voice and New Times Los Angeles.

More than 75 industry representatives dropped off cards at the new AAN trade show booth to receive the AAN directory.

“We made a lot of contacts and got to tell our story to a lot of people,” says Debra Silvestrin, AAN’s director of operations and special projects.