Today we’d like to introduce you to Dmitri Vietze.
Hi Dmitri, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve worked in the music industry for over 25 years. Anyone in business knows that there are certain conferences you have to attend to drum up business and stay relevant. Several years ago, I started a music tech company called Rock Paper Scissors, and realized our field did not have a major must-attend music tech event. So I decided to start one in 2019 called the Music Tectonics Conference in Santa Monica, CA – which runs November 4-6 this year. I settled on L.A. as the destination because there was a convergence of things happening there. Tech companies like Beats and Snap and record labels like Warner Music were opening up offices in the area, YouTube converted an air hangar to a fabulous creator space, and of course, Hollywood’s right there! L.A. was starting to become the ultimate crossroads for tech, gaming, music, social media, television and film. L.A. is becoming a nexus for the future of music innovation.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
LOL! It was tricky to find a conference location at the beginning. For our inaugural conference, an unforeseen brush fire near the Skirball Cultural Center forced us to change locations within 24 hours – but my amazing team pulled it off! The pandemic also put a hitch in our dream venue plans the following year. In 2022, we finally found our home in Santa Monica with three beachside venues. This year, we kick things off with our Creator Fair on the Santa Monica Pier Carousel. On day two, we gather at the Annenberg Community Beach House for a full day of programming. Our final day is all about networking with investors at Expert Dojo and later at a legendary UMG Studio for a startup bootcamp.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Music Tectonics unites innovators at the epicenter of music and technology with our annual conference, online events, podcast, and in-person meetups. I’m very proud of how we have become this epicenter for bringing together together the movers and shakers in the music tech ecosystem in an independent format, with a focus on solving real problems and growing the pie for the entire industry.
As of last year, we added the Creator Fair to kick off our conference, which is all about connecting artists with brands. Musical creators are starting their careers on social platforms like TikTok, BandLab, and YouTube, so we added the Creator Fair to have more cross-pollination between the recording industry and music creation side of musical instruments and software.
We try to keep conversations flowing throughout the entire year so they don’t just end after the conference is over. We find new ways to network and educate each other online year round through our Seismic Activities online series and podcast.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Playing music outside. It’s a multi-sensory experience and interweaving rhythms, tones, the natural environment, and human connection trigger the ultimate combination of dopamine and oxytocin with no algorithms gatekeeping your experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.musictectonics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musictectonics/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitrivietze/
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-tectonics/id1446796385
Image Credits
Brandon Ogden
