Due to schedule conflicts, our chapter meeting for October has been cancelled. We will meet again on Monday, November 11, 2019 at Dickey's.
However, the Dallas Chapter meeting should be of great interest to everyone, and I encourage you to attend!
Dallas NSAI will host two Austin music officials at its next meeting on October 28. Brendon Anthony, Director of the Texas Music Office, and Mitch Ballard, Senior Director, Austin with BMI, will discuss their roles and how they can help songwriters. The meeting takes place at 7pm on the 28th at Opening Bell Coffee, 1409 S. Lamar Dallas.
As Director of the Texas Music Office, Brendon Anthony sets the agenda for business development, helping music industry professionals navigate their entry into the Texas market, as well as moving their businesses to Texas (including corporations, start-ups, and everything in between). Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015, Brendon provides the link between the Office of the Governor's Economic Development & Tourism Division executive staff, private sector music industry businesses, and non-governmental music organizations and trade associations. In addition to leading the Texas Music Office, Brendon is also the point person for the Music Friendly Communities program which helps connect the various music markets throughout the state with one another, establishes best practices for economic development success, and fosters the development and connection of higher education music programs to real-world music business opportunity.
Anthony began playing live music with a variety of Texas acts while attending Texas A&M University, which he graduated from in 1999. In 1997, Anthony began playing full time with Pat Green, touring nationally and internationally for 15 years. During his decade and a half as a touring musician, Anthony played on a gold record and was a member of the band when Green received three Grammy Award nominations. In addition to being a successful touring musician, Anthony has also performed on dozens of studio recordings and produced multiple records, including Drew Womack’s “Sunshine To Rain.” In 2010, Anthony helped start OneLive Media, which began as a primary ticketing company for Texas music venues and festivals before expanding into the e-commerce industry and becoming one of the premier online entertainment sales and marketing companies in the country. Anthony is a classically-trained violinist who has played fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo both in live performances and studio recordings.
Mitch Ballard is the Senior Director, Creative, Austin, with BMI. In this role, Ballard is responsible for providing service to existing BMI affiliates in Texas, signing new talent, and providing enhancement for the already vibrant songwriting community in Austin.
Ballard’s career spans over 25 years, beginning as an on-air talent in radio and television. He spent 16 years in the music business as a tour manager for major national acts. Prior to joining BMI, he utilized his background in the music industry to create early web-based applications for music booking agencies as well as a system to manage concert tours for major artists. Most recently, he started a full-service web development firm, DevDigital, in Nashville, TN.
