This morning’s thorough and in-depth LA Times article “Sundance Film Festival: Musicians trying to be heard” talks about the increase in music acts heading to Park City, Utah (if you’ve never been, it’s simply beautiful) to perform, network and make a name for themselves during the annual film festival. With all the producers and directors in attendance, that’s not a bad idea.

During the last decade, the number of musical acts at Sundance has ballooned — as has the number of corporate sponsors and celebrities who turn up absent any connection to any of the movies in the festival. This year, more than 50 performers descended upon the mountain city, leaving fans with a bevy of shows to choose between nightly.

You could argue a trip to Park City is an investment worth making in order to be in front of and mingle with an “industry crowd.” But it’s not easy — you have to know how to put on the networking cap and follow up with connections. There’s also stiff competition at the actual festival:

… it’s often established acts that steal the spotlight. Rappers Drake and Wiz Khalifa played invite-only shows at the Bing Bar, a multilevel space decorated by the Microsoft search engine. The DJ Deadmau5 and LMFAO, famous for a party anthem about taking shots of alcohol, performed at the Park City Live venue. And at a pop-up version of the posh Tao restaurant, T-Mobile and Google Music sponsored concerts from somewhat less commercial acts like the Civil Wars and the Whigs… festival-goers tried to elbow their way into these exclusive events each evening…

The article is a good read for any musician seeking new opportunities. Read the rest HERE.

Have you ever been to Sundance? What was your experience?

-LAMA Staff