PLAY:stl Festival

The first annual PLAY:stl Music Festival & Conference will take place September 21-23, 2007, and be centered on the University City Loop in St. Louis. The festival will feature over 80 acts and seven live music stages over three days. Participating venues include Blueberry Hill (both the Duck and Elvis Rooms), three stages at Cicero's (who will be concurrently celebrating their 30th anniversary), Vintage Vinyl, and a second outdoor stage.

There will also be a conference portion Friday afternoon, which will be geared toward providing musicians with education and networking opportunities. Panels will feature industry professionals discussing such topics as booking & touring, press & publicity, recording & replication, and local buzz/the STL scene.

The objectives of the PLAY:stl Music Festival & Conference are twofold: (1) Increase awareness of the St. Louis area as a musical hub, rich with talented musicians and music-loving fans, and (2) Provide festival performers and attendees with a broader audience as well as educational and networking opportunities to increase their career success. Behind the PLAY:stl Music Festival & Conference is PLAYBACK:stl, the five-plus-year-old St. Louis-based music and entertainment magazine founded and run by Laura Hamlett and Jim Dunn, in print four and a half years before going web-only last fall. More than just a collection of words, PLAYBACK:stl has long been involved in booking shows and hosting events, drawing attention to the local music community and independent artists for many years.