The Americana Music Association’s 12th annual Americana Music Festival and Conference, Oct. 12-15, is expected to draw some 1,000 artists, label executives, managers, agents, music publishers, music retailers, producers, promoters, music journalists and other industry professionals to Nashville this week for several days of learning, networking and musical entertainment.. Those numbers may swell to more than 15,000 as fans come out to experience the Festival’s musical events – including nighttime musical showcases and the professional trade association’s 10th Annual Honors & Awards show.

Nearly 40 panel discussions, seminars, workshops and other educational forums focusing on such topics as “Americana Hitmakers – The Craft of Writing a Song (featuring noted songwriters Matraca Berg, Jim Lauderdale and John Oates), “Working the Festival Circuit: Making a Living Touring Festivals” and “WWW + What Went Wrong?” (a master class led by Ariel Hyatt exploring artist websites and social media techniques) will take place at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel during the daytime. A trade show, lunches and other daytime activities also are slated. The evenings will be filled with artist showcases featuring more than 100 live performances at five Nashville venues (The Basement, The Cannery Ballroom, The Mercy Lounge, The Rutledge and The Station Inn). Several special shows and events will pay tribute to and showcase the musical heritage of the state of Alabama – including an all-star panel discussion of the genre-melding Muscle Shoals sound and musical performances by the Blind Boys of Alabama, T. Graham Brown, The Civil Wars and R & B legend Candi Staton, among others.

Lauderdale also again hosts the annual Americana Honors & Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Thursday evening, Oct. 13, while Buddy Miller returns to lead an all-star house band during the festival and conference’s marquis event that also will feature performances by such artists as Hayes Carll, The Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook, Justin Townes Earle, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, and The Secret Sisters, among others. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Lucinda Williams (Songwriter), Gregg Allman (Performer), Jerry Douglas (Instrumentalist), Rick Hall (Executive) and BBC radio host and journalist Bob Harris (Trailblazer Award). Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, will deliver the keynote on Thursday morning. Joy Williams and John Paul White of The Civil Wars, the duo whose debut disc, Barton Hollow, rocketed to the #1 position on several radio airplay charts, joined by members of their marketing and promotion team, will speak as part of an artist development panel that immediately follows it.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in the industry. The annual Americana Music Conference and Americana Honors & Awards are an important part of that. For more information on the association and its events taking place in Nashville this week, log-on to www.americanamusic.org.