[Photo courtesy of Zoe Cranfill]

By Julia Weber, Features Editor

Ohio University hosted the fourth annual Music Industry Summit on April 5 and 6.  

Read more: Q&A: Matt Vinson

The summit welcomed headlining artists including Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, Saba, and Athens’ own Caamp. The event consisted of two days of panels and sessions surrounding current music industry topics such as music production, branding, NFTs, the metaverse, and event management.

Separate keynote events included a DJ set hosted by Michelle Zauner at Stuart’s Opera House and a sold-out performance from Caamp at Ohio University’s Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

Zauner’s DJ set at Stuart’s Opera House drew a crowd of students, community members and other Music Industry Summit attendees for a high-energy, unforgettable night. Zauner selected songs from artists including Enya, Charli XCX and M83 among others throughout the night. To the crowd’s delight, she ended the evening’s activities by leaving her spot on stage to dance with attendees for the final song.

When asked about Caamp’s performance at the summit, Matt Vinson, the bassist for the band, said: “It was the homecoming that we all have dreamed of.”

After the band’s performance at the Memorial Auditorium, the group played an impromptu set during local restaurant Casa Nueva’s open mic night, where the band played throughout their time at OU. “… It just gave me serious deja vu. And the last six years kind of just disappeared and I was back in that moment,” Vinson said during the interview.

The summit also hosted opening performances on both mornings of the summit from two Brick City Records artists, Eleanor Dakota and Rent Free frontman Paul Nern.