A summons to Memphis was issued Friday to upcoming artists and professionals in the music industry.
   
Music executives, producers, songwriters, music publishers, recording artists, entertainment attorneys, filmmakers and broadcasters are expected June 11-14 for the Music-Entertainment & Marketing Summit. The host is the Urban Network, a trade and consumer publication based in Los Angeles.

Miller London, publisher/CEO of  L.A. based Urban Network (right) and Arthur Mitchell.  The Music-Entertainment & Marketing Summit is expected to draw over 2,000 music industry professionals.

Miller London, the publication’s publisher/CEO, is anticipating that at least 2,000 industry professionals and music enthusiasts from entertainment centers in Nashville, Atlanta and Chicago will participate in the annual conference at the Memphis Convention Center, 255 N. Main St.
   
“We feel comfortable bringing our conference to Memphis,” said London. “It’s not a one-time thing. We expect to have an ongoing relationship.”
 Summit organizers are planning more than a dozen panel sessions and seminars, with diverse topic discussions about the entertainment industry.
   
Some of those discussions will include songwriting and production, challenges facing women in music, exploiting artists and labels through the digital medium, operating retail stores in the current online driven market, radio programming, and becoming a success in the Hip-Hop, R&B and gospel genres.
   
Past Urban Network Summits have drawn top-tier artists such as Boyz ll Men, Patti LaBelle, Lionel Richie, Kirk Franklin, Mint Condition, Busta Rhymes, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Ludacris, Destiny’s Child, Will Smith and Wyclef Jean.
   
The Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy, the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Memphis Music Foundation have partnered with Urban Network to bring the Summit to Memphis.  
   
London and his team were in the city Friday to meet with potential sponsors and industry professionals who may be interested in participating in the 21-year Summit.
   
Tosha Thomas, vice president/managing editor of Urban Network; Arthur Mitchell, vice president of Business Development; and David Mitchell, event coordinator and consulting editor, joined London at the Memphis Music Foundation for a strategy session.
   
London said Memphis is good place to host the Summit, because “Memphis is a music city, and you can feel and touch people in Memphis, where you can’t in New York and Los Angeles.”
   
David Mitchell said it makes sense to bring the Summit to Memphis. “It makes sense to be here with Stax,” he said. “It’s a time to pay homage to Memphis.”
   
“Memphis has such an incredible history,” added London. “There aren’t many states – with cities like Memphis and Nashville – that can boast music like Tennessee.”

For more information and Summit updates, visit www.urbannetwork.com.