Nashville, Tennessee - Indie Music Week has announced that Tracy Gershon, Senior Director of A & R and Artist Development, Sony Nashville, will be participating as an Indie Music Week panelist. IMW, taking place in Nashville March 11-12, will feature three industry panels of Major and Independent A&R, promoters, label executives, producers, managers and lawyers, and will wrap up with a Music Industry Summit.

After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Tracy worked as a Concert Promoter for Avalon Attractions. In 1982 Tracy left Avalon to work for Backstreet/MCA Records as Senior Director of Creative Services until she was offered a Vice-President position with Wavelength Video, a premier music video pool.

Indulging her passion for country music, Tracy decided to start her own management company which was responsible for representing artists such as Rosie Flores (Warner/Reprise) and Jann Browne (Curb) among others. In 1988, while continuing to build and maintain her management company, Tracy was also hired as a song-plugger for EMI Music. Tracy worked for EMI, Los Angeles, for one year before she relocated to Nashville to be made Director of Creative Services, EMI Nashville.

In 1989 Tracy was hired by Sony/ATV/Tree Music to oversee the pop division as well as exploit the ever-expanding country music catalogues. Tracy was appointed Senior Director of Talent Acquisition in 1992 and was responsible for signing acts such as The Mavericks, Joe Ely, Carlene Carter, and James House.

In 1995 Tracy left Sony to become Imprint Records’ Vice-President of A & R where she was responsible for the signings and development of all artists on the roster.

In January 1998, Tracy moved on to join the Fitzgerald-Hartley Management Team as a partner in the High

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In August of 2002, Tracy was offered a position as an A&R consultant for Sony Records coordinating with the New York, Los Angeles and Nashville divisions. At the label’s Nashville division, she began development for a new live talent competition television series for the USA Cable Network called “Nashville Star”. Tracy served as a Nashville Star judge as well as the Consulting Producer for the 1st and 2nd seasons of the hit show.

Tracy currently holds the title of Senior Director of A & R and Artist Development, a position created just for her at Sony Nashville, and sits on the Board of Directors of Leadership Music, NARAS, and The Actors Bridge Theater Group.

“To read Tracy’s resume is to follow a trail of music industry successes spanning more than two decades. We’ll be so honored to have her present at Indie Music Week,” says Jonell Polansky, President of Indie Music Week.

Other confirmed panelists include representatives from Warner Bros. Records, Universal South, Vivaton Records, Lyric Street Records, Sony Music, Broken Bow Records, BMI, and the Nashville Association of Professional Recording Services (NAPRS). In addition to the industry panels, Indie Music Week will also feature two Artist Showcases to be held at Nashville’s famous Douglas Corner Café.

To attend Indie Music Week 2005, please visit IndieMusicWeek.org for registration information. The registration fee for Indie Music Week is $99, with 50% fee discounts for music industry students or artists that showcase. To be an Indie Music Week sponsor, please visit IndieMusicWeek.org or call 615-292-1337.