New Orleans hosts the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference, which features not only industry professionals and panels but also seminars on legal services, films, performances and cultural exchanges.

According to organizers, Cutting Edge “provides an intimate environment where musicians, entertainment professionals, and attorneys can mingle freely with speakers asking and answering questions in a relaxed atmosphere.” This year’s program includes screenings of shorts from WWOZ archives, a seminar on changes in entertainment law, a Deacon John Moore documentary, a conversation with Dwayne Dopsie, workshops on being an entrepreneur in the music business and much, much more. For a full list of programming, click here. For a full list of speakers at this year’s conference, click here.

This year, longtime New Orleans music proponent and Recording Academy Senior Membership and Project Manager, Reid Wick, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Cutting Edge. According to Cutting Edge, “Reid is an avid promoter for the New Orleans and Louisiana music industry. His efforts working with the Governor of Louisiana and the State Legislature was a compelling reason for the state to enact the ‘Sound Recording Investor Tax Credit.’ We look forward to his continued advocacy in the years to come.” The award presentation takes place Thursday, August 23 at Sweet Lorraine’s Jazz Club.

This year’s Cutting Edge conference kicks off today (August 22) and runs through Saturday, August 25, at the InterContinental Hotel. For more information, including how to attend, click here.