Becoming a musician has become a trend for clout with the rise of SoundCloud Rappers, social media and music challenges. It is hard to build an organic following with artists buying bots, paying for shoutouts and reposts for fake popularity. Here are some events, ordered by city to get your name out to large audiences.

Los Angeles

The Rap Contest at the Airliner
Rappers can enter this contest to showcase talents every Tuesday from 8pm-2am. This contest has been going on since 2010 and they offer a cash prize. If you do not win, at least your music has been heard. Tickets are on sale for $20 to find new artists.

Air + Style
Air and Style seeks to combine fans’ love for food, music and art in one space. It is coming to LA on March 3 and 4 of next year. It also offers skateboarding and snowboarding contests for thrill seekers. This is a recommended event to attend because of the wide array of attendees.

Muse Expo
Muse Expo bridges the gap between technology, media and international music within Los Angeles. It will be its 14th year at the W Hollywood on April 29th to May 2nd, 2018. This is a global music business event where artists can network with labels, management and production teams to see how they can improve their sounds and marketing.

FYF Fest
FYF, commonly known as Fuck Yeah Fest is one of the most popular festivals of the summer. Goldenvoice has been yet to announce the lineup for July 20th-22nd, 2018. But in the past, their lineup has featured Kendrick Lamar, Solange, Tame Impala, Flying Lotus, Yeseayer, Björk & John and more. It is a great space to meet industry professionals and build an organic fanbase.

ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo
ASCAP is a membership association home to over 600,000 music industry professionals. This is the 13th installment of the expo in Hollywood. If you are a songwriter, composer, artists or producer, it is imperative to attend on May 7th-9th, 2018. It will put you in contact with music publishers and other industry enthusiasts seeking to broaden their network and consumer base.

Independent Music Industry Conference
IMI is conference occurring on January 11th to 13th, 2018 to foster a space for college students, interns and industry professionals to network and coexist. It seeks to normalize advice and the eager learning experience of new professionals who want to sharpen their skills and understanding of the entertainment business. This should be a top priority if you want to learn how to break into the entertainment industry.

Long Beach
Complex Con
Media entity Complex has teamed up with Pigeons and Planes, their indie platform to develop Complex Con, a convention focusing on urban fashion and music. Past performers have included NERD, Travis $cott & Gucci Mane and A$AP Ferg. Artists can network with brands, attend workshops and enjoy the concert sets.

Agenda Fest
Agenda Fest shares similarities to Complex con and Art + Style. This year, A$AP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator, Ludacris and Cam’Ron headlined the main stage. 2018 dates are yet to be announced.

Orange County
NAMM Show
Next year’s NAMM show is from January 25th-28th, 2018 in Anaheim, CA. This is a leading industry event to learn about new product developments surrounding instruments and production equipment. It is a great convention to attend to meet instrument companies and find out your next production purchase. NAMM also offers workshops throughout the day.

Coachella
Goldenvoice’s star-studded double weekend festival is happening April 13-15th and 20-22nd. Coachella is one of the best festivals to attend for networking opportunities. Attendees are bound to meet industry professionals, music heads and other festival enthusiasts in the Coachella Valley.

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