Beyond the Music: Ready or Not Ready

Invest Durham in partnership with the Old Flame Brewing Co. and Small Town Open Mic is proud to host the next event in the “Beyond the Music” series.

Invest Durham is committed to building a stronger, more vibrant music ecosystem that not only entertains but also drives economic and cultural growth in Durham Region. Through its Creative Industries program, the “Beyond the Music” series was created in 2025 as a key initiative for supporting musicians, venues, and other industry professionals in the region. The first three events in June, October and February helped to shape a supportive environment empowering our local music industry through networking, skill-building, highlighting talent and professional development.

Building on last year’s successes, the “Beyond the Music: Ready or Not Ready” event provides the opportunity again to connect, learn and showcase Durham’s talent. Through a roundtable session and industry panel you will learn the business side of music, getting your work published, promoting your song to radio and more with our experienced panelists:

• Eric Alper - at the forefront of the Canadian entertainment industry for the past 25+ years, making the Public in Public Relations his business. His enthusiasm, encyclopedic knowledge of the past and present have made him the go-to for music in Canada.
• Kathryn Maugh – her career spans rights management, music supervision, creative development, and cultural consulting, working with major and independent publishers, record labels, and production companies—shaping how music is cleared, curated, taught, and valued.
• Nikita Patel - she is a music industry professional currently at Unfit Music as the Growth and Operations Associate. She brings over four years of experience in music publishing, along with product management experience on the label side. She is also an artist manager, co-founder of Gatebreakers, and a board member at Hugh's Room Live. Passionate about artist development and publishing, she is driven to create opportunities and foster meaningful connections.
• More panelist to come and will be posted as they are confirmed.

Light refreshments served with additional alcoholic drinks available for purchase.

Following the formal part of the event we invite you join us for the Small Town Open Mic!

The aim of Small Town Open Mic is to support and connect local songwriters and musicians, inspire creativity, and, of course, have fun! We strongly encourage collaboration. This is a great place to meet other musicians and jump in on each others' sets!

Small Town Open Mic runs every Thursday from 7-10pm at Old Flame Brewery in Port Perry, hosted by Camperdown (@smalltownopenmic).

For this special event, pre-registration is required.

To register, email [email protected] by May 26, 2026.

The sooner the better, as the list will fill up! Bring your instrument, or use one of the house guitars. Both an electric and acoustic guitar are available for your use.

Claim your timeslot at 7pm.

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Host or Publisher Invest Durham