Inside Hustle Aims a Spotlight on the More Mysterious Parts of the Music Biz
The Philly Music Fest’s free series is back with a full day of panels, talks, and networking for the people who make the music business happen behind the scenes.
Gregory Alan Isakov headlines the 2026 Philly Music Fest, playing Ardmore Music Hall October 12th and 13th. / photo by Greg Ross
Wanna get a toe into the music scene? Just ask an artist, they’re usually pretty chill. You’ll generally hear something like start a band, book some shows, invite your friends, try not to suck, etc. Seems sorta doable.
But what about the offstage side of the music biz? The recording, the booking, the marketing? Who do you even ask?
The free Inside Hustle series of “networking and info events,” created by Philly Music Fest founders Greg and Jenn Seltzer, was created to lift the veil on all that. (Editor note: Philly Mag and The Philadelphia Citizen are media sponsors of the festival.)
“If you love music and want to make a career out of music, you don’t have to be on stage,” says Greg. “There are pathways for a person that loves music to have a career in music adjacent to the artist on stage.”
The Seltzers know all about that. She’s an accountant. He’s an accountant and lawyer. They had little experience in live music before co-creating their ambitious and increasingly popular festival some 10 years ago. Inside Hustle came along after the pandemic, inserting a non-concert side hustle into PMF’s busy show calendar.
See Also: Philly Music Fest Returns With an Impressive Lineup (and a Mystery Headliner)
This year, however, Inside Hustle gets its own spotlight thanks to full day of programming that includes panels discussions, presentations, “fireside chats” and more, at Drexel’s URBN Center on October 10th, two days before PMF begins.
The schedule includes appearances by professionals from across the biz: Toni Bourgeois (GM at Franklin Music Hall), Max Datner (director of radio and music discovery at Beggars Group), Sara Parker (WMMR), Mike Vasilikos and Eric Schuman (WXPN) and reps from StarVista Live, Vydia, Mixtape Media, and lots more. The keynote speaker has yet to be announced.
“Inside Hustle was kind of built for the industry ecosystem that surrounds the artists,” says Greg. “We don’t have any real music industry conferences that come to Philly. They go to L.A., they go to Nashville, they go to Austin, they go to New York, right? So we created this in Philly to be kind of like a conference vibe, but kind of Philly style.”
He says they learned early on that networking and mingling were especially important to attendees, so they’ve set aside lots of space and time between the programs for face-to-face connection. “I think that is where that that is where Inside Hustle shines,” says Greg.
Free with RSVP, October 10th, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 3501 Market Street, URBN Center, Drexel University.
