Our Story
Bringing people together who do it, get it, and aren’t afraid to share it.
Now in its fifth year, MmX is a music industry conference with a deep focus on the midwest music scene and the communities that shape it. It draws equally on local leaders and international experts to deliver compelling panels, thoughtful discussions, inspiring keynotes, and new connections.
Twenty-nineteen marked the first conference, founded by Martin Atkins and operated by Millikin University’s music business students. Since then, Atkins has continued to curate the conference and guides students to bring it to life. In May 2020, MmX pivoted online and launch the first-ever scratch-and-sniff virtual conference. It continued throughout that year with weekly online sessions, a full virtual conference in 2021, and returned to in-person programming in May 2022.
Decatur, IL
Soy City
Decatur is the largest city and county seat of Macon County, Illinois. The city was founded in 1829 and lies along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur. As of 2017, the city’s estimated population was 72,174.
The city is home to Millikin University and Richland Community College. Decatur has vast industrial and agricultural processing production, including the North American headquarters of agricultural conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland, international agribusiness Primient, and the designing and manufacturing facilities for Caterpillar Inc.’s wheel-tractor scrapers, off-highway trucks, and large mining trucks.
Music in Decatur is not as large as its potential provides. The city is currently taking steps to change that and MMX wants to help along the way.
Chicago, IL
Bridgeport Arts District
With the historic Ramova Theatre as this year’s conference hub, the many creative-centered businesses of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood will serve as partner venues.
While most well known as home to the Chicago White Sox, Bridgeport and nearby Pilsen offer a vibrant mix of arts, music, food, and culture. From independent coffee shops like Jackalope and Bad Owl and locally owned bookstores like Tangible, to popular bars and restaurants such as Maria’s Packaged Goods, and Antique Taco, and Pleasant House, conference attendees will experience a taste of Chicago beyond Michigan Avenue.
Millikin University
Ah, There You Are Millikin
Millikin is an independent, four-year university that is privately funded and has an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students in traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The signature of a Millikin education is a unique experience called Performance Learning.
Since its founding more than 110 years ago, Millikin has operated under the philosophy of providing an education that combines theory with practice. While this was a radical idea at the time, today that practice is not enough.
Today’s students must perform their knowledge in order to be truly prepared for a successful career after college. Through immersive experiences such as internships, co-teaching, running a business, presenting research to experts, and performing in front of audiences – students find new ways to live out their learning and reap the rewards of their hard work.