Native Iowans have proved that there are different ways to “make it” in the music business.

“The Business of Music: Making It in Iowa and Beyond” will the topic of a panel discussion at 8 tonight in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Music producer Robb Vallier and the band House of Large Sizes’ Dave Deibler and Barb Schilf will discuss how to make it as an Iowa musician.

Kyle Munson, music critic for the Des Moines Register, will be moderating the event. His job is to “steer the discussion so that it addresses the major issues and remains relevant to a broad audience,” he said.

“If you don’t love the music you’re not going to last very long in the business,” said Vallier, who is also a songwriter and an artist. “The first time you write a song it’s better than sex.”

Munson said the panelists will debate what “making it” actually means.

This includes: whether or not one needs to have a record contract; how being from Iowa factors into the equation; whether or not one has to move to Los Angeles or New York City; and how a musician can stand out and distribute their music at the same time.

“If musicians want to devote their lives to music, they don’t need to pursue a big record deal or depend on it for their bread and butter,” Munson said.

“But if they really want to get their music into the mainstream, there are some real marketing strategies that they need to adopt.”

Vallier, Deibler and Schilf will offer different perspectives on the issue of making it in the music industry.

Deibler and Schilf, a husband and wife duo, have worked for 15 years at a grassroots level. HOLS, which also includes Brent Hanson, has toured the country and succeeded by promoting themselves.

Most importantly, HOLS made it, “by playing lots of shows and not sucking,” Deibler said.

The members started in Cedar Falls in 1986 when the group members were in junior high. With Schilf playing bass guitar, Deibler playing guitar, Hanson playing drums and all three singing, they form a rock `n’ roll sound that appeals to all audiences.

Vallier will offer a big city perspective.

He has lived and worked in L.A. for the past seven years producing for artists such as Sublime, Sophie B. Hawkins, Vanessa Williams and Jon B.

Originally a resident of Ames, Vallier left Iowa State in his early 20s to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating from Berklee, Vallier moved to Los Angeles to purse his dreams of working in the music business.

“It has been a long hard road,” Vallier said.

Munson has worked at the Register for eight years. He loves talking to musicians and being a part of the music world.

Although he didn’t plan on staying in Iowa this long, everything in his life has kept him here and he says he’s happy with that.

People who are interested in music as a career, interested in the music business or want to make a living at music and not leave Iowa are encouraged to attend the event, Deibler said.

“I hope it’s the next step in strengthening Iowa’s music scene by bringing more musicians, fans, etc. into contact with each other,” Munson said.

“It’s events like this one that can give the scene more unity, which then gives it a bigger presence in the rest of the nation and the world.”