Music Biz 2018: Full Schedule

Color-coded sessions such as the Metadata Summit, Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, etc. are part of a larger program and can be viewed in full by clicking the options under ’Filter by Type’ to the right of this page. Please check back regularly for updates.

Please note that simply using this event platform marks you as an attendee of the conference, but you are not an OFFICIAL attendee of Music Biz until you have registered through Eventbrite and received further email confirmation.

12:00pm CDT

Registration

Sunday May 13, 2018 12:00pm - 8:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

7:00am CDT

Registration

Monday May 14, 2018 7:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

8:00am CDT

First-Time Attendee Meetup with Music Biz President James Donio

Is it your first time at Music Biz? Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the choices on the program schedule? Wondering how and where you may find the executives you came to meet? Don’t fret, you’re not alone! Come join fellow first-time attendees as Music Biz President James Donio offers his tips on how to to make the most of the event.

Speakers

James Donio

President, Music Business Association

James Donio is the President of the Music Business Association. Since taking the top role in 2004, Donio has evolved the organization from one primarily focused on physical product retailers to a more inclusive trade association that represents the full breadth of the current music... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Jaxsta Lounge

8:00am CDT

BuzzAngle Music Terrace

BuzzAngle Music has set up a meeting and demonstration area to showcase their innovative platform. Not familiar with BuzzAngle Music? You should be! The platform offers unique capabilities such as daily reporting of sales; streaming and airplay for both the U.S., Canada and several other international countries; comprehensive report and dashboard queries; 1,000 selectable genres; mobile app; and so much more. Come on by to get a breath of fresh air and get a personal demonstration of BuzzAngle Music!

Monday May 14, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Terrace

8:00am CDT

Explore Activation Stations — A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm; Artist Growth; Hyperwallet; Music Reports; the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor; and 'Stream the Studio' with Ford

As you make your way through Music Biz 2018, be sure to visit our partners showcasing their products and services at activation stations throughout the conference:

A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm
A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) along with its partners Vydia and ONErpm, are excited to be hosting an exclusive ‘Indie Zone’ during Music Biz! A2IM has been protecting and promoting the independent sector since 2005. Come meet and hang out with A2IM’s Director of Member Services, Patrick Ferrell and Senior Manager of Member Services and International Relations, Lisa Hresko to learn why it's more valuable than ever to #StayIndie. Visit www.a2im.org for more information.

Artist Growth
Attendees will be able to interact with the Artist Growth platform, speak to staff members about the services the company provides, and learn first hand how AG is building the future of management software for the entertainment industry.

Hyperwallet
Royalty payments are broken, but we know how to fix them. Hyperwallet's royalty payments team will be on-hand at Music Biz to discuss solutions to common music industry pain points: delayed or undelivered funds, sporadic payouts, lack of transparency, control over payment method and currency, and more. Be sure to swing by the Hyperwallet booth and receive your free download code for our royalty payments ebook.

Music Reports: Rights Done Right™
Come by our booth to discuss your streaming-music royalties and learn how to claim your works at MusicReports.com. Get an introduction to Songdex, the world's music rights database and discover the power it provides creators, owners and music users. Take a tour of our revolutionary cue sheet management tool, Cuetrak, which maximizes transparency and royalty payments in the audiovisual space.

The Nielsen Music Connect Corridor
Need interesting facts to fuel your Music Biz conversations? Visit the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor to gain access to the industry's most trusted data & insights. PLUS get an exclusive Music Connect product demo, play music trivia & more!

'Stream the Studio'
Visit the 'Stream the Studio' exhibit located outside of the Legends Ballroom, where you’ll learn all about premium music streaming and experience “studio quality” Hi-Res Audio sound. Plus you can reserve time for a hi-res demonstration in a special car developed by the Ford Motor Company that’s located in the hotel valet area!

Monday May 14, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Various

8:00am CDT

Jaxsta Lounge

Jaxsta is building a comprehensive centralised source of official music credits. Our job is to tell The Story Behind The Music and Give Credit Where Credit is Due.

The Jaxsta Lounge is a place to meet, network, relax and recharge. 2018 is a special year for us with our imminent launch. We’d like to show you our platform so please feel free to ask any of our team to give you a demo and showcase how Jaxsta can help you.

The Jaxsta Lounge will serve refreshments and snacks to recharge you while you recharge your devices. If you need to catch up with a new potential business partner or simply converse with your office while on the go then this is the place for you. We welcome all Music Biz attendees and look forward to hosting you so please visit us at the Jaxsta Lounge or check us out at jaxsta.com.

Monday May 14, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

9:00am CDT

From Farm To FGL: The Story of Seth England, Serial Entrepreneur

Raised a rural farm kid in small-town Illinois, Seth England’s love of music led him to pursue the business in college. To pay the bills, he began promoting shows. Teaming with a friend and frustrated by the out of touch campus activities board, their approach was different — promote shows “that our friends would like to see.” Their first show sold out and a college side job was born. After internship stints at Harlan Howard Songs and Vector Management, England’s interest in the publishing side of the business drove him to Big Loud Shirt. He met Big Loud Shirt founder Craig Wiseman in 2007 while pulling weeds in the parking lot on a “slow work day.” Admiring his work ethic, Wiseman brought England into the fold full-time less than a year later.

In the past five years, the company expanded to add management, production, and eventually label services to their publishing and A&R offerings. Following the success of signees like Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane, the risk-taking partners have launched careers and built brands based around their belief in the music. Recently, the individual arms – Big Loud Shirt, Big Loud Mountain, and Big Loud Records – all elected to celebrate continued success and further growth by re-branding to “Big Loud.” England will discuss this journey, his mentors and his ambitions, focusing in on what he believes will help set you apart as you begin your music industry career.

Moderators

Laurie Jakobsen

President, Jaybird Communications

Laurie Jakobsen is the President & Founder of Jaybird Communications, a firm providing a full range of strategic communications services for digital businesses, with a focus on startups, B2B and music-related ventures.

Speakers

Seth England

Partner and Artist Manager, Big Loud Records

Seth England is a co-founding partner at Big Loud Records, an independent, Nashville-based music company which houses Big Loud Records, Big Loud Music Publishing, Big Loud Capital and Maverick Management. With England’s leadership, Big Loud has become one of the top-ranked independent... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 9:00am - 9:30am CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

9:00am CDT

The Modern Approach to Artist Development: From Self Release to Major Label and Everywhere In-Between

The latest installment of Music Biz’s Entertainment & Technology Law Conference Series will give attendees an opportunity to interact with — hear from and ask questions of — advocates and influencers who are currently tackling the following tough topics facing their clients and industry partners. 4 CLE credits have been applied for. Proper event sign-in instructions must be followed in order to receive credits.

With user-friendly technology evolving, new and innovative artist platforms streamlining distribution, and fans consuming music at an increasingly higher rate, the opportunities for artist development have grown exponentially in recent years. Music industry executives will shed light on what artist development means in today’s music industry, and discuss the legal rights and agreements associated with such development.

Supporting sponsors include Dickinson Wright and Leavens, Strand & Glover.

Moderators

Austen Adams

Of Counsel, Dickinson Wright

Austen Adams is Of Counsel at Dickinson Wright, where he represents and advises recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, music publishers, executives, and other music industry professionals regarding their entertainment transactions and general careers. Adams... Read More →

Noah McPike

Of Counsel, Dickinson Wright

Noah McPike is Of Counsel for law firm Dickinson Wright. He has spent more than a decade practicing entertainment, corporate and intellectual property law on Nashville’s Music Row. McPike’s client list is comprised of established and up-and-coming artists, songwriters, producers... Read More →

Speakers

Martha Earls

Owner, efg Mgmt

Martha Earls is the Owner of efg Mgmt and the Manager of multi-platinum, No.1 selling recording artist, Kane Brown. She met then unsigned Brown in 2015, and has since guided his career from social media phenomenon, through his record breaking album debut, to being the only artist... Read More →

Robert Femia

VP, Business & Legal Affairs, UMG Nashville

Rob Femia is the VP of Business & Legal Affairs at UMG Nashville. Previously, he began his career as an entertainment attorney in New York at Sony BMG Music Entertainment, followed by time at Virgin Records, Capitol Music Group, EMI Music North America and Atlantic Records.

Kerry O'Neil

Co-Founder, Big Yellow Dog Music

Kerry O’Neil is the Co-Founder of Big Yellow Dog Music, an independent music publishing and artist development company. Big Yellow Dog Music has been recognized with four Grammys, 35 No.1 songs, four Song of the Year awards (ACM, BMI, and two ASCAP), an ASCAP Global Award, five... Read More →

Jeremy Stover

Owner, Producer & Songwriter, Red Creative Group

Jeremy Stover is the Owner of Red Creative Group, a publishing and entertainment company. He is also a producer and writer, accumulating hundreds of cuts and multiple No.1 hits including, “Small Town USA” and “Til My Last Day” performed by Justin Moore, and Tim McGraw’s... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Legends D

Entertainment & Technology Law Conference

9:30am CDT

You Don't Have to Wait Until Graduation to Work in the Music Industry

Because Music Biz has an ever-growing network of students, we have an opportunity to educate them through real-life case studies. Getting started early in college is a key reason moderator Makenzie Stokel’s company, EVAmore, has succeeded. By failing so many times before the company had to start paying themselves and other salaries — important lessons were learned. Between the many resources of a college campus and people always willing to help, this panel of C-level young executives will detail how important it is to start experiencing how the music industry operates early on — both inside and outside the classroom.

Moderators

Makenzie Stokel

Co-Founder, EVAmore

Makenzie Stokel is the Co-Founder of EVAmore, where she runs daily operations. She and her business partner started EVAmore as sophomores in college at Belmont University. They saw how technology could vastly improve the booking sector for the music industry and began building a platform... Read More →

Speakers

Erin Anderson

Founder and CEO, Olivia Management

Erin Anderson is the Founder and CEO of Olivia Management, an artist management and consulting company based in Nashville. Since founding Olivia Management in 2012, Anderson has grown the company to three full-time staff, five management clients, and a consulting business that is... Read More →

Garrison Snell

CEO & Founder, Gyrosity Projects

Chris Susskind

CEO & Founder, MyBandSource LLC

Chris Susskind is a disruptive thinker from a family tradition of entrepreneurship and self-made business professionals. As he began his college years, Chris decided to combine his strong passion for music with his proven acumen for artist discovery and promotion to create the unique... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 9:30am - 10:15am CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

10:00am CDT

The Music Modernization Act: How Does It Affect You?

Since enactment of the current Copyright Act more than 40 years ago, various interest groups have debated proposals to keep the law up-to-date in light of constant changes in the music industry and the related technology. Topics of on-going debate have included ensuring fairness in royalty payments to music creators from new digital music platforms, streamlining statutory music licensing schemes, and the creation of a comprehensive music database to benefit those creators and the new online platforms that provide music to the public.

Although controversy continues, the Music Modernization Act, or HR577, was passed unanimously with 415 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate for review. HR577 is supported by a large number of industry groups representing both music creators and digital service providers who believe the Act presents true and constructive change and, ultimately, a victory for our industry. Our panel will explore this legislation and discuss how it will affect not only music creators and DSPs, but other entrepreneurs and entities that use music to enhance their business.

Supporting sponsors include Dickinson Wright and Leavens, Strand & Glover.

Moderators

John Beiter

Partner, Leavens, Strand & Glover, LLC

John Beiter is a partner in the Nashville office of Leavens Strand & Glover, practicing entertainment and intellectual property law. Beiter has represented a diverse array of clients, from recording artists and producers, record companies, songwriters and music publishers, to documentary... Read More →

Speakers

Rick Carnes

President, Songwriters Guild of America

Rick Carnes has served as President of the Songwriters Guild of America since 2004. He is also a songwriter, earning 40 platinum albums with songs recorded by artists including Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Alabama, Steve Wariner, Pam Tillis, and Dean Martin. Carnes’s song, "I Can't... Read More →

Jacqueline Charlesworth

Attorney, Covington & Burling, LLP

Jacqueline Charlesworth is Of Counsel at the law firm Covington & Burling, where she practices intellectual property law with an emphasis on music copyright issues. Before joining Covington’s New York office, she served as General Counsel & Associate Register of Copyrights at the... Read More →

Ted Goldthorpe

--, Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Ted Goldthorpe has been at Sony/ATV Music for 22 years, where he is currently the Supervisor of North American Publishing Administrations. In his current role, he handles all of the ‘legacy’ catalogs of both Sony/ATV and EMI, including the Rolling Stones, Queen, David Bowie, the... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 10:00am - 10:55am CDT
Legends D

Entertainment & Technology Law Conference

10:00am CDT

Product Innovation at Pandora: Listeners, Advertisers & the Industry

Hear some of Pandora’s core Product Leaders and Music Industry Executives discuss the latest offerings for the advertising, listener and music industry segments. Get up to speed on the latest functions and products that set Pandora apart including Premium Access, Video Plus and Curator Tools.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Jonathan Eccles

Director Product Management, Pandora

Jonathan Eccles is the Director of Product Management for Pandora’s Listener Ad Experience, where he leads a team of product managers who are work at the intersection of user experience and monetization. His group drives the strategy and execution of an ambitious roadmap that spans... Read More →

Elizabeth Moody

VP of Global Content Licensing, Pandora

Elizabeth Moody is the VP of Global Content Licensing at Pandora. In this role, she drives all strategy and negotiation of content partnerships, including the development of broader product rights and international rights to increase revenue, engagement, retention and positive customer... Read More →

Shamal Ranasinghe

VP of Product Management, Creator & Artists, Pandora

Adam Zabarsky

Group Product Lead, Creator Services, Pandora

Adam Zabarsky is the Group Product Lead for Creator Services at Pandora, focusing on Pandora's Artist Marketing Platform (AMP). AMP is a suite of powerful, direct-to-fan artist promotional tools, providing artists and their teams with the ability to connect with their fans and promote... Read More →

Jeff Zuchowski

VP, Artist Marketing, Pandora

Jeff Zuchowski currently serves as the VP of Artist Marketing and Industry Relations at Pandora. In this role, he is responsible for all strategy behind Pandora’s interactions with artists, managers and labels. Zuchowski leads a team that creates a drumbeat of activity across... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Legends ABC

Digital Service Workshops

10:00am CDT

Music Supervisor Listening Sessions [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Step into the listening room and meet with music supervisors from across the country who will give you and your music their undivided attention. Get 10 minutes to play your music and get the feedback and potential offers for placement. Placements are not guaranteed, but have happened during past sessions. At the conference, all music will be cued to assure that your music is played quickly and accurately during the session.

Pre-registration for these sessions was required. Email Nicole Hennessey at nicole.hennessey@musicbiz.org to inquire wether or not additional slots are available.

At the conference, all music will be cued to assure that your music is played quickly and accurately during the session.

Speakers

Gene Culver

CEO, A&R, & Marketing, Music Drizzle

Gene Culver is the CEO of Music Drizzle publishing, a firm focused on sync licensing and A&R placements. He also organizes the Music Placement Conference, which is a multi-city music conference designed for music producers, songwriters, filmmakers and music supervisors. Other endeavors... Read More →

Jackie Otero

Program Director- Music Business Degrees, Full Sail University

Jackie Otero is the Program Director of the Entertainment Business & Music Business Bachelor of Science Programs at Full Sail University. Otero previously working in artist management, supporting artists such as Aimee Mann, Marc Cohn, Suzanne Vega, Ian Axel of A Great Big World, Clap... Read More →

Chas Sandford

Writer/Publisher, BMI

Chas is an acclaimed artist/songwriter/producer/engineer/guitarist and world-class studio owner. As a hit songwriter and publisher, Sandford is the recipient of 12 ASCAP "Most Performed Songs" awards, including the multi-platinum hits "Missing You" by John Waite, "What Kind of Man... Read More →

Kim Williams

VP of Sync Licensing, Meshach Media

Kim Williams is VP of Sync Licensing at Meshach Media, a full-service music publishing company that specializes in securing music placement opportunities for independent recording artists, producers, composers, and songwriters. Meshach Media licenses music to all areas of media worldwide... Read More →

Ronnie Wilson

Owner & Co-Founder, SYNCR MUSIC

Ronnie Wilson has achieved multi-million platinum selling status having sales in excess of 15 million records worldwide. With a career spanning more than two decades and producing for artists such as Rod Stewart, Nenah Cherry, REM’s Michael Stipes and Guru from the duo Gang Starr... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 10:00am - 4:00pm CDT
McKissack 1 — Hilton Downtown 121 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

10:15am CDT

Team Building — The Five Pillars of the Music Business

For those just entering the industry, it's important to learn the fundamentals of the artist team and how it functions. There are five pillars that make up the business foundation: operations, performance, branding, publicity, and marketing. With the ever-changing landscape of the industry's job titles and positions, it can be very confusing where to get started. During this panel, we'll discuss the varied skill sets required for each pillar and how individuals can best utilize their skills and interests to begin a career in the music industry.

Moderators

Trevor Larkin

Guitarist, Allen Stone

Trevor Larkin tours the world as a guitarist with renowned soul singer Allen Stone. The Allen Stone Band has opened for Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Dave Matthews Band and Hall Oates, played the main stages at Coachella, Bumbershoot, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch music festivals, along with... Read More →

Speakers

Sarah D'Hilly

Associate Director of Digital Strategy, Monument Records

Sarah D’Hilly current handles Digital at Monument Records. In her role, she oversees marketing initiatives and partner relationships with all sales, streaming services, social platforms. Previously, D’Hilly worked in digital marketing at Borman Entertainment, handling content... Read More →

Nathan Dohse

COO / Author & Founder, AGD Entertainment / Zero To 60 By AGD

Nathan Dohse is the COO of AGD Entertainment Company and the Author & Founder of “Zero To 60 By AGD”, a curriculum based day-to-day management program teaching performing artists how to balance their art and the industry. He got his start in artist management through being a member... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

11:00am CDT

Building Your Marketing Toolbox: Getting Ready For a Career in the Music Industry

Whether you’re interested in being a publicist, manager or label owner, you’ll need to understand the fundamentals of marketing in order to have a lasting career in the music industry. Hunter Scott, Head of Marketing and Publicity at LaFamos, a PR and social media management firm, discusses the tools needed to promote up-and-coming artists in today’s ever-changing landscape. This hands-on workshop will cover building a compelling media story, pitching journalists and bloggers, analytical tools available for strong social media growth, and actionable tasks that can be used by musicians looking to get a head start in their careers. Be ready to take notes and ask lots of questions during this informative event.

Speakers

Hunter Scott

Head of Marketing & Publicity, LAFAMOS PR

Hunter Scott is the Head of Marketing & Publicity for LaFamos, a full-service PR firm focusing on press outreach, lifestyle branding and social media management. Lafamos’ social media services transformed into a separate firm, High Q Digital, where in addition to artists, a team... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 11:00am - 11:45am CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

11:00am CDT

Collective Management of Rights: Do We Need More or Less?

The latest installment of Music Biz’s Entertainment & Technology Law Conference Series will give attendees an opportunity to interact with — hear from and ask questions of — advocates and influencers who are currently tackling the following tough topics facing their clients and industry partners. 4 CLE credits have been applied for. Proper event sign-in instructions must be followed in order to receive credits.

In recent years, collective management of rights has expanded with the addition of SoundExchange, administering a brand new right; GMR entering the already crowded field of performance rights; additional organizations challenging HFA's long-time control over mechanical rights in the U.S. At the same time, user organizations have struck some direct deals, avoiding collecting societies.

Now, there is a proposal to create another massive collecting society to cure the problems created by the Section 115 on-demand streaming mechanical. This panel will examine collective management, the issues surrounding collective management and discuss solutions and obstacles to solutions going forward.

Supporting sponsors include Dickinson Wright and Leavens, Strand & Glover.

Moderators

John Simson

Of Counsel / Executive-in-Residence & Program Director for the Business and Entertainment Program Department of Management, Fox Rothschild / American University

John L. Simson is a practicing entertainment lawyer and is currently of counsel to the firm Fox Rothschild. He has been involved in the music industry since his 1971 signing as a recording artist. His career has included stints as a manager; an entertainment lawyer; an executive... Read More →

Speakers

Cindy Charles

Music Licensing Consultant

Cindy Charles is currently consulting in the music licensing space. Until recently, she was Head of Business Development for Music, for Amazon Tickets where she was responsible for leading strategy and business development in connection with Amazon’s new business, offering concert... Read More →

Richard Conlon

Chief Corporate Development Officer, SoundExchange

John Johnson

SVP of Licensing, ASCAP

John Johnson is the SVP of Licensing at ASCAP, where he is responsible for ASCAP's Licensing Operations including customer service, licensing administration and general licensing. During his 23 years at ASCAP, he has held roles in collections, general licensing, business analysis... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 11:00am - 11:55am CDT
Legends D

Entertainment & Technology Law Conference

11:30am CDT

Apple Music Workshop [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Those who did not sign-up by the May 4 deadline may not gain entrance to the session. Come by Legends EFG before the event to see if space is still available.

Learn about the latest developments in Apple Music’s business and analytics, along with an introduction to Apple Music for Artists, Apple's newly launched artist-focused dashboard. Apple Music for Artists is designed to provide the artist community with a wide array of data points, allowing for deep analytical insights into their fans' listening and buying habits.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Ryan Christo

Technical Product Manager, Apple

Jill Harwell

Sr. Manager, Apple Media Products, Apple Inc

Janet Rubin

Manager of Artist Relations, Apple

Colin Young

Sr. Manager of Global Business, Apple

Monday May 14, 2018 11:30am - 1:00pm CDT
Legends EFG

Digital Service Workshops

11:45am CDT

Only One Goal: Capture Your Community

Living a dream starts with setting goals. What if we narrowed it down to one? To capture and engage your immediate community. It’s the same for a Platinum selling artist as it is for a college student — the former just have a much larger community they need to capture. We’ll talk about ways to accomplish this goal and motivate you to define what “making it” really means.

Speakers

Nathan Dohse

COO / Author & Founder, AGD Entertainment / Zero To 60 By AGD

Monday May 14, 2018 11:45am - 12:15pm CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

12:00pm CDT

Bands and Brands: Trademark Protection in the Music Business

Choosing the most “trademarkable” name
Performing initial clearance research and evaluating likelihood of confusion with existing band names
Common law trademark rights for unregistered marks
The process of obtaining a federal trademark registration, including special requirements for musical artists
How songwriters can benefit from trademark (hint: you can’t copyright a song title!)

Supporting sponsors include Dickinson Wright and Leavens, Strand & Glover.

Moderators

Daniel Novick

Trademark & Entertainment Lawyer, Novick Law PLLC

Daniel Novick is a trademark & entertainment lawyer who represents entertainment and entrepreneurial clients worldwide in matters related to business development, trademark registration & protection, and contract negotiations – with a particular focus on music, digital media, and... Read More →

Speakers

Jonah Grossbardt

Attorney, Schneider Rothman Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC

Jonah Grossbardt is an attorney at Schneider Rothman IP Law Group located in Los Angeles. He began his legal career in New York City at a firm that specialized in entertainment, securities, intellectual property and business litigation. After practicing law for over five years... Read More →

Charles Lew

Managing Partner, The Lew Firm

Charles Lew is a Los Angeles based attorney that specializes in helping startup companies get and stay on the right track. He has been practicing law since 2003 and has launched over 100 startup companies across the nation. Lew is the owner of Stout Burgers and Beers, Huckleberry... Read More →

Louis Smoller

Of Counsel, Schlackman Intellectual Property Law, PLLC

Louis Smoller is an intellectual property, commercial, entertainment, and media attorney. His practice involves both transactional and litigation services, where he has represented a wide variety of content creators, new media entrepreneurs, and other creative industry professionals... Read More →

Lauren Spahn

Associate Attorney, Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Lauren Spahn is an Associate Attorney of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP., where she represents the legal and business interests of recording artists, songwriters, publishers, promoters, producers, managers, agents, executives, record labels, networks, banks, and other... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 12:00pm - 12:55pm CDT
Legends D

Entertainment & Technology Law Conference

12:15pm CDT

Music Biz 101 & More: Live In Nashville!

William Paterson University’s Music Biz 101 & More is the only college radio show/podcast in the United States of America that focuses on the business side of the music and entertainment biz. Hosted by WPU's Dr. Steve Marcone and Professor Dave Philp, Music Biz 101 & More provides in-depth interviews with industry-insiders that music business students, professionals, and DIY musicians want to hear.

Join Music Biz 101 & More live to close out the Career Development Workshop sessions. This event, to be recorded for an upcoming radio show and podcast, will feature a panel of captivating music industry professionals. The theme: Did You Know? Panelists will describe three or four everyday tasks they participate in that weren’t part of their job descriptions. In fact, their bosses might not even know they do these things. Time will be left for interactive audience Q&A.

The session will feature energy, some laughs, and give attendees great insight into the professional lives of our participants. Everyone in attendance (even those on the panel) will attain at least one golden nugget of information they can take home with them.

Moderators

Stephen Marcone

Director, Music & Ent Mgnt Programs, William Patterson University

In the late 1960s and early 70s, as a trumpet player in a Rock music group, Stephen Marcone recorded for Epic Records and toured the country taking an active role in the creative and managerial aspects of the ensemble. He joined the faculty of the School of Music at Syracuse University... Read More →

Dave Philp

Assistant Professor, William Paterson University

David Philp is a full-time Assistant Professor in the Music Management & Pop Music programs at William Paterson University, teaching about music in social media, entrepreneurship, and music and entertainment industry structure. He has over 20 years of experience working for the Universal... Read More →

Speakers

Rohit Anand

VP of Brand Activation & Partnerships, Dream Hotel Group

Rohit Anand is responsible for the sourcing, development, and execution, of all brand partnerships, programming, and activations for Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, The Chatwal, and Unscripted Hotels. He develops brands’ cultural footprint off-property, via high-profile events and influencer... Read More →

John Butler

Global Head of Christian Music, Spotify

John Butler is the Global Head of Christian Music at Spotify. In his role, he oversees all genres of Christian music globally for Spotify through playlist, culture and editorial curation, as well as working with many teams at Spotify. Butler joined Spotify after 16 years at Curb... Read More →

Shannan Hatch

VP of Creative Services, SESAC

Shannan Hatch serves as VP of Creative Services for SESAC PRO, a subsidiary of SESAC Holdings, Inc. In this role, she leads the Nashville-based Creative Services team in supporting SESAC-affiliated songwriters and publishers, as well as working closely with senior management in... Read More →

Cindy Da Silva

Owner & Partner, The Rocks Management

Management, sponsorships, merch, branding

Monday May 14, 2018 12:15pm - 1:00pm CDT
Music Row 5

Career Development Workshops

1:00pm CDT

Creating a Home for Music on YouTube [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Those who did not sign-up by the May 4 deadline may not gain entrance to the session. Come by Legends ABC before the event to see if space is still available. While this workshop is open to all, preferential seating will be given to artists, songwriters and managers.

A look at how YouTube is growing the overall music business and investing in helping artists and songwriters showcase their work and connect and engage with fans.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Margaret Hart

Manager, Artist & Label Relations, Google/YouTube

Margaret Hart is the Manager of Artist and Label Relations at the YouTube Music team in Nashville. In this role, Hart specializes in the best practices and optimization for labels on YouTube. She previously worked in digital media and distribution at William Morris Endeavor.

Lindsay Rothschild

Songwriter & Publisher Relations Lead, YouTube

Mahlet Seyoum

Global Music Strategist, YouTube

Nathan Sheppard

Manager of Music Label Partnerships, YouTube

Monday May 14, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Legends ABC

Digital Service Workshops

2:00pm CDT

Financial Literacy Summit Welcome from Founder and CEO of Lyric Financial, Eli Ball

The idea to add a financial literacy summit to the Music Biz conference program was born after a review of the 2017 attendees survey results. Attendees agreed that there were many sessions on how to make money in the music business, but few sessions on what to do with that money once it was in your bank account. Our first “Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit” will feature an informative discussion on how those in the music business can achieve financial success; the legal and financial issues that artist-owned companies must consider to make sure they maximize and keep the profits from their hard work; and how to forecast potential ROI before investing in launching a new artist
or project. The Summit brings together artists, managers, agents, CPAs, lawyers and more for a well-rounded afternoon on how secure your financial future.

Speakers

Eli Ball

CEO & Founder, Lyric Financial

Although he got his start on the creative side of the music business, for the past decade in his role as Founder and CEO of Lyric Financial, Eli Ball has been serving the global music community by creating a variety of financial products tailored just for them. His most recent venture... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 2:00pm - 2:10pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

2:00pm CDT

Podcasting: Licensing And Monetizing This New Success

Digital growth means new revenue streams. With the growth of podcasts — and a quarter-billion dollars a year in US sponsorship and advertising — it’s time to learn how to get your share. In doing so, we’ll also address the licensing challenges with leaders drawing eyeballs, ears, and wallets. We’ll cover all in radio’s arc — from webcasting to podcasting, from push to pull, from analog tuners to digital downloads and streams.

NPR draws more than 60% of its revenues from podcasts — do you?

Part 1: Podcasting Summit Keynote
No one leads and follows the podcast business better than Tom Webster of Edison Research. He practices what he preaches, producing podcasts and advising others who want to podcast and better understand a business that is doubling or tripling annually.

Tom reviews the history, present and future of podcasting, noting that it was invented to serve the iPod and is now thriving after the demise of its namesake. Tom tells how podcasts have shifted from download and manage to clicking and streaming, a parallel to the shift music is experiencing. He has extraordinary data at his fingertips on international growth and changes in the medium and its many formats, which include subscriptions and sponsorships.

Tom is specific on how music can join podcasters, making money through licensing music and promoting music through podcasts, at its core the next transformation of radio, a change that watched webcasting grow into a multi-billionaire dollar industry.

Podcasts are now at $250 million and climbing.

Presenter:
Tom Webster, SVP, Edison Research

Part 2: View from the Top — Successful Podcasters Tell Their Stories
Top podcasters share their journey from recording their first episode to earning a living behind the digital microphone. A particular shout-out to Nashville and Country podcasters who use networks to deliver programming with audio and sometimes video.

Moderator
Stacie Seifrit Griffin, Marketing, Partnerships, Tourism, LOCKN' Music Festival

Panelists
Sheena Barnet, Web Content Specialist, Elvis Presley Enterprises & Co-host/Exec. Producer, McFly Media Group
Savannah Faircloth, Special Events Facilitator, Elvis Presley Enterprises
Chris Shiflett, Guitarist, Foo Fighters and Host, Walking The Floor

Part 3: Podcast Licensing — How Podcasts and Music Can Get Along
Top attorneys working with podcasters discuss the issues that face podcasting, along with a conversation on licensing with copyright lawyers.

Panelists
Kelly Donahue, Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer
Daniel Novick, Novick Law
Lauren Spahn, Associate Attorney, Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Part 4: Share of Wallet — Money and Podcasts
How is podcasting tripling revenues annually? Is targeting the answer? Personalization and sponsorship go hand in hand.

Moderator
Jim Griffin, Owner, Hazen LLC/OneHouse

Panelists
Abby North, North Music Group, Co-Owner, Music Publisher & Rights Administrator
Tom Rettig, VP of Product for Music, Gracenote
Greg Riggle, Founder, STORYCULT
Kevin Twitchell, DataArt, Head of Business Development
Hunter Williams, EVP of IP & Business Development, Source Audio

Moderators

Jim Griffin

Managing Director, OneHouse

Jim Griffin is the Managing Director of OneHouse, a company dedicated to the digital delivery of art and its monetization. Griffin is also a professor at NoVa College in Sterling, VA where he teaches music copyright law. He previously ran The Pho List for almost two decades; ran Cherry... Read More →

Stacie Griffin

Marketing, Partnerships, & Tourism, Lockn' Music Festival

Stacie Seifrit Griffin is involved with the marketing, partnerships & tourism aspects for the Lockn’ Music festival. The 2018 festival will feature Sheryl Crowe, Moon Taxi, Dead & Company, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Widespread Panic, and many more. With more than 25 years as a sales... Read More →

Speakers

Sheena Barnett

Web Content Specialist, Elvis Presley Enterprises

Sheena Barnett is the Web Content Specialist at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. In this role, she manages Graceland.com, Graceland’s social media content, writes the Graceland Blog and Co-Hosts "Graceland Beat" on SiriusXM Elvis Radio and Graceland’s podcasts. Barnett’s roots are in print journalism and served as the Arts and Entertainment Reporter at the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupe... Read More →

Kelly Donohue

Partner, Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer LLP

Kelly Donohue is a Partner at Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer LLP, where she files pleadings on behalf of clients before the Federal Communications Commission in application and rulemaking proceedings, and handles matters relating to new station licensing, renewals, ownership and attribution... Read More →

Savannah Faircloth

Special Events Facilitator, Elvis Presley Enterprises

Savannah Faircloth is the Special Events Facilitator at Elvis Presley Enterprises. In this role, she plans weddings and events for couples and companies from all over the world. Faircloth is also the Co-Host for the Graceland podcast.

Abby North

Principal, North Music Group LLC

Abby North is Principle of North Music Group LLC, worldwide publishing administrator for more than twenty catalogs with approximately 80,000 commercial and film and TV works. She is also Founder of Unchained Melody Publishing LLC, which she started after she began working with her... Read More →

Tom Rettig

VP of Product, Music, Gracenote

Tom Rettig is the VP of Product for Music at Gracenote. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing the development and management of the company's music data, content recognition and recommendation products which power the next-generation music experiences offered by the world's... Read More →

Greg Riggle

Founder, STORYCULT

Greg Riggle is a music industry veteran with 23 years experience in performing rights, media, music publishing, licensing, as well as content development and digital media business development. A former VP of SESAC, he is the only executive in company history to be named VP in both... Read More →

Chris Shiflett

Guitartist / Host, Foo Fighters / Walking The Floor

Chris Shiflett is the Guitarist for the the Grammy-award winning Rock band, Foo Fighters. He is also the Host of the podcast, “Walking the Floor” where he engages a wide range of musical guests, writers, athletes, and artists in one-on-one interviews exploring their creative... Read More →

Lauren Spahn

Associate Attorney, Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Kevin Twitchell

Head of Business Development, Media & Entertainmen, DataArt

Kevin Twitchell is the Head of Business Development at DataArt in Media and Entertainment. DataArt is global technology consultancy that designs, develops and supports unique software solutions, bringing together the expertise of more than 2,200 professionals in 20 locations worldwide... Read More →

Tom Webster

SVP, Edison Research

Tom Webster is a SVP of Edison Research, a custom market research company best known as the sole providers of exit polling data during US elections for all the major news networks. He has nearly 20 years of experience researching consumer usage of technology, new media and social... Read More →

Hunter Williams

EVP, IP & Business Development, Source Audio

Hunter Williams is the EVP, IP & Business Development at Source Audio, the leading music hosting and delivery platform for the B2B music licensing space. Clients include more than 800 music publishers including Universal, Warner/Chappell, Sony, Viacom, Go Pro, Pepsi, and iHeart Media... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 2:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Legends D

2:10pm CDT

Conversation With YelaWolf

Speakers

Tim Gray

Host, The Golden Rules

Tim Gray is the Host of The Golden Rules, a podcast and web series focusing on the lives and businesses of today’s music industry executives. Gray also serves as the CEO of Grayscale Marketing, a full service entertainment agency focused on digital marketing & advertising, content... Read More →

YelaWolf

Artist, Slumerican

YelaWolf, born Michael Wayne Atha in Gadsen, AL, grew up bouncing around America with his single mother. His deep appreciation for the lyricism of hip hop along with a love for outlaw country and classic rock grew naturally during his childhood, leaving an immense impact on the artist... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 2:10pm - 2:40pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

2:30pm CDT

Getting the Most Out of Spotify [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Those who did not sign-up by the May 4 deadline may not gain entrance to the session. Come by Legends EFG before the event to see if space is still available. This workshop is open to everyone, but preferential seating will be offered to artists, managers, songwriters, and labels.

We’re excited to give everyone at Music Biz a look at how we’re evolving Spotify into a two-sided marketplace that connects artists and music lovers — from new formats and playlists to tools you can use to understand and engage your fans. Whether you’re an artist, manager, songwriter or label, come meet our team, hear about how we’ve grown, and what we’ve been up to. We’ll talk about strategies for growing your fanbase. We’ll share tips for using our artist tools including Spotify for Artists. We’ll tell you about the services we’re offering to artists big and small.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Rosa Asciolla

Head of North America, Artist & Label Marketing, Spotify

Rosa Asciolla is the Head of Artist & Label Marketing in North America for Spotify. Asciolla leads the team that works directly with artists and managers supporting, empowering, and educating the creative community about Spotify, how to navigate the digital landscape, and its impact... Read More →

Tracy Chan

Spotify for Artists, Spotify

Product Lead, Spotify for Artists

Phillip Eubanks

Creator Services, Spotify

Monday May 14, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm CDT
Legends EFG

Digital Service Workshops

2:45pm CDT

Empires Of Their Own: Artists As Business Owners

A discussion of the many legal and financial issues that artist-owned companies must consider to make sure they maximize and keep the profits from their hard work and creations. The panel will cover a diverse range of the realities of being a business such as transactional law, taxation, performing and royalty concerns, organization and business plans, and features an artist who runs their own empire. A discussion of the many legal and financial issues that artist-owned companies must consider to make sure they maximize and keep the profits from their hard work and creations. The panel will cover a diverse range of the realities of being a business such as transactional law, taxation, performing and royalty concerns, organization and business plans, and features an artist who runs their own empire.

Moderators

Matthew Adell

Chief Digital Officer, Native Instruments

Matthew Adell is the Chief Digital Officer of Native Instruments, where he oversees the digital transformation of the music technology powerhouse to create seamless and accessible experiences for creators of all skills and styles. His first product at Native Instruments is Sounds.com... Read More →

Speakers

Justin Buencamino

Senior Manager, Royalty Compliance & Advisory, Prager Metis CPAs

Justin Buencamino is a Senior Manager in the Advisory Department of Prager Metis CPAs, a member of Prager Metis International Group. He has been in the accounting industry for more than 10 years. Buenocamino works closely on behalf of some of the world's most renowned recording artists... Read More →

Jamie Lidell

Songwriter & Producer

Jamie Lidell is a two-time grammy-nominated Songwriter & Producer, releasing his own records since 1995. Having spent 14 years releasing music on the prestigious Warp Records out of the U.K., he is now putting out his material alone and is often found in the co-write hot seat. Lidell... Read More →

Erin Love

Partner, Davis, Shapiro, Lewit, Grabel, Leven, Granderson, & Blake, LLP

Monday May 14, 2018 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

3:35pm CDT

New World Order: New Business Models

Given the tsunami of change that music industry has and is undergoing, there is no longer a one-size-fits-all business model. Learn from top artists and managers in Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and Country who have succeeded in spite of the radical cultural and economic changes. Dive into the fundamentals of their business models, break down the economics and rationale behind them. Can you forecast ROI when looking at launching a new artist or product strategies in a streaming world and how do you finance those investments?

Moderators

Steven Ambers

Director of International Business Development & Compliance, SOCAN

Steven Ambers is the Director, International Business Development & Compliance at SOCAN. In this role, he fosters U.S. publisher and key influencer relations and supports strategic investment opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions. With more than 25 years of experience... Read More →

Speakers

Rico Brooks

CEO & Artist Manager, Adella Thomas Management

Rico Brooks is the CEO & an Artist Manager at Adella Thomas Management. In this role, he oversees the music careers of some of the most notable names in the industry including platinum-selling producers Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital, international producers Bobby Johnson and iBeatz... Read More →

George Couri

Owner, Triple 8 Management

Triple 8 has reached numerous milestones: 10 No. 1 songs across multiple country artists (Eli Young Band, Joe Nichols, Sam Hunt, Scotty McCreery), multiple No. 1 songs at alternative radio (Kaleo, Judah and the Lion), 10 Billboard No. 1 albums (Chase Rice, Eli Young Band, Scotty McCreery... Read More →

Kevin Grosch

Co-Founder, Made in Network

Kevin Grosch is the co-founder and CEO of Made In, a media and technology company based on Nashville. Made In builds and manages some of the largest and most viewed channels and video series on YouTube including CinemaSins, Binging with Babish, Marty Music, and HellthyJunkFood. Made... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 3:35pm - 4:05pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

4:00pm CDT

Be First with SoundCloud [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Those who did not sign-up by the May 4 deadline may not gain entrance to the session. Come by Legends ABC before the event to see if space is still available. This workshop is open to everyone, but preferential seating will be offered to artists, managers, songwriters, and labels.

As the world’s largest open audio platform, SoundCloud is the first place creators and listeners go to share and discover what’s new, now and next in music culture. Led by Megan West, Vice President, Content and Community; Harrison Green, Manager, Content Relations; and Tricia Tranquillo, Manager, Content Relations, join the SoundCloud team and get the latest on what's happening at SoundCloud, a tour of SoundCloud’s home experience, marketing and content curation opportunities (including the recently launched “First On SoundCloud” campaign) and updates on the tools, stats and features available to creators on the platform.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Harrison Green

Manager, Independent Labels, SoundCloud

Harrison Green is the Manager, Content Relations at SoundCloud, based in their New York office. Handling independent and Merlin member partners, he works with these partners to ensure they understand SoundCloud’s offerings and how best to utilize the platform. Prior to joining SoundCloud... Read More →

Tricia Tranquilo

Manager of Content Relations, SoundCloud

Tricia Tranquillo is the Manager, Content Relations at SoundCloud. In her role, she manages day-to-day relationships with major labels and artists, handling all matters from marketing artist priorities to platform optimization, education and best practices. Tranquillo also works... Read More →

Megan West

VP of Content & Community, SoundCloud

Megan West is the VP, Content & Community at SoundCloud’s New York office. In her role, she is responsible for the management of SoundCloud's relationships with major labels and artists, audio partners and emerging creators, as well as its massive community of listeners and curators... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Legends ABC

Digital Service Workshops

4:10pm CDT

The New Music Economy: A Collaborative Team Approach

While today's songwriters and performers can potentially make more money than ever before, that doesn't automatically mean they're going to be set for life. We've all seen the hard luck stories about singers who were big stars just a few years ago who somehow wind up penniless after a series of setbacks, and we continue to see artists from all genres or music, who declare bankruptcy, sometimes even repeatedly, in an effort to manage debts that exceed their incomes.

Panel will discuss the new music economy and the critical importance of a collaborative team approach to proactively build and protect the artist / band / producer’s financial resources, with real life planning strategies and safeguards that can be utilized to avoid the potential land mines, helping to ensure a solid, and stress-free financial future.

Moderators

Monika Tashman

Partner, Fox Rothschild

Monika A. Tashman is a Partner & Lawyer at Fox Rothschild. Her clients are in the entertainment and music industries, ranging from talented artists and dynamic entrepreneurs, to independent record labels and new media and technology companies. Tashman focuses on handling transactions... Read More →

Speakers

Shawn Kilmurray

Investment Adviser Representative, Fortis Lux Financial

Shawn Kilmurray is an Investment Advisor at Fortis Lux Financial. His practice provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, risk protection, long-term retirement and estate planning guidance to individuals, families, and business owners across the country, with a... Read More →

John Youngman

Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Fly South Music Group

John Youngman is the Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Fly South Music Group, an artist management company. The company manages the platinum and gold selling artists Paramore, A Day To Remember, and Jason Bonham, among others. Youngman has co-managed A Day To Remember since 2009, and helps... Read More →

Mark Zelasko

President, Level Group Ltd.

Mark Zelasko is the President of Level Group Ltd., a business management firm with more than 100 music clients including recording artists, record labels, publishing companies, and many others. As a business manager, Zelasko’s goal is to help his clients run their businesses efficiently... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 4:10pm - 4:55pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

5:00pm CDT

Make Music, Make Money

Join us for an informative discussion on how those in the music business can achieve financial success. From musicians to songwriters to publishers and producers, they will provide insight into how to invest in your passions, planning for the future and maintaining financial stability through the many stages of a career.

Moderators

Adam Sansiveri

Managing Director, Bernstein Private Wealth Management

Adam C. Sansiveri is a Managing Director at Bernstein Private Wealth Management where he is a leader in the sports, media and entertainment initiatives with a focus on socially responsible impact investing. A former broadway producer and ironman triathlete, Sansiveri oversees the... Read More →

Speakers

Tara Beaudine

Director, PS Business Management

Tara Beaudine is a Director at PS Business Management where she works with a diverse roster of musicians, artists and entertainers. As a Business Manager she oversees and assists with all financial aspects of a client’s career. From baby bands to independent artists to chart topping... Read More →

Jaddan Comerford

CEO & Founder, Unified Music Group

Jaddan Comerford is the CEO & Founder of UNIFIED, one of the fastest growing independent music companies. UNIFIED is a music company that provides a range of services including management, label, publishing, touring, festivals and merchandise to a diverse roster of internationally... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 5:00pm - 5:30pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

5:00pm CDT

Amazon Music Workshop: Curate Your Day with Voice

Amazon Music has revolutionized streaming by combining the power and simplicity of voice technology with millions of songs. From the ability to simply ask for music by mood, genre, and era, to lyrics, activities, and so much more, Amazon Music consistently creates exclusive voice features in response to customer demand, creating new ways to discover the music they love. During the session, an Amazon Music product expert will walk you through an entire day with innovative voice commands, from setting music alarms, to asking for music by activity. In this hour-long presentation, you’ll learn how Amazon Music’s team of engineers are making it easier to find the right music for every moment.

This workshop is not open to press.

Speakers

Rick Pal

Sr. Manager of Product Management, Amazon Music

Rick Pal is a Sr. Manager of Product Management for Amazon Music. He joined Amazon Music in 2012 and led the ideation and worldwide launch of Amazon Music Desktop, and later took over management of the service on Android. Three years later, Pal was instrumental in planning the launch... Read More →

Monday May 14, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Legends EFG

Digital Service Workshops

5:30pm CDT

Banking The Nashville Way

To be successful in the music business, it is vital to have a strong team around you. One member of that team should be a trusted entertainment banker. Learn about the importance of having a relationship with a banker, the ins and outs of financing your career, and how to choose the right banker to take your career to the next level. Nashville is home to the most well known and well respected entertainment bankers in the world. Hear from them what it means to have the right team in your corner.

Moderators

Derek Crownover

Practice Leader, Dickinson Wright, PLLC - Music Row

Derek Crownover is the leader of the International Entertainment, Sports and Media Law Practice Group of Dickinson Wright, counseling various artists, entertainers, entrepreneurs and C-Level executives. His songwriter, publisher, artist and producer clients have sold more than one... Read More →

Speakers

Eli Ball

CEO & Founder, Lyric Financial

Andy Moats

EVP & Director of Music & Entertainment, Pinnacle Financial Partners

Andy Moats is the EVP, Director of Music & Entertainment Pinnacle Financial Partners, one of the Top 50 largest Bands in the United States. Previously, he was the Co-Founder, Chief Credit Officer, and Bank Group Director of Avenue Bank, which went public on the Nasdaq Exchange and... Read More →

Ashleigh Overly

Managing Director, Sports and Entertainment, SunTrust Bank

Ashleigh Overly is Managing Director for SunTrust Sports & Entertainment Group. Overly previously worked alongside a team providing a full suite of investment banking services to music publishers, record labels, talent agencies, and live entertainment companies. She developed a unique... Read More →

Brad Peterson

VP of Music & Entertainment, Regions Bank

Monday May 14, 2018 5:30pm - 6:00pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial Music

6:30pm CDT

The Other Nashville Society (TONS) Mixer [RSVP CLOSED]

Since launching in May of 2017, The Other Nashville Society has quickly become the go-to organization for non-Country music creators and industry professionals in Nashville. With over 600 members, representing every major music company and Grammy award-winning creators alike, TONS Mixers have built a reputation of being the who’s who rooms and can’t miss events. So, come help us celebrate our first birthday!

This event is at capacity. RSVP is no longer open.

Sponsored by: Buffalo Trace, CD Baby, DAANEgerous Entertainment, Kobalt, Mint Artist Mgmt & Creative Agency, Music Alternatives, Prescription Songs, Regions Bank, SESAC, Withco Cocktails, WME

Monday May 14, 2018 6:30pm - 9:30pm CDT
TBA

9:30pm CDT

Late Nite with UMG Nashville & CCMG

Join Music Biz members — Universal Music Group Nashville and Capitol Christian Music Group — as they help kick-off the conference by showcasing their hottest new artists: Maddie & Tae, The New Respects, nobigdyl., and Travis Denning!

Doors open at 9:30pm. Music starts at 10pm sharp. Open to Music Biz Badge Holders on a first come, first serve basis.

Monday May 14, 2018 9:30pm - 11:59pm CDT
The Stage, 2nd Floor 412 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

7:00am CDT

Registration

Tuesday May 15, 2018 7:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

8:00am CDT

Networking Breakfast sponsored by Entertainment One

Tuesday May 15, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Legends Foyer

8:00am CDT

BuzzAngle Music Terrace

Tuesday May 15, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Terrace

8:00am CDT

Explore Activation Stations — A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm; Artist Growth; Hyperwallet; Music Reports; the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor; and 'Stream the Studio' with Ford

As you make your way through Music Biz 2018, be sure to visit our partners showcasing their products and services at activation stations throughout the conference:

A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm
A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) along with its partners Vydia and ONErpm, are excited to be hosting an exclusive ‘Indie Zone’ during Music Biz! A2IM has been protecting and promoting the independent sector since 2005. Come meet and hang out with A2IM’s Director of Member Services, Patrick Ferrell and Senior Manager of Member Services and International Relations, Lisa Hresko to learn why it's more valuable than ever to #StayIndie. Visit www.a2im.org for more information.

Artist Growth
Attendees will be able to interact with the Artist Growth platform, speak to staff members about the services the company provides, and learn first hand how AG is building the future of management software for the entertainment industry.

Hyperwallet
Royalty payments are broken, but we know how to fix them. Hyperwallet's royalty payments team will be on-hand at Music Biz to discuss solutions to common music industry pain points: delayed or undelivered funds, sporadic payouts, lack of transparency, control over payment method and currency, and more. Be sure to swing by the Hyperwallet booth and receive your free download code for our royalty payments ebook.

Music Reports: Rights Done Right™
Come by our booth to discuss your streaming-music royalties and learn how to claim your works at MusicReports.com. Get an introduction to Songdex, the world's music rights database and discover the power it provides creators, owners and music users. Take a tour of our revolutionary cue sheet management tool, Cuetrak, which maximizes transparency and royalty payments in the audiovisual space.

The Nielsen Music Connect Corridor
Need interesting facts to fuel your Music Biz conversations? Visit the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor to gain access to the industry's most trusted data & insights. PLUS get an exclusive Music Connect product demo, play music trivia & more!

Stream the Studio
Visit the 'Stream the Studio' exhibit located outside of the Legends Ballroom, where you’ll learn all about premium music streaming and experience “studio quality” Hi-Res Audio sound. Plus you can reserve time for a hi-res demonstration in a special car developed by the Ford Motor Company that’s located in the hotel valet area!

Tuesday May 15, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Various

8:00am CDT

Jaxsta Lounge

Tuesday May 15, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

9:00am CDT

Welcome & Acronym Update

Metadata is the foundation of the entire digital music industry, but many people don’t know it because the sizzle factor remains low. Over the last five years, Music Biz has fought to change that with the Metadata Summit, amplifying the importance of data, providing a high level forum for discussion, and attracting key participants. The 6th Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts. This full-day of programming will feature lively discussions among these key participants and an audience looking to take music metadata to the next level.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Bill Wilson

Digital Programming & Industry Relations, Music Business Association

Bill got his start in the business when he founded NYC indie label Blackout! Records in 1989. Over the years he’s worked for Relativity, Caroline, Earache, and Atlantic, and has spent most of the last several years helping to reinvent the Music Business Association as VP of Digital... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:00am - 9:30am CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

9:00am CDT

Beyond the Buzzwords: How Digital Has Taken Over Your Marketing Plan

Innovation, data, experiential, engagement, impressions, streaming, content — all of these words together sound quite alluring, don’t they? What do they mean, how are they useful, and how do you actually put all of this into action?

This panel will not only crystallize digital buzzwords (and throw away the ones that are never to be said again) but also explore how traditional marketing and digital have intersected to become one. Topics include how to maximize your streaming footprint, take content to the next level, enhance strategic partnerships, and understand your resources to create the best fan experience.

Moderators

Lucia Kaminsky

Head of Digital, Borman Entertainment

Lucia Kaminsky is the Head of Digital at Borman Entertainment. In this role, she advocates on behalf of the Borman roster to secure programs with streaming and digital partners, such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Google, Tidal, Amazon Music, Facebook, and Instagram. Kaminsky also... Read More →

Speakers

Tim Foisset

VP, Streaming, Warner Music Nashville

Tim Foisset is VP, Streaming at Warner Music Nashville, overseeing the label’s streaming initiatives for artists including Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge, Dan + Shay, Hunter Hayes, Devin Dawson, and more. Previously, he was the Director of Digital Marketing... Read More →

Meryl Johnson

Founder, Happy Balance Digital, LLC

Meryl Johnson is the Founder of Happy Balance Digital, LLC, a digital marketing agency. Previously, she was the the Director of Digital Strategy at Country Music Association’s (CMA), where she developed and managed strategic digital presence, including the Association’s websites... Read More →

Lloyd Aur Norman

Director of Digital & Creative, Big Loud / Maverick

Lloyd Aur Norman is Director of Digital & Creative at Big Loud, where he leads a team of three content creators and two digital marketers. He oversees all content creation and marketing projects, including music videos, photoshoots, artwork, and artists’ social and digital channels... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Legends G

9:00am CDT

The Changing Environment in Music Licensing

Music licensing continues to undergo evolutionary changes in most every facet. The traditional methods of licensing are starting to and/or will change in the coming years, driven by nuanced and innovative user needs and current market initiatives, as well as the need for more accurate valuation of licenses.

What does the future of music licensing hold for industry participants, copyright owners, creators as well as music users/licensees? This panel will discuss the changing landscape in music licensing and address some of the issues affecting licensing and monitoring for both publishing and sound recordings, domestically and globally.

Moderators

Spek

SVP of Creative & A&R, Reservoir

Spek is the SVP of Creative & A&R at Reservoir Media, an independent music publisher based in New York City. In his role, he oversees the company’s creative activity throughout the U.S. Reservoir’ archives include pieces performed by Ariana Grande, Drake, Lady Gaga, and Major... Read More →

Speakers

Darren Briggs

CIO / CTO, Songspace

Music technology, music rights, music data, music publishing, patents, startups, leadership, strategy, innovation, whiskey

Sabrina Del Priore

VP of Music & Licensing Strategy, Viacom Media Networks

Sabrina Del Priore is VP of Music & Licensing Strategy at Viacom Media Networks, where she oversees music and licensing for Paramount Network, CMT, and TV Land. She works closely with publishers, labels and artists, along with leading her team with a strategic approach that fosters... Read More →

Neeta Ragoowansi

Co-Founder & SVP of Business Development & Legal Affairs, NPREX

Neeta Ragoowansi is SVP of Business Development & Legal Affairs/Co-Founder of NPREX (National Performing Rights Exchange). She has been an entertainment attorney and music business professional for over 20 years. Neeta was formerly in senior management and head of Artist-Label Relations... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Legends E

9:00am CDT

#NEXTGEN_NOW: Young Voices Rewriting The Rules

"The riskiest thing ever is being complacent. You could end up doing the same job that you hate for 15 years. People used to do that. But, it’s a new generation..." said panelist Amber Grimes in a recent Forbes feature on how she hustled to land her position at Spotify. This new generation has risen from the ashes of an overhauled industry proving that anything is possible — including heading up digital marketing for Scooter Braun at the age of 23, making the switch from investment banker to bada$$ agent, ditching Heavy Metal music for a breakthrough career in Country, and becoming a VP at a publishing powerhouse just one year after graduating college.

Join our panel of forward-thinking music industry influencers as they detail their unconventional, unique journeys to the top of the music biz and prove that age does not always equal authority. Their next generation is now ... and yours can be too. #NEXTGEN_NOW will leave you inspired, ready to rethink, and perhaps on your way to re-write your narrative ... and the future of the music industry.

Moderators

Cherie Hu

Contributing Writer / Editor, Billboard / Forbes

Cherie Hu is an award-winning music journalist, keen on unveiling how emerging music markets, technologies and tastemakers make their dent in the status quo. She is a contributing writer and editor for Billboard and Forbes, and has also written regularly about the music industry for... Read More →

Speakers

Jackie Augustus

Head of Digital Marketing, SB Projects

Jackie Augustus is Head of Digital Marketing at Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, a company at the intersection of music, film, television, technology, brands, culture and social good. Augustus manages numerous exclusive activations under the SB Projects digital umbrella, including social... Read More →

Devin Dawson

Singer/Songwriter, Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic Records

Devin Dawson is an artist signed to Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic Records. His songs speak the language of a new generation; fans with no use for genre labels. He has a knack for writing razor sharp stories, full of detail and cut straight to the heart. Starting in 2012, Dawson... Read More →

Amber Grimes

Manager, Artist & Label Marketing, Spotify

Amber Grimes is the Artist & Label Marketing Manager at Spotify. She has served as the right hand to artists such as Akon, Mike Will Made It, and Nick Cannon. Grimes also launched the full-service marketing and event planning agency, The Cardi Brand Agency. In 2016, Nick Cannon co-starred... Read More →

Phil Quist

Agent, CAA

Phil Quist is an Agent in the Music Touring department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He was promoted into CAA’s Agent Training Program in 2015, was promoted to Agent in 2016, and now represents a wide range of clients, including The Chainsmokers, Young Thug, Cheat Codes, Fetty... Read More →

Anna Weisband

VP, THiS Music/Warner Chappell

Anna Weisband is the VP of THiS Music, a joint venture of Warner Chappell. She began at THiS Music as in intern in 2012, quickly establishing herself as a young executive on Music Row. She began carrying out A&R duties including talent discovery, collaboration creation, artist/writer... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Legends ABC

9:00am CDT

Music Supervisor Listening Sessions [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Speakers

Gene Culver

CEO, A&R, & Marketing, Music Drizzle

Julie Hurwitz

SVP of Commercial Sync, Kobalt Music Group

Julie Hurwitz is the SVP of Commercial Sync at Kobalt Music Group, where she negotiates licensing deals and manages a team. The label’s roster includes Bob Marley, James Murphy, Beck, Stevie Nicks, Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie, The Lumineers, Smashing Pumpkins, Fleet Foxes, Bon... Read More →

Jackie Otero

Program Director- Music Business Degrees, Full Sail University

Kim Williams

VP of Sync Licensing, Meshach Media

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
McKissack 1 — Hilton Downtown 121 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

9:30am CDT

Your Metadata S#*ks!

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

Our industry is evolving at an incredible pace, toward intuitive discovery, exploration and experimentation. Cutting edge technologies power these new creative paradigms including AI learning algorithms, voice-enabled devices, complex pattern recognition engines, and high res audio. At the core of every single one of these technologies is one singular building block, the DNA behind all of these creative technologies: Metadata. We're way past the point of simply needing an artist, title, and genre. We must elevate the metadata experience to future proof every part of the supply chain. Whether you are an artist, a label, a distributor, a PRO, or a service provider - all have a critical role to play in supporting those who are solving the problem.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Edward Ginis

Co-Founder, OpenPlay

Edward Ginis is a seasoned industry executive and Co-Founder of OpenPlay. He has spent the past 10 years evangelizing an industry-wide shift to the cloud and has helped position OpenPlay as an industry leader in the media asset management, workflow, and global supply chain verticals... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:30am - 10:00am CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

9:30am CDT

A Star Wars Story: What Artists Can Learn From Epic Mistakes

With Star Wars, George Lucas built an epic cultural touchstone, and then later left fans feeling betrayed by a series of epic fails. What can musicians learn from his creative mistakes? Lots! Travel with CD Baby’s Kevin Breuner and Chris Robley to a galaxy far, far away — where you’ll learn the ways of The Force, and pilot your music career through the meridian trench towards indie success. This session will not be Lucas bashing or all out Star Wars geekery (well, maybe Kevin’s and Chris’s geeky side might come out a bit), but use the Star Wars universe as an interesting vehicle into a fun discussion about the creative process.

Speakers

Kevin

Chris Robley

Editor, Songwriter, Cookie-Eater, CD Baby

Chris Robley is the editor of CD Baby’s DIY Musician Blog, and has worked in various capacities for the industry-leading distributor for more than a dozen years. He is also an award-winning poet and songwriter, whose gothic Indie-Pop and mill-town Americana has been praised by The LA Times, KCRW, No Depression, Performer, and more. The Willamette Week called Robley’s music, “Beatlesy goodness featuring deft wordplay delivered through McCartneyish melodies with a Lennonesque rasp... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Legends F

9:30am CDT

The Landscape of the Music Industry In the U.S. and Across the World

In this presentation, David Price, Director of Insight and Analysis at IFPI, and Josh Friedlander, SVP of Strategic Data Analysis at RIAA, will present and discuss the latest revenue trends in the music industry. In April 2018, IFPI published the Global Music Report, the definitive source of revenue data for the worldwide music industry, and analysis will focus on fresh data and analysis from this report and from the RIAA.

Friedlander will show how far audio streaming – particularly paid subscriptions – has transformed the U.S. music market in recent years. Price will move this analysis to the global landscape — Is audio streaming a solution for the music industry across the world? How does the industry in the US differ from neighbors like Canada and Mexico? What’s the potential success in countries like China, India, and Russia and how can record companies and artists best capitalize on those prospects?

Speakers

Josh Friedlander

SVP of Strategic Data Analysis, RIAA

Joshua Friedlander is the SVP of Strategic Data Analysis at the RIAA, where he is responsible for data analysis and market research. The results of his work are frequently used as standard measures of the U.S. music industry and are commonly referenced in news publications. Prior... Read More →

David Price

Director of Insight & Analysis, IFPI

David Price is the Director of Insight & Analysis at IFPI, where he leads his team in researching and analyzing the recorded music market, developments in music piracy, and the changing habits of music listeners. His team also examines market trends, changing consumer habits, and... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Legends D

10:00am CDT

Rejected! The Most Common Errors

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

Style guide violations, audio language, missing explicit tags are just three of the many reasons that metadata errors lead to releases being rejected by DSPs. These errors lead to increased time and expense and possibly even missing a street date for an artist. This panel will address questions such as: What are the top reasons that releases are rejected by DSPs? What solutions are currently out there for cleaning up catalog data? Given the swift adoption of voice search, what new fields may cause a release to be rejected?

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Moderators

Bill Wilson

Digital Programming & Industry Relations, Music Business Association

Speakers

Jill Chapman

Digital Media Operations Manager, Amazon Music

Jill Chapman is the Digital Operations Manager for Amazon Music. In this role, Chapman drives the ongoing operations and catalog management for Amazon Music’s global expansion in more than 35 countries, bringing the music service and its language voice controls powered by Alexa... Read More →

Chris McMurty

Head of Music Product, Exactuals

Chris McMurtry heads up Music Products for Exactuals. Born and raised in Nashville, Chris McMurtry has been involved with music his entire life. His passion for music is only equaled by the underlying technologies and data that drive its curation, discoverability, insights, and accurate... Read More →

Jackson Mercer

VP, Ops., Concord Music Group

Jackson Mercer is VP of Operations at Concord Music, overseeing metadata, digital supply chain, and the technology platforms that support them. His work has focused on building technology-centric workflows, and developing applications to manage the rapid growth of Concord's frontline... Read More →

Chris Read

Digital Supply Chain Professional

Chris is an accomplished Digital Supply Chain professional with nearly 20 years’ experience. He has spent time working for a wide variety of entertainment and technology heavyweights, including Warner Music Group, Sony DADC, INgrooves and most recently The Orchard. Read’s areas... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 10:00am - 10:40am CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

10:30am CDT

Clearing Rights and Properly Monetizing UGC

As user generated content grows to unprecedented numbers in terms of the amount of content being created there are still very few systems that allow artists to control and properly monetize their content when it is used (often without permission). We will examine what systems exist, how they work, the realities of safe harbor, and discuss what fair compensation for artists could look like in the future.

Moderators

Stephen White

Chief Executive & Chairman of the Board, Dubset Media Holdings

Stephen White is the Chief Executive & Chairman of the Board for Dubset Media Holdings, where he leads the company’s strategy, execution and delivery. Prior to joining Dubset, he worked at Gracenote for 14 years, most recently serving as Chief Executive & President, overseeing all... Read More →

Speakers

Jeff Price

Founder/CEO, Audiam

Jeff Price is the CEO & Founder of Audiam, a digital Reproduction Rights collection agency for publishers and songwriters for all interactive streaming entities, including YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Rhapsody, Amazon, Slacker, Tidal, Google Play, and numerous others. Price is... Read More →

John Raso

SVP, Client Services, HFA

John Raso is the SVP of Client Services for HFA and Rumblefish, where he oversees the teams who provide support to thousands of publishers and Rumblefish clients. Raso oversees the identification and distribution of music publishing royalties generated by Rumblefish administration... Read More →

Michael Weissman

COO, SoundCloud

Michael Weissman is the COO at SoundCloud, the world's largest music and audio platform. Responsible for the growth and strategy of the SoundCloud business, he oversees the company's subscriptions and advertising revenue, as well as its content partnerships. In addition, Weissman... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Legends G

10:30am CDT

The Changing Landscape in the Publishing World

The world of publishing is constantly evolving. Publishing companies are doing more artist development than ever; catalogs are selling at an ever rapid pace; and the legislative issues at hand will shape the publishing world for many years to come. This panel will cover all of these topics, as well as give an outlook on the next five years of the publishing industry.

Moderators

John Ozier

VP of Nashville Creative, ole

John Ozier is the VP of Nashville Creative at ole, where he manges music releases, signs songwriters and artists, and secures acquisitions. During 2016-2017, he led the Creative team in releasing more than 100 singles internationally, including No.1s by Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Aldean... Read More →

Speakers

Marc Driskill

EVP & GM, Sea Gayle Music

Mark Driskill is the EVP & GM of Sea Gayle Music, an independent music publisher with 45 No.1 songs and two ASCAP Country Publisher of the Year Awards. He began his career in the music industry at ASCAP, where he was the Director of Business Affairs. Driskill was later promoted... Read More →

Beth Laird

Co-Owner and GM, Creative Nation

Beth Laird is the Co-Owner & GM of Creative Nation, where she is responsible for all operations and creative endeavors, as well as publishing and managing the careers of 10 artists. In five years, Creative Nation has yielded 15 No.1 Country singles, over 100 major label album cuts... Read More →

Pete Robinson

Partner & GM, Big Deal Music Group, Nashville

Pete Robinson is a Partner at Big Deal Music Group and GM of the Nashville office. Big Deal Music is a truly independent publishing company, which focuses on maximizing opportunities for the artists and writers on its roster, with the aim of helping them achieve productive careers... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Legends E

10:30am CDT

Connected: Home and Car

As consumers continue to shift from iPods and mp3s to Alexa and Uber, we are excited to bring together experts from leading technology and transportation companies who are on top of the smart trends driving headlines in the music business.

Part 1: Music In the Home
This expert panel will discuss how PAD/Smart Speakers are changing consumer listening habits, music discovery and a fan’s relationship with music. How do streaming platforms that were built for PCs and phones adapt to the new devices? What is the perspective on the future of music in the home — how will the devices evolve, as well as listener’s relationships with the tech, and the music itself?

Moderator:
Russ Crupnick, MusicWatch

Panelists:
Michael Jeffrey ,TiVo
Ryan Redington, Amazon
Nick Marcantonio, Pandora

Part 2: Connected Cars - The Ultimate Mobile Music Devices
With the rise of the Internet of Things and increasing interconnectivity between platforms and services, connected cars are now the ultimate mobile music devices. A wealth of contextual signals from time of day, speed and weather combined with clear understanding of occupants’ content preferences and previous behaviors enable smart infotainment systems to deliver music that’s perfectly suited to the mood and the moment. This session will explore how connected cars are driving next-generation music experiences such as contextual playlisting and smart radio features that deliver all new levels of personalization and predictive playback. The panelists will also discuss the promise of connected entertainment experiences and the starring role that music will play in autonomous vehicles as they gear up to hit the open road.

Moderator:
Wayne Cunningham, Uber

Panelists:
Jim Buczkowski, Ford
Brian Hamilton, Gracenote

Moderators

Russ Crupnick

-, Music Watch TBC

Russ Crupnick is Managing Partner of MusicWatch, Inc., a company dedicated to marketing research and industry analysis for the music and entertainment industry. MusicWatch evolved from services formerly offered by the NPD Group, where he served in several executive roles. Crupnick... Read More →

Wayne Cunningham

Sr. Editor, Uber

Wayne Cunningham is the Sr. Editor at Uber, where he highlights the company’s cutting-edge technology in the mobility space on its engineering blog. As a journalist, Wayne Cunningham covered the convergence of technology and cars for over 10 years, tracking innovations such as the... Read More →

Speakers

Jim Buczkowski

Tech Fell. Director, Elec. & Electron. Sys ..., Ford

Jim Buczkowski is a Ford Technical Fellow & Director, Electrical & Electronics Systems Research & Innovation. He is responsible for the research and design of electrical and electronic systems, including in-car information and entertainment, telematics, driver information, and active... Read More →

Brian Hamilton

SVP & GM of Music & Auto, Gracenote

Brian Hamilton is the SVP & GM of Music & Auto at Gracenote, where he is responsible for delivering next generation music and automotive infotainment systems. He also manages relationships with all major automakers, suppliers, and music entertainment companies. His previous roles... Read More →

Michael Jeffrey

VP, Business Development: Automotive and Music, TiVo

Michael Jeffrey is TiVo’s Vice President of Business Development. As a key leader of the global business development team, Jeffrey is bringing new music and automotive entertainment experiences to market for the originator of music metadata. His past experience spans founding wireless... Read More →

Nick Marcantonio

Sr. Product Manager, Pandora

Nick Marcantonio is a Sr. Product Manager at Pandora, where he leads partnerships, consumer electronics, and automotive initiatives. He has lead partnerships that brought offline playback to Fitbit smartwatches, music into Uber’s apps, and actively leads Pandora’s efforts on voice-activated... Read More →

Ryan Redington

Director, Amazon Music

Ryan Redington is the Director at Amazon Music, where he leads integral relationships with key industry players while overseeing multiple business functions globally. Throughout his time at Amazon, he has overseen the launch of Amazon Music and its two streaming services, Prime Music... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Legends ABC

10:40am CDT

Music Data Exchange: Linking Recordings and Compositions

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

The lack of an efficient workflow to establish timely and authoritative linking of compositions to sound recordings is an incredible stumbling block in the music industry, arguably the most inefficient link in today’s royalty chain. When a label releases a track, it is frequently (almost always?) unclear who the publisher is and/or what their royalty share of that composition is. The problem is compounded by the fact that many songs have multiple writers and multiple publishers. The need to make this link and establish shares won’t ever go away.

The Fix: In cooperation with U.S. record labels and music publishers, SoundExchange has developed and launched a hub that centralizes the exchange of data between labels and publishers, gives publishers full visibility to claimed and unclaimed percentages and allows publishers to communicate their shares. The new Music Data Exchange (MDX) portal provides a workflow and central database for real-time, pre-release, highly automated (via DDEX messaging), efficient exchanges of data, resulting in owner-established links between new release recordings and their underlying compositions.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Jon Bender

COO, SoundExchange

Jonathan Bender has served as the COO of SoundExchange since 2011. Since its inception in 2003, SoundExchange has distributed more than $5 billion in digital royalties for sound recordings to recording artists and rights owners. Bender has 25 years of experience in the music industry... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 10:40am - 11:00am CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

11:00am CDT

Battle of the Blockchain

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

We've all heard the hype around ICOs and cryptocurrency, but do we really understand how (or if) the blockchain can help some of the long-standing rights issues in the music business? The panel will dive into the most pressing and sometimes uncomfortable questions that remain about this transformative technology.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Moderators

Vickie Nauman

Principal and Owner, CrossBorderWorks

Vickie Nauman is the founder and owner of CrossBorderWorks, a consulting and advisory firm specializing in music tech. Her focus is the intersection between technology and music, particularly regarding licensing and music data/rights, product/device integration, and international... Read More →

Speakers

Daniel Dewar

CEO & Founder, Paperchain

Daniel Dewar is the CEO & Founder of Paperchain, a marketplace that allows media companies to sell daily sales & transaction data to a global investment network, turning future revenue into working capital. Previously, he worked at one of Australia's leading data and analytics agencies... Read More →

Jeff King

COO, SOCAN

Jeff King is the COO of SOCAN, where he is responsible for the companies strategy, licensing, distribution, international, information technology and corporate planning. He is also accountable for SOCAN’s revenue and expense management for key operations. King was previously the... Read More →

Vaughn McKenzie

CEO, JAAK

Vaughn McKenzie is the CEO of JAAK, a company focusing on creating a comprehensive platform to enable music industry partners to access, manage and utilize metadata for musical compositions and recordings. JAAK provides a simple framework for connecting and identifying information... Read More →

Benji Rogers

Founder / Co-Founder, PledgeMusic / Dot Blockchain Music Project

Benji is a British-born, New York-based entrepreneur, technologist, musician, and the founder of PledgeMusic. An early pioneer of the direct artist-to-fan model of distributing music, Rogers founded PledgeMusic based on the belief that artists should share the process of their artistic... Read More →

Howie Singer

Strategic Technology Consultant, Universal Music Group

Howie Singer is a leading expert on the implications of technology for the music industry. He has been working as a Special Technology Consultant to the Universal Music Group since July 2017. Previously, Singer served as SVP and Chief Strategic Technologist for Warner Music Group... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 11:00am - 11:45am CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

11:00am CDT

Head Full of Streams

How can you expand and improve the live concert experience for music fans? Californian band, Severe Tire Damage, were the first band to live stream their performance in June 1993. Almost a quarter of a century later, there have been huge advances in technology that have impacted live streaming. However, whether it’s legendary recorded concerts from iconic artists, or live streams of today’s newest stars, there’s still plenty of room for innovation in audio quality, personalization and fan engagement. Attend this session to learn about the latest trends and developments in live audio streaming.

Moderators

Michael Jbara

CEO, MQA

Mike Jbara is the CEO of MQA. Previously, Jbara worked at Warner Music Group, where he held roles as Head of Studios, President of ADA Worldwide, President of WEA Corp., and most recently Corp EVP of Technology. Before joining Warner, he was part of the New York-based Media and... Read More →

Speakers

Angel Gambino

CEO & Founder, Sensai

Angel Gambino is the CEO & Founder of Sensai, a social artificial intelligence startup. She is also a WIRED Top 100 executive who has built companies on three continents, an urban regeneration pioneer, a visionary investor, and an environmental lawyer. The technology phase of her... Read More →

Brad Serling

CEO & Founder, nugs.net

Brad Serling is the CEO & Founder of nugs.net, a company he started as a way to share the tapes he was making of Grateful Dead and Phish shows. Eventually, the Grateful Dead hired Serling as a consultant in mid-2000 and by 2002 nugs.net went from fan site to paid download provide... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Legends D

11:00am CDT

Import/Export: Marketing International Content in the U.S.

Streaming is the first format to truly democratize and globalize music. At the same time, our society has become more mobile than ever before. This presents content owners with the opportunity to explore numerous untapped markets. From Latin to Grime and Dancehall to K-Pop, learn how to find your audience across the globe with audience segmentation and smart data metrics. Finding higher revenue niche audiences both within the US and beyond will ensure your music hits the right ears at the right time.

Moderators

Colleen Theis

COO, The Orchard

Colleen Theis is COO of The Orchard, the industry’s largest independent music distributor. In this role, she oversees the company’s core business activities across The Orchard’s 30 offices globally. The company represents labels such as Red Bull Records, Som Livre, as well... Read More →

Speakers

David Bakula

SVP of Global Product Leadership & Industry Insights, Nielsen Music

David Bakula is the SVP of Global Product Leadership & Industry Insights for Nielsen Music, where he oversees Nielsen’s global music industry analytics, product development, label and major brand relationships in the U.S. and Canada, and drives the overall research and product development... Read More →

Marcos Juárez

Head of Latin Music Programming, Pandora

As Head of Latin Music Programming at Pandora since 2012, Marcos Juárez has overseen the incremental growth of the genre on the platform over the last five years. With an eye towards being representative of the diversity of the Latin American diaspora in the U.S., he has developed... Read More →

Dennis Murcia

Digital Strategist & Business Development, Codiscos/Tropisounds

Dennis Murcia is the Digital Strategist & Business Development for Codiscos/Tropisounds, a leading Latin American entertainment company specializing in recorded music. In this role, he oversees monetization opportunities for the label and its artists, with the Codiscos label being... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Legends F

12:00pm CDT

Merlin’s 10th Anniversary: Indies Leading The Global Digital Business

To say Merlin has transformed the digital music market is no exaggeration. Ten years ago, independent labels and distributors faced a Catch 22 situation: perfectly suited to the entrepreneurial spirit of online innovation, but penalized at the negotiating table. While DSPs could secure major label repertoire via a handful of deals, partnering with indies was more challenging. It might involve hundreds (if not thousands) of conversations.

Opening for business in May 2008, Merlin was tasked with ending this market fragmentation - building trust and unity across the independent sector to enable digital services to globally license - via a single deal - the world’s most important and commercially successful distributors and labels. Initially representing 200 members, Merlin’s first partnership was struck with Swedish start-up Spotify. Agreements with other new-generation services followed, as well as groundbreaking copyright settlements with infringing P2P platforms.

The subsequent impact has been profound, and helped unlock the true market value of independent music.

Today, Merlin represents the most valuable basket of rights outside of UMG, Sony and Warner Music. Independent businesses are positioned front and center in licensing negotiations, while their rights are correctly valued. And, in a best-of-both-worlds scenario, alongside empowerment, independent labels have retained their independence.

The agency currently has 800 members in 53 countries - representing tens of thousands of individual labels - and recently dispatched its billionth dollar in distributions.

But what of the future?

Celebrating their 10th anniversary, join Merlin CEO Charles Caldas for a comprehensive discussion that explores not only the market challenges Merlin has enabled independent labels to overcome, but also how Merlin itself operates, how those labels interact with Merlin, and how they have utilized the agency to grow their digital business.

Expect the discussion to cover Merlin’s groundbreaking impact on the wider digital market, offering DSPs a single entry point to successfully navigate the global independent label sector and how that has undoubtedly transformed their businesses too - with Merlin members’ repertoire fueling growth and adoption of streaming services on a global scale, and particularly on paid subscription tiers. The panel will dive deep into these new market dynamics, and offer a unique insight into the next evolutionary phase of our business.

Moderators

Charles Caldas

CEO, Merlin

Charles Caldas is the CEO of Merlin, a global digital rights agency for the world’s independent label sector. Since Caldas became CEO, Merlin has secured deals with Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Soundcloud, and Vevo. Merlin has also reached a number of copyright infringement settlements... Read More →

Speakers

Darius Van Arman

Co-Owner & Co-Founder, Secretly Label Group

Darius Van Arman is the Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Secretly Group, an Indiana-based label group. Secretly Group has partnered with two-time Grammy winner Bon Iver, ANOHNI, Angel Olsen, and Slowdive, to name a few. Van Arman also co-owns Secretly Distribution, Secretly Publishing and... Read More →

Amy Dietz

EVP, GM, INgrooves

Amy Dietz is the EVP & GM at INgrooves, an independent music distribution and marketing company. In this role she oversees the day-to-day management of global operations, ensuring the company’s label and artist partners are provided with the customer service and technology needed... Read More →

Zack Gershen

EVP & Partner, mtheory

Zack Gershen is an EVP & Partner at mtheory, which is an artist development, marketing, strategy and operations infrastructure company, designed for music artist managers. The company was formed to provide managers with the additional manpower and specialized knowledge required to... Read More →

Nando Luaces

CEO & Founder, Altafonte

Nando Luaces is the CEO & Founder of Altafonte, a digital music and video distributor. The company focuses on the Latin market, and has locations in nine countries including Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. Prior, Luaces created the company BOA, which started as a distributor... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:00pm - 12:50pm CDT
Legends G

12:30pm CDT

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum Welcome & Songtrust 101

This session is part of the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust.

Songtrust will welcome attendees to the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum. Songtrust enables over 100,000 songwriters and over 15,000 publishers to collect their publishing royalties worldwide for over 1,000,000 copyrights. Their industry-leading online solutions help songwriters, artists, managers, labels and publishers simplify music rights management including the administration of music publishing assets, performing rights, and digital licensing.

Speakers

Molly Neuman

President, Songtrust

Molly Neuman is the President of Songtrust, the world’s largest global royalty collection service and publishing administrator. As President, she leads day-to-day operations for Songtrust, including client relations, product, and engineering, as well as partner relations. Prior... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:30pm - 12:40pm CDT
Legends ABC

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust

12:30pm CDT

New Age of CRM

Join us for a journey that will take us through the business transition from classic B2B CRM to how concepts are being used in a B2C environment, focusing on acquisition, engagement, moments marketing and conversion optimization on scale. We will discuss redefining the business-to-consumer relationship in the entertainment industry; using data to improve engagement and optimize conversion funnel; and implementing personalization and marketing automations to develop an artist brand. The panel will explore tangible case studies of onboarding and brand storytelling.

Speakers

Matt Annerino

EVP of Marketing & Analytics, U.S. Concerts, Live Nation

Stella Psaroudakis

Sr. Director of E-Commerce, Warner Music Artist Services

Stella Psaroudakis is the Sr. Director of E-Commerce at Warner Music Artist Services where she oversees direct-to-consumer marketing strategy, along with online commerce for both legendary and emerging artists, including Smashing Pumpkins, Blake Shelton, Logic, and Underoath. In... Read More →

Itay Rahat

Sr. Director of Fan Engagement & CRM Platforms, Warner Music Group

Itay Rahat oversees CRM and fan engagement platforms at Warner Music Group, driving the consumer-level database strategy and solutions. He works with WMG label teams on developing new artists, driving music consumption, and leveraging data and marketing technology to deliver personalized... Read More →

Murray Stall

Managing Director, FanMail Marketing

Murray Stall is Managing Director of FanMail Marketing, a marketing and advertising agency that focuses on fan relationship management through software tools and services. He heads a team of direct-to-fan marketing professionals in delivering industry-leading fan experiences for the... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT
Legends E

12:30pm CDT

The Country Consumer: The Next Phase of Streaming Growth

Presented by the Country Music Association

Country is the fastest-growing genre in the streaming landscape, but how does the industry continue to grow Country streaming consumption not only here in the U.S. but around the globe? This industry has a strong need to convert fans to streaming in order to catch up to the streaming penetration experienced by other genres. This panel consists of streaming providers that will discuss the importance of winning in this genre and provide insights into strategies their platforms are utilizing to grow the overall consumption of Country. This is a critical discussion to attend for anyone that is actively involved in the Country Music business.

Moderators

Annie Ortmeier

VP, Marketing - Digital Accounts, Universal Music Group Nashville

Annie Ortmeier is a revenue-focused digital marketer with expertise in streaming, digital sales, data analysis, advertising and ecommerce. As the VP of Marketing & Digital Accounts at UMG Nashville, she oversees streaming marketing strategy and analysis for all UMG Nashville artists... Read More →

Speakers

Beville Dunkerley

Nashville Director of Artist Marketing & Industry Relations, Pandora

Beville Dunkerley is the Nashville Director of Artist Marketing & Industry Relation at Pandora. In this role, she helps artists of all genres get their music to the masses by giving them keys to Pandora’s free marketing tools, and pairing them with brands for big events and special... Read More →

Margaret Hart

Manager, Artist & Label Relations, Google/YouTube

Brittany Schaeffer

Head of Artist & Label Marketing, Spotify

Brittany Schaffer is the Head of Artist & Label Marketing, Nashville at Spotify. In this role, she and her team oversee artist, label, and management relationships based in Nashville, and together develop on and off-platform partnerships to break new artists, give creators’ unprecedented... Read More →

Rebecca Silverstein

PR, Amazon Music

Emily Cohen is Amazon Music’s country music curator in Nashville. Cohen joined Amazon Music in 2016 and immediately became instrumental in growing the country, folk, Americana, and Christian music audiences across Amazon Music, including developing the marquee playlist “Country... Read More →

Karen Stump

Sr. Director of Research, Country Music Association (CMA)

In her role as Sr. Director of Consumer Insights with the Country Music Association (CMA), Stump works with the Country music industry to define and execute a broad range of market insights and analytics initiatives to provide consumer insights and market trends to music industry... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT
Legends F

12:30pm CDT

The Post-Catalogue Era: How Streaming Is Resetting the Recorded Industry's Business Model

Revenues from catalogue sales have long underpinned the major record label model, yet this framework is coming to an end. Until breaking a new act, A&R typically operated at a loss whilst catalogue represented a growth fund from which labels invested in future talent. The positive side of this was that it facilitated an appetite for risk in emerging artists, yet this model stands at a crossroads where catalogue sales, in the traditional sense, are going to fall.

Younger music consumers have not grown up buying albums and are spending less time both listening to albums and listening to individual albums multiple times. As a result, the foundations for deep diving into catalogue are not being set up for them, with streaming engendering audiences to focus on the new. Add Gen Z’s tendency towards consuming, at speed, larger volumes of (usually social) content, and what you have is the catalyst for a reassessment of how the economics of the entire recorded music business works.

Using proprietary MIDiA Research data, this presentation will take a look at how the old model worked and discuss how it is being threatened by streaming.

Speakers

Zach Fuller

Media Analyst, MIDiA Research

Zach Fuller is the Media Analyst at MIDiA Research, focusing on developments in digital content monetisation. He establishes metrics for quantifying streaming success, then consults major labels, media conglomerates, and emerging startups. Fuller has appeared on CNBC and BBC World... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT
Legends D

12:40pm CDT

Artistry and Streaming Income: Q&A with Paul Cardall

This session is part of the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust.

Three-time No. 1 Billboard New Age artist Paul Cardall is one of the most successful independent artists in our modern music industry. Just having crossed 2 billion lifetime digital streams on his catalog of over 300 songs and averaging 25 million monthly streams on Pandora alone, Paul is completely independent, owning all of his publishing and masters. Come hear from Paul and the members of his team about his business, the process he went through to build a sustainable business in the streaming era and the model for other artists to find sustainable income on the streaming platforms.

Moderators

Garrison Snell

CEO & Founder, Gyrosity Projects

Speakers

Jonathan Barnes

Manager of Artist & Label Services, Pandora

Jonathan Barnes manages the label licensing and partner management team at Pandora, where he and his team manage Pandora's recorded music licensing strategy and its business relationships with record labels and independent artists. Previously, Barnes led partnerships at 8tracks Radio... Read More →

Paul Cardall

President, Founder, & Pianist, Stone Angel Music

Paul Cardall is the President & Founder of Stone Angel Music, a Utah-based record label. He is also a three-time No. 1 Billboard New Age artist, and is one of the most successful independent artists in the modern music industry. Having crossed two billion lifetime digital streams... Read More →

Chris Robley

Editor, Songwriter, Cookie-Eater, CD Baby

Tuesday May 15, 2018 12:40pm - 1:10pm CDT
Legends ABC

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust

1:00pm CDT

The Unsung K-Pop Star: Music Metadata

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

Get the lowdown on how the 'glocalization' of music metadata is the secret success sauce that has helped propel Korean Pop music to emerge as the #1 Asian music export in the world.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Bernie Cho

President, DFSB Kollective

Bernie Cho is the President of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based creative agency that specializes in providing digital media, marketing, and distribution solutions to 480+ Korean Pop music artists. DFSB collaborates with artists and their management to devise customized strategies that... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:00pm - 1:20pm CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

1:10pm CDT

Songtrust 101 – Part 2

This session is part of the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust.

Songtrust will demonstrate their platform and the benefits of their technology's first design. We’ll review the entire client journey from registering, to PRO affiliation, the specific features of Songtrust and understanding our royalty statements.

Speakers

Jason Cerf

Business Development Manager, Songtrust

Jason Cerf is the Business Development Manager at Songtrust, the world’s largest global royalty collection service and publishing administrator. In this role, he works with a wide variety of music business models to utilize the Songtrust platform. Songrtrust helps songwriters... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:10pm - 1:20pm CDT
Legends ABC

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust

1:20pm CDT

So, You're Licensed Into China … Now What?

China is opening up rapidly in terms of inbound digital licensing, but what happens once your license is in place? In reality, this is just the beginning, not least because Chinese platforms typically don't WANT the content, they have it already. Rather than expecting the floodgates to open, China still needs to be seen as a very long play. This period may be known in retrospect as "the age of metadata" insofar as the priority for all rights owners should be to pump the market with metadata, readying for the next step which is reporting and accounting. Only then does marketing a record really make sense.

This informal workshop with Alex Taggart of leading China music industry services company, Outdustry, is designed to put things in perspective — with a good dose of myth-busting, while also providing hard won practical insights as to how to tackle the market with a long view.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Alex Taggart

GM, Outdustry

Alex Taggart is the GM at Outdustry, where he recently moved to LA to setup the North American office. His career began when he moved to China after completing a Master’s in Chinese Studies from Edinburgh University in 2010. Initially, Taggart worked as a journalist at a Chinese... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:20pm - 1:40pm CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

1:20pm CDT

Who Needs You Anyway? Reinventing the Artist-Label Relationship in the Digital Era

This session is part of the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust.

Today’s world is giving independent artists more avenues than ever before to get their music created, distributed and consumed. As a result, many are questioning the need for artists to bind themselves to the conventional label deal, while for others, the allure of being a ‘signed’ artist remains a coveted goal. So, how can an artist determine what is the best option for their career?

This panel will explore the relevance of the artist-label relationship in the digital era through the lens of the recording agreement. By comparing and contrasting conventional recording deals with emerging alternative arrangements, we will explore ways in which artists and labels can achieve a more symbiotic, balanced relationship that truly reflects the realities of the 21st Century digital environment. Topic areas will include brand partnerships, joint ventures, master- rights administration, and upstream distribution deals.

Moderators

Ash Kernen

Principal Lawyer & Founder, Kernen Law

Ash Kernen is the Principal Attorney & Founder of Kernen Law, a Philadelphia-based boutique entertainment and intellectual property law firm, focusing predominantly on the music industry. Having spent more than 10 years as an artist, songwriter, and entrepreneur prior to becoming... Read More →

Speakers

Brian Aranda

Sr. Manager of Data & Engagement, Fame House

Brian Aranda is the Sr. Manager of Data & Engagement at Fame House (acquired by Universal Music Group in 2016), a Philadelphia-based Digital Marketing Agency specializing in music and entertainment. Over the years, he has worked closely with a numerous clients including Eminem, Pearl... Read More →

Jason Berger

Partner, Margolis Edelstein

Jason Berger is a partner at Philadelphia-based law firm Margolis Edelstein and chairs the firm’s Entertainment and New Media practice group. Berger’s expertise lies in recognizing talented artists, individuals and companies; developing strategy to achieve long-term success; and... Read More →

Roy LaManna

Co-Founder and CEO, Vydia

Roy LaManna is Co-Founder and CEO of Vydia, an Inc. 5000 video technology company that ensures content creators have cutting-edge solutions to manage their digital strategy. LaManna is also Founder and President of Trendsetter, a Public Relations and Marketing firm that secures premium... Read More →

Chill Moody

--, nicethings LLC

Chill Moody cemented his status as one of the top lyricists and performers in Philadelphia after winning Best Rapper in Philadelphia Magazine’s annual Best of Philly issue. He was also named Philadelphia’s Music Ambassador by Councilman David Oh, due to his tireless efforts to... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:20pm - 1:55pm CDT
Legends ABC

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust

1:30pm CDT

New Possibilities for Premium Subscription Services

Learn how the latest developments in "studio quality" Hi-Res Audio and advanced metadata-based features can be used to drive the deployment of an exciting new tier of premium subscription music services.

This panel, which features top music creatives, label executives, and marketing experts, will explore the opportunities and challenges related to delivering a more engaging and satisfying listening experience that's designed to meet the needs of the growing number of more demanding, passionate music fans.

Don't miss this informative session sponsored by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.

Moderators

Marc Finer

Director, Communication Research Inc.

Marc Finer is the Founder & Director of Communication Research Inc. (CRI), a consulting group that provides strategic marketing support for emerging digital products, content and services. Prior to establishing CRI, Finer served as Product Communications Director for Sony Corporation... Read More →

Speakers

Jim Buczkowski

Tech Fell. Director, Elec. & Electron. Sys ..., Ford

Russ Crupnick

-, Music Watch TBC

Andrew Kautz

COO, Big Machine Label Group

Andrew Kautz is the COO of Big Machine Label Group, along with being one of the original employees when it opened on Music Row in 2005. He was instrumental in helping grow the start-up into a worldwide entertainment company, with a current staff of more than 100 employees across the... Read More →

Kesha Lee

Recording & Mixing Engineer

Kesha Lee is a Recording & Mixing Engineer, having been a house engineer at Gucci Mane’s Brick Factory and working on hits for Migos and Future. She also had a major hand in the recording and engineering of Lil Uzi Vert’s debut studio album, “Luv Is Rage 2” which debuted... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Legends G

1:40pm CDT

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Using and Abusing Metadata in Australia

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

While much is said of the integrity of metadata in general, this presentation will look at two use cases in Australia that move beyond the barriers to current and future possibilities.

crowdDJ is an app that matches commercially licensed content (i.e. OOH) to consumer services on personal devices; so that a range of selection and playlisting options are enabled in both directions. Creating a bridge between these environments demonstrates how commercial music services can apply metadata solutions to seek increasingly granular context on their businesses, and harness user experience data to create virtual record stores in every venue.

Music Metrics and the Future of the Australian Music Industry is a 3-year Australian Research Council funded project at QUT's Digital Media Research Centre. With Industry partners APRA AMCOS, Radio Monitor and Nightlife Music, Music Metrics has been ingesting and validating streaming, radio and public performance usage and aggregating this against social media for several years. By engaging world-leading researchers and industry advisors, an evidenced- based whitepaper will outline the current data based barriers and future possibilities to the Australian Government in 2019.

This presentation will outline both use cases and discuss the implications of working with the metadata 'you have' which is not always the metadata you need.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Speakers

Jay Mogis

Doctoral Researcher | Consultant, Music Metrics

Jay Mogis is one of Australia’s leading experts in music licensing and data analytics. His work focuses on creating increasingly transparent music usage products with major and independent record labels, publishers, CMO's and key industry associations. He is also a Doctoral Researcher... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:40pm - 2:00pm CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

1:45pm CDT

Shining A Light On The Black Box: Best Practices For Reducing Unclaimed Royalties

In recent years, issues related to unattributed and unpaid royalties have made more headlines than ever before. As the digital music ecosystem continues to grow the licensing mechanisms, data flow infrastructure, and royalty attribution and payment methods have been challenged to keep up with and support an insurmountable aggregate of transactions, often leading to unclaimed royalties. This panel will discuss perspectives around unclaimed royalties and review best practices that rights-holders can implement to better capture all of their earned royalties.

Moderators

Dae Bogan

Founder and CEO, TuneRegistry

Dae Bogan is Founder and CEO of TuneRegistry, which develops music rights administration software and solutions for small and medium-sized music rights holders. Bogan is a music rights executive, serial entrepreneur, and educator with over fifteen years of experience in the music... Read More →

Speakers

Bill Colitre

Vice President & General Counsel, Music Reports

Bill Colitre is the VP & General Counsel of Music Reports, Inc. In this role, he serves as Counsel to Music Reports, Strategic Consultant to its clients, and Head of the company’s Licensing and Royalty Services divisions, as well as its business development lead. Colitire began... Read More →

Kayce Laine

Publicist & Musician, Gold Sky Music

Kayce Laine is a publicist, songwriter and producer originally from Virginia. After college, Laybe moved to Brooklyn and joined an Indie-Electropop band full-time, performing as a singer, keys, and synth player in numerous bands around the city, and touring parts of the U.S. She taught... Read More →

John Raso

SVP, Client Services, HFA

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT
Legends F

1:55pm CDT

Successfully Managing Your Releases: Best Practices and Obligations for the Independent Label or Artist

This session is part of the Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust.

Successfully releasing your music as an independent label or artist is often times coupled with a unique set of challenges and obligations. This presentation’s aim is to highlight and discuss these obligations, while focusing on the implementation of “best practices” to ensure your music is released legally, and your projects run smoothly.

Items include choosing the right distributor, registering your original compositions with the PRO's and Streaming Services, registering your master recordings with Sound Exchange, getting a publishing administrator, YouTube Registration and Collections, and acquiring an accounting team assembled to handle the distribution of your earnings, to name a few of the topics.

Moderators

Mark Spier

CEO & Founder, Royalty Solutions Corp.

Mark Spier is the CEO & Founder of Royalty Solutions Corp., also known as RSC, a company which provides outsourcing alternatives for royalty processing and licensing for record labels, music publishers and business managers. He established RSC in 2011 after noticing the demand for... Read More →

Speakers

Heather Trussell Butsch

SVP, Memory Lane Music Group

Heather Trussell Butsch is the SVP at Memory Lane Music Group, an independent music publisher with a vast catalog of evergreen and contemporary compositions, recorded by the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Bublé, Jay-Z, Drake, KanyeWest, Etta James... Read More →

Aaron Davis

n/a, Exploration.io

Aaron Davis is the CEO & Co-Founder of Exploration Group, LLC, a media management and technology company headquartered in Los Angeles. He is responsible for the strategic direction, business development, and software development. Exploration is proud to be the company of choice to... Read More →

Julien Frank

Managing Director, Royalty Solutions Corp

Julien Frank is the Managing Director at Royalty Solutions Corp., a royalty processing and licensing company. In this role, he has personally provided royalty processing and licensing services for Steel Wool Records (Anderson .Paak), 300 Entertainment, Run The Jewels, Dropkick Murphys... Read More →

Shelby Kennedy

VP, Entertainment Relations, Tunecore

Shelby Kennedy is the VP of Entertainment Relations for TuneCore, where he educates and empowers today’s independent artists and independent labels. Previously, he worked at Lyric Street Records, where his involvement with SheDaisy and Rascal Flatts helped establish the label. Kennedy... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 1:55pm - 2:30pm CDT
Legends ABC

Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust

2:00pm CDT

My Song, My Money… Why Metadata?

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

We have access to all the music in the world and answers to almost any query online – instantly and anywhere. Yet rights owners still experience a disconnect from their rights. So what part does the metadata play in this and what can artists, labels, publishers and management do about this in order to gain a better understanding of where their assets are being used and what they are getting paid for?

This panel - consisting of experts from the entire online music value and data chain - will provide invaluable insights on this topic. The panel will share concrete experiences and hopefully - together with the audience - identify ways to improve the current metadataflow to the benefit of the artists and creators as well as their fans.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Moderators

Hans Peter Roth

Partner & Head of Global Business, Muserk

Hans Peter Roth is the Partner & Head of Global Business Development at Muserk, a rights management and royalty collection company. In his role, he focuses on expanding Muserk’s services to customers and their rights holders, growing Muserk's portfolio of partnerships in the online... Read More →

Speakers

Eric MacKay

EVP, Global Digital Strategy, Warner/Chappell

Eric Mackay is the EVP of Global Digital Strategy at Warner/Chappell Music. He is responsible for the music publisher’s global digital strategy, as well as expanding its commercial partnerships.Mackay’s role focuses on partnering with innovative services that are inventing ways... Read More →

Lindsay Rothschild

Songwriter & Publisher Relations Lead, YouTube

Tuesday May 15, 2018 2:00pm - 2:40pm CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

2:00pm CDT

Consumer Trends: U.S. and Beyond

Nielsen Music will outline the top U.S. trends driving the way music is consumed. Why is time spent listening to music growing? Is music spending on the rise as well? How are listeners discovering new music? Which genres are gaining in share of voice and popularity? What role is social media playing in music consumption? We will also share insights on the impact of an increasingly border less music market and what that means for the music business.

Speakers

David Bakula

SVP of Global Product Leadership & Industry Insights, Nielsen Music

Tuesday May 15, 2018 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Legends D

2:30pm CDT

Music & Advertising: Flip That $#!t

Advertising and Music. Music and Advertising. As the music industry transitions and flips from a mainly physical/download business to a streaming/subscription business so do associated industries like advertising. The panel discussion will explore how digital marketing and advertising techniques and strategies have greatly shifted as the music industry shifts from driving a product to driving engagement. Together our panelists have been exploring, experimenting and developing new techniques and strategies to create engaging content that serves as an advertising vehicle ultimately driving engagement with music.

Moderators

Annie Ortmeier

VP, Marketing - Digital Accounts, Universal Music Group Nashville

Speakers

Jeppe Faurfelt

Co-founder, CCO, Linkfire

Jeppe Faurfelt is the CCO & Co-Founder of Linkfire, a music marketing platform. In his work, Faurfelt pairs his understanding of digital marketing technology with a strong product vision and innovation to help the transform the music industry. In 2017 alone, Linkfire helped 400 million... Read More →

Tony Grotticelli

VP of Digital Marketing, UMG Nashville

Tony Grotticelli is the VP of Digital Marketing at UMG Nashville, where he oversees the digital marketing department, along with merchandising, direct-to-consumer, business development and advertising. He has nearly a decade of experience in the music industry, focusing on digital... Read More →

Kim Pham

Sr. Account Director, DASH TWO

Kim Pham is a professional digital media planner at DASH TWO. Being on the agency side, she works with clients to create media plans that reach intended audiences and support their respective business objectives. Pham works primarily with music acts, designing campaigns for some of... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Legends E

2:40pm CDT

From Studio to Smartphone

The Sixth Annual Metadata Summit is for experts, by experts — the program will amplify the importance of data, provide a high level forum for discussion, and attract key participants.

This panel discusses and demystifies the purpose, practical application and value of capturing metadata at the point of inception- in the studio.

This panel will engage all those with a vested interest in the collection and propagation of quality metadata, including; engineers, producers, production engineers, songwriters, performers, seconds and production coordinators across different genres and parts of the industry - thereby creating a cross section of contemporary voices to add insight to this crucial aspect of industry growth.

Metadata Summit Supporting Sponsors include DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound.

Moderators

Mark Isherwood

Secretariat, Digital Data Exchange (DDEX)

Mark Isherwood is Secretariat at the Digital Data Exchange (DDEX), an organization developing standard messages and other supporting standards for the exchange of information relating to the management of digital media content and rights with the current focus on the music industry... Read More →

Speakers

Kim Beauchamp

SVP of Process Innovation & Advanced Operations, Universal Music Group

Kim Beauchamp is the SVP of Process Innovation & Advanced Operations at Universal Music Group, where she oversees the Process Innovation, Advanced Operations, and Metadata Modeling and Standard areas. She focuses on transforming the existing business models and creating new business... Read More →

Deborah Fairchild

President, VEVA Sound

Deborah Fairchild is the President of VEVA Sound, the world's leading company in the preservation and archival of master recordings. In the past 15 years, Fairchild has risen to lead the company in all facets of the business. She has grown VEVA into a global entity servicing major... Read More →

Joe Freel

Associate Director of A&R Administration, Sony Music Nashville

Joe Freel is the Associate Director, A&R Administration at Sony Music Nashville. In this role, Freel and his department co-workers are project managers who process, compile and archive data pertaining to audio recordings and videos created by Sony Music Nashville’s current artist... Read More →

Josh Jackson

Business Development & Industry Relations, UK & Eu, Jaxsta

Josh Jackson is the Business Development & Industry Relations, UK/ Europe at Jaxsta. In this role, he is involved with data partnerships, new business and product development. Previously, Josh Co-Founded Clippet News, an audible news start-up. He was Management Assistant to the Grammy... Read More →

F. Reid Shippen

Mixing Engineer, Robot Lemon

F. Reid Shippen, a multiple GRAMMYwinning mixer, producer, and engineer, is also an entrepreneur, consultant and business owner with interests including real estate, media & PR, publishing, investment and manufacturing. His engineering and producing credits include a wide range of... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Music Row 5

Metadata Summit

3:00pm CDT

Music Biz Consumer Insights: The Uses, Applications & Challenges of Data in Music

Data, consumer, and metric is reshaping the music industry in radical new ways. Historically, in the 20th century, decisions around how to market and sell music were largely based upon executive assumptions of who the market is, who would buy it, and how it would be heard. Today, while marketing and selling music still hinges upon subjective assumptions, with consumers generating more information in one minute than in any historic record through to 2000, tackling and utilizing data is increasingly proving to be a treasure trove in turning information into actionable, evidence-based decisions.

The session will center around a moderated group discussion focusing in on the consumer insights and how that data and wider information streams apply to the music industry. It will cover the uses, challenges and commercial applications of consumer insights, and how they shape senior decision-making.

Moderators

Sania Haq

Head of Research, AudienceNet

Sania Haq is Head of Research at AudienceNet, where she is works with a multitude of clients in the music and entertainment space. Her projects have focused on revenue models for streaming services, investigating trends in voice activation, understanding content creators and artist... Read More →

Speakers

David Bakula

SVP of Global Product Leadership & Industry Insights, Nielsen Music

Reece Daniels

Head of Metadata & Supply Chain, 7digital

Reece Daniels heads up the Content Operations division of 7digital, a B2B digital music and radio services company. Based in the company’s London headquarters, he is responsible for defining 7digital’s metadata strategy, overseeing content supply chains across the UK and Europe... Read More →

Robert Delmonte

Music & Entertainment Insight Lead, AudienceNet

Robert Delmonte is Music & Entertainment Insight Lead at AudienceNet, a full-service consumer research agency. Under this role, he analyzes music, entertainment, and lifestyle consumer research data, from around the globe. With this information, Delmonte develops a concise understanding... Read More →

Pablo Douzoglou

Head of Marketing, Beggars Group US

Pablo Douzoglou is the Sr. Director of Marketing at Beggars Group US, home of independent record labels XL, Rough Trade, Matador, 4AD and Young Turks. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the marketing, advertising and partnership campaigns for all of Beggars' US label releases... Read More →

Fabrice Sergent

Managing Partner, Bandsintown

Fabrice Sergent is the Managing Partner of Bandsintown, a digital media company and live music platform providing fans a with a place to stay updated on gig and tour announcements from their favorite artists. Sergent has spent 10 years in Europe and equal time in the US, leading 2... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
Legends G

3:00pm CDT

Tribes and Niche Music Culture

On-demand streaming is dominated by the $9.99 full catalog, all you can eat subscription model which has a high cost structure, offers every song from every genre, and requires enormous scale to (possibly) reach profitability. Mainstream music dominates these platforms because they need to reach the masses. However, music has a long history of tribalism and sub-cultures in live shows, festivals, physical sales, and social belonging. Is there a role in the digital landscape for niche-oriented services? Can sustainability be reached by user engagement and not just scale? Join a lively discussion from companies paving the way.

Speakers

Bob Barbiere

Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Licensing, Dubset Media

Bob Barbiere is the Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Licensing for Dubset Media, a database and marketplace that manages the claiming, clearance, and administration of recordings for labels and publishers. Barbiere is responsible for all licensing deals and programs, and has now... Read More →

Tyler Lenane

CEO & Co-Founder, Gimme Radio

Tyler Lenane is the CEO & Co-Founder of Gimme Radio (www.gimmeradio.com), the first music platform that focuses on building engaged fan-communities for the underserved genres. Gimme Radio provides true music discovery delivered by tastemaker and influencer DJs, and lets fans interact... Read More →

Vickie Nauman

Principal and Owner, CrossBorderWorks

Thomas Steffens

CEO, Primephonic

Thomas Steffens is CEO of Primephonic and Pentatone, with the former offering high quality classical music downloads in various formats, ranging from WAV, to FLAC, to DSD. He brings more than 12 years’ and 10 countries’ worth of international e-commerce and logistics experience... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
Legends F

4:00pm CDT

Featured Presentation: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out powered by Nielsen Music

Doors open at 3:45 PM.

Music Biz named this session “Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out” back in 2015 with the goal of the session to celebrate some formidable women in the music industry and to inspire those looking to break into the biz with a forum to share ideas and discuss ways to overcome and eliminate inequality. While this goal still holds true today, the name of this session could not be more appropriate. Artists and executives alike have come forward to demand that all voices are heard and to call for an immediate transformation of the entertainment industry. Today’s Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out will again celebrate the careers of our stellar line-up of speakers, but will also touch on how today’s women can push the boundaries to bring equality to our business.

The Power of She: Unlocking the Value of Female Fans
Nielsen Music’s Erin Crawford will kick off the Leading Ladies program by sharing exclusive insights and analytics on the growing influence of female fans in today’s music industry. The presentation will spotlight the music habits of women across generations, key differences between male and female fans, and new ways to drive deeper engagement with these powerful consumers.

Presenter
Erin Crawford, SVP & General Manager, Nielsen Music

Executive Keynote: Republic’s Wendy Goldstein with Manager Beka Tischker
Wendy Goldstein has played a critical role in launching the careers of some of today’s biggest artists, Music Biz 2014 Breakthrough Artist Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, DNCE, and Hailee Steinfeld, among many others, her example is an inspiration to young women working their way up the music industry ladder, and we know that she will leave our Music Biz 2018 attendees feeling ready to take on the world. Goldstein — and moderator Billboard’s Gail Mitchell — will be joined by Wide Eyed Entertainment founder Beka Tischker, manager of Music Biz’s 2018 2018 Breakthrough Artist Award recipient, Julia Michaels. Together Goldstein and Tischker will discuss how they facilitated the evolution of Michaels from a behind-the-scenes hitmaking songwriter to a GRAMMY Award-nominated multi-platinum-certified artist.

Speakers
Wendy Goldstein, EVP, Republic Records
Beka Tischker, Founder, Manager & Publisher, Wide Eyed Entertainment

Interviewer
Melinda Newman, West Coast Editor, Billboard

Featured Panel: Respecting The Women of Yesterday and Helping The Women Of Tomorrow
In an interview with bSMART, MAC Presents President Marcie Allen said “If you think you can be successful in any industry and not help the women of tomorrow and not respect the women of yesterday, you’re never going to get anywhere.” Today, Allen will lead our distinguished panel as they discuss the challenges faced by women in music in 2018, reveal how they have broken the glass ceiling and how they steer female artists through the competition and demands of today’s music business.

Moderator
Melinda Newman, West Coast Editor, Billboard

Panelists
Marcie Allen, President, MAC Presents
Marlene Tsuchii, Co-Head of International Touring & Music Agent, CAA
Kelli Turner, EVP of Operations, Corporate Development & CFO, SESAC
Janet Weir, Manager, Maren Morris, 42 Entertainment/Red Light Management

Artist Keynote: Dolly Parton & Linda Perry
Parton and Perry, who recently collaborated on the upcoming Dumplin’ soundtrack on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville (film directed by Anne Fletcher, starring Jennifer Aniston and Danielle MacDonald), will discuss their songwriting process, which between the two women has led to scores of gold, platinum, or multi-platinum-certified tracks and top 10 Country and Pop hits.

Speakers

Marcie Allen

President, MAC Presents

Marcie Allen is President of the NYC based, award-winning music experiential agency, MACPresents. Allen has brokered and executed multi-faceted programs on behalf of numerousFortune 500 brands and chart-topping artists. She’s an eleven-time nominee and six-timewinner of Billboard’s... Read More →

Erin Crawford

SVP & GM Music, Nielsen

As the GM for Nielsen Music, Erin Crawford leads the business strategy for the industry’s leading source of music data, insights and analytics. Under Crawford’s leadership, Nielsen Music has evolved into a new era of data-driven fan research that is driving solutions for the modern... Read More →

Wendy Goldstein

EVP of A&R, Republic Records

Melinda Newman

West Coast Editor, Billboard

Dolly Parton

Linda Perry

Beka Tischker

Manager & Owner, Wide Eyed Entertainment

Marlene Tsuchii

Co-Head of International Touring & Music Agent, CAA

Marlene Tsuchii is Co-Head of International Touring and a Music Agent at CAA, a leading entertainment and sports agency. Tsuchii works in the Los Angeles office and represents many of the world’s leading musicians including Daft Punk, Beck, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kanye... Read More →

Kelli Turner

Pres/COO, SESAC

Kelli Turner serves as Executive Vice President, Operations, Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer of SESAC Holdings, Inc., a leading music rights organization. In this capacity, Turner is charged with overseeing finance, corporate development, licensing and administrative... Read More →

Janet Weir

Mgr., Red Light Management/42 Entertainment

Janet began her career more than 20 years ago with Terry McBride and Nettwerk Management in Vancouver, Canada during the launch of Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair. She was involved with the early development of talent such as Coldplay, Dido, Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, as w... Read More →

Tuesday May 15, 2018 4:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Legends ABCD

Featured Presentations & Special Events

6:00pm CDT

WEA Cocktail Party

A day packed with panels, presentations, workshops, meetups and meetings has ended — it's time to celebrate! Enjoy complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while previewing some of WEA's hottest artists and upcoming releases.

Tuesday May 15, 2018 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Kitchen Notes — Omni Lobby

Featured Presentations & Special Events

7:00pm CDT

The Hit Makers Songwriting Challenge, powered By The Hit Makers Session [SIGN-UP HAS ENDED]

Imagine you're in the studio and a major artist needs a hit. A&R is demanding a hit song and needs it fast. All you have is the instrumental to listen to and they want at least the verse and hook? What do you do? Do you freeze or do you rise to the occasion? Well, we want to find out. Join us for The Hit Makers Songwriting Challenge. Bring your pen and pad and we'll bring the music. Be prepared to sing it on the spot after it's been written.

Pre-registration for these sessions was required. Email Nicole Hennessey at nicole.hennessey@musicbiz.org to inquire wether or not additional slots are available.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Complete the sign-up form linked HERE to reserve your seat.

Speakers

Chas Sandford

Writer/Publisher, BMI

Tuesday May 15, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Music Row 6

7:00pm CDT

Women Who Rock presented by Women in Music & Amazon Music [FURTHER RSVP REQUIRED]

Join Women in Music and Amazon Music for this year’s Women Who Rock party at Music Biz 2018. Enjoy a special performance by Ashley McBryde, food and refreshments, cocktails by Big Machine Vodka, and great company! Learn more about Women in Music at womeninmusic.org and more about Amazon Music at amazonmusic.com.

Click HERE to RSVP. Please note, RSVP does not guarantee entry, the event is first-come, first-served. The event is open to Music Biz registrants only.

Tuesday May 15, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
City Tap – Rooftop Lounge 204 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

7:00am CDT

Registration

Wednesday May 16, 2018 7:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

8:15am CDT

Awards Breakfast & Presentations sponsored by Country Music Association (CMA)

Enjoy breakfast compliments of the Country Music Association (CMA). Doors open at 8:15 AM. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Following remarks from sponsor CMA, Music Biz President James Donio will update attendees on the state of the industry and highlight Music Biz’s top initiatives of 2017 and what to expect from the Association in 2018 and beyond. Music Biz Board Chairman Fred Beteille of Facebook will welcome the 2018-2019 Music Biz Board of Directors and Board Vice Chairman Steve Harkins of Baker & Taylor will announce the Scholarship Foundation Class of 2018.

Music Biz will also recognize this year’s business award winners. The Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement, recognizing individuals for their exceptional vision, leadership, and commitment, will be presented to Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Independent Spirit Award, recognizing significant contributors to the independent music community that embody the spirit of new thinking, entrepreneurship, and success in the industry, will be presented to The Radakovitz Family, owners of Dimple Records.

Black River Recording Artist Kelsea Ballerini will headline the event with a special performance.

Speakers

Fred Beteille

Head of Product, Music & Rights, Facebook

Fred Beteille is Head of Product, Music & Rights at Facebook, and is responsible for leading the company's music and rights management products and strategies. Additionally, he is a member of the Music Business Association Board of Directors, serving in various board roles since 2015... Read More →

David Briley

Mayor of Nashville & Davidson County

David Briley is the eighth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Previously, he was elected Vice Mayor on September 10, 2015 and was elected to serve as an At-Large Metro Council Member for Davidson County from 1999 to 2007. He was the Vice-Chair of... Read More →

James Donio

President, Music Business Association

Steve Harkins

VP & GM, Baker & Taylor

Sarah Trahern

CEO, Country Music Association (CMA)

Wednesday May 16, 2018 8:15am - 10:30am CDT
Legends Ballroom

Featured Presentations & Special Events

10:30am CDT

BuzzAngle Music Terrace

Wednesday May 16, 2018 10:30am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Terrace

10:30am CDT

Career Opportunities for Students: Day 1 [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]

Students and young professionals will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from top companies for potential internships and jobs during these special pre-scheduled meetings! Companies currently confirmed to participate include:

BMI
Borman Entertainment
CAA
Country Music Association (CMA)
Concord Music Group
Girlilla Marketing
ole
Pandora
Red Light Management
Songtrust
Sony Music Entertainment
Spotify
The Orchard
Universal Music Group
Warner Music Group

Click HERE to access the application to participate. Questions? Reach out to Evelyn Dichter at evelyn.dichter@musicbiz.org!

Please note these interviews and meetings will take place at the Hilton Downtown — just two blocks away from Music Biz's Omni headquarters.

Wednesday May 16, 2018 10:30am - 6:00pm CDT
McKissack 1, 2, & 3 — Hilton Downtown

10:30am CDT

Explore Activation Stations — A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm; Artist Growth; Hyperwallet; Music Reports; the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor; and 'Stream the Studio' with Ford

As you make your way through Music Biz 2018, be sure to visit our partners showcasing their products and services at activation stations throughout the conference:

A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm
A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) along with its partners Vydia and ONErpm, are excited to be hosting an exclusive ‘Indie Zone’ during Music Biz! A2IM has been protecting and promoting the independent sector since 2005. Come meet and hang out with A2IM’s Director of Member Services, Patrick Ferrell and Senior Manager of Member Services and International Relations, Lisa Hresko to learn why it's more valuable than ever to #StayIndie. Visit www.a2im.org for more information.

Artist Growth
Attendees will be able to interact with the Artist Growth platform, speak to staff members about the services the company provides, and learn first hand how AG is building the future of management software for the entertainment industry.

Hyperwallet
Royalty payments are broken, but we know how to fix them. Hyperwallet's royalty payments team will be on-hand at Music Biz to discuss solutions to common music industry pain points: delayed or undelivered funds, sporadic payouts, lack of transparency, control over payment method and currency, and more. Be sure to swing by the Hyperwallet booth and receive your free download code for our royalty payments ebook.

Music Reports: Rights Done Right™
Come by our booth to discuss your streaming-music royalties and learn how to claim your works at MusicReports.com. Get an introduction to Songdex, the world's music rights database and discover the power it provides creators, owners and music users. Take a tour of our revolutionary cue sheet management tool, Cuetrak, which maximizes transparency and royalty payments in the audiovisual space.

The Nielsen Music Connect Corridor
Need interesting facts to fuel your Music Biz conversations? Visit the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor to gain access to the industry's most trusted data & insights. PLUS get an exclusive Music Connect product demo, play music trivia & more!

Stream the Studio
Visit the 'Stream the Studio' exhibit located outside of the Legends Ballroom, where you’ll learn all about premium music streaming and experience “studio quality” Hi-Res Audio sound. Plus you can reserve time for a hi-res demonstration in a special car developed by the Ford Motor Company that’s located in the hotel valet area!

Wednesday May 16, 2018 10:30am - 6:00pm CDT
Various

10:30am CDT

Jaxsta Lounge

Wednesday May 16, 2018 10:30am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

11:00am CDT

Learning Music Entrepreneurship by Doing: How to Create Experiential Opportunities in an Academic Setting

How can we effectively create these experiences for our students outside of the classroom ?
How can we build student engagement and participation in non-required events?

Students are very busy with their required academic coursework and other activities. Capturing their attention and getting them involved in non-required events can be a challenge.

Using the model that Fabiana Claure created and implemented at the University of North Texas College of Music’s Career Development and Entrepreneurship in Music Program — recognized among the Top 15 Best Music Business Schools by Billboard Magazine (2017) — this presentation will provide an overview of the various types of experiential learning initiatives that can be launched in an academic setting. It will also describe common challenges and potential solutions to take into consideration while launching these initiatives.

Speakers

Fabiana Claure

Director of Music Business and Entrepreneurship, University of North Texas

Wednesday May 16, 2018 11:00am - 11:20am CDT
Music Row 5

Music Business Educators’ Meetup

11:00am CDT

Activation Space Exploration, Private Meetings & Networking

Take a break from panel hopping to take an impromptu meeting in the Jaxsta Lounge, catch up on emails al fresco on the BuzzAngle Terrace, and explore and engage with the companies hosting activations at Music Biz 2018 — A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia and ONErpm; Artist Growth; Hyperwallet; Music Reports; the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor; and 'Stream the Studio' with Ford.

We also encourage you to use this time to grab lunch and explore Nashville with industry-insider recommendations in our Entertainment Guide (linked here) before the program gets back in full swing at 1 PM!

Wednesday May 16, 2018 11:00am - 1:00pm CDT
Various

11:20am CDT

Skill Set Is King! How Prepared Are Students For Today's Music Industry?

This session is part of the Music Business Educators Meetup — a time for professors, faculty members, and other higher-education enthusiasts to review the past semester, present new trends that can benefit the classroom, and discuss the future of music business education.

As the music industry continues to evolve, labels have placed an emphasis on specific skill sets. College marketing programs have evolved from street teams to hubs of collaborative content creators, influencer networks, social media strategists, playlisters, event producers, and ideation and research pools.

With that in mind, are universities preparing their students to meet the needs of the industry or are they still teaching an antiquated model? How much emphasis are university music business programs placing on content development and creation skills such as videography and editing, data mining, and playlist strategy? The goal is to have an open discussion about what labels and their partners truly value in candidates, and how both educators and students can prepare themselves.

Moderators

Chris Sampson

Vice Dean, Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC)

Speakers

Todd Goodwin

SVP, College Marketing, Universal Music Group

Todd Goodwin is the SVP of College, Lifestyle & Experiential Marketing at Universal Music Group, overseeing marketing strategy for the 18-24 demographic. This includes creating a national network of 80 College Representatives in 50 markets, charged with maximizing awareness of priority... Read More →

Frank Hill

Director of College & Lifestyle Marketing, Universal Music Group

Frank Hill is the Director of College & Lifestyle Marketing at Universal Music Group. His team creates and executes marketing strategies to the 18-24 demographic for UMG artists and brands; including managing a team of 75 national College & Lifestyle Marketing Representatives, which... Read More →

Sarah Van Hoven

Director, Human Resources, WME, Nashville

Sarah Van Hoven is the Director of Human Resources for WME’s Nashville office. In this role, she is responsible for all programs related to recruitment, onboarding, benefits administration, travel, training, diversity, employee relations, labor matters, and internships within the... Read More →

Donna Ross

Sr.Director, Sales, Concord

Donna Ross is the Sr. Director of Sales at Concord Music, where she plans, executes and cultivates the creative sales and promotional campaigns at independent retailers, nationwide. Ross spent the first 20 years of her career at EMI, Caroline, Capitol Records and Ingrooves Music Group... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 11:20am - 12:00pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music Business Educators’ Meetup

12:00pm CDT

Education vs. Experience: What Are Employers Really Looking For?

This session is part of the Music Business Educators Meetup — a time for professors, faculty members, and other higher-education enthusiasts to review the past semester, present new trends that can benefit the classroom, and discuss the future of music business education.

Trending conversations among both government officials and major media/music outlets seem to suggest that given the choice, they would rather hire students with experience than students who have only obtained a degree. With terms such as “in-the-door” talent being discussed among hiring directors, and state and local legislators’ focusing on employment rates versus graduation rates, what should be Academia’s response? How are Music Business programs addressing the needs of the music industry and students through curriculum offerings and non-curriculum related programs?

Moderators

Gloria Green

Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University

Gloria Green is an Associate Professor in the Music Business program at Middle Tennessee State University where she teaches Live Entertainment courses including Artist Management, Concert Promotions & Touring, Music Publicity, and Talent Agency Fundamentals. She also developed a new... Read More →

Speakers

LaTaevia Berry

Software Developer & Founder, Major Fourth

LaTaevia Berry is the Software Developer & Founder of Major Fourth, a music tech startup where she focuses on the intersection of emerging technology and music monetization. Berry recognizes the demand for thoughtfully constructed integrations between music, business and technology... Read More →

Tonya Butler

Chair - Music Business/Management, Berklee College of Music

Professor Tonya Butler, J.D., LL.M. is an award-winning speaker, teacher, author, actress and industry advocate. A seasoned veteran of the music business, Butler has more than 14 years of experience as an entertainment attorney and label executive working for various major and independent... Read More →

Jordan Fann

Marketing Manager & Digital Team Lead, Vector Management

Jordan Fann is the Marketing Manager & Digital Team Lead at Vector Management, where he helps develops the digital marketing department’s operational structure, and growing it from a team of two to eight (plus interns). The team covers all aspects of e-commerce, websites, content... Read More →

Ashley Hall

Director, Administration, APA

Ashley Hall is the Director of Administration at APA Nashville. She has been part of the entertainment community more than nine years, previously working at WME Entertainment. Ashley has accumulated experience in recruitment/talent management, payroll, HR systems administrator, workers... Read More →

David Schreiber

Chair, Entertainment Industry Studies & Assistant Professor, Belmont University

David Schreiber is a Chair of the Entertainment Industry Studies program & Assistant Professor at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Schreiber recently co-authored a textbook titled, “Managing Organizations in the Creative Economy: Organizational Behaviour for the Cultural Sector... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 12:00pm - 12:40pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music Business Educators’ Meetup

12:40pm CDT

Supercharge Student Career Superpowers

Speakers

Gigi Johnson

Faculty, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

In this context, I am standing between two moving platforms. I have been teaching remotely around the world for many years, and have been part of the experience of UCLA shifting to remote instruction. I'm fascinated by the crisis leadership within and across organizations in both... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 12:40pm - 1:00pm CDT
Music Row 5

Music Business Educators’ Meetup

1:00pm CDT

Sync It! Welcome

Having a song affiliated with a hit television show, a multi- million dollar ad campaign, the latest box-office success or the newest version of Madden NFL is one of the surest ways to generate revenue. But, how do you land a placement? What are sync licenses and how can you ensure you’ll never miss a lucrative opportunity to license your music? Our first-ever Sync It! will explore the answers to all of these questions. We’ll have a bit of fun along the way, looking at not only the business side of sync, but the creative side as well, exploring the process for making music for lm and TV and creating video game sound effects.

Speakers

Gene Culver

CEO, A&R, & Marketing, Music Drizzle

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:00pm - 1:10pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

1:00pm CDT

Branding, A Case Study: Durango and Tyler Farr

The days of slapping up sponsorship banners and giving away free concert tickets are gone. Brands, artists, managers and labels demand a measurable ROI out of their partnerships. Durango created a unique and truly integrated partnership with Sony artist, Tyler Farr. The Durango partnership leveraged social, music and retail assets to create a partnership that drove music and boot sales. This partnership masterfully connected the brands' shared customer base with an offer that brought value to all stakeholders.

Moderators

Paul Jankowski

President & Founder, New Heartland Group

Paul Jankowski is the President & Founder at New Heartland Group (NHG), a Nashville-based brand strategy and consumer engagement agency. NHG is the only agency that helps brands build advocacy in the New Heartland cultural segment, an area consisting of America’s Southwest, Midwest... Read More →

Speakers

Mike Fuller

Sales Executive, Durango | Rocky Brands, Inc.

Mike Fuller is the VP & GM for Durango. He has more than 25 years’ experience in sales, marketing, product development and branding, working with Justin Brands and Lucchese Boot Company along the way. Fuller has associated and aligned these brands with various Country music artists... Read More →

John Zarling

EVP, Marketing & New Business, Sony Music Nashville

John Zarling is the EVP, Marketing & New Business at Sony Music Nashville, where he oversees the label group’s marketing efforts as well as brand partnerships, digital marketing, international marketing, media and creative services. The labels roster includes Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:00pm - 1:35pm CDT
Legends ABC

Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit

1:00pm CDT

The Billboard Hot 100 Turns 60

How the music industry’s signature songs chart has evolved, maintained and expanded its relevancy throughout the decades.

Moderators

Larry Miller

Program Director & Producer, NYU Steinhardt & Musonomics

Professor Larry Miller is a Clinical Associate Professor of Music Business and Director of the Music Business Program at NYU Steinhardt. He also advises music creators and rights holders on public policy and litigation. Previously, Miller was a Partner at L.E.K. Consulting, and later... Read More →

Speakers

Steve Bartels

Co-Founder, 12 Tone Music Group

Steve Bartels is the driving force behind some of the most successful breakthrough new artist campaigns and records over the last three decades. Spanning a career of more than 30 years in the entertainment industry, he has worked closely with artists and legendary creative executives... Read More →

Avery Lipman

President & Founder, Republic Records

Monte Lipman

Chairman & Founder, Republic Records

Silvio Pietroluongo

Writer/blogger, Billboard

Silvio Pietroluongo is the VP of Charts & Data Development at Billboard, where he has worked for more than 20 years. In this role, he is responsible for recruiting new data partners and syndication platforms for Billboard content, as well as working closely with Billboard’s editorial... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Legends D

1:00pm CDT

Will Tech Save The Music Rights Industry?

This session will focus on new technologies and innovation actions improving music rights management business. Taming the complexity in music licensing is the key for rightsholders to believe in collective management’s ability to monetize their creative works. Plans and systems are available to address that situation. We will discuss concrete plans how organizations will track more accurately the use of creators’ works and build new revenue streams for music creators. We are going to talk about new technologies that are improving the collection and distribution of royalties, but also technologies that are disrupting this collection, such as blockchain.

Another theme is music industry innovation: how the traditional music industry is finally learning to innovate with methodologies like design thinking, customer driven development methodologies, focusing on testing, piloting and validating service and technology concepts. With an on-going debate over rights-owner’s royalties payouts and criticism of the middlemen - labels, publishers and collective rights societies but also tech giants - songwriters, artists, and musicians are increasingly expecting more transparency and efficiency in all aspects of the music ecosystem. Taming the unavoidable complexity resulting from the real time multi-territorial licensing of international and local digital services is key for creators, publishers and other rightsholders to have faith in collective management’s ability to monetize their creative works in the 21st century. We have plans and systems to address that situation.

We will discuss concrete plans for organizations to improve the velocity of money. How will organizations track more accurately and in a timely fashion the use of creators’ works? How will they increase transparency in the industry and build a fairer industry? How will they build new revenue streams and business models for music creators’ in the future.

Key questions:

What are the differences in actions and how music and tech innovation and the connection with startups enhances the capabilities of these players?
How data is transforming the rights management industry and in what ways collected data could be exploited by 3rd parties?
Why open innovation is important to music industry? What are the objectives behind launching innovation hubs and labs by rights management bodies?
The solutions we intend to bring to challenges facing songwriters, composers and music publishers in the digital realm. How we hope to increase creators and publishers’ earnings and copyright exploitation throughout the world?
Why CMOs and intermediaries should explore blockchain? What are the ways blockchain technology could improve current businesses?

Moderators

Virginie Berger

Founder and Managing Partner, DBTH Capital Ventures

Virginie Berger is the Founder and Managing Partner of DBHT Capital Ventures, a consulting firm for technology and media businesses, specializing in strategy, marketing, and business development. Berger is a managing partner as well for the venture capital fund that focuses on music... Read More →

Speakers

Allen Bargfrede

Board Member and Chief Legal Officer, dotBC

Allen Bargfrede is an entertainment attorney and strategist who focuses his work on the intersection of art and technology. He is Board Member and Chief Legal Officer of Dot Blockchain Media (dotBC), a firm focused on the use of blockchain technology to solve content rights problems... Read More →

Turo Pekari

Sr. Advisor, Innovation & Discovery, Teosto

Turo Pekari is the Sr. Advisor of Innovation & Discovery at Teosto. Pekari has been involved in a wide range of music and tech related projects, including building future service concepts for music festivals with affective technologies, launching a blockchain platform for music copyright... Read More →

Michael Shanley

Vice President, Head of Business Development, Music Reports

Michael Shanley is Vice President & Head of Business Development at Music Reports. He has more than 15 years’ experience implementing enterprise level software solutions in the music and intellectual property rights business sector, and currently leads the development of Songdex... Read More →

Michael Simon

President & CEO, HFA and Rumblefish

Michael Simon is President of Rumblefish and CEO of the Harry Fox Agency LLC, which are music rights management organizations and subsidiaries of SESAC Holdings, Inc. Since joining HFA in 2001, Simon has directed and expanded the company’s traditional mechanical licensing business... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Legends E

1:10pm CDT

Scoring Live to Picture

The process of scoring music to picture is a very subjective and personal process, though one that does need to follow the general needs of the story as well as certain technical needs. Join us for a brief overview of the creative and technical process in making music work for film and TV.

Speakers

Teri Nelson Carpenter

President & CEO, ReelMusikWerks

Teri Nelson Carpenter is President and CEO of Reel Muzik Werks LLC (RMW), a full-service music rights management company that specializes in Global Writer/Publisher Administration, Licensing & Clearance, and Music Supervision for all media. RMW also includes the management of performance... Read More →

Michael Eames

President, PEN Music Group, Inc.

Michael Eames is the President of PEN Music Group, Inc, where he oversees all aspects of operations, as well as focuses on pitching the catalogue to all media and business development. Prior to starting PEN, he oversaw the international activities, and the Film & Television department... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:10pm - 1:35pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

1:30pm CDT

The Future Of Music Credits

Music consumption has never been easier. However, with the rise of digital streaming services, one aspect has been all but lost - liner notes and the complete music credits they provide. Credits are invaluable to artists as a way of showcasing their works, acknowledging moral rights, permitting membership to organizations like the Recording Academy and kickstarting collaborations. So, with the advent of streaming and the loss of physical liner notes, what is the future of music credits?

Moderators

Dr. Portia Sabin

President, Kill Rock Stars

Dr. Portia Sabin is the President of Kill Rock Stars, the legendary independent label. She also hosts the radio show and podcast, “The Future of What”, which is discusses the music business. Previously, she founded Shotclock Management and has played drums in several bands... Read More →

Speakers

Kim Beauchamp

SVP of Process Innovation & Advanced Operations, Universal Music Group

Maureen Droney

Sr. Managing Director, Producers & Engineering Wing, The Recording Academy

Maureen Droney is the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing Sr. Managing Director. As a recording engineer, she worked on projects for Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Santana, including Santana’s GRAMMY-winning album Blues for Salvador, among many others, as well... Read More →

Deborah Fairchild

President, VEVA Sound

Lindsey Jackson

Writer & Producer, New Music Tribe

Lindsey Jackson is a writer and producer, having racked up over 120 million combined spins on Spotify. He co-wrote and co-produced the song “Hollow” by GRAMMY-nominated artist Tori Kelly, which is certified GOLD in the United States. Previously, he was an assistant engineer at... Read More →

Jacqui Louez Schoorl

CEO & Co-Founder, Jaxsta

Jacqui Louez Schoorl is the CEO & Co-Founder of Jaxsta Enterprise, the world's biggest official music database made for the music industry and its fans. Beta testing took place at the beginning of 2017 and the platform is currently set for a global launch in 2018. Schoorl’s... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Music Row 5

1:30pm CDT

The Video-ization of Music

Today, TV providers locked in fierce battle for subscribers are looking at music as an opportunity to transform themselves into one-stop entertainment providers. Case in point, MVPDs are keener than ever to offer next-generation experiences such as personalized music video playlisting and advanced artist search within the linear and VOD programming they deliver. Key to these offerings are deep, descriptive metadata such as the mood and genre of recordings which enable perfect playlist creation and connected content IDs which tie musicians to TV and movie appearances powering advanced discovery.

This panel of industry experts will take a close look at new cross-media entertainment experiences which bridge video and music providing consumers all new opportunities to engage with the most popular forms of digital media.

Moderators

Cherie Hu

Contributing Writer / Editor, Billboard / Forbes

Speakers

Scott Boyarsky

Digital Executive, Formerly of Comcast

Scott Boyarsky is a digital-native executive, with deep roots in product, revenue, operational, and engineering functions. His expertise focuses on building innovative video and entertainment products, along with providing scalable revenue solutions for high traffic consumer media... Read More →

Brian Hamilton

SVP & GM of Music & Auto, Gracenote

Alex Kisch

SVP, Business Development & Business Affairs, VEVO

As EVP & General Counsel, Alex Kisch is responsible for defining and developing Vevo’s global business strategy, overseeing business operations, content acquisition, licensing, syndication and distribution efforts. He also oversees Vevo’s day-to-day legal affairs. One of the company’s... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Legends F

1:35pm CDT

Beyond the Basics: Innovation in Brand Partnerships

In the rapidly changing music industry, brand partnerships have quickly become a staple of artist income and awareness. Simultaneously, brands themselves are feeling the push to develop partnerships that are smarter, bigger and better. This panel brings together leaders from both sides of the equation who are setting the basics aside and innovating the world of brand partnerships.

Moderators

Marieke Bianchi

VP of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Warner Music Nashville

Marieke Bianchi is VP of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville. In this role, she puts her 13+ years in brand and marketing expertise to work on behalf of some of Nashville’s biggest names, including Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge, and Hunter... Read More →

Speakers

Rohit Anand

VP of Brand Activation & Partnerships, Dream Hotel Group

Brandy King

Director of External Communications, Southwest Airlines

Brandy King is the Director of External Communications, where she leads the teams that articulate Southwest Airlines’ corporate and commercial messaging, develops consumer partnerships and carrier’s Branded Entertainment strategy, and defends the airline’s reputation. She... Read More →

Dave Stangle

Director of Entertainment Partnership, BARK

Dave Stangle is the Director Of Entertainment Partnerships at BARK, the makers of BarkBox. BARK boasts a subscriber base greater than half a million for monthly boxes with a 95% retention rate, exclusive collections for sale at Target stores nationwide, a specialty e-commerce platform... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:35pm - 2:10pm CDT
Legends ABC

Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit

1:35pm CDT

Music and Money in Sync: The Many Paths to Success

There are many paths to success in the world of music synchronization. From labels and publishing houses to production music and the indie artist route, this panel will discuss the many different ways songwriters and companies go about landing placements. We will cover the business side – the way music is synced and the income it can generate – as well as working with clients and how writing specifically for sync is an art unto itself.

Moderators

Katie Jelen

Creative Manager of Synchronization, Warner Music Nashville & Warner/Chappell Nashville

Katie Jelen is a Creative Manager of Synchronization at Warner Music Nashville & Warner/Chappell Nashville. In this role, she is actively developing new opportunities in film, television, advertising, video games and new media. Previously, she was the Head of Artist Relations for... Read More →

Speakers

Aaron Gant

SVP of Production, Warner/Chappell Production Music

Aaron Gant is the SVP of Production for Warner/Chappell, a leader in worldwide music licensing. In this role, he oversees and produces new music projects in a variety of genres for nine of Warner/Chappell Production Music’s catalogs, as well as its custom music and news music divisions... Read More →

Nick Keenan

Head of Music, VML North America

Nick Keenan is the Music Lead for VML’s North American offices, which is a global marketing agency. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing creative music execution, music supervision, music production, and handles negotiations across the agency network and client roster... Read More →

Stephen Schmuldt

Independent Artist & Producer

Stephen Schmuldt is a songwriter, musician, and producer who writes under the production moniker, Breakfast. Stephen’s work in pop and synch has been licensed by clients such as AT&T, Covergirl, DSW, Nintendo, and more in the advertising world. His songs have also seen success on... Read More →

Joel Timen

Sr. Creative Director, Curb | Word Entertainment

Joel Timen is the Sr. Creative Director at Curb | Word Entertainment, where he focuses on a publishing roster that has cuts and No.1 singles in multiple genres, as well as sync placements across film, TV, video games and advertisements. Previously, he started a music venue in Southern... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 1:35pm - 2:15pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

2:00pm CDT

IoT + Rights: The Right(s) Attribution to Rights Monetization

Smart home and voice experiences scream for advanced metadata to power simple, intuitive user interactions — ”Who played the guitar solo – play me more of their songs? I want to hear more beats by this producer. Which artist is singing backup on this track?” Inefficiencies in rights attribution cause challenges to generating these ‘101’ experiences and ultimately, artist remuneration. Learn how machine-generated rights data is opening new ways to improve consumer connections and artist compensation.

Speakers

Michael Jeffrey

VP, Business Development: Automotive and Music, TiVo

Kyle Smetanka

Senior Product Manager, Metadata, TiVo

Kyle Smetanka is a Senior Product Manager, leading Music and Automotive product development across TiVo’s Metadata business. In this role, he is focused on designing and delivering compelling data solutions for the Media & Broadcasting, Electronics and Entertainment industries... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Legends E

2:00pm CDT

The Business of Merch: Fundamentals & Strategies to Make Music Merchandise Work for You

Merch is serious business if you want to sustain a career as an artist in today's music world - it's a surefire way to put funds in your pocket real-time, while empowering your fans to spread your message to the world. To fully maximize your true merch potential, you’ll need to have some insight on the different pieces that impact the big merch picture. Join us to gain knowledge, get actionable tips, and learn strategies you can immediately execute to help you have a more effective and profitable merch business. We'll discuss:

Artwork & branding
Rights management using blockchain (SPOOL) Secure Public Online Ownership Ledger
Product selection
The pros & cons of Traditional vs On Demand merch
Creating and pricing a merch product mix to maximize profit
How and when to expand beyond the basics
How to track merch sales and inventory and why this is important
Royalty rights accounting
How to properly plan for a show run or tour
E-commerce
How to use your merch to engage fans and expand your fan base
Using FOMO(fear of missing out) and “second hand reach” to increase your merch sales

Moderators

Vanessa Ferrer

Founder and CEO, Merch Cat

Vanessa Ferrer is the founder and CEO of Merch Cat, a musician-friendly platform for music artists to sell and manage merchandise at live shows. With an artist-facing tool, a direct-to-fan app, and merchandise services under its umbrella, Merch Cat’s vision is to create a full-stack... Read More →

Rudy Luna

Founder, Pit Prints

Rudy Luna is the founder of Pit Prints, a music merchandise print on-demand marketplace. Pit Prints solves current costs, scalability, artist merchandising production, and distribution issues by streamlining the processes into an integrated mobile experience. Each photo is rights-managed... Read More →

Speakers

Darryl Ballantyne

Founder & CEO, LyricFind

Darryl Ballantyne is the CEO & Founder of LyricFind, a company which pioneered the licensed digital lyrics space, successfully negotiating the first-ever mass lyrics licensing deal with EMI Music Publishing in 2005. Since then, he has grown LyricFind to be the largest legal, licensed... Read More →

Bram Bessoff

Founder & President, Indiehitmaker

Bram Bessoff is the President & Founder of IndieHitmaker, a company which focuses on guiding indie artists through the music release process and helping them top the charts. His other ventures include helping artists produce award-winning live shows, speaking at conferences around... Read More →

Cindy Da Silva

Owner & Partner, The Rocks Management

Management, sponsorships, merch, branding

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:00pm - 3:30pm CDT
Legends D

2:10pm CDT

The Future of Brand-Artist Partnerships

People control what media they consume more than ever before, and they’re choosing to ignore the brands paying millions to reach them through advertising. Simultaneously, because of on-demand streaming, these same people are listening to 33% more music than they were just two years ago. Considering this, there’s an incredible opportunity for both brands and artists to collaborate.

Brands have traditionally gotten involved in the music industry by simply sponsoring the most popular artists. However, as the music industry and technology are evolving, more and more brands are supporting artists of all sizes and genres. This makes sense for brands because they are starting to understand how audiences vary across genre and market.

As brands get more involved with diverse music scenes across the country, what can artists and managers be doing to position themselves for success? What can brands be doing to make sure they’re giving artists the creative freedom they need to thrive? This panel brings together key music industry stakeholders and marketing leaders to discuss the best ways for brands and artists to collaborate.

Moderators

Nathan Hanks

CEO & Founder, Music Audience Exchange (MAX)

Nathan Hanks is the CEO & Founder of Music Audience Exchange (MAX), a music promotion company built for brands and shaping the future landscape of music for the benefit of all. Previously, he was President & Co-Founder of ReachLocal, an online marketing technology company serving... Read More →

Speakers

Carlos Alvarez

Director of A&R & Music Publishing, Azteca Music Group

Carlos Alvarez oversees A&R & Music Publishing for Azteca Music Group. The company is based out of Dallas, TX and specializes in marketing regional Mexican music. He is also adjunct faculty at San Antonio College. Previously, Alvarez oversaw A&R for three GRAMMY® and six LATIN GRAMMY... Read More →

Joe Belliotti

Founder, NOISEGATE

Joe Belliotti is the founder of NOISEGATE, a music consultancy at the intersection of brands, media, technology, and music. He was most recently the Head of Global Music at The Coca-Cola Company, creating global and scalable content, platforms, partnerships, and strategies, across... Read More →

Josh Terry

CEO & Founder, Workshop Management

Josh Terry is the CEO & Founder of Workshop Management, a full service artist management company which also owns branding and music licensing divisions. Workshop Management focuses on cultivating artists’ visions, while presenting new and interesting opportunities that grow and... Read More →

Dr. Syleecia Thompson

Professor, Entertainment Manager & Brand Strategist, DYG Management Group

Dr. Syleecia Thompson is a Professor, Entertainment Manager, and Brand Strategist. She has launched and led over 100 master-level classes, and booked more than $5,000,000 in television, book, music, concert and film deals. Some of Thompson’s projects include; nationally released... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:10pm - 2:45pm CDT
Legends ABC

Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit

2:15pm CDT

Fireside Chat: Scoring Super Bowl Sync

While the Super Bowl is obviously centered around football, over the years the commercials have evolved to be nearly just as central. In fact, a recent Huffington Post poll found more Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 actually prefer watching the commercials over the game itself. This year, Kobalt clients had seven placements in Super Bowl commercials for brands ranging from Amazon to Doritos. Kobalt’s Julie Hurwitz, SVP of Commercial Sync, and her team worked on the front lines to secure these placements. Hurwitz will share with us the interesting process of how songs end up in perhaps the most sought-after ad spots of the year.

Moderators

Gene Culver

CEO, A&R, & Marketing, Music Drizzle

Speakers

Julie Hurwitz

SVP of Commercial Sync, Kobalt Music Group

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:15pm - 2:40pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

2:40pm CDT

Sound Design Live, Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds

Have you ever wondered what goes into creating a professional video game sound effect? Watch us recreate sound effects from popular video games like Overwatch, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends with regular items like dining silverware, balloons… or maybe even a prop or item from the audience. During this panel, we will record sound effects with a microphone, edit and process them together on a computer, and show the full process for creating a polished video game sound effect.

Speakers

Ryan Stunkel

Owner & Creator, Blipsounds

Ryan Stunkel is the Owner & Creator of Blipsounds.com, one-stop audio shop to meet all of your game audio needs. Blipsounds teaches people how to create sound effects from scratch, sell sound effects, and even create custom sounds and music for games.

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:40pm - 3:00pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

2:45pm CDT

How Data Drives Brand Partnerships in Music

Most research clearly defines music as an extremely strong touchpoint for marketing to consumers. However, when it comes down to which artists to partner with and how, what role does data play in this decision making?

This session will focus on how data is leveraged when brands decide to partner with particular artists or use particular songs in advertising. When making decisions meant to affect and connect with the emotions of consumers, how are cold hard facts used to make that determination?

Moderators

Andrew Hampp

Contributor, Billboard/Variety

Speakers

Lori Feldman

EVP of Strategic Marketing, Warner Bros. Records

Lori Feldman serves as EVP of Strategic Marketing at Warner Bros. Records, a role she has held since 2012. In this position, she oversees the team that creates unique marketing platforms for the label’s artists through brand partnerships, music licensing for advertising, events... Read More →

Jeff Swierk

VP of US Consumer Marketing, MasterCard

Matt Yazge

VP, Head of Brand Sponsorship, Nielsen Music

Matt Yazge leads the Brand Sponsorship team at Nielsen Music. Throughout his career at Nielsen, Yazge has helped leaders in global entertainment and partnership marketing with their music, film, fashion, and lifestyle marketing strategies. In his current role, he helps brands activate... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
Legends ABC

Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit

2:45pm CDT

Bundling as a Music Distribution Strategy

We’ve seen many artists rise to the top of the charts by bundling their latest release with concert tickets. Learn how leveraging this trend expands the scope of possibilities for marketing a tour within a current record cycle. With album sales shrinking, bundling provides wide-scale distribution to the artist’s core audience while maximizing marketing spend to promote both the tour and new album together. Join industry experts as they talk about the benefits to artists, labels and fans.

Moderators

Justin Atkins

Artist and Promotor Relations Director, Ticketmaster Music

Justin Atkins is the Artist and Promoter Relations Director with Ticketmaster Music, a division of Live Nation Entertainment. Ticketmaster Music is Ticketmaster’s concerts and touring division which supports more than 500 North American tours annually. They also work with artists... Read More →

Speakers

Amanda Cates

Head of Marketing & Digital Strategy, Maverick

Amanda Cates is the Head of Marketing and Digital Strategy at Maverick Nashville, overseeing all artist online, e-commerce, mobile, social, fan engagement, new business development and marketing initiatives for the company's roster of high-profile country music clients. Previous ventures... Read More →

Sloane Cavitt Logue

Agent, WME

Sloane Cavitt Logue is an Agent at WME, and also manages the digital and marketing initiatives for the WME Nashville, where she has established partnerships with digital accounts and brand managers. In this role, she works closely with streaming outlets such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple... Read More →

Ed Rivadavia

VP of Digital Strategy, Sony Music Nashville

Ed Rivadavia is the VP of Digital Strategy at Sony Music Nashville, where he is responsible for guiding the company’s overall digital strategy, including new technology, social media, CRM, D2C, online advertising, and other web and mobile properties. Previously based in New York... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:45pm - 3:45pm CDT
Music Row 5

2:45pm CDT

Every Artist Needs A Ninja: Building Your Team

Being an artist, label, or manager in the digital world is difficult. There are hundreds of thankless, invisible jobs that must be done — from playlist and video channel management to publicity, design and even road crew. Finding the right team to work to accomplish all of that can be a nightmare. This panel will discuss:

Why should I hire someone else?
When should I do so?
How do I find the right team?

We’ll also discuss establishing KPIs for contractors and payment do's and don'ts.

Moderators

Laurens Kusters

Co-Founder, indie.ninja

Laurens Kusters is the Co-Founder of indie.ninja, a company which connects indies, artists, managers, and labels, to a curated network of professionals including live crew, designers, marketers, promo teams, attorneys, accountants, and everything in-between. Kusters has more than... Read More →

Speakers

Laurie Jakobsen

President, Jaybird Communications

Hannah Lovell

Graphic Designer, Art Director, & Illustrator, Hannah Lovell Design

Hannah Lovell has an eclectic sense of creativity that’s as unique as her South Louisiana roots. With a focus in editorial and identity design, she opened her own studio and now works with small businesses throughout the Southeast. Lovell’s clients have included the ice cream... Read More →

David Silbaugh

Talent Buyer, Summerfest

David Silbaugh is best known as a Talent Buyer for Summerfest, "The World's Largest Music Festival", in Milwaukee, WI. The 11 day festival books more than 800 artists in nearly all genres, featuring international headlining artists as well as emerging artists. He also produces the... Read More →

Cassandra "Cat" Sotos

Musician & Songwriter

Cassandra Sotos is a violinist, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and artist based in Nashville TN. In addition to her solo work, she is a sought after professional musician, most recently touring with Indian Superstar Arjit Singh.

Nick Tieder

GM, Frontiers Music srl, North America

Nick Tieder is the GM of Frontiers Music srl of North America, an independent Rock label which started in Naples, Italy. In this role, he focuses on introducing American audiences to Frontiers’ overseas acts, and increasing the visibility of Frontiers’ brand. Frontier Music has... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 2:45pm - 3:45pm CDT
Legends F

3:00pm CDT

Beyond the Sync: A New Era of Music Licensing for Film, TV and Podcasts

As the amount of video and audio content has exponentially increased, there is a growing need for quick and simple music licensing. Productions are looking for the ease of Production Music Libraries, but with a broader scope of one-stop commercially released music. This panel will explore the nuances of licensing, rights needed and blanket licensing deals for modern mediums like Online Video and Podcasts.

Moderators

Jackie Otero

Program Director- Music Business Degrees, Full Sail University

Speakers

Jon Bahr

VP, Creator Services, CD Baby

Jon Bahr serves as the VP of Creator Services at leading independent music distributor and artist services company, CD Baby. Bahr leads CD Baby’s Artist Relations, Music Service Relations, Publishing Administration, and Music Licensing of 3 million pre-cleared songs. Prior to joining... Read More →

Joel Thomas Jordan

Founder, Synchtank

Joel T. Jordan is the Founder & President of Synchtank, a cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) platform which broadcast, film, music, and TV companies use to manage their compliance, licensing, rights and metadata, maximize revenue, and efficiently organize worfkows. Clients include... Read More →

Ryan Stunkel

Owner & Creator, Blipsounds

Wednesday May 16, 2018 3:00pm - 3:30pm CDT
Legends G

Sync It!

3:00pm CDT

A Million Ain’t What It Used to Be

As fans increasingly spend more time consuming music and digital content than ever before, the benchmarks for an artist’s success in the music industry continue to evolve. How can we use data to inform contextual goal-setting and to identify true wins? In this session, we’ll squash assumptions about “success” and dive into comparative analyses of artists over the last decade. Leave with a new approach to assessing how an artist is performing within the context of the industry, powered by data from Next Big Sound.

Speakers

Brittany Holloway

Manager, Artist & Industry Insights, Next Big Sound at Pandora

Brittany Holloway is on the Next Big Sound team at Pandora, where she helps artists, labels, and other members of the music industry make sense of their data to grow their careers. With a passion for music and a knack for analytical thinking, she has experience with audience growth... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Legends E

4:00pm CDT

BuzzAngle and CAA: Using Data and Analytics To Optimize Tour Routing

BuzzAngle and CAA, the leading global talent agency, will examine how combining transactional data, social media data, and consumption data can provide a deeper level of insight for touring strategies. The conversation will explore how best to optimize tour decisions like where to tour, the venues to select, the geographical order of the tour, etc.

Speakers

Michael Bryan

Music Agent, CAA

Michael Bryan is a Music Agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a leading entertainment and sports agency. He focuses on artist development and artist brand strategy. Bryan works in collaboration with client teams across the agency’s roster to help cultivate the careers of emerging... Read More →

Jim Lidestri

CEO, BuzzAngle Music

Jim Lidestri is the Founder and CEO of Border City Media, a New York-based music technology company that has developed the innovative service, BuzzAngle Music, which has radically changed the way businesses analyze entertainment consumption and related trends. BuzzAngle Music provides... Read More →

André Vargas

Information Technology Executive, CAA

André Vargas is an Information Technology Executive at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a leading entertainment and sports agency. In this role, he is responsible for corporate systems and delivering business analytics services across the organization. Vargas provides services centered... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 4:00pm - 4:45pm CDT
Music Row 5

4:00pm CDT

Interactive Tracks — The New Immersive Music Experience

Executives from the leading interactive download platforms discuss the current marketplace and future developments in the interactive downloads and stems market. Topics discussed will include fan experience, content availability, marketplace successes, rights management approach, marketing opportunities and future to address. Great session for music rightsholders, labels, artist managers, DJs, educators, and marketing professionals.

Moderators

Chris Horton

SVP Strategic Technology, Universal Music Group

Chris leads the UMG Office of Strategic Technology, which is responsible for long-term non-IT strategic technology research and concept development. Horton and his team collaborate with tech companies on the development of new music related products and services, including stem-based... Read More →

Speakers

Jake Lodwick

CEO, Jammer

Jake Lodwick is a founder and advisor for numerous iconic digital brands, including Vimeo (which he created as a videographer), CollegeHumor, Bleacher Report, Tumblr, MakerBot, and Bustle Digital Group. His new app, Jammer, lets music fans of all ages remix their favorite songs, and... Read More →

Frank Ostevold

Co-Founder and Head Of Content, oiid

Frank Ostevold is Head of Content & Co-Founder of Oiid, a Norwegian music tech firm. Oiid's products include a premium content platform which allows fans to step inside their favorite tracks; once inside fans can engage, play, and explore at multiple levels through interactive functions... Read More →

Dave Park

CEO, Recombinant

Dave Park is the CEO of Recombinant, a music analysis and media technology lab. Recombinant’s app, JamBandit, is an interactive virtual talent platform that places fans in the band, enabling anyone to play any song on any instrument, expertly and improvisationally, simply by touching... Read More →

Hank Shocklee

Music Producer & President, Shocklee Entertainment

Hank Shocklee is a Music Producer, Composer, DJ & President of Shocklee Entertainment. He is best known as the architect of Public Enemy’s “wall of noise” sound via his BOMB SQUAD productions. Shocklee is a cultural leader, pioneering production techniques and is always seeking... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 4:00pm - 4:45pm CDT
Legends E

4:00pm CDT

Money on the Table: Trends in Copyright & Music Publishing Acquisitions

There's a plethora of new opportunities in the market that are increasing the income options for compositions and songwriters, which in turn is attracting more avenues for investment and catalog sales. Hear more about the ins and outs of Selling Writer’s Share, Net Publisher’s Share, Private Equity Funding, Rights of Termination and Master Rights, and learn if there's money on the table for you.

Moderators

Alisa Coleman

COO; NY Chapter President, ABKCO Music & Records, Inc.; AIMP

Alisa Coleman is COO of ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. where she oversees day-to-day operations, business development, and global licensing for one of the foremost independent entertainment companies in the world. Through her leadership, management and vision, Coleman has helped generate... Read More →

Speakers

Lisa Alter

Partner, Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP

Lisa Alter is a Partner & Founding Member of the firm of Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP in New York City. Her practice is focused primarily in the area of copyright law, with a particular emphasis on music copyright issues, where she advises a number of major and independent music publishing... Read More →

Craig Balsam

Co-Founder, Razor & Tie

Craig Balsam is the Co-Founder of independent music company Razor & Tie and kids music platform Kidz Bop. Founded in 1990, Razor & Tie is known internationally for its artists and songwriters, and has scored multiple gold and platinum records and songs with its label and publishing... Read More →

Jon Singer

COO & CFO, Spirit Music Publishing

Jon Singer is the COO & CFO of Spirit Music Publishing, where he is responsible for the company’s strategic planning and growth initiatives, global finance, analyzing and negotiating new deals, as well as sourcing and structuring strategic partnerships. Prior to joining Spirit... Read More →

Lewis Stark

Partner, Prager Metis

Lewis Stark is a Partner in the Royalty Audit & Contract Compliance Department of Prager Metis CPAs, LLC. Stark specializes in conducting royalty, distribution, and profit participation audits; contract compliance investigations and financial due diligence reviews. His practice focuses... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 4:00pm - 4:45pm CDT
Legends G

4:00pm CDT

Rhino 40th: From Novelty Label to Reissue Curators

Examining Rhino’s success through the last forty years and the label’s ongoing mission of curating catalog for consumers in a variety of formats.

Moderators

Bob Mehr

Journalist / Author, Gannett & USA Today / MOJO Magazine

Bob Mehr is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements,” a music critic for the Gannett/USA Today network, and a longtime U.S. correspondent for MOJO magazine. Mehr has written liner notes for projects from Otis Redding, The... Read More →

Speakers

Micky Dolenz

Musician, The Monkees

Micky Dolenz is an original member of the Rock band The Monkees. The group first appeared as actors on the sitcom, The Monkees, and soon transitioned into a full-fledged Rock band. The group has earned more than 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Brian Hay

SVP Commerce, Consumption & New Business, Rhino Records

Brian Hay is the SVP, Commerce, Consumption, & New Business at Rhino Entertainment. He has never held a real job, working at a record store in college and at Warner Music Group for the 30 years since.

Royal Momberger

VP Commerce, Consumption, and New Business, Rhino Records

Royal Momberger is VP of Sales at Rhino Entertainment. He was first inspired to work for Rhino after the purchase of a NAZZ LP reissue (RNLP 109), and subsequently joined the company in 1992. He started his career in music with college radio, local concert promotion and record... Read More →

Mark Pinkus

President, Rhino Entertainment

Mark Pinkus is President of Rhino Entertainment where he oversees all day-to-day operations at Rhino, along with managing the U.S. catalog for all of Warner Music Group’s recorded music. During his 25 years with Rhino, he has worked in numerous different capacities, including founding... Read More →

Laura Provenzano

SVP, Purchasing & Marketing, Alliance Entertainment, LLC

Laura Provenzano is the SVP of Purchasing & Marketing at Alliance Entertainment, one of the nation’s largest wholesale distributors of physical music and movies. In this role, she oversees the corporate Purchasing and Marketing teams at Alliance, as well as works closely with... Read More →

Gary Stewart

Sr. VP of A&R, Rhino Entertainment / Apple Music

Wednesday May 16, 2018 4:00pm - 4:45pm CDT
Legends F

5:00pm CDT

Featured Presentation: Pandora CEO Roger Lynch — Pandora Predicts the Future of Streaming

The music industry is growing again, driven in part by digital audio streams. At the same time, explosive growth in connected and voice-activated devices means that access to audio content will soon be ubiquitous. How will this shift impact listeners, advertisers, artists and the industry-at-large.

Come hear directly from Pandora CEO Roger Lynch as he shares key perspectives coming out of his first six months at Pandora, his vision for the company’s future and his predictions of what the increase in music streaming means for the future of the music business. Sony Music Nashville Chairman and CEO Randy Goodman will join Roger on stage to drill into how these changes are impacting music labels, how they will benefit emerging artists, and how they are influencing the future of Country.

Beville Dunkerley, Director of Artist Marketing and Industry Relations at Pandora, will help guide the conversation.

Moderators

Beville Dunkerley

Nashville Director of Artist Marketing & Industry Relations, Pandora

Speakers

Randy Goodman

Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville

A 33-year industry veteran and a Nashville native, Randy Goodman is responsible for overseeing all of Sony Music Nashville’s operations, including its three country recording imprints — Arista Nashville, Columbia Nashville, and RCA Nashville — as well as Provident Music Group... Read More →

Roger Lynch

President & CEO, Pandora

Prior to joining Pandora in September 2017, Roger Lynch served as the founding CEO of Sling TV, where he led the creation and launch of the over-the-top streaming television service that delivers live sports, news, and entertainment to broadband-connected devices. He joined DISH in... Read More →

Wednesday May 16, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Ballroom

Featured Presentations & Special Events

6:00pm CDT

Cocktail Reception sponsored by Pandora

Wednesday May 16, 2018 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

Featured Presentations & Special Events

7:00pm CDT

Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) Mixer

This event will be open to all Music Biz conference attendees, as well as current SOLID members and alumni. Drinks and light d'oeuvres will be provided.

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) is a non-profit organization comprised of developing music business professionals dedicated to improving the future success of the music industry. Members of SOLID come from all areas of the music business community, therefore contributing to the diversity, productivity and integrity of the group. As a dynamic organization rooted firmly in Nashville, we are continually adapting to meet the changing needs of our membership, working tirelessly to fulfill SOLID’s mission of helping others, teaching others, and leading others.

Enter through the Demonbreun level lobby, and take elevators to the 3rd floor. Parking is free for the first hour, and $4.00 for each additional hour.

Wednesday May 16, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Industrious 1033 Demonbreun Street (3rd Floor), Nashville, TN 37203

7:00am CDT

Registration

Thursday May 17, 2018 7:00am - 3:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

8:00am CDT

Networking Breakfast

Thursday May 17, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Legends Foyer

8:00am CDT

BuzzAngle Music Terrace

Thursday May 17, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Terrace

8:00am CDT

Explore Activation Stations — A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm; Artist Growth; Hyperwallet; Music Reports; the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor; and 'Stream the Studio' with Ford

As you make your way through Music Biz 2018, be sure to visit our partners showcasing their products and services at activation stations throughout the conference:

A2IM's 'Indie Zone' with Vydia & ONErpm
A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) along with its partners Vydia and ONErpm, are excited to be hosting an exclusive ‘Indie Zone’ during Music Biz! A2IM has been protecting and promoting the independent sector since 2005. Come meet and hang out with A2IM’s Director of Member Services, Patrick Ferrell and Senior Manager of Member Services and International Relations, Lisa Hresko to learn why it's more valuable than ever to #StayIndie. Visit www.a2im.org for more information.

Artist Growth
Attendees will be able to interact with the Artist Growth platform, speak to staff members about the services the company provides, and learn first hand how AG is building the future of management software for the entertainment industry.

Hyperwallet
Royalty payments are broken, but we know how to fix them. Hyperwallet's royalty payments team will be on-hand at Music Biz to discuss solutions to common music industry pain points: delayed or undelivered funds, sporadic payouts, lack of transparency, control over payment method and currency, and more. Be sure to swing by the Hyperwallet booth and receive your free download code for our royalty payments ebook.

Music Reports: Rights Done Right™
Come by our booth to discuss your streaming-music royalties and learn how to claim your works at MusicReports.com. Get an introduction to Songdex, the world's music rights database and discover the power it provides creators, owners and music users. Take a tour of our revolutionary cue sheet management tool, Cuetrak, which maximizes transparency and royalty payments in the audiovisual space.

The Nielsen Music Connect Corridor
Need interesting facts to fuel your Music Biz conversations? Visit the Nielsen Music Connect Corridor to gain access to the industry's most trusted data & insights. PLUS get an exclusive Music Connect product demo, play music trivia & more!

Stream the Studio
Visit the 'Stream the Studio' exhibit located outside of the Legends Ballroom, where you’ll learn all about premium music streaming and experience “studio quality” Hi-Res Audio sound. Plus you can reserve time for a hi-res demonstration in a special car developed by the Ford Motor Company that’s located in the hotel valet area!

Thursday May 17, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Various

8:00am CDT

Jaxsta Lounge

Jaxsta is building a comprehensive centralised source of official music credits. Our job is to tell The Story Behind The Music and Give Credit Where Credit is Due.

The Jaxsta Lounge is a place to meet, network, relax and recharge. 2018 is a special year for us with our imminent launch. We’d like to show you our platform so please feel free to ask any of our team to give you a demo and showcase how Jaxsta can help you.

The Jaxsta Lounge will serve refreshments and snacks to recharge you while you recharge your devices. If you need to catch up with a new potential business partner or simply converse with your office while on the go then this is the place for you. We welcome all Music Biz attendees and look forward to hosting you so please visit us at the Jaxsta Lounge or check us out at jaxsta.com.

Thursday May 17, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm CDT
Legends Foyer

9:00am CDT

Creative Partnerships: Making an Impact Without Breaking the Bank

A release strategy, or at least a good release strategy, has to be more than checking off boxes. It takes developing relationships and providing value to fans, long before the announce ever hits their ears. Partnerships are a key part of success in today’s music industry, and continuously create new channels for artists to make an impact. But how do you make it happen without breaking the bank? Julie Sturdivant, SVP of Marbaloo Marketing, sits with fellow panel guests to talk about how to think outside the box and give the fans what they really want.

Moderators

Julie Sturdivant

SVP, Marbaloo Marketing

Julie is the SVP at Marbaloo Marketing, an innovative and comprehensive marketing agency for celebrities, progressive products and major brands. In her role, she oversees all subsidiary operations, including the creative agency Remedy Creative, the live event activation and PR firm... Read More →

Speakers

Marieke Bianchi

VP of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Warner Music Nashville

Justin Breton

Strategic Marketing Partnerships Lead, Squarespace

Justin Breton is a Strategic Marketing Partnerships Lead at Squarespace, a technology company that builds tools to help people with creative ideas succeed. Squarespace's products — websites, domains, and commerce — are the simplest way to get new ideas, brands, and small businesses... Read More →

Vian Izak

Owner & Artist, Vohnic Music LLC

Vian Izak is a South African American artist and owner of Vohnic Music LLC, a digital record label that combines multimedia concepts with music. His label has secured partnerships with companies like Spotify on creative, fan focused, and visually captivating campaigns. The most recent... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Music Row 3

9:00am CDT

The Power of Being Independent in 2018 presented by A2IM

With 37.23% of the US marketshare, the independent sector holds its largest marketshare in decades. The gatekeepers that once stood in the way of independent labels and artists are no longer a barrier to entry. With artist-friendly deals, creative control, advances in technology/data, and a multitude of digital platforms and services willing to distribute independent music, independent labels and their artists are thriving.

In this discussion, A2IM and some of its members will take an expansive look at the independent sector and discuss why and how it's more viable than ever to stay independent.

Moderators

Patrick Ferrell

Head of Label Relations, A2IM

Patrick Ferrell is the Head of Label Relations at A2IM, a trade organization that is committed to protecting the value of America’s Independent music community and its interests in the marketplace. Representing over 600 independent record labels, A2IM helps its members improve business... Read More →

Speakers

David Macias

President & Co-Founder, Thirty Tigers

David Macias is the President & Co-Founder of Thirty Tigers, a diverse entertainment company specializing in marketing services, music distribution, management, promotion, and publishing for independent artists. Thirty Tigers releases music from a diverse set of genres, including... Read More →

Scott Robinson

CEO & Co-Founder, Dualtone Music Group

Scott Robinson is the CEO & Co-Founder of Dualtone, an EntertainmentOne Company. A Nashville based boutique label, Dualtone’s current accomplishments include the multi-platinum artist The Lumineers, Shakey Graves, Amos Lee, Robert Earl Keen, and more. Dualtone’s diverse roster... Read More →

Anna Siegel

SVP FUGA Americas, FUGA North America

Anna Siegel is the SVP of FUGA North America, a global digital music distributor. In her role, she oversees client relations and business development in the Americas, as well as helping run the company's first U.S. satellite office. Previously, Siegel spent more than six years as... Read More →

Megan West

VP of Content & Community, SoundCloud

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Music Row 2

9:00am CDT

Record Store Day Town Hall

Since 2007, records stores, their customers, and artists across the world have come together and celebrated the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities. The success of this one-day celebration, has sparked the creation of a Black Friday event, as well as countless collaborations with both independent and major labels to create contests, special releases and promotions throughout the year.

This Town Hall is open to all Music Biz 2018 registrants and is your chance to hear the impact that Record Store Day has had on the industry over the years and to celebrate the accomplishments of the recent 2018 event. Ideas will circulate about how your artists can reap the benefits of participating in this unique industry promotion. An open forum discussion will allow all to share ideas about how to make the 2019 event even bigger.

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Music Row 5

9:00am CDT

Paths To Playlists

There are different types of playlists on major digital service providers like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. How are tracks selected for placement on these playlists? What can you do to increase your chances of being chosen? What can you do to stay on a playlist once you do? Label Logic’s Jay Gilbert and a panel of experts explore the new streaming landscape from pitching to promoting your music for playlist consideration.

Moderators

Jay Gilbert

Co-Founder and Digital Strategist, Label Logic

Jay Gilbert is the Co-Founder and Digital Strategist at Label Logic, a label and artist services company. Gilbert also publishes an industry trade email each week called “Your Morning Coffee,” which focuses on the dynamic new music business. Gilbert has been on the cutting edge... Read More →

Speakers

Mike Fink

Sr. Director, Artist Marketing & Industry Relations, Pandora

Mike Fink is the Sr. Director, Artist Marketing & Industry Relations at Pandora, where he heads up relationships with indie music rights holders, labels and management. While at Pandora, he has established and continues to spearhead a number of programs, including Pandora at SXSW... Read More →

Lloyd Hummel

SVP of Global Sales Strategy, Ingrooves Music Group

Lloyd Hummel is the SVP of Global Sales Strategy at Ingrooves Music Group, where he oversees the worldwide teams which handle commercial digital partner management, video services, physical product sales, and engagement marketing. Working across all departments, his mission is to... Read More →

Matt

EVP, Caroline

Matt Sawin is the EVP of Caroline, a label under Capitol Music Group. In this role, he oversees strategy and daily operations across Caroline’s North American business unit inclusive of the marketing, commercial development and production teams. Sawin has been integral in Caroline’s... Read More →

Mike Sherwood

SVP, Revenue and Commercial Accounts, Warner Bros Records

Mike Sherwood is the VP of Revenue & Commercial Accounts at Warner Bros. Records. He oversees the day-to-day management of all U.S. commercial partners in the digital and physical space. Utilizing the latest data insights and learnings, Sherwood is responsible for developing strategies... Read More →

Rebecca Silverstein

PR, Amazon Music

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Legends G

9:00am CDT

TRENDSPOTTING: The Power of Queer Storytelling in Song

GLAAD, the nation’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy group, returns to the annual Music Biz conference in Nashville with its latest panel, sure to be its biggest and best yet. Focusing around the power of queer storytelling — and its quickly emerging presence in Pop music — GLAAD has gathered some of the leading artists and songwriters of our time to discuss the importance of LGBTQ representation behind the scenes and in the lyrics of popular music.

Moderators

Sarah Kate Ellis

President & CEO, GLAAD

Sarah Kate Ellis is the President & CEO of GLADD, where she refocused the organizations crucial advocacy to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ community, through a variety of compelling and effective initiatives, campaigns, and programs. Ellis has used GLAAD’s position as the world’s... Read More →

Speakers

Shea Diamond

Singer & Songwriter

ShaGasyia “Shea” Diamond, is a singer/songwriter who wrote the song “I Am Her”, while serving a 10-year sentence in a male prison. The song is an anthem for everyone that ever felt shunned for simply being who they are, and empowers listeners to continue living as their true... Read More →

Shelly Fairchild

Artist

Shelly Fairchild is a Country recording artist who hit the scene in 2005 with her debut album, “Ride” which she promoted touring alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, including Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw. For her latest album titled, “Buffalo... Read More →

Shane McAnally

Co-President/GRAMMY Award-Winning Songwriter & Producer, Monument Records

Shane McAnally is a multiple CMA, ACM and GRAMMY Award-winning Country music songwriter and producer, who currently works with Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett and more. When he is not in the studio, he is serving as Co-President of Monument Records and is the CEO & Co-Founder... Read More →

Justin Tranter

Musician, Songwriter & Activist

Justin Tranter is a Golden Globe and Grammy nominated songwriter, musician, and activist. He has written songs for Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, Kesha, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Julia Michaels, and many others... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Legends EF

9:00am CDT

Career Opportunities for Students: Day 2 [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]

BMI
Borman Entertainment
CAA
Country Music Association (CMA)
Concord Music Group
Girlilla Marketing
ole
Pandora
Red Light Management
Songtrust
Sony Music Entertainment
Spotify
The Orchard
Universal Music Group
Warner Music Group

Thursday May 17, 2018 9:00am - 6:00pm CDT
McKissack 1, 2, & 3 — Hilton Downtown

10:00am CDT

Hit Song Moneyball: Using Songwriting Data to Make Strategic Decisions

Today’s music industry has become more and more reliant on data for sales, streams, downloads, engagement and other like metrics. Compositional analytics are equally important. Led by Hit Songs Deconstructed Co-Founders Yael and David Penn, this presentation will focus on how compositional data points extracted from hit songs can be strategically used to make songwriting and business decisions. Topics include quantifying gut feelings with factual data, creative approaches to benchmarking, spotting evolving trends, improving communication between executives and creatives, and more.

Speakers

David Penn

Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Hits Songs Deconstructed

David Penn is co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed, responsible for spearheading all song deconstructions and analysis, editorial content, and workshops. Mr. Penn is a recognized expert in the craft and trends behind hit songs and has been featured in an BAK of podcasts and articles... Read More →

Yael Penn

Co-Founder & CMO, Hits Songs Deconstructed

Yael Penn is co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed and is responsible for the company’s marketing communications and day-to-day operations. Ms. Penn brings over 25 years of executive experience to Hit Songs Deconstructed. After working as a marketing manager at global companies... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Music Row 2

10:15am CDT

Maximizing Revenues With Strong Release Strategies

The artist today — superstar, developed or emerging — has a plethora of ways to deliver their music. Artist management is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of\ super serving the fan through awareness and availability.] When developing a release strategy, teams must take into account Internet and physical retailers, as well as physical and digital formats including vinyl, CD, streaming and downloading. Today’s panel of top music managers will discuss how they consider their approach to their artists’ music releases utilizing both physical and digital formats. They will share how their comprehensive strategies incorporating the multitude of delivery and format options
have ensured maximum revenue, an active and strong fan base, and a satisfied artist.

Moderators

Robby Towns

Founder, NestaMusic

Robby Towns is the Principal & Founder of NestaMusic, a strategic consultancy firm focusing on strategy, research, and new media initiatives in the music industry. In this role, he has helped Columbia Records overhaul their digital resources, served as lead project manager for an... Read More →

Speakers

Basak Kizilisik

VP of Marketing, Morris Higham Management

Basak Kizilisik is the VP of Marketing at Morris Higham Management. In her role, she oversees all marketing and digital initiatives for Morris Higham’s artist roster, including Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Michael Ray, Brandon Lay, Ryan Griffin and Walker County. Previously, Kizilisik... Read More →

Michael Kurtz

Co-Founder of Record Store Day, President of The Department of Record Stores, DORS

Daniel Miller

Artist Manager & Founder, Fusion Music

Daniel Miller is an Artists Manager & Founder at Fusion Music, where his team guides the careers of Cassadee Pope, Martina McBride, Ryan Kinder and Jacob Davis. Prior to Fusion, he was at Borman Entertainment, supporting the team representing Faith Hill, Keith Urban and Lonestar... Read More →

Jon Romero

Head of Marketing, Vector Management

Jon Romero is Head of Marketing for Vector Management, one of the largest artist and brand management companies. Romero is responsible for strategizing the full promotional and marketing landscape across the Vector roster, maximizing not only digital and social efforts, but incorporating... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Music Row 5

10:30am CDT

The Gospel Truth Behind Christian Music’s Influence and Trends

Hosted by the Gospel Music Association’s Jackie Patillo and Administrators of Gospel Music’s Andie Rankins — attendees will experience a candid look at today’s Christian/Gospel music business. In this session, the journey of songs will be traced from their inception at the church, until they reach the digital arena. The discussion will focus on three key areas:

Songs, Publishing, and Administration
Do you ever wonder how the church manages music rights? This session will provide insight to the unique world of publishing, sync licensing, and streaming, as it relates to faith-based music.

Panelists
Gary Christensen, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Christian Copyright Licensing International, Inc. (CCLI)
Andie Rankins, Manager of Publishing Administration, Provident Music Group
Mike Murray, Sr. Creative Director of Song Publishing, Integrity Music

Recording, Marketing, Sales, and Promotion
Ensuring music is both heard and monetized is vital for all genres of music, including Christian/Gospel. Engage with expert panelists who will share ideas on leveraging the new media frontier, digital promotion, and marketing platforms.

Panelists
Steve Blair, VP of Marketing & Commercial Partnerships at Capitol CMG / Universal Music Group
Ed Leonard, President/VP, Daywind Music Group/New Day Christian Distributors
Jimmy Wheeler, VP of Sales, Provident Music Group

Artists, Live Performance, and Management
No doubt the most exciting part of music is experiencing live performances. From the rumble of the bass, to the vigorous crowd, excitement is everywhere. Touring is not only fun, but also essential to an artist’s development and longevity. Here, a group of pros will discuss the diversity in faith-based music, along with its challenges and rewards.

Panelists
Mike Snider, Agent, Christian & Country Music, WME
Stephania Andry-Wilkinson, Founder & President, Red Alliance Media
Penny Railey, Maximum Artist Management, Artist Manager

Moderators

Jackie Patillo

GMA President & Executive Director, Gospel Music Association (GMA)

Jacie Patillo is the President & Executive Director of the Gospel Music Association and Foundation, a nonprofit which aims to foster interest among the public in Gospel and Christian music. The foundation also builds community and cooperation among industry leaders, in order to address... Read More →

Andie Rankins

Manager of Publishing Administration, Provident Music Group

Andie Rankins is the Manager of Publishing Administration at Provident Music Group, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment. In this role, she oversees the administration of a growing catalog of award winning songs and songwriters. As manager, she has led the charge for the conception... Read More →

Speakers

Stephania Andry-Wilkinson

President & Founder, Red Alliance Media

Stephania Andry-Wilkinson is the Founder & President of Red Alliance Media (RAM), a full-service label specializing in Gospel music. Through a creative partnership with Fair Trade Services for distribution, RAM strives to strategically optimize opportunities for each product/service... Read More →

Steve Blair

VP, Marketing & Commercial Partnerships, Capitol CMG / Universal Music Group

Steve Blair is the VP of Marketing & Commercial Partnerships at Capitol CMG/Universal Music Group. In this role, he oversees the streaming, D2C, physical, download and playlisting teams at Capitol CMG. Blair and his team created, launched and maintain the best in class, market leading... Read More →

Gary Christensen

Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Christian Copyright Licensing International, Inc. (CCLI)

Gary Christensen is the Chief Intellectual Property Officer of Christian Copyright Licensing International, Inc. (CCLI). In his role, he is responsible for the publisher and rights owner side of CCLI’s enterprise, and is actively engaged in global copyright matters, including... Read More →

Ed Leonard

President / VP, Daywind Music Group / New Day Christian Distributors

Ed Leonard is President of Daywind Music Group and VP of New Day Christian Distributors. Daywind and New Day are leaders in the creation and distribution of Christian and Gospel Music, as well as family-friendly toys, gifts, films, and books. With over 35 diverse artists and songwriters... Read More →

Mike Murray

Senior Creative Director, Integrity Music

Mike Murray is the Sr. Creative Director of Song Publishing for Integrity Music. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the Christian music industry and has spent the last nine at Integrity Music. While at Integrity, he has worked with artists and songwriters including All Sons... Read More →

Penny Railey

Artist Manager, Maximum Artist Management

Penny Railey is an Artist Manager at Maximum Artist Management, where she co-manages Grammy nominated and “American Idol” graduate, Danny Gokey. Railey got her start in the music industry working at one of Nashville's largest recording studios, The Sound Kitchen, an independent... Read More →

Mike Snider

Head of Christian Music Division, WME

Mike Snider is Head of the Christian Music Division at William Morris Endeavors (WME). His career in the music industry spans more than 20 years in a multitude of roles, including musician, road manager, label executive, manager and agent. Snider and his wife, Lisa Jones Snider... Read More →

Jimmy Wheeler

VP, Sales & Distribution, Provident Music Group

Jimmy Wheeler is the VP, Sales & Distribution at Provident Music Group, a Christian label and division of Sony Music. Currently, he oversees sales and distribution for the label. Wheeler previously held the roles of Director of Christian Mainstream Sales, and VP of Mainstream Sales... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Music Row 3

11:00am CDT

Do You Really Want to Leave Your Ex-US Publishing Revenue on the Table?

Eighty percent of YouTube’s views are from outside of the U.S. For American-based music publishers and songwriters, sub-publishing deals and collective management organizations should ensure that they get the revenue from the overseas use of their repertoire on YouTube. Is it really happening? And what are the tools at their disposal to ensure that works are used and royalties are accurately tracked? This panel will provide an overview of new tracking tools that the audience will be able to test in real time by checking live if a YouTube video generates revenues or not! This panel of experts will review the new options on the table for publishers to control and improve their digital revenue outside the USA. Join in and you'll have the opportunity to check how your videos are performing overseas.

Moderators

Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt

Policy Advisor, International Music Managers Forum (IMMF)

Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt advises The International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) on copyright and new business models. IMMF is an organization that brings together artist and artist representative associations from 50 countries, for networking, sharing, and discussion of trading terms... Read More →

Speakers

Jean-François Bert

CEO & Founder, Transparency Rights Management

Jean-François Bert is the CEO and founder of Transparency Rights Management, a music data expert company located in Europe and in the US that optimizes online revenue of rights holders. Previously, he has worked for big entities (Sacem, EMI) as well as running indie companies in... Read More →

Michael Eames

President, PEN Music Group, Inc.

Spek

SVP of Creative & A&R, Reservoir

Thursday May 17, 2018 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Music Row 2

12:00pm CDT

Awards Luncheon sponsored by BuzzAngle Music & TiVo; Keynote Conversation with Humanitarian Award Recipient Scooter Braun

Doors open at 12 PM and the program will begin promptly at 12:15 PM. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Enjoy lunch compliments of BuzzAngle Music & TiVo.

Join us as we honor excellence and welcome artists, executives, and influencers who have impacted the Association, its members, the industry-at-large, and billions of fans around the world.

The Music Biz Awards will honor rising singer/songwriter Julia Michaels (Breakthrough Artist Award); the legendary Nile Rodgers (Chairman’s Award); record-breaking smash ‘Despacito’ (Outstanding Achievement Award); and global star Ed Sheeran (Artist of the Year). We will then bestow the prestigious Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award on mega-manager Scooter Braun — whose keynote conversation with interviewer Hilary Rosen will focus on his philanthropic mission. New this year, Music Biz officially introduces its Music Business Hall of Fame by inducting its first honoree, Tower Records' founder Russ Solomon. Acclaimed actor and director Colin Hanks, who directed the 2015 Tower Records documentary All Things Must Pass, will help us pay tribute to Solomon.

Speakers

Fred Beteille

Head of Product, Music & Rights, Facebook

Scooter Braun

Founder, SB Projects

James Donio

President, Music Business Association

Colin Hanks

Actor & Director

Colin Hanks directed the acclaimed Tower Records documentary All Things Must Pass, which premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and opened in theaters to rave reviews in the fall of 2015. He has since directed the HBO documentary Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends... Read More →

Jim Lidestri

CEO, BuzzAngle Music

Hilary Rosen

Political Analyst / Co-Chair / Managing Partner, CNN / TIMES' UP Legal Defense Fund / SKDKnickerbocker

Hilary Rosen is an on-air CNN Political Analyst, serves as Co-Chair of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, and is Managing Partner of SKDKnickerbocker, the 2017 Holmes Report Public Affairs Agency of the Year. She is also a former Chairman & CEO of the Recording Industry Association... Read More →

Kyle Smetanka

Senior Product Manager, Metadata, TiVo

Thursday May 17, 2018 12:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Legends Ballroom

Featured Presentations & Special Events

2:30pm CDT

Marijuana, Money and Music: New Opportunities in Cannabis

Join us as we explore cannabis as a new revenue stream for artists, labels and festival and concert organizers.

Moderators

David Hazan

Founder, DLh Stratehic Marketing

David Hazan is the Founder of DLH Strategic Marketing, a firm that helps organizations create and implement effective marketing. Current and previous clients include Xlrator Media, Festicket, Fest300, Ottawa Bluesfest, O’Cannabiz, and Canadian Music Week conferences. Hazan’s music... Read More →

Speakers

Steve Clayton

Owner, Chalice festival

Elizabeth Hogan

VP, Brands & Co-Founder, GCH, Inc.

Elizabeth Hogan is the VP, Brands & Co-Founder of GCH Inc., the company that owns and operates the Willie’s Reserve cannabis brand. Willie’s Reserve launched in 2016 and is now for sale in five states. Hogan is responsible for brand strategy, communication and marketing for the... Read More →

Dean Raise

Artist Manager, C3 Management

Dean Raise is an artist manager at C3 Management, a full service artist management company that partners with festival producers for Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, along with representing The Strokes, Rebelution, The Revivalists, Phoenix, and more. Raise was instrumental... Read More →

Matt Stang

Chief Revenue Officer, High Times Magazine

Matt Stang is the Chief Revenue Officer of High Times Magazine, a magazine and online resource for everything cannabis including cultivation, legalization, entertainment, culture, and hard-hitting news exposing the war on drugs. Stang started at High Times Magazine as an intern... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Music Row 3

2:30pm CDT

The Year of Gen Z: Insights from the Front Line with Today’s Youth Consumer

They are going to be 40% of the consumer population by 2020, and when it comes to music, Gen Z are causing ripple effects around multi-platform engagement. Get a look inside the hearts and minds of this influential (and lucrative) generation to help unlock the tactics needed to achieve success. Having served this market for the past 8 years, Sweety High founders will share their experience and lead a discussion on the opportunities ahead in the new digital economy.

Speakers

Tegan Marie

Artist

Tegan Marie is a 14 year-old singer who was discovered by girls media platform, Sweety High when her family started uploading her videos at age seven. Featured as a Radio Disney Country artist, she catapulted into the national spotlight when her breathtaking rendition of FGL’s... Read More →

Frank Simonetti

CEO & Co-Founder, Sweety High

Frank Simonetti is the CEO of Sweety High, which is a positive cultural destination and platform for teen and tween girls. In his role, he oversees all areas of Sweety High’s digital media business and full-service creative agency Extra Credit, which includes content creation... Read More →

Veronica Zelle

CCO & Co-Founder, Sweety High

Veronica Zelle is the COO & Co-Founder of Sweety High, which is a positive cultural destination and platform for teen and tween girls. In her role, she does everything from overseeing production and talent departments, to forging key alliances with partners such as Disney. Dubbed... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Music Row 2

3:30pm CDT

Snack Chat

"Snack Chat" is a “speed networking” InfoFest for students! Take this opportunity to sit and talk with key members of the music business and personally ask the questions you've wanted to know. Over a half dozen music executives from various parts of the Industry will be available in a small table environment, allowing for time to answer your questions, give advice, and help you put a name with a face as you build your own networking deck.

Pull up a chair and spend time learning from professionals who are doing what you're interested in – including representatives from Music Marketing, Music Publishing, Music Publicity, Music Tech, and a Music Agent! Then, hang around afterwards for some snacks, and chat more during the casual networking group time.

Moderators

Gloria Green

Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University

Speakers

Drew Burchfield

Co-Founder, Aloompa

Drew Burchfield is the Co-Founder of Aloompa, the leading provider of best-in-class mobile and software applications for hundreds of iconic live events across the globe. Aloompa’s recent products keep attendees informed and give event producers insights into their audience’s overall... Read More →

Tim Hunze

Founder, Parallel Music Publishing

Tim Hunze is the Founder of Parallel Music Publishing, a partnership with JP Williams. In four years, they have collected five No.1 one records, “Better Dig Two,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” “Til My Last Day,” “Love Me Like Me You Mean It,” and “Kiss You In The Morning... Read More →

Benita Bellamy Kelley

Founder, The Bellamy Group

Benita Bellamy Kelley is the Founder & CEO of The Bellamy Group, LLC located in Nashville, TN. The company provides marketing and publicity campaign for indie musicians, authors, faith-based and non-profit organizations, including the multi-Grammy-award-winning artists, The Blind... Read More →

Eric Kilby

Director of Touring, Compassion Productions

Eric Kilby is the Director of Touring for Compassion Productions, a position he has held since 2014. He began his music career in college, while touring as a professional sax player. Kilby later moved on to booking, audio engineering, production management, and eventually tour management... Read More →

Jacquelyn Marushka

Publicist & Founder, Marushka Media

Jacquelyn Marushka is President of Marushka Media, a Nashville-based boutique PR and Marketing agency. In this role, she develops and implements results-driven campaigns for recording artists, authors, actors, brands, special events, corporations, and more. Prior, Marushka launched... Read More →

Joe Rapolla

Chair of the Music & Theater Arts Department, Monmouth University

Joe Rapolla is the Chair of the Music & Theater Arts Department at Monmouth University, where he oversees all student Performing Arts Programs, directs the Music Industry Program, and founded the university record label, Blue Hawk Records. A recognized music industry innovator, he... Read More →

Rachel Rodriguez

Singer/Songwriter, Teaching Artist, Entrepreneur

Rachel Rodriguez has taken her musical roots and created her own style, combining her Latino heritage, Rock ‘N’ Roll attitude, and her soulful voice. Her vocals are accompanied by a stellar line-up of Nashville’s top musicians which she calls the Gringo Starrz. Her eclectic... Read More →

Travis Wolfe

Head of the Corporate/Special Event Department, APA Agency

Travis Wolfe is Head of the Corporate/Special Event Department for APA talent agency. He previously worked at Paradigm, where he was an agent in the corporate and special event department. Wolfe got his start working in artist management for country artist Neil McCoy, while also owning... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 3:30pm - 5:00pm CDT
Legends EF

3:30pm CDT

Publishing Data: How Creators Can Control Their Digital Destiny, Today and Tomorrow

Publishing data is broken. Countless worldwide data sources contain overlapping and incongruent information. There is no broad legal requirement to remove deprecated ownership info. There is currently no global master repository for publishing info.

Publishing data becomes deeply conflicted through the regular course of business, even when all parties are acting in good faith. The companies that merge catalog publishing data work at break-neck speeds. Where does that leave creators like you, trying to get paid fairly and accurately for your work? In the first half of this panel, we present how publishing data is used today and a collection of ways you can ensure your publishing data is pristine, working hard, and getting you paid by trusted third parties.

Looking forward to the future, many on the forefront of music data are working to build common infrastructure so that these problems can be diminished, and new revenue opportunities for creators can be unlocked. High-performance technologies like blockchain and a new generation of intelligent APIs are disrupting the century-old publishing data landscape. In the second half of this panel, we introduce you to the companies and ideas on the front lines of the digital publishing future.

Moderators

Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt

Policy Advisor, International Music Managers Forum (IMMF)

Speakers

John Barker

President, ClearBox Rights

John Barker is the Founder, President, and CEO of ClearBox Rights LLC, an independent IP rights management company whose mission is to transform the management of intellectual property for owners and creators as well as connect and empower these owners and creators. Prior to his role... Read More →

Becky Brook

Business Development, Licensing & Strategy Consultant, JAAK

Becky Brook is a Business Development, Licensing & Strategy Consultant at JAAK, a London-based tech company building blockchain-based solutions to communicate, manage and monetise IP industries. With over 12 years of content industry experience, she is responsible for overseeing the... Read More →

Matt Henninger

VP, Sales & Business Development, Dataclef and MediaNet Digital

Matt Henninger serves as VP of Sales & Business Development for Dataclef and MediaNet. MediaNet supports DSPs and rightsholders with catalog fulfillment and rights administration solutions, providing partners the tools to accurately deliver music, track usage, manage metadata, and... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 3:30pm - 5:30pm CDT
Legends G

3:30pm CDT

Tech Innovations in Live Music

Technology developments in VR, AR and holograms are changing the view of what epic storytelling can be! This series of presentations and panel discussions will offer expert views on what’s working in the live music world today, these technologies are having on the music and media landscape, and their thoughts on the future.

Moderators

Karen Allen

President, Karen Allen Consulting

Karen Allen is a business development executive specializing in emerging platforms for the entertainment industry. She helps entertainment tech startups understand what they’ve built and where it fits in the market, devises strategies for B2B adoption of their product/service, and... Read More →

Speakers

Mark Iannarelli

CEO & Co-Founder, Endless Riff

Mark Iannarelli is the CEO & Co-Founder of Endless Riff, a social music virtual reality (VR) platform that provides new ways for music fans to experience live, recorded and self-captured music together. The passion to enter the music business began at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in... Read More →

Jeff Pezzuti

CEO, Eyellusion

Jeff Pezzuti is CEO of Eyellusion, where he leads the company’s live music hologram production creation. He oversees Eyellusion’s collaborative work with artists and management to design, create and tour hologram-based productions that meet fan demand, open new revenue opportunities... Read More →

Ben Samuels

President & GM, MelodyVR

Ben Samuels is the President & GM of MelodyVR, where he oversees MelodyVR’s U.S. operations, as well as artist and label relations within North America. Melody uses VR, as well as other emerging technologies to revolutionize music entertainment and serve as the destination for... Read More →

Ahmet Zappa

EVP of Global Business Development, Eyellusion

Ahmet Zappa is EVP of Global Business Development at Eyellusion, where he is instrumental in expanding Eyellusion’s artist roster and forging relationships with brands. Zappa is also an entrepreneur, NY Times Best Selling author, film and television screenwriter and producer... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 3:30pm - 5:30pm CDT
Legends ABC

4:00pm CDT

Are You Protected If Your Content Goes Viral?

Are you about to debut the industry’s next big hit? Publishing your content is easier than ever, but protecting it properly requires a more strategic approach. Tracking the reach of your content across all platforms and ensuring your intellectual property is being monetized back to you, the rightful owner, should be the number one priority for every artist. Your content is your currency; don’t let anyone steal it. Learn how to protect your content before pirates capitalize off of your work across the world wide web.

Moderators

Glenn Peoples

Journalist, Curio Dojo

Glenn Peoples is a music industry Consultant & Founder of Curio Dojo, a publication which provides analysis and information about music and technology. Previously, he worked as Music Insights & Analytics at Pandora which allowed him to work across business units in order to create... Read More →

Speakers

Roy LaManna

Co-Founder and CEO, Vydia

Silentó

Rapper

Silentó is a 20-year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia, whose single "Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae)" has garnered over 1.48 billion views on YouTube. The single first made it to the iTunes Top 100 chart without receiving any radio airplay, due in large part to the video going viral. By the... Read More →

Daniel Susla

VP, Licensing, Music Products & Operations, TouchTunes - PlayNetwork

Daniel Susla is the VP of Licensing & Music Operations at TouchTunes-PlayNetwork. Responsible for the music licensing strategy of 100 million daily consumers in 180,000 bars, restaurants, retail and hotels in over 110 countries. Licensing music for over 400 leading iconic brands like... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Music Row 3

4:00pm CDT

Marketing Music Thru Media: An Insider's Perspective

An inside look with representatives from media outlets on how to best utilize media to advance consumer engagement. Publicity is an excellent way to enhance fan discovery and promote music consumption. This panel presentation offers actionable items to optimize this important pathway to the listener.

Moderators

Sherod Robertson

President & Owner, Music Row Enterprises

Sherod Robertson is the President and Owner of MusicRow Enterprises, the parent company of MusicRow magazine, which serves as Nashville’s music industry trade publication. He oversees operations and the creation of strategic initiatives for MusicRow Magazine, RowFax, and MusicRow’s... Read More →

Speakers

Jem Aswad

Sr. Music Editor, Variety

Jem Aswad is the Sr. Music Editor at Variety, where he helped launch the music section in April 2017. He has held senior posts at Billboard, MTV News, Spin, Time Out New York and CMJ, Atlantic, Warner Bros. and Caroline Records, and ASCAP. His writing has appeared in New York, Rolling... Read More →

Jewly Hight

Journalist, NPR Music

Jewly Hight is a Nashville-based Music Critic & Journalist. She regularly contributes radio, print and web pieces to NPR/NPR music, The New York Times, Vulture, Billboard, The Oxford American and other outlets. She was the inaugural recipient of the Chet Flippo Award for Excellence... Read More →

Joseph Hudak

Sr. Editor, Rolling Stone

Joseph Hudak is a Senior Editor at Rolling Stone, overseeing the magazine's Nashville office and the Rolling Stone Country website, which covers the Country and Americana genres. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of Country Weekly magazine, and spent 12 years at TV Guide magazine... Read More →

Cindy Watts

Journalist, Tennessean & USA Today

Cindy Watts is a CMA Award-winning journalist, who has covered the music scene in Middle Tennessee for 18 years. She’s been at The Tennessean for the last 11 years and now covers the Nashville music scene on a national level for USA Today.

Thursday May 17, 2018 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
Music Row 2

6:00pm CDT

WHO KNEW [FURTHER RSVP REQUIRED]

Doors open at 6 PM and the program starts at 7 PM SHARP. Music Biz badge holders get in for FREE but must reserve your spot by RSVPing to tomt@buffkinbaker.com. The event sells out fast. Those who do not RSVP may not be granted entry.

For the 3rd year in a row, Music Biz is pleased to partner with WHO KNEW to wrap up an amazing conference. Like all WHO KNEW events, we will be presenting a slate of incredibly gifted and accomplished music executives sharing their stories, wisdom and predictions about the industry. This group includes several of the industry’s most recognizable geniuses. That night we are thrilled to present:

Natalia Nastaskin, Head of US Operations, United Talent Agency
Lou Taylor, President, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group
Joe Conyers III, Co-Founder & GM, Songtrust, and VP, Technology, Downtown Music Publishing Group
Jim Griffin, Digital Media Expert, Moderator of the Pho List
Vickie Nauman, Founder, CrossBorderWorks Consulting & Advising
Dave Park, CEO, Recombinant

Special Musical Guest — The Future

Speakers

Jim Griffin

Managing Director, OneHouse

Joe Conyers III

Co-Founder & GM / VP, Technology, Songtrust / Downtown Music Publishing Group

Natalia Nastaskin

Head of US Music Operations, United Talent Agency

Natalia Nastaskin is the Head of US Music Operations at United Talent Agency, where she is responsible for strategic development and expansion of the music group. Previously, she was CEO & General Counsel to The Agency Group in the US. Nastaskin began her career in music as an... Read More →

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