Jonathan Barnes
Head of Label Licensing, SiriusXM/Pandora
Jonathan heads up the label licensing team at SiriusXM / Pandora, managing the company’s licensing strategy and business relationships with its sound recording partners including labels, distributors and independent artists. Prior to joining Pandora in 2016, he led partnerships and music licensing at 8tracks Radio; and prior to that he started up the music education nonprofit MIMA Music. Jonathan’s career on the business side of the industry began at Astralwerks Records in New York (2002) and FNX radio network in Boston (2001). A former musician, Jonathan wrote and recorded a pair of independent records and co-hosted an FM radio show in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 2000s. By night, Jonathan runs a record label, “YES! Records” and organizes underground electronic music events.
Sandy Bitman
Owner, Park Ave CDs
For 33 years, Sandy Bitman has worked at Park Ave CDs, an independent record store based In Orlando, Florida. For the last 27 years, he has been at the helm. In 1999, his store became a member of the Coalition of Independent Record Stores (CIMS), in which he currently sits on the board of directors. The shop is active in their community with Sandy serving as the vice chair of the Orlando Main Street program. Over the years, Sandy has volunteered for Make A Wish and Big Brother Big Sister.
Mark Butterworth
Global Head of Songwriter, Publisher, and Commercial Label Partnerships, Spotify
Mark Butterworth is Global Head of Songwriter, Publisher, and Commercial Label Partnerships for Spotify. His team maintains relationships with all of the company’s major and independent label and music publishing partners, as well as with the songwriter community. The team works with the industry on platform-wide engagement, the use of Spotify’s existing and emerging promotional tools, programs, and ad products, on industry advocacy initiatives, and on the optimization of day-to-day B2B commercial relationships.
Prior to Spotify, Mark worked at Google and YouTube for over eight years, working with industry partners all over the world in blended relationship management roles covering label relations, music licensing, marketing and promotion, digital advertising and monetization, digital strategy, original content production, and building/launching global digital music services, products, tools and platforms including Google Play, YouTube Music, and YouTube Shorts. This work included building a roster of innovative and award-winning projects and collaborations with major and independent artists from all over the world.
Mark has also worked at Sony Music Entertainment (Global Digital Business), Warner Music Group (Marketing and PR), and MTV Networks (Digital Music Strategy), as well as being an amateur-but-enthusiastic music writer who has written for various blogs and magazines, and an avid live music fan and vinyl collector.
Michael Corcoran
General Manager, mtheory
Michael began his music career booking bands at Villanova University in the mid-1990’s. Upon
graduation, a 7 year journey on the road followed with tour and production management gigs for
Guster, Ben Kweller, Phantom Planet and others. He transitioned off the road in the mid 2000’s,
relocated to Nashville and began working in management. Over the next 13 years, Michael
worked with such artists as Alison Krauss, Michael Franti, Alexi Murdoch, Landon Pigg and Jars
of Clay at Nettwerk Management and Borman Entertainment. Michael joined mtheory in 2017
and works with management teams to build out planning and marketing for artists like Tyler
Childers, Zac Brown Band, Kacey Musgraves and Jelly Roll.
Gray Gannaway
Founder, Quarterlab
Gray Gannaway is the Founder of Quarterlab, a media distribution company that specializes in video strategy and rights management. The company, which helps brands and artists reach wider audiences and increase revenue through video content, oversees content strategy for clients such as Lil Wayne, Passenger, Jill Scott, Run The Jewels, Audiomack, Joe Budden, and The Roots. With a 20-year history negotiating direct deals on behalf of independents with platforms such as Apple, Spotify, and Google, Gannaway has an intense passion for helping underrepresented creators thrive in the music industry and beyond.
Prior to launching Quarterlab, Gannaway spent more than a decade in business and corporate development, strategic partnerships, licensing, and marketing. From 2003 to 2009, he served as Senior VP of Business Development for CD Baby, the world’s largest all-independent music store on the web. Gannaway has consulted for companies such as Google, Scion, CD Baby, Empire Distribution, Rumblefish, and Kill Rock Stars. As a guest speaker, Gannaway has both moderated and been featured at numerous industry-leading conferences such as Music Biz, MIDEM, SXSW, Bandwidth, SF MusicTech, and Canadian Music Week.
Alex Heiche
Founder & CEO, Sound Royalties
Upon recognizing the sizable need for funding options that cater to music professionals and allow creatives to retain their copyrights, Alex Heiche founded Sound Royalties in 2014 and serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.
A respected thought leader in the music business, Alex has shared his knowledge and insights at many industry events with organizations including the Recording Academy, SXSW, BESLA, the American Bar Association, the North American Law Summit, the Music Managers Forum, AIMP, Cutting Edge Law Conference, NYC3, Sync Summit, and others. As an advocate for the next generation of music industry leaders, Alex volunteers his time as a guest educator at schools like Vanderbilt University and Belmont University. Additionally, Alex’s expert opinions have been featured in top publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, The Tennessean, Music Connection, Digital Music News, and more. He is also a contributor for the Rolling Stone Culture Council.
Prior to founding Sound Royalties, Alex held executive roles in specialty finance firms and high-tech software companies. Alex graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. He currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Music Biz Association, and is a member of the Recording Academy, Songwriters of North America, the Gospel Music Association, the Country Music Association, the Americana Music Association, A2IM, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and is a lifetime member of BESLA and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Marcel Joseph, Jr.
Music Label Partnerships Manager, Meta
Marcel Joseph Jr. is the Music Label Partnerships Manager at Meta. In his role, he oversees the relationship with Universal Music Group and works with its labels to execute marketing activations, communicate best practices and optimize the use of Meta’s platforms to achieve their objectives. Prior to Meta, Marcel worked in the Global Digital Accounts department at Warner Music Group. During his 15-year tenure at Warner, which culminated in his role as VP, he managed partnerships across numerous business models and participated in the digital transformation of the music industry. Throughout his career, Marcel has leveraged his expertise to maximize partnerships, drive strategic initiatives and mentor aspiring digital professionals.
Aric Kim
General Manager, Beatroot
Aric Kim is a forward-thinking and passionate entertainment industry veteran with over 15 years
of experience, specializing in A&R, marketing, and label management. He has earned a reputation for keeping his finger on the pulse of music. Kim began as an intern at Universal Music Distribution while pursuing his degree at the University of California, Irvine. This opportunity led him to iHeart Media in Los Angeles, where he spent several successful years in terrestrial radio. Aric then transitioned to Capitol Music Group, focusing on promotions and further expanding his expertise in the music business. He continued promoting hit records for labels for several years before recognizing the imminent expansion of the independent music landscape, which ultimately led him to join Beatroot in 2021. His dedication quickly propelled him through the ranks, and he now serves as GM for the music distributor. Kim’s dedication to innovation and support for artists reflects his mission to be a positive contributor in shaping the future of the music landscape.
Rachel Knepp
Co-Founder & SVP Growth, Mozaic
Rachel Knepp is the Co-Founder & SVP of Growth for Mozaic.io, formerly known as Jammber. Knepp led Mozaic’s pivot to become the world’s only global, multi-wallet split payments API for the music industry & larger creator economy, amassing over $3 billion in payout volume in the first nine months since its rebrand. Her expertise and passion for music technology led her to be named Visa’s Everywhere Initiative FinTech Startup Special Edition winner. She is also an alumni of the Google for Startups Accelerator.
Zulma Oviedo
Music Business Consultant & Royalty Collection Strategist, The Innovative People
Zulma D. Oviedo Cordero is an accomplished music industry consultant with over 15 years of experience in entertainment. Based in the New York metropolitan area, she is distinguished by her expertise in marketing management, music publishing administration, licensing, and project management.
As a Music Business Consultant and Royalty Collection Strategist at The Innovative People, Zulma has collaborated closely with prominent labels and publishers, enhancing operational efficiency and revenue growth through licensing negotiations, royalty collection, and process optimization for artists and publishers, including Brown Marble Music Publishing, Latin Nation Music, and Nabori Music Publishing.
With a background in Finance and additional studies in popular music and jazz, Zulma furthered her expertise in music licensing at Berklee College of Music. Throughout her career, she has crafted and executed media strategies and promotional campaigns for renowned artists like De La Ghetto, Prince Royce, Sie7e, Chosen Few, Ken-Y and J-King y Maximan among others. She has also managed international campaigns, overseeing everything from press conferences to digital marketing strategies, tailoring her services to each client’s unique needs.
Zulma has been instrumental in driving awareness campaigns and event promotions, such as the 50th Anniversary of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Successful music releases such as Ken-Y “The King of Romance”, De La Ghetto’s “Loco Por Perrearte Remix” and latest single release “AMI Paris”. She excels in digital distribution strategies, event coordination, and media outreach, providing customized public relations and distribution services. Her meticulous attention to detail and skill in managing various facets of the music business make her a pivotal figure in helping musicians and creatives navigate the complexities of the industry.
Andrea Paschal
President, CIMS
Andrea Paschal is the President of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), a co- founder of Record Store Day and ThinkIndie Distribution. She serves on the Record Store Day Board as well as the Music Biz Physical Business Action Committee.
Brian Pesaturo
Music Business Partnerships, Apple Music
Brian Pesaturo spent the last 15 years with Apple leading label partnerships, working intimately with the music industry to building strategic plans platforming artists we love across iTunes and Apple Music. His experience in the music industry dates back more than 25 years with a valuable stint at EMI Music focused on sales and distribution, the early days for mobile and digital strategy, and much more.
Jason Peterson
Founder, Owner & Chief Executive, GoDigital Media Group
Jason Peterson is the founder, owner, and Chief Executive of GoDigital Media Group (godigital.com) a diversified multi-national holding company that owns nine operating businesses across three verticals in media IP rights management: (i) music, (ii) video, and (iii) brands Peterson is an entrepreneur, attorney, and producer named as one of the ‘Top 50 Indie’, ‘Top 40 under 40’ and ‘Top Latin’ Power Players in music by Billboard; ‘Top 40 under 40’ in home entertainment by Media Play News; and as one of the ‘Top 30 entrepreneurs under 30’ by Los Angeles Business Journal.
Artists and repertoire Peterson has worked with include Janet Jackson, T.I., Master P, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Psy and Daddy Yankee. He has produced dozens of major music videos that have won “Video of the Year” at the Gospel Music Awards, MTV Latin Video Music Awards as well as “Best Directorial Debut” at the MVPA awards. Most recently he co-produced the video for Janet Jackson and Daddy Yankee’s “Made for Now”.
He currently or previously has provided leadership to the following boards and committees:
• American Association of Independent Music (A2iM): the trade group for American independent labels
• Association of Volleyball Professionals (the AVP): was a founding member of the Executive Advisory Board to the national professional sports league for beach volleyball
• City of Hope Hospital: Music, Film & Entertainment Board, which has raised over $130M for cancer research since 2000.
• MERLIN: the global collective bargaining organization for independent labels that represents 15% of the global market for recorded music and is roughly the size of Warner Music Group.
• OTT.x (formerly the Entertainment Merchants Association): representing the US home entertainment industry with a focus on the over-the-top eco-system.
• RD.x a joint venture between IFPI, WIN, and PPL in the UK building a global repertoire database for music licensing collectives.
• Stanford Disruptive Technologies Council: A part of the engineering school that collaborates with technology leaders around the world on the future of tech enabled services.
• The Recording Academy Government Advocacy Committee
• USC Business Cinematic-Arts Program Advisory Board responsible for career development and curriculum feedback
• World Independent Network (WIN): representing and advocating for the global independent recorded music community
Laura Provenzano
SVP Purchasing & Marketing, Alliance Entertainment
Laura Provenzano is the Senior Vice President of Purchasing & Marketing for Alliance Entertainment, the music industry’s largest wholesaler of physical media. She oversees and works with numerous distribution partners and labels to provide fulfillment and related services to thousands of retail partners, from Independent Retail to E-commerce to Big Box retail. She advocates on behalf of AEC’s retail partners to the trade in bringing physical products to market as effectively, efficiently, and securely as possible.
Laura is a lifelong music junkie, and began her career while on a break from the University of Alabama to work for the independent music retailer, Peaches. She went on to become a Buyer for Jerry Bassin Distributors, then a Field Sales Rep for PolyGram Distribution (now Universal Music), finally returning to Alliance where she has been for almost 25 years. Over that time, Laura has been an integral part of the team that helped Jerry Bassin grow from a regional one stop to the preeminent wholesale distributor of physical media in the United States. She specializes in supply chain, data and inventory management, relationship management, and negotiation and administration of trade support programs. She is also responsible for identifying opportunities and strategic initiatives to facilitate the growth of physical music, and has helped numerous content partners navigate the complex retail distribution world to achieve success.
Devan Schulte
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications, Sony Music
Devan Schulte is Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Sony Music Entertainment (SME). Based in New York, Schulte oversees comprehensive communications strategies for several business units, including SME’s Commercial Music Group, the company’s film & TV division Sony Music Vision, and the global podcast division. She develops and executes custom PR campaigns for tentpole artist and creator projects, manages executive communications and oversees the company’s strategic presence at key industry events, speaking engagements and awards shows.
Prior to joining Sony Music, Schulte worked in publicity at NBC Sports where she developed, coordinated and executed media outreach strategies for NBC Sports Group properties including NBC Olympics, NBC Sports Digital, NFL, Premier League, Triple Crown Horse Racing and more. She also worked in Corporate Communications at NBCUniversal, supporting the advertising sales business. She began her career as a NBCUniversal Page after graduating from Bucknell University.
Jeff Stoltz
SVP of Commercial Partnerships, Universal Music Group
Jeff Stoltz leads the US Commercial Partnerships team for Universal Music Group. In his role he oversees and supports digital, physical, social and new business partners as well as central commercial administration. In his 22 years with UMG he’s held multiple leadership roles in the organization including Mercury Nashville, Lost Highway, Universal Music Group Nashville, and Verve Music Group. He began his career in music retail while attending the University of Arizona. Jeff is a current member of the Scholarship Committee and has previously served on the Music Business Association Board of Directors, and looks forward to serving the organization as it continues to grow and provide leadership to the Industry.
Timothy Trudeau
Founder & CEO, Syntax Creative
Timothy J. Trudeau began his professional journey in the music business in 1997. Since then, he has produced for GRAMMY-nominated artists, designed Stellar-nominated album art, released Dove-nominated albums on his own record label, and became a distribution executive with clients who’ve won all three. As the CEO of Syntax Creative — a digital distribution and marketing company boasting the exclusive worldwide rights to over 70,000 songs — he has the pleasure of working with more than 150 record labels and countless talented artists. He has also negotiated direct deals with the largest companies in the world, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Facebook. Trudeau’s ability to adapt and predict trends has led to him being cited by CNN, Washington Post, ABC News, People, US News & World Report, Business Insider, Billboard, Yahoo News, and NPR. As a sought-after thought leader, he has spoken at conferences such as Music Biz, Americana Music Festival, Urban Network, Long Beach Film Festival, GMA’s Immerse, Flavor Fest, Legacy Conference, San Diego Music Thing, and All Eyes On Me.
Kelsey Tubbs
Director of Artist Merchandise & Physical Music, Amazon Music
Kelsey Tubbs is the Director of Artist Merchandise and Physical Music at Amazon Music. In this role, Kelsey leads a team overseeing the strategy, technical product management, marketing, and business development for Amazon Music’s merchandise, physical media, and vinyl offerings.
Prior to her current role, Kelsey has held a variety of leadership roles during her decade-plus long tenure at Amazon, including General Manager and Category Leader at Amazon Fashion, Chief of Staff and Technical Advisor to the President of Amazon Fashion, and several other positions across retail management, product management, and business operations. Kelsey also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Seattle chapter of the Women@Amazon board, a global affinity group for women, non-binary employees, and allies committed to increasing gender diversity at the company.
David Wolfe
Co-Owner, The Vinyl Groove
David Wolfe is the co-owner of The Vinyl Groove, an eclectic record store based in Bedford, a suburb of Cleveland, OH. Wolfe’s love for vinyl began when he acquired his parents’ eclectic record collection at age 8, and became a passion he would share with the public upon opening The Vinyl Groove in 2014. Since then, the shop has served the community as a hub for music, literature and stereo equipment repair. Alongside his business partner and wife, Cecilia, Wolfe gives back to the community through donations, supplies and volunteer work.
