Angela Abbott
Sr. Manager, Business Affairs & Music Licensing, TIDAL
Angela leads TIDAL’s music licensing and is responsible for Major Label relations. Prior to TIDAL, she managed music licensing at Pandora and SiriusXM including expanding digital partnerships with labels. Based in Nashville, Angela is interested in giving back to the music community. Currently she is Global Partnerships and Development Co-Chair for Women In Music.
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.
Brandon Holman
VP of Marketing & Wellness, Guin Records
Co-Founder, Lazuli Collective
Brandon Holman is a seasoned marketing executive with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of tech, music, and popular culture. He has worked with major companies such as Snap, TikTok, and UnitedMasters, leading successful 360° marketing campaigns and building key strategic partnerships. Some of the notable artists he has worked with include Omar Apollo, Snoh Allegra, and Steve Lacy, among others. Brandon serves on the advisory board for the Music Business Association and is an active member of the Recording Academy’s LA Chapter Foundations Committee.
In addition to his work in marketing, Brandon is also an avid mental health and wellness advocate. He is a KRI certified Kundalini yoga teacher prioritizing well-being in the entertainment industry. Brandon is also the co-founder of The Lazuli Collective, an experiential wellness agency that delivers wellness and mental health programming to audiences around the world through events, music, and consulting, partnering with brands such as Calm, Nike, and The Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Brandon’s work has been featured in major publications such as Billboard and HITS Daily Double, showcasing his commitment to supporting artists, creatives, and executives in the entertainment industry.
Megan Joyce
SVP, Business & Legal Affairs, Big Machine Label Group
A 25-year veteran of the music industry, Megan has spent the past 16 years as an in-house business & legal affairs executive, serving in senior capacities at Atlantic Records, Warner Music Nashville, Roc Nation, Sony Music, and currently Big Machine, where she oversees business affairs for both recorded music and music publishing.
Joyce began her music career in sales and marketing at WEA in Los Angeles. Following law school, she served as an associate at a boutique entertainment law firm in New York City. She is a member of the Recording Academy and the Leadership Music Class of 2017.
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.
Alberto Lopez
Sr. Manager Licensing & Partnerships, ByteDance/TikTok
Alberto Lopez is Sr. Manager of Label Licensing & Partnerships at ByteDance/TikTok. In his role, he negotiates complex global licensing agreements with record labels for ByteDance’s products, drives commercial relationships with TikTok’s label partners, and heads the company’s recorded music licensing and partnerships for LATAM. Since joining TikTok in 2020, Alberto has been key in the negotiation and execution of TikTok global renewal deals with major labels, as well as supporting important artist initiatives including J Balvin’s performance of his album, “JOSE” (the #1 non-English single artist music event on TikTok’s history), and Rosalia’s debut livestream of her album, “MOTOMAMI,” which was the first TikTok production to both be nominated by the Recorded Academy and win company its first Cannes’ Lion.
Prior to joining TikTok, Lopez was the Assoc. Director of Global Digital Strategy and Partnerships for Universal Music Group (UMG). This role saw him leading cross-functional teams of lawyers & tech experts in sourcing, negotiating & closing global license deals with premier digital players; implementing company-wide business partnership communication & engagement toward UMG-owned and distributed labels; and supporting UMG board members in key interactions with then-shareholder, Vivendi.
Elliott Peters
General Counsel, EMPIRE
Elliott is a lawyer and seasoned digital media and technology executive with deep and varied global experience in digital content, licensing and technology transactions, securities and mergers and acquisitions and representing both major licensees and licensors.
As General Counsel for EMPIRE, Elliott works with the EMPIRE team to facilitate new digital distribution, promotional, investment, acquisitions and other business opportunities in support of EMPIRE’s world class roster of talent.
Prior to EMPIRE, he held senior leadership positions at SoundCloud, Rdio, Apple iTunes, and Warner Music Group, and also provided significant consulting services for several companies including Luminary Media (podcasting), Evil Genius Productions (RPG built on the Wizards of the Coast D&D platform featuring Cinematic Adventures based on iconic 80’s movies), and Laugh Radio (an online streaming service that focused on original and licensed comedy).
Elliott began his legal career practicing securities and mergers & acquisitions in the New York, London and Hong Kong offices of Shearman & Sterling.
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 Campbell Pittard
Global Marketing Director, Redeye
Laura Campbell Pittard serves as the Global Marketing Director for music distribution & services company, Redeye. In her role, she leads the development of marketing strategies for Redeye’s labels, artists and projects. She also spearheads the company’s email marketing outreach to retailers, placing emphasis on long-lead pre-order details for key releases and label-focused campaigns to bolster early support with accounts & drive sales. Through her work, Pittard has supported the growth of top artists in the independent music scene, and remains dedicated to informing Redeye’s label partners on the latest marketing trends in today’s ever-changing global marketplace. In her 11 years at Redeye, she has held several marketing roles including Strategic Promotions, Project Manager and Marketing Manager. Pittard was named a Billboard Indie Power Player in 2021, 2022, & 2023.
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.
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.