Music Biz 2018 Conference Brings All Corners of the Industry to Nashville May 14-17 to Explore the Future of Music on 60th Anniversary of Music Business Association
More than 300 speakers, including keynotes from Pandora’s Roger Lynch
with Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman, Scooter Braun with Hilary Rosen,
and Republic Records’ Wendy Goldstein with Manager Beka Tischker
and Billboard’s Melinda Newman
Award presentations honoring Ed Sheeran, Nile Rodgers, Julia Michaels,
RIAA’s Cary Sherman with live performance from Kelsea Ballerini,
Dimple Records’ Radakovitz Family, and hit song ‘Despacito’;
Colin Hanks to induct Tower Records’ Russ Solomon
as first member of Music Business Hall of Fame
Top sessions include new programs #NEXTGEN_NOW, Podcasting: Licensing and Monetizing
This New Success, Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit, and Sync It!
Plus, returning favorites including Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out, Digital Service
Workshops, Metadata Summit, GLAAD partner panel, Brands & Strategic Partnerships
Summit, Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, and Career Development Workshops
May 3, 2018 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will celebrate its 60th anniversary at this year’s annual Music Biz 2018 conference, which will be held in Nashville from May 14-17 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Also in its 60th year, the conference is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business, as well as music creatives a place to discuss their craft and learn more about the legal, metadata, financial, and other matters that impact their royalties. The well-rounded program, which will feature more than 300 speakers, provides a unique opportunity for the full breadth of the industry — from major and independent labels to artists, songwriters, managers, publishers, digital music services, record stores, entrepreneurs, startups, students, and educators — to gather in one place, discuss and plot solutions to major business problems, and connect today’s top executives with those who will carry the industry forward.
“Our 2017 conference in Nashville was our biggest in over 15 years with more than 2,000 attendees; we’re excited to carry that momentum into our 60th anniversary event,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “Music Biz 2018 will honor our past with our first-ever Music Business Hall of Fame induction as well as returning sessions that address the issues of today — including Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out and our GLAAD partnership ‘Trendspotting: The Power of Queer Storytelling in Song.’ We’ll also pave the way forward to another 60 years of music with our debut ‘#NEXTGEN_NOW’ panel, Financial Literacy Summit, and Sync It! program, along with a variety of student programming and our annual Career Opportunities for Students event.”
The program will be headlined by Featured Presentations keynoted by Pandora’s Roger Lynch, who will be joined by Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman and interviewed by Pandora’s Beville Dunkerley; Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award recipient Scooter Braun, who will be interviewed by noted Washington, DC, Strategist and women’s rights advocate Hilary Rosen; and Republic Records’ Wendy Goldstein, who will be joined by Beka Tischker, manager of Music Biz 2018 Breakthrough Artist Julia Michaels. The Association will also carry forward its tradition of honoring the past year’s most exceptional artists and executives at its Awards Luncheon (sponsored by BuzzAngle Music and TiVo) on May 17, with presentations recognizing Ed Sheeran (Artist of the Year), Nile Rodgers (Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement), Julia Michaels (Breakthrough Artist), hit song “Despacito” (Outstanding Achievement Award), and Scooter Braun (Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award), with acclaimed actor and director Colin Hanks then inducting late Tower Records founder Russ Solomon into the Music Business Hall of Fame. The business-focused Awards Breakfast & Presentations (sponsored by CMA) will be held May 16, with presentations honoring the RIAA’s Cary Sherman (Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement) and Dimple Records’ Radakovitz Family (Independent Spirit Award), followed by a live performance from Country star Kelsea Ballerini.
Music Biz 2018 will begin on Monday, May 14, with the latest Entertainment & Technology Law Conference. Sponsored by Dickinson Wright and Leavens, Strand & Glover, the event will feature an in-depth discussion of modern artist development, the recently introduced Music Modernization Act, collective management of rights, and trademark protection for bands.
Running concurrently will be this year’s Career Development Workshops, which will provide music business students and young professionals with valuable guidance on breaking into the industry. It will be headlined by a keynote from Seth England of Big Loud, which has signed major artists Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane, and end with a live broadcast of William Paterson University’s Music Biz 101 & More podcast. Students can also apply to attend Music Biz’s annual Career Opportunities for Students event on May 16-17, where they will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from 15 top companies for potential internships and jobs, including 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, and Warner Music Group.
Also on May 14, Music Biz will bring together Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube for a second round of Digital Service Workshops. These closed sessions will teach attendees how to leverage the tools and products that these companies offer to maximize value for artists, labels, managers, creators, and the industry at large. Advance sign-up is required for the Apple Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube workshops; seating will be limited. In the afternoon, Lyric Financial will power the first-ever Financial Literacy Summit, which 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. Topics will include artists as business owners, new business models, a team approach to the new music economy, making money as a musician, and banking in Nashville.
Concurrently with the Financial Literacy Summit will be the “Podcasting: Licensing and Monetizing This New Success“ program, which will be headlined by a keynote from Tom Webster of Edison Research. Panels will feature successful podcasters sharing their stories — including Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett of the Walking the Floor podcast alongside Sheena Barnet and Savannah Faircloth of Elvis Presley Enterprises — and cover music licensing for podcasts and how to bring in revenue with a podcast.
Tuesday, May 15, will kick off with the brand new “#NEXTGEN_NOW: Young Voices Rewriting the Rules“ panel. The event will shine a light on the stories of a group of music executives — all under 30 years old — who are making waves in the industry and have come to represent the next generation’s already growing influence. They include moderator Cherie Hu, Contributing Writer/Editor at Billboard/Forbes, and panelists Jackie Augustus, Head of Digital Marketing at Scooter Braun’s SB Projects; Devin Dawson, a Country singer/songwriter signed to Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic Records; Amber Grimes, Manager of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify; Phil Quist, an Agent at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA); and Anna Weisband, Vice President at THiS Music/Warner Chappell.
Tuesday morning will also be home to the sixth annual Metadata Summit. Sponsored by OpenPlay along with supporting sponsors DataArt, primephonic, SOCAN, SoundExchange, and VEVA Sound, this year’s Summit will kick off with a presentation from Edward Ginis of OpenPlay, who will explain why metadata must evolve beyond artist, genre, and title to enable the music technology of tomorrow. In addition, global metadata issues will take center stage in a series of presentations.
Songtrust will then power this year’s Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum, which will address artist and streaming income, the artist-label relationship in the digital era, and how independent labels or artists can successfully manage releases. Molly Neuman and Jason Cerf of Songtrust will also provide a two-part crash course in how to use the service.
The day will end with this year’s Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out program, powered by Nielsen Music. It will be headlined by a keynote interview with Republic Records’ Wendy Goldstein and Beka Tischker, manager of Music Biz 2018 Breakthrough Artist Julia Michaels, that will be conducted by Billboard’s Melinda Newman. Nielsen Music’s Erin Crawford will kick off the event by sharing exclusive insights and analytics on the growing influence of female fans in today’s music industry. It will wrap with a panel — led by Marcie Allen of MAC Presents and featuring Marlene Tsuchii of CAA and Janet Weir of 42 Entertainment/Red Light Management, manager of Maren Morris — addressing the challenges faced by women in music in 2018 and how to open up new opportunities for women.
After beginning with this year’s Awards Breakfast & Presentations, sponsored by the CMA, Wednesday’s program will continue with an eye toward music education with the Music Business Educators’ Meetup. Topics to be covered include creating experiential opportunities in academics, preparing students for today’s music industry, what employers are looking for in new hires, and UCLA’s Creating Your Creative Career course.
The first-ever Sync It! program will follow with a series of panels focused on music syncs in TV, film, commercials and more. Concurrently, the Brands & Strategic Partnerships Summit will provide insight into innovative new brand partnerships, the future of brand-artist partnerships, and how data can impact these deals. Mike Fuller of Durango will also sit down with John Zarling of Sony Music Nashville and moderator Paul Jankowski to discuss an integrated partnership negotiated between Durango and Country star Tyler Farr.
Wednesday’s programming will come to a close with a Featured Presentation keynoted by Pandora’s Roger Lynch, who will share 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. He will be joined by Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman and interviewed by Pandora’s Beville Dunkerley, who will drill into how increased music streaming is impacting music labels, how it will benefit emerging artists, and how it is influencing the future of Country.
The conference will continue on Thursday with the centerpiece Awards Luncheon, sponsored by BuzzAngle Music and TiVo, and a variety of breakout sessions throughout the morning and afternoon.
Registration for Music Biz 2018 remains open at musicbiz2018.eventbrite.com. In addition to company pricing, special rates are available for individual professionals ($449 for Music Biz members and $599 for non-members), educators ($399 for Music Biz members and $449 for non-members), students ($169 for Music Biz members and $219 for non-members), and first-time independents, individuals, or startups ($299). For more information on Music Biz 2018, visit www.musicbiz2018.com.
Music Biz 2018 Schedule
Monday, May 14
9 AM – 1 PM
Entertainment & Technology Law Conference
● The Modern Approach to Artist Development: From Self Release to Major Label and Everywhere In-Between
● The Music Modernization Act: How Does It Affect You?
● Collective Management of Rights: Do We Need More or Less?
● Bands and Brands: Trademark Protection in the Music Business
9 AM – 1 PM
Career Development Workshops
● From Farm To FGL: The Story of Seth England, Serial Entrepreneur
● You Don’t Have to Wait Until Graduation to Work in the Music Industry
● Team Building — The Five Pillars of the Music Business
● Building Your Marketing Toolbox: Getting Ready For a Career in the Music Industry
● Only One Goal: Capture Your Community
● Music Biz 101 & More: Live In Nashville!
10 AM – 6 PM
Digital Service Workshops
● Product Innovation at Pandora: Listeners, Advertisers & the Industry
● Apple Music Workshop [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
● Creating a Home for Music on YouTube [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
● Getting the Most Out of Spotify [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
● Be First with SoundCloud [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
● Amazon Music Workshop: Curate Your Day with Voice
2 PM – 6 PM
Music & Money: Financial Literacy Summit powered by Lyric Financial
● Financial Literacy Summit Welcome from Founder and CEO of Lyric Financial, Eli Ball
● Empires Of Their Own: Artists As Business Owners
● New World Order: New Business Models
● The New Music Economy: A Collaborative Team Approach
● Make Music, Make Money
● Banking The Nashville Way
2 PM – 6 PM
Podcasting: Licensing And Monetizing This New Success
● Podcasting Summit Keynote
● View from the Top — Successful Podcasters Tell Their Stories
● Podcast Licensing — How Podcasts and Music Can Get Along
● Share of Wallet — Money and Podcasts
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
The Other Nashville Society (TONS) Mixer
9:30 PM
Late Nite with UMG Nashville & CCMG
Tuesday, May 15
9 AM – 10 AM
#NEXTGEN_NOW: Young Voices Rewriting The Rules
9 AM – 3:30 PM
Metadata Summit
● Welcome & Acronym Update
● Your Metadata S#*ks!
● Rejected! The Most Common Errors
● Music Data Exchange: Linking Recordings and Compositions
● Battle of the Blockchain
● The Unsung K-Pop Star: Music Metadata
● So, You’re Licensed Into China … Now What?
● From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Using and Abusing Metadata in Australia
● My Song, My Money… Why Metadata?
● From Studio to Smartphone
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum powered by Songtrust
● Indie Artist & Songwriter Forum Welcome & Songtrust 101
● Artistry and Streaming Income: Q&A with Paul Cardall
● Songtrust 101 – Part 2
● Who Needs You Anyway? Reinventing the Artist-Label Relationship in the Digital Era
● Successfully Managing Your Releases: Best Practices and Obligations for the Independent Label or Artist
4 PM – 6 PM
Featured Presentation: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out powered by Nielsen Music
● The Power of She: Unlocking the Value of Female Fans
● Executive Keynote: Republic’s Wendy Goldstein with Manager Beka Tischker
● Featured Panel: Respecting The Women of Yesterday and Helping The Women Of Tomorrow
6 PM – 7 PM
WEA Cocktail Party
7 PM – 9 PM
Sync It!
● The Hit Makers Songwriting Challenge, powered By The Hit Makers Session [FURTHER SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
7 PM – 9 PM
Women Who Rock presented by Women in Music & Amazon Music [FURTHER RSVP REQUIRED]
Breakout Sessions
● Beyond the Buzzwords: How Digital Has Taken Over Your Marketing Plan
● The Changing Environment in Music Licensing
● A Star Wars Story: What Artists Can Learn From Epic Mistakes
● The Landscape of the Music Industry In the U.S. and Across the World
● Clearing Rights and Properly Monetizing UGC
● The Changing Landscape in the Publishing World
● Connected: Home and Car
● Head Full of Streams
● Import/Export: Marketing International Content in the U.S.
● Merlin’s 10th Anniversary: Indies Leading The Global Digital Business
● New Age of CRM
● The Country Consumer: The Next Phase of Streaming Growth
● The Post-Catalogue Era: How Streaming Is Resetting the Recorded Industry’s Business Model
● New Possibilities for Premium Subscription Services
● Shining A Light On The Black Box: Best Practices For Reducing Unclaimed Royalties
● Consumer Trends: U.S. and Beyond
● Music & Advertising: Flip That $#!t
● Music Biz Consumer Insights: The Uses, Applications & Challenges of Data in Music
● Tribes and Niche Music Culture
Wednesday, May 16
8:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Awards Breakfast & Presentations sponsored by Country Music Association (CMA)
● President’s Address: Music Biz President James Donio
● Chairman’s Message: Fred Beteille of Facebook
● Announcement of Scholarship Foundation Class of 2018: Steve Harkins of Baker & Taylor
● Introduction of 2018-2019 Music Biz Board of Directors
● Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement: Cary Sherman of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
● Independent Spirit Award: Radakovitz Family of Dimple Records
● Live performance from Kelsea Ballerini
11 AM – 1 PM
Music Business Educators’ Meetup
● Learning Music Entrepreneurship by Doing: How to Create Experiential Opportunities in an Academic Setting
● Skill Set Is King! How Prepared Are Students For Today’s Music Industry?
● Education vs. Experience: What Are Employers Really Looking For?
● Supercharge Student Career Superpowers
1 PM – 3:30 PM
Sync It!
● Sync It! Welcome
● Scoring Live to Picture
● Music and Money in Sync: The Many Paths to Success
● Fireside Chat: Scoring Super Bowl Sync
● Sound Design Live, Watch Us Recreate Video Game Sounds
● Beyond the Sync: A New Era of Music Licensing for Film, TV and Podcasts
1 PM – 3:30 PM
Brands & Strategic Partnerships Summit
● Branding, A Case Study: Durango and Tyler Farr
● Beyond the Basics: Innovation in Brand Partnerships
● The Future of Brand-Artist Partnerships
● Data, Brands and Music
5 PM – 6 PM
Featured Presentation: Pandora CEO Roger Lynch — Pandora Predicts the Future of Streaming
6 PM – 7 PM
Cocktail Reception sponsored by Pandora
7 PM – 9 PM
Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) Mixer
Breakout Sessions
● The Billboard Hot 100 Turns 60
● Will Tech Save The Music Rights Industry?
● The Future Of Music Credits
● The Video-ization of Music
● IoT + Rights: The Right(s) Attribution to Rights Monetization
● The Business of Merch: Fundamentals & Strategies to Make Music Merchandise Work for You
● Bundling as a Music Distribution Strategy
● Every Artist Needs A Ninja: Building Your Team
● A Million Ain’t What It Used to Be
● BuzzAngle and CAA: Using Data and Analytics To Optimize Tour Routing
● Interactive Tracks — The New Immersive Music Experience
● Money on the Table: Trends in Copyright & Music Publishing Acquisitions
● Rhino 40th: From Novelty Label to Reissue Curators
Thursday, May 17
9 AM – 10:30 AM
TRENDSPOTTING: The Power of Queer Storytelling in Song
12 PM – 2:30 PM
Awards Luncheon sponsored by BuzzAngle Music & TiVo; Keynote Conversation with Humanitarian Award Recipient Scooter Braun
● Breakthrough Artist Award: Julia Michaels
● Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement: Nile Rodgers
● Outstanding Achievement Award: “Despacito”
● Artist of the Year: Ed Sheeran
● Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award: Scooter Braun
● Keynote Interview: Scooter Braun with Hilary Rosen
● Music Business Hall of Fame: Colin Hanks inducts Russ Solomon of Tower Records
6 PM – 9:30 PM
WHO KNEW [FURTHER RSVP REQUIRED]
Breakout Sessions
● Creative Partnerships: Making an Impact Without Breaking the Bank
● The Power of Being Independent in 2018 presented by A2IM
● Record Store Day Town Hall
● Paths To Playlists
● Hit Song Moneyball: Using Songwriting Data to Make Strategic Decisions
● Manager’s Panel
● The Gospel Truth Behind Christian Music’s Influence and Trends
● Do You Really Want to Leave Your Ex-US Publishing Revenue on the Table?
● Marijuana, Money and Music: New Opportunities in Cannabis
● The Year of Gen Z: Insights from the Front Line with Today’s Youth Consumer
● Snack Chat
● Odyssey or Oracle: Is It the “Time of the Season” for VR?
● Publishing Data: How Creators Can Control Their Digital Destiny, Today and Tomorrow
● Are You Protected If Your Content Goes Viral?
● Marketing Music Thru Media: An Insider’s Perspective
About the Music Business Association
The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources, and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership. Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more. Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.
Music Biz Media Contacts
Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764
Bill Greenwood, Jaybird Communications — bill@jaybirdcom.com, 609.221.2374
