Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald to Keynote ‘Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out’ Session at Music Biz 2017 in Interview with NPR Music’s Ann Powers

Second annual event to be powered by Nielsen Music

February 23, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) has announced that Julie Greenwald, Chairman and COO of The Atlantic Records Group, will keynote the second annual Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out session, powered by Nielsen Music, on Tuesday, May 16 at 4 p.m. CT during the Music Biz 2017 convention at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville.

The event will kick off with a presentation from Erin Crawford, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Nielsen Music, the industry’s leading source of music data, insights and analytics. Nielsen Music powers the official Billboard charts and provides the most comprehensive data-driven solutions in the business.

Ann Powers of NPR Music will then chat with Greenwald, focusing on the event’s theme of “Creative Partnerships” with stories of how her keen and often maternal instincts have helped her to uniquely nurture the careers of major artists such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Christina Perri, Janelle Monáe, Twenty One Pilots, Sturgill Simpson, Coldplay, Paramore, Rob Thomas, James Blunt, Jason Mraz, Death Cab for Cutie, Fun, Trey Songz, Flo Rida, and Wiz Khalifa. The conversation will also illuminate how she achieved her success in a male-dominated business, as well as her views and approach on the many issues around work/life balance.

“Julie is a true music industry innovator, and has always remained on top of the latest trends and taken advantage of technological advances to rebuild two of the most iconic brands in music: Atlantic Records and previously Island Records,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “She is the perfect keynoter for Music’s Leading Ladies, which we are thrilled to bring back for a second year after the overwhelming response to our debut outing last year. We look forward to hearing Julie’s insights that we know will inform, entertain, and inspire our the audience.”

Last year’s inaugural Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out session featured Vivien Lewit of YouTube, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and songwriters the Love Junkies, who wrote Little Big Town’s smash “Girl Crush.”

Greenwald began her music career in 1992 at Def Jam Records, eventually being named head of the Island Def Jam Music Group’s marketing department after their merger with the Universal Music Group in 1998. Four years later, in 2002, she was named President of Island Records/EVP of the Island Def Jam Music Group, becoming one of only three women holding that title at a major record label. She moved to Atlantic Records in 2004, where she teamed with Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman to re-architect the company from the ground up, reaching industry-leading status through the reinvention of the label as a game-changing, music-driven company with a passionate devotion to long-term artist development. The strategy paid off, with Atlantic Records becoming the first label to earn more than half of its total music sales from digital releases. Greenwald’s accomplishments have earned her five #1 placements on Billboard’s “Women in Music/Power Players” list, and she has also been featured as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power 100 Women in Entertainment,” Forbes’ “Power Women to Watch,” and Newsweek’s “Women in Leadership” roster.

Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15-18, 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. This year’s event will cover topics including Touring, Live Streaming, Vinyl, Messaging, International, D2F, Crowdfunding, Tweens & Tech, e-Commerce, Playlisting, A&R, Social Media, Licensing, Publishing, Hi-Res, VR, Management, and Professional Development and feature keynotes from Troy Carter, Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify; Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams, both Music Agents at Creative Artists Agency (CAA); and more to be announced. Returning favorite sessions will include the Metadata Summit, Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, and Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, as well as an encore for Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out and various special interest programs and breakout sessions.

In addition, the convention will include a variety of Live Music Showcases, including the second annual Industry Jam, in which music business execs join big-name musicians onstage for an evening of live music. Music Biz will also present Breakthrough Artist Awards to Maren Morris and Lukas Graham; the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to Mike Dungan, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville, and the Independent Spirit Award to Terry Currier, Owner of the iconic Portland, OR-based record store Music Millennium. Additional award recipients will be announced in the coming weeks. Discounted early bird registration is now open at www.musicbiz2017.com, and for a full list of currently confirmed programming, visit https://musicbiz2017.sched.org.

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 Contact

Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764