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Music Biz 2016 Welcomes Top Female Execs and Artists for First-Ever ‘Music’s Leading Ladies’ Event May 16 in Nashville

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Mary Wilson of The Supremes, GRAMMY-winning songwriters the Love Junkies, Vivien Lewit of YouTube & Google Play, and more to address attendees

March 21, 2016 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is proud to host the first-ever “Finding Your Voice: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out” event on Monday, May 16, from 3:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the Music Biz 2016 convention at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The session will feature some of the music industry’s most influential female executives as well as legendary Supremes co-founder and vocalist Mary Wilson and songwriting trio the Love Junkies (Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose), who won a GRAMMY Award this year for “Girl Crush” recorded by Little Big Town, who are set to receive the Music Biz 2016 Artist of the Year Award. These female luminaries will explore the successes and struggles of their careers and provide insight and inspiration for how women can reach even greater heights in the future.

The event will kick off with a keynote interview with Vivien Lewit, Director of Content Partnerships and Global Head of Artist Relations for YouTube and Google Play, conducted by music industry veteran Cindy Charles. A panel of top female executives who sit on the Music Biz Board of Directors – including Candace Berry of Universal Music Group, Kelly Rich of Big Machine Label Group, Christina Calio of Microsoft, Amy Dietz of INgrooves Music Group, and Dilyn Radakovitz of Dimple Records – will then discuss their journey through the music business and how it affects their everyday lives with moderator Debbie Newman. Finally, entertainment attorney and musician Judy Tint will sit down with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mary Wilson and GRAMMY winners the Love Junkies to discuss how female creators navigate their way through the business, from “back in the day” to the present day and beyond.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate some formidable women in the music industry and help to inspire those looking to break into the biz with a forum to share ideas and discuss ways to overcome and eliminate inequality,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “It is amazing to see more and more women rising to positions of power and being recognized. We hope this event will play a part in encouraging even more young women to make their mark in this business.”

Admission to “Finding Your Voice: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out” is included with a full Music Biz 2016 badge, which Music Biz members can purchase by clicking here. Passes for the “Leading Ladies” event only can be purchased via Eventbrite.

The full currently confirmed agenda for “Finding Your Voice: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out” can be found below. For updated info on sessions and speakers, click here.

3:45 – 4:15 PM
Fighter: How I Worked My Way Up the Music Industry Ladder
The event will kick off with a keynote interview with Vivien Lewit, Director of Content Partnerships and Global Head of Artist Relations for YouTube and Google Play, conducted by music industry veteran Cindy Charles.

  • Interviewer: Cindy Charles, Amazon
  • Vivien Lewit, YouTube and Google Play

4:20 – 5:10 PM
Independent Women: The Life of a High-Powered Female Music Exec
Hear from a panel of successful women — all of whom fill seats on the Music Biz Board of Directors — about their lives and experiences in the music business. Topics will explore what led them into the music business, the challenges these women experienced early in their careers, how they became comfortable with technology, what it’s like managing teams of people (including men), and how they balance life and work in their demanding schedules.

  • Moderator: Debbie Newman, MusicStrat
  • Candace Berry, Universal Music Group
  • Christina Calio, Microsoft
  • Amy Dietz, INgrooves Music Group
  • Dilyn Radakovitz, Dimple Records
  • Kelly Rich, Big Machine Label Group

5:15 – 6 PM
How to Earn Respect as a Female Creator
Entertainment attorney and musician Judy Tint will sit down with legendary Supremes co-founder and vocalist Mary Wilson and songwriting trio the Love Junkies, who won a GRAMMY Award this year for “Girl Crush” recorded by Little Big Town, to discuss how female creators navigate their way through the business, from “back in the day” to the present day and beyond.

  • Interviewer: Judy Tint
  • Mary Wilson, The Supremes
  • Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose of the Love Junkies

Music Biz 2016, which will return to Nashville from May 16-18, 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. Registration is open now. For more information or to sign up for the conference, visit www.musicbiz2016.com.