Music Biz 2017 Gathers Who’s Who of Industry Thought Leaders and Buzzworthy Up-and-Comers May 15-18 in Nashville to Explore the Current and Future Music Business

More than 250 speakers, with keynotes from Spotify’s Troy Carter, Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald with Kelly Clarkson, CAA’s Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams,

Cracker Barrel’s Don Hoffman, Universal’s Barak Moffitt, A2IM’s Richard Burgess, and more

Awards presentations to honor Adele, Maren Morris, Lukas Graham, Reba McEntire, Paula Abdul, ‘Hamilton’ Original Cast Recording and ‘Hamilton Mixtape’ albums, UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan, and Music Millennium’s Terry Currier

Top sessions include Digital Service Workshops, Fifth Annual Metadata Summit, Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out, Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, Country Music’s Gone Global, Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, Indie Music Forum, and Career Development Workshops

Live performances from Little Big Town, songwriters Rhett Akins and Rivers Rutherford, and all-star Industry Jam 2 lineup

May 1, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will bring its flagship annual event, Music Biz 2017, back to Nashville for a third straight year May 15-18 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. As the music industry’s premier confab for nearly 60 years, Music Biz 2017 is a must-attend event for music streaming services, retailers, record labels, tech companies, publishers, artists, songwriters, managers, startups, brands, music educators, and representatives from all other facets of the industry. The all-inclusive program, which includes more than 250 speakers, features events geared to all facets of the music business, from students to independent artists to startup founders to senior executives. This provides a unique opportunity for everyone in the industry, regardless of age or experience, to meet, mingle, and share ideas on how best to bring the business into the future.

“Last year’s event in Nashville was a major success for the Association, with over 1,500 attendees and a 15% jump from our inaugural visit to Music City in 2015,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “This year, we’re excited to see that such a significant number of our attendees are newcomers, indicating that our strong, multi-faceted agenda packed with top-line keynotes, star-studded awards events, information-rich workshops, and much, much more is resonating in the industry and convincing even more people to check it out. We’re looking forward to another incredible year.”

The program will be headlined by keynote presentations from Spotify’s Troy Carter; Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald, who will be joined by GRAMMY Award-winning superstar Kelly Clarkson; Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams; Cracker Barrel’s Don Hoffman; Universal Music Group’s Barak Moffitt; A2IM’s Richard Burgess; and rapper/singer-songwriter SaulPaul. The Association will also continue its tradition of honoring the past year’s top artists and executives with the annual Awards Luncheon (sponsored by BuzzAngle Music) on May 18, with presentations recognizing the ground-breaking achievements of Adele (Artist of the Year), Maren Morris (Breakthrough Artist), Lukas Graham (Breakthrough Artist), Reba McEntire (Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement), Paula Abdul (Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award), and the Hamilton Original Cast Recording and Hamilton Mixtape albums (Outstanding Achievement Award). The business-focused Awards Breakfast & Presentations (sponsored by the Country Music Association) will be held May 17, with presentations honoring Universal Music Group Nashville’s Mike Dungan (Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement) and Music Millennium’s Terry Currier (Independent Spirit Award) as well as a live performance from Music Biz 2016 Artist of the Year Little Big Town.

Music Biz has also brought together Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube and Google Play Music in one place for an unprecedented information-packed day of Digital Service Workshops on May 15. Attendees in these closed sessions will learn 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, Spotify, and YouTube and Google Play Music workshops; seating will be limited.

The Workshops will run concurrently with the Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, a returning favorite session including panelists U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn and the new CEO of DiMA, Chris Harrison, covering hot-button legal topics including evaluating record deals, the impact of the DMCA on digital music providers, the effect of President Trump’s policies on the music world, copyright reclamation laws, and an examination of the biggest changes in copyright law over the last year.

The day will conclude with Industry Jam 2, the second annual live performance spectacular featuring prominent musicians and industry executives with all proceeds benefiting the Music Biz Scholarship Foundation. In addition to a reunion of the original Alice Cooper band, the event will feature tributes to Emerson Lake & Palmer, the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the 50th anniversary of The Doors’ self-titled debut album, Joe Cocker’s partnership with Leon Russell, Chicago, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and former Music Biz Treasurer John Trickett, who passed away last year. Special award presentations will honor the Alice Cooper band, Glen Campbell, and renowned artist manager Toby Mamis, and the night will also feature performances from the Nashville Symphony Quartet with Musical Director Giancarlo Guerrero, Country star Mark Collie, and The Fisk Jubilee Singers.

The second day will begin with the Fifth Annual Metadata Summit, the definitive gathering of the metadata community, headlined by a keynote from Universal Music Group’s Barak Moffitt and featuring updates on global information infrastructure initiatives such as ISRC, DDEX, ISNI, and OMI. The Summit will also tackle major metadata-related issues such as global songwriting royalty collection, proper implementation of standards, and programmatic techniques for predictive metadata.

The Summit will run concurrently with a series of Career Development Workshops that will begin with a keynote from “Musician with a Message” SaulPaul, after which representatives from Atlantic Records; Borman Entertainment; EVAmore; Event Escrow; Maverick Management; The Recording Academy; Sony/ATV; William Morris Endeavor (WME); universities including Full Sail University, Middle Tennessee State University, The University of Memphis, Monmouth University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and William Paterson University; and more will discuss careers in music, resources for entrepreneurs, networking, job interviews, and other skills necessary to get a foot in the door of the music industry.

The day will be rounded out with the second annual Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out event (powered by Nielsen Music), featuring a keynote conversation with Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald and NPR Music’s Ann Powers, with superstar artist Kelly Clarkson to join them. The event will kick off with a presentation from Nielsen Music’s Erin Crawford sharing exclusive insights on the ever-evolving marketability of female artists.

Wednesday’s programming will begin with the Awards Breakfast & Presentations (sponsored by CMA), which will include a live performance from Little Big Town, the President’s Address from Music Biz President James Donio, the Chairman’s Message from Music Biz Chairman Fred Beteille of Facebook, the announcement of the Scholarship Foundation Class of 2017, the introduction of the 2017-2018 Music Biz Board of Directors, and awards presentations to UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan and Music Millennium’s Terry Currier.

The Breakfast will be followed by this year’s Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, which will be headlined by “Telling a Story with Song and Fashion: The Story Behind Fair Child and Macy’s,” a panel featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town and Kelly Russell Jarrell of Sandbox Entertainment, moderated by Alix Kram of Warner Music Artist Services. They will discuss the process that went into pairing Fairchild’s clothing line, Fair Child, with Macy’s Department Stores. The Summit will close with a keynote presentation from Don Hoffman, Sr. VP of Marketing at Cracker Barrel, who will discuss the company’s innovative artist partnerships, the Cracker Barrel Music Spotlights series, and the recent GRAMMY- winning collaboration between Pentatonix and Dolly Parton on “Jolene,” which was powered by Cracker Barrel.

The first-ever Country Music’s Gone Global sessions will run concurrently with the Brand Summit, beginning with a presentation from the CMA, in which they will reveal international Country statistics and discuss their efforts to spread the genre throughout the world. CMA will then share their strategy for developing the ‘Forever Country’ campaign, with Universal Music Group Nashville sharing how the campaign impacted the participating artists on a global level. A case study featuring representatives from Tim McGraw’s management company, EM.Co, will then detail the non-traditional release and marketing campaign behind McGraw’s hit single “Humble & Kind” and the multicultural movement that followed.

Finally, Virginia Davis, Founder and Managing Partner of G Major Management and manager of breakout star Thomas Rhett, will be joined by representatives from Big Machine Label Group, Live Nation UK, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) and moderator Phyllis Stark of Billboard to discuss the challenges and opportunities of going global and breaking Thomas Rhett on an international level.

Wednesday will end with a keynote conversation with Spotify’s Troy Carter conducted by The Tennessean’s Nate Rau, in which the two will discuss Spotify’s efforts to support artists. Carter will reveal specifics around how Spotify partners with and amplifies artist stories, helps artists better understand their listeners to more effectively grow and engage their fan base, and drives discovery to break artists and connect fans to music around the world.

Music Biz 2017’s career development programming continues on May 18 with Career Day, during which representatives from Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BMI, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), indiehitmaker, INgrooves Music Group, ole, SESAC, Songtrust, Sony Music Entertainment, SSA Music, Super D/Alliance Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and others will be on hand to meet with attendees, discuss job opportunities and internships, and help aspiring music business executives find their best path forward. Last year’s inaugural Career Day was a big success, with 65 students from 16 universities taking part in the interviews with 14 music-related companies. Attendees locked down jobs or internships with CAA, Redeye Distribution, and SESAC, just to name a few.

The annual Awards Luncheon (sponsored by BuzzAngle Music) will follow, honoring Adele, Maren Morris, Lukas Graham, Reba McEntire, Paula Abdul, and the Hamilton Original Cast Recording and Hamilton Mixtape albums.

Later in the day, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) will host the NSAI Songwriters in the Round live performance event, which will celebrate the organization’s 50-year anniversary. During the event, Country singer/songwriters Rhett Akins and Rivers Rutherford, who have written 34 chart-topping songs between them, will play some of their biggest hits and explain the stories behind them.

This year’s Indie Music Forum powered by Hypebot will then bring the convention’s program to a close, kicking off with a keynote conversation with Dr. Richard James Burgess, Ph.D., CEO of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), a trade organization representing a diverse group of over 400 independently owned American record labels. Burgess will share how his experiences as an artist, musician, producer, composer, manager, educator, inventor, and label executive inform his advocacy for independent labels and artists to interviewer Bruce Houghton, President of Skyline Music as well as Publisher and Editor of Hypebot. Other panels will provide independent artists with tips on how to stand out from the pack and explain the ins and outs of record contracts in 2017.

Registration for Music Biz 2017 remains open. In addition to company pricing, tickets for Music Biz 2017 can be purchased at special rates for individual professional members ($399); first-time artists, managers, songwriters, publishers, and startups ($249); educators ($259 for Music Biz members, $309 for non-members); and students ($129 for Music Biz members, $179 for non-members). A discounted rate of $249 is also available for first-time independent retail and label attendees. For more information or to register for Music Biz 2017, visit www.musicbiz2017.com.

Music Biz 2017 Schedule

Monday, May 15

9 AM – 6:15 PM

Digital Service Workshops

• Apple Music and iTunes Connect Workshop [SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
• Google Play and YouTube Music Workshop: Label Tools Overview [SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
• Working with Spotify’s Creator Services Team [SIGN-UP REQUIRED]
• Connecting and Engaging in the World of Pandora Premium
• Amazon Music Unlimited Workshop: How Voice Is Revolutionizing Music Discovery
• Amplify: SoundCloud for Creators

10 AM – 6 PM

Entertainment & Technology Law Conference

• Law Conference Opening Remarks
• The DMCA, YouTube & You: Charting the Future of Music Online
• Music Policies During the Trump Era
• Reclaim Your Copyright!
• Developments in Copyright: The Year in Review
• Weighing the Options: A Mock Negotiation Evaluating and Comparing Modern Record Deals

6 – 7PM

Music Biz Student Meetup: The Power of Networking

8 – 11PM

Industry Jam 2 [Separate ticket required; only $20 with all proceeds benefiting the Music Biz Scholarship Foundation. Admission is free for full-time music business students with proper ID. Click here to purchase tickets.]

Tuesday, May 16

8 – 9 AM

First-Time Attendee Meetup with Music Biz President James Donio

9 AM – 3:50 PM

Career Development Workshops

• Career Development Keynote: Dream in 3D by SaulPaul
• Careers in Music: A Survey of Jobs in a Fast-Changing Music Industry
• The Entrepreneur Mindset: Resources to Get You Started
• Kickstarting Your Music Biz Career
• Generation Next: Networking in the 21st Century
• Tell It Like It Is: Role Playing for Your Internship or First Job Interview
• Snack Chat

9AM – 3:50 PM

Breakout Sessions

• LIVE — Experience, Engagement & Economy
• Peak Vinyl? Lessons Learned & Strategies for Continued Growth
• Who Gets Paid for YOUR Music
• How Artists Are Using Data to Succeed in Business and Connect with Fans
• Rethink the Remix: Open-Sourcing and Crowd-Sourcing Derivative Works
• Fans, Consumers, Audience or Listeners: It’s All Rock ‘N’ Roll to Me
• How Niche Streaming Services Can Grow Your Profit Mix
• Using the Power of Direct-to-Fan Engagement to Build Artist Momentum & Fuel Success
• Beyond the 1%: Democratizing Music Industry Funding
• Fad vs. Future: Biggest Digital Trends Shaping the Music Industry

9 AM – 4 PM

Metadata Summit

• Metadata Summit Keynote: Barak Moffitt of Universal Music Group
• Acronym Salad Updates
• Hello vs. Hello: Collecting Global Songwriting Royalties
• NPREX: A New Paradigm in Music Licensing
• Some Day We’ll Find It: The Metadata, Playlist and Voice Search Connection
• Digimarc Barcode: State-of-the-Art Audio Watermarking
• Standards vs. Practices
• Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Errors: Programmatic Techniques for Predictive Metadata

2 – 3:50 PM

Music’s Global Explosion: A Look at Music Beyond Our Borders

• All the World’s a Stage: Marketing to International Live Music Fans
• The Changing Face of China’s Music Market
• Streaming in the Scandinavian Charts
• The Untapped Market: The Hispanic Music Consumer

4 – 6 PM

Featured Presentation: Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out powered by Nielsen Music

6 – 7 PM

WEA Cocktail Party

7 – 9 PM

Women in Music & Women in Digital Media’s 2nd Annual ‘Women Who Rock’ Mixer [RSVP REQUIRED]

Wednesday, May 17

8:30 – 10:30 AM

Awards Breakfast & Presentations sponsored by CMA

• President’s Address: Music Biz President James Donio
• Chairman’s Message: Fred Beteille of Facebook
• Announcement of Scholarship Foundation Class of 2017: Steve Harkins of Baker & Taylor
• Introduction of 2017-2018 Music Biz Board of Directors
• Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement: Mike Dungan of
  Universal Music Group Nashville
• Independent Spirit Award: Terry Currier of Music Millennium
• Live performance from Little Big Town

11 AM – 1 PM

Music Business Educators Meetup

• Student Preparedness: Straight Talk from the Industry
• Students as Creative Disruptors: Leveraging the Current Generation’s Talents & Values
• Tech Tools: Using Digital Tools for Teaching and Student/Industry Exploration

11 AM – 1 PM

Country Music’s Gone Global

• CMA Welcome & Forever Country: Multi-Artist, Multi-Label, Multi-Generational
• Marketing McGraw: How Staying ‘Humble & Kind’ Sparked a Movement
• Thomas Rhett: Breaking an International Act

11 AM – 3:55 PM

Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit

• TuneIn: Engage with Passionate Listeners
• Branded Artist Content: Its Value, Purpose and Potential
• The Superfan Experience: Treating Every Customer Like an Influencer
• Telling a Story with Song and Fashion: The Story Behind Fair Child and Macy’s
• Brand Partnerships That Sing: A Road Map to Creating Authentic Music Experiences
• Using Digital Firsts to Attract Big Brand $$$
• Closing Keynote: Cracker Barrel

11 AM – 6PM

Breakout Sessions

• LGBTQ in the Music Business: Where Is the Representation?
• Stream the Studio – The Next Wave in Subscription Music
• E-Commerce Marketing: Driving Connection & Revenue
• Cultivating Independence in Digital Operations & Intelligence
• The Engine Room Perspective: A Peek Under the Hood of Artist SMEs that Drive our Business
• Metadata Is Money: Understanding How Revenue Flows
• How to Build a Sound Streaming Strategy
• The New Face of A&R – How to Find Hits and What Happens Next
• Publishing & Songwriter Development in 2017
• The Record Store of the Future: Imagine What Could Be

4 – 5 PM

Featured Presentation: Keynote Conversation with Spotify’s Troy Carter

4:30 – 6 PM

Project Music Finale

6 – 7 PM

The Orchard’s 20th Anniversary Happy Hour

Thursday, May 18

8 – 9 AM

Networking Breakfast sponsored by UMG Nashville

9 – 10:30 AM

Record Store Day Town Hall

9 – 10:30 AM

Touring & Ticketing: The Setlist for Success

• Keynote: Booking & Breaking — The Art of Artist Development Through Touring
• Getting Tickets to Your True Fans – An Actionable Discussion

9 AM – 12 PM

Career Day Part 1

9 AM – 5:30 PM

Breakout Sessions

• Likes, Spikes & Snaps: Licensing for Social
• The Power of Music Videos: Artist Reach, Artist Discovery, & Consumer Engagement
• Be Your Own Publisher
• The Startup Deal: What Happens After You Sign?
• Catalog vs. New Release Album Sales Trends
• Are Consumers Keeping Up with Today’s Music Discovery Landscape?
• Investing, Incubation & Funding for Music Startups
• Fine Tuning the Engine: A Workshop for Artists, Managers & Students with Questions on Fine Tuning Artist SME’s
• VR: The New Frontier

12:30 – 2 PM

Awards Luncheon sponsored by BuzzAngle Music

• Breakthrough Artist Awards: Maren Morris and Lukas Graham
• Outstanding Achievement Award:
  Hamilton Original Cast Recording and Hamilton Mixtape albums
• Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award: Paula Abdul
• Artist of the Year Award: Adele
• Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement: Reba McEntire

2:30 – 3:30 PM

Featured Presentation: NSAI Songwriters in the Round

• Live performances from Rhett Akins and Rivers Rutherford

3:45 – 6 PM

Career Day Part 2

3:45 – 6 PM

Indie Music Forum powered by Hypebot

• Indie Music Forum Keynote: Richard Burgess, A2IM
• Authentic Artist Branding Bootcamp
• What’s Your Deal? Understanding Recording Agreements in 2017

6 – 7 PM

Cocktails & Conversation

7 – 9:30 PM

WHO KNEW [RSVP REQUIRED]

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