Music Business Association Confirms Music Biz 2025 Closing Keynote & Featured Conversations

Association also outlines newly confirmed agenda items for this year’s Conference

March 18th, 2025 — The Music Business Association (Music Biz) today shares details on the closing keynote and slate of special Featured Conversations across the four-day agenda of Music Biz 2025, taking place May 12th – 15th, 2025 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. 

This year’s closing keynote, “Tech for Transparency: How New AI Detection Tools Can Improve the Industry For All,” will headline the Conference’s final day on Thursday, May 15th and feature Deezer’s Chief Innovation Officer, Aurelien Herault in conversation with Music Biz President, Portia Sabin. The two will discuss Deezer’s cutting-edge AI music detection tool first implemented this past January, which discovered that about 10% of the content delivered to the service each day was AI-generated, and what implications this new tech may have on establishing a fairer global music ecosystem.

The Featured Conversations at Music Biz 2025 will begin on Tuesday, May 13th with the first-ever State Of The Industry Breakfast & Program. During this special event moderated by DiMA President & CEO, Graham Davies, leading music policy experts & advocates will discuss the most important issues affecting the music business’ present & future outlook, and how leaders should tackle these issues from both a policy and industry perspective. Later on Tuesday, the Publishing Summit will conclude with “The Publishing Revolution: Power, Ownership & The New Music Economy,” a special fireside chat conversation between GRAMMY-winning producer, Illmind and EMPIRE Publishing’s Vinny Kumar & Al McLean.

On Wednesday, May 14th, the Metadata, Technology & Rights Summit will open with “Attribution First: Solving the Core Challenge of AI in Music Through a Decade of Innovation,” an interview with Sureel.AI Founder, Dr. Tamay Aykut led by OpenPlay Co-Founder, Edward Ginis that will cover the reasons why attribution is the cornerstone ethically integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the music industry and ensuring artists are properly credited & compensated for their work. Also on Wednesday, Alex Heiche of Sound Royalties will sit down with Primary Wave Founder, Larry Mestel for “Investing in Music’s Future: Unlocking Value for Artists,” a special fireside chat that will open this year’s Music & Money program. Closing out Wednesday’s CMO Discussions & Cocktails program will be a special fireside chat with SACEM CEO, Cécile Rap-Veber, in which she will discuss her illustrious career and the ways she is leading SACEM to ensure music’s value is recognized in the digital age.

The Indie Label Summit on Thursday, May 15th will include “Indies and Majors: Building Bridges in a Changing Music Ecosystem,” a special conversation between ADA President, Cat Kreidich and Nettwerk Music Group President & COO, Simon Mortimer-Lamb moderated by Jorge Brea, CEO of Symphonic. These Featured Conversations will take place throughout a stacked four-day agenda that comprises all-new multi-panel sessions including New Tech Trends: Connecting with New Listeners Today, Tomorrow & Beyond, Humans of Music: Supporting the Needs of Our Industry’s Workforce, and Workflow Workshop: How We Do What We Do & How We Can Do It Better; returning fan-favorite programs including the Music Biz Roadshow for artists, Let’s Talk Physical and the Music Security Summit; and interactive roundtable discussions covering topics relevant to women’s leadership, music sync licensing & live/touring.

Wednesday, May 14th also marks the Fourth Annual Bizzy Awards Dinner, during which winners in its seven crowd-nominated categories will be crowned. Music Biz previously confirmed that Cindy Charles will posthumously receive its 2025 Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement, and that Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) will receive its 2025 Impact Award for Technological Excellence during this year’s Bizzy Awards program.


About Music Biz 2025
Music Biz 2025 will take place May 12 – 15, 2025 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. This year’s event marks the first time a Music Biz Conference will take place in Atlanta, bringing more than 2,200 global music professionals together in this thriving music city for industry-defining conversations and connections to help shape our industry’s future. Visit musicbiz2025.com for an up-to-date conference agenda, event registration, lodging & flight discount info, and more.

About The Music Business Association
The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a not-for-profit membership organization that advances, promotes, and invests in the future of the music business by providing a trusted forum where ideas and cooperation flourish. Through events, education, and engagement, the Association brings together the full breadth of the industry for unparalleled access to networking, resources, and thought leadership.

Music Biz Media Contacts
Nicole Hennessey, VP, Music Business Association — nicole.hennessey@musicbiz.org