Meet the 2017 Indie Week SpeakersView the full program at: http://a2im.org/event/indie-week-2017

RobAbelowPresidentRoll Call Records & Management

Rob Abelow is the founder and president of Roll Call Records & Management. He founded the company at 24 and has kept it staunchly independent, while strategically partnering with Warner Music Group & ADA, then INgrooves, to leverage resources and reach for Roll Call’s clients. Rob manages post-rock instrumental duo El Ten Eleven, indie-rockers The Dig, avant-garage band Sego and dark synth-pop act Night Drive. The label roster includes Typhoon, River Whyless, Geographer, ON AN ON, Grapell & more. Rob has also built and coordinated several live events, including the Bring on the Bright Lights concert series (Cut Copy, Portugal. the Man, Mutemath, Nada Surf, etc.) in San Diego.

StephanieAlexaVice President, Finance and Licensing AdministrationATO Records

Stephanie Alexa is Vice President of Finance and Licensing Administration at ATO Records. Having been with the label for over 10 years, Alexa maintains a dynamic day-to-day portfolio. As head of business affairs, she oversees the label’s finances and serves as a principle analystand strategic planner. On the creative tip, her efforts within the Film/TV licensing space ensure that she stays connected to the music. She is thrilled to have worked with the likes of Alabama Shakes, Brandi Carlile, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, My Morning Jacket, and Radiohead, among many others. Prior to joining ATO, Stephanie worked at EMI Music Publishing in the Copyright department. She also lent her services to the first all-digital label, Cordless Recordings, under the Warner umbrella. This is her 2nd year on the Board of Directors at A2IM. Stephanie holds a Masters degree in Music Business from New York University.

RuthBarlowDirector of LiveBeggars Group

Ruth Barlow began working for the Beggars Group (4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings and Young Turks) since 2002, first as a National radio promoter working with The White Stripes, Interpol & TV on the Radio etc. She developed a new role under the ‘live’ banner getting involved in a variety of areas; including festivals, live shows, merchandise, live marketing, brand partnerships, live stunts and building relationships with the live industry. More recently Ruth has been instrumental in implementing company-wide policies and procedures regarding the licensing of the labels artist’s live recordings to third parties worldwide. In 2014 Ruth was invited to join the Beggars Group board.

TyronBennionSenior Vice President ofGlobal SalesHyperwallet

Tyron Bennion is Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Hyperwallet. A payments industry veteran, Ty has a strong background in delivering exceptional payout solutions for clients in the on-demand, ecommerce, and entertainment sectors.

ScottBerensonDirector, Rights ManagementSoundExchange

Scott brings more than 15 years experience in various sectors of the music business to SoundExchange. As Director of Rights Management, he heads up an initiative to ensure the rightful copyright owner is credited and compensated for their recordings. Through the claims program, copyright owners can claim poorly reported tracks or dispute ownership if the track is paid to the incorrect master owner. Prior to SoundExchange, Scott was Senior Manager, Copyright Administration at EMI Music Publishing, where he was responsible for the registrationof compositions with performing rights societies around the world as well as with the Library of Congress. He also coordinated with international EMI offices and other music publishers to resolve writer split disputes. Scott holds a master’s from New York University and bachelor’s degree from University of Hartford.

AlisonBrownCo-FounderCompass Records

A former investment banker (with a bachelor's degree in History and Literature from Harvard and an MBA from UCLA), Alison is a Grammy winner, USA Artists fellow and co-founder of Nashville-based Compass Records. With a catalog of nearly 600 titles across 3 label imprints and an artist-oriented vision, Compass Records has been described by the Boston Globe as “redefining the way roots music thinks about itself” and by Billboard Magazine as “one of the greatest independent labels of the last decade.” Compass Records has been the subject of a Harvard Business School case study on entrepreneurship and Alison has been a guest speakerat the Harvard Business School, Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School and the Harvard Business Review’s Burning Questions conference. Alison lives in Nashville with her husband (and Compass co-founder) Garry West and their two children.

RichardBurgessCEOA2IM

CEO for the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Richard James Burgess Ph.D.has produced, recorded and performed on many gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums. Hewas previously head of business at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings where he produced Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology, chronicling nearly one hundred years of recorded jazz. His career path includes: studio musician, recording artist, producer, manager, and label owner. He is known for his pioneering work with synthesizers, computers, sampling, EDM, New Romantics, early house music, as the inventor of the SDSV drum synthesizer and for coining the music genre terms EDM and New Romantic. His current books are, The Art of Music Production: The Theory and Practice, 4th Edition and The History of Music Production (Oxford University Press).Burgess has received awards as a producer and musician from Music Week, the British Arts Council, the Greater London Arts Association and the Park Lane Group.

KristenBushnellDirector, Creative SynchronizationAtlas Music Publishing

Kristen joined Atlas Music Publishing in early 2014. Prior to joining Atlas, she spent several years in Creative Licensing at SONGS Music Publishing, whose roster includes The Weeknd, Lorde, Diplo and Q-Tip. As a member of the Atlas team, Kristen pitches the catalog for sync opportunities across all media, with an emphasis in Film, Television, Trailers and Advertisements. She has secured placements in campaigns for Netflix, Rock Band 4, Disney's The Queen of Katwe, and most recently, Universal's smash sequel, Fifty Shades Darker. She has also been featured as a panelist at the Guild of Music Supervisors' State of Music In Media Conference, Billboard Film/TV Music Conference, ASCAP Expo, SyncSummit, and The Recording Academy's Music Business Night School.

SusanButlerExecutive Editor & PublisherMusic Confidential

Susan Butler is a business journalist and publisher, entertainment and tech attorney and published author. Through Butler Business & Media LLC, she writes and publishes Music Confidential. Many CEOs and government officials call Susan “the most influential commentator" and "the most knowledgeable expert on music matters in our industry,” referring to Music Confidential as "the holy grail of music [business] resources" that has become "THE point of reference.” After practicing law for 21 years representing clients in the music, film, TV and tech fields internationally, Susan began reporting full-time in 2004 for Billboard. In 2008, her company launched Music Confidential, a weekly paid-subscription international news and business analysis report. Today it counts thousands of executive subscribers in 49 countries with record companies, publishers, collecting societies, digital services, law and investment firms, trade groups and governments. Her work focuses on business and pricing models, licensing issues, government activities and legal issues.

CharlesCaldasCEOMerlin BV

Charles Caldas is CEO of Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, commanding in excess of 12% of the global digital recorded music market. Merlin has licensed the world’s leading digital music services including SoundCloud, YouTube Red, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Deezer, Vevo, and KKBOX, and reached settlements with Limewire, XMSatellite Radio and Grooveshark. Charles received IMPALA's Outstanding Contribution Award in 2013 and was named one of Billboard’s International Power Players in both 2017 and 2014.

JamesCelentanoManaging DirectorEnterGain, LLC

James works with founders, boards and senior teams to hire and develop employee talent, shape HR strategy and culture, and drive company growth. His recent and current clients include A2IM, Secretly Group, Stones Throw Records, Reservoir Media, Independent Record Pressing, Kickstarter, MQA and others. Previously James has served as VP HR for Madison Square Garden, Warner Music Group and TVT Records. James holds a BA in Psych from Penn, an MBA from Columbia, and an SPHR certification. He teaches in the Masters in Music Business Program in the Steinhardt School at NYU.

RonCerritoGMKobalt Music Recordings

Ron has played many roles including marketing, head of promotion, artist management and running an indie label. He has held positions at Epic, Interscope, Columbia, Warner Bros. and Republic records prior to joining Kobalt in January of 2016.

ElizabethChanArtist/CEOMerry Bright Music

Elizabeth Chan is a Billboard charting artist and CEO of Merry Bright Music Enterprises. Merry Bright Music Enterprises is an international entertainment company focused on holiday content distributed worldwide. She is the recipient multiple award nominations, and has been featured on national and international press and radio. Prior to founding Merry Bright Music Enterprises, she is also an award winning executive across film, digital, games and television. She worked as an executive for several major media companies including Conde Nast, MTV Networks, A&ENetworks, and Aol, where she oversaw product and content development, business development and marketing initiatives.

TaylorChildressVice President & General ManagerCurb Records

Vice President/General Manager of The Curb Group, Childress oversees the daily operations ofCurb Records and works to leverage synergy between The Curb Groups’ interests in music publishing, motorsports and philanthropy. Known for aggressively leading change away from corporate culture and championing Curb’s “Indie” status, Childress has helped launch the label’s artist management division, expand its reach back into Top 40/Hot AC, and double Curb’s market share with the acquisition of WORD Records from WMG. Additionally, Childress’ oversight of a restructured radio promotion department has seen artist Lee Brice score five #1 singles; seven consecutive Gold/Platinum singles; an ACM Single-of-the-Year and the BillboardMost Played Country Song of 2015. Further, new artist Dylan Scott’s has already reached top-15 on the airplay chart and surpassed 1,000,000 career sales. Childress has previously served on the board for the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and was on the A2IM Board of Directors Advisory Committee.

RandyChinPresidentVP Records

Randy Chin is the President of VP Records. VP, along with Greensleeves Publishing, is the world’s largest independent label and publisher of Reggae music. The company was founded originally in Kingston, Jamaica in 1957 and operates internationally with its headquarters in New York City, NY. It has satellite offices are in Miami, Kingston, London, Tokyo, Johannesburg,and Rio de Janeiro. VP is home to such world-renowned artists as Beres Hammond, Gyptian, Jah Cure and many others.

PhilCialdellaChief Operating Officer (COO)Atlas Music Publishing

Phil Cialdella is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of indie music publisher Atlas Music Publishing. Founded in 2013 by Richard Stumpf, Atlas is a full service publishing company representing the song catalogs of Van Halen, Counting Crows, Toby Gad, Brian Howes, Ashley Gorley, Al Jackson Jr., as well as songs performed by Al Green, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Madonna, John Legend, and others. Joining the company in May 2016, Cialdella brings over 20years of publishing experience to the Atlas team. Previously, Cialdella was SVP, Administration and Licensing at Cherry Lane Music Publishing, growing the company’s ‘back office’ into a market-leading global administration platform representing platinum-selling artists (Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, John Legend), classic song catalogues (Elvis Presley, Quincy Jones, Ashford & Simpson), & film/television heavyweights (DreamWorks SKG, Lionsgate, Weinstein Co., Marvel). After 11 years with Cherry Lane, Cialdella founded independent boutique music publishing company Wonderlous Music.

JeffreyClyburnManaging DirectorMass Appeal Records

Prior joining Mass Appeal Records, Jeff served as President & General Manager of Balcony TV,an online music network startup funded by Lerer Ventures, Greycroft Partners and Polaris Partners. In 2014, he guided the successful sale of the company to The Orchard, a Sony Musicsubsidiary. Prior to joining Balcony TV, he served as Vice President of Music for National Geographic Global Media and oversaw all music related matters for National Geographic. This entailed management of five distinct business functions: Nat Geo Music - a Grammy award winning record label and music video channel; NatGeoMusic.net - a comprehensive music website featuring music by artists representing over 125 different countries; music supervision for National Geographic’s film and television properties; and administration of the publishing rights to over 22k music copyrights. Jeff earned a BA in Economics from Tufts University and currently resides in Maplewood, NJ.

AlisaColemanChief Operating OfficerABKCO Music & Records, Inc

Alisa Coleman is a senior business executive and innovative thought leader in the music and entertainment industry and has a 30+ year track record and reputation for producing top line growth and bottom-line profits. During her long tenure at ABKCO, she has greatly expanded theexposure of the company’s legendary catalog, increasing its reputation and value, and is knownfor her innovative deal structures that focus on the long-term value of intellectual property and licensing partnerships. Alisa is an acknowledged expert in the field of intellectual property management, legacy content development, new media innovation, and transformative digital strategy.

FacundoDiazCEOVRTIFY

Tech entrepreneur, advisor and investor in digital startups. Co-founder and the CEO of VRTIFY,Palo Alto-based company that is defining how music will be experienced and distributed in Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality. Previous to VRTIFY he was a digital consultant (Accenture/ independent) and founded several tech startups, with exponential growths and successful exits. Facundo became a Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality evangelist, participating as an expert and speaker in many panels, conferences and events like TED Talks, Harvard Business School, World Economics Forums and different expos and conventions.

JessicaDierauerMusic SupervisorMultiverse

Jessica Dierauer is an award-winning music supervisor and producer in advertising and entertainment industries. Her combined experience in music and production has taken her all over the world. Jessica has worked with Wieden + Kennedy, The Martin Agency, BBH, CP+B, Y&R, Mother and 72andSunny. She headed up the music department at Y&R before heading out own her own as a music supervisor and content producer. She partnered with Hudson Rouge and Lincoln Motor Company on the interactive music video for Aloe Blacc’s, “Love is the Answer”. Her clients include Target, Google, Coca Cola, ESPN, Smirnoff, Gap, Land Rover, Nike, and many more. Recent film work includes House of Z, a documentary chronicling the career of fashion designer Zac Posen which premiered at the this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

AmyDietzExecutive Vice President/General ManagerINgrooves

Amy Dietz is a veteran player in the independent music and media business with a wealth of expertise in marketing, rights management, distribution and technology platform insights. In herrole as EVP/GM at INgrooves, Amy oversees the day-to-day management of global operations ensuring that the company’s label and artist partners are provided with unparalleled customer service and best in class technology they need to successfully market, promote and monetize their music. Amy is currently on the board of A2IM, Music Biz and was named a Billboard DigitalPower Player in 2016.

AllisonDugganManager and Composer6/8 Records, LLC.

Allison Duggan is a singer, bassoonist, composer, and music manager at a start up record label, 6/8 Records, LLC. She has worked with talents such as Chris Carfizzi (Billions) on the award-winning short, "White Privilege Frankenstein (2015)" as a composer, managed the award-winning songwriter Saniyé, and shadowed under Jim McElwaine. Allison has curated various marketing campaigns under 6/8 Records and has worked on building her team from the ground up to handle multiple campaigns, book 6/8 Records artist Saniyé into various festivals, and assisted her team to keep up with production schedules on shows and music projects. Allison is grateful to be a speaker for Indie Week, and is thankful for all that A2IM has done for her label! She continues to manage 6/8 Records for new artists and services, and composes music for films and small ensembles on her spare time.

WilliamDunnWRRV Brand ManagerTownsquare Media

Brand Manager and PM Drive Host at The Hudson Valley's Alternative, WRRV. Attended two years of Marist College before leaving to focus on a career in the music business. Liaison between WRRV and the record industry since 2004. Blogger with 1.4 million page views since January 2016. Voice over artist at DCM focusing on radio and television commercials.

KieronFallerGeneral ManagerCI

Kieron joined CI as General Manager in 2011. In his time managing the company, CI’s client base has grown from North America, the UK and Australia to also encompass maturing Asian and African music markets such as South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Nigeria. He also led the set-up of CI’s Vietnam office which now provides real-time support to clients and services across the Asian region. Kieron has spoken at music industry conferences in the UK, the US and Korea. Prior to his position at CI, he worked for a small independent record label, and before that he was a commercial property lawyer. In 2016 he completed an MBA at the University of Cambridge, and he is a Fellow of the RSA.

DougFordSenior Director North America, Shows & EditorialSpotify

Doug Ford is the Senior Director of Shows & Editorial, North America for Spotify, based in NYC.Doug came to Spotify 4 years ago as part of the company's first acquisition of Tunigo, where hewas Global Director. In his current role he oversees all playlisting and programming in North America, and represents the Shows & Editorial team cross functionally with other global teams within Spotify. Doug began his career by writing, performing, touring, and recording as a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist. He helped create and manage a large residential recording facility in Upstate NY, working for many years as a producer/engineer for a large number of artists in multiple genres, and was VP of the studio's Grammy nominated indie record label. In 2000 Doug co founded an online predictive song testing company called HitPredictor which was sold to Clear Channel in 2010.

HowieGabrielPresidentCooking Vinyl America

Howie Gabriel is the President of Cooking Vinyl America. Established in 1986, Cooking Vinyl has developed a reputation as one of Europes prime artist-focused independent labels. Inspiring an enviable loyalty among its artist roster. It is also in the vanguard of music companies offering innovative services-only deals that claim no stake in artists copywriter. Mr Gabriel has been long known for his Artist Development strategies working for many companiesincluding Sony/RED, Warner Brothers, RCA and EMI.

SeanGloverAssociate Director, Artistand Label RelationsSoundExchange

For over 12 years, Sean Glover has been at the forefront of the digital music revolution. As Associate Director of Artist and Label Relations for SoundExchange, Sean educates the music community and ensures that artists and rights owners are compensated when their work is streamed on digital radio. To date, SoundExchange has paid out approximately $4.5 billion in royalties and works with more than 3,000 digital radio services.

MichaelGoldstonePresidentMom + Pop Music

Michael Goldstone is an American music industry A&R executive, artist manager and owner of independent record label, Mom + Pop Music. Goldstone began his career working as an Executive at major labels such as Epic, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros. During that time, he was instrumental in building the A&R department and signed a number of notable artists. Theseinclude Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Regina Spektor, Tegan & Sara, All American Rejects, and many more. In May 2008, Goldstone launched indie record label, Mom + Pop Music. With the help of Co-Owner, Thaddeus Rudd, the label has grown to 15 employees in NYC and LA. It has released records from prominent artists such as Grammy winner, Flume, Courtney Barnett, Lucius, Alina Baraz, Tash Sultana, FIDLAR and many more. The label has also released music by Andrew Bird, Ingrid Michaelson, Sleigh Bells, Metric, and Joshua Radin.

TysonHallerSVP, Promotion & LabelServicesADA

Tyson oversees ADA’s full suite of label services in the U.S., including radio promotion, video promotion, marketing, publicity, and online. He arrived at WMG in 2004 from VIRGIN RECORDS.

AndrewHamppVP-brand strategistMAC Presents

Andrew Hampp joined MAC Presents in 2015, and is focused on helping companies build industry-leading music strategies and experiences. His work on Citi’s No Kid Hungry partnership and surprise performance with Andra Day was recognized by the Clio Awards in 2016, while MAC’s sponsorship deals with Citi, Bud Light, H&M and Honda for Chance The Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring Day Festival took home a Billboard Touring Award that same year. Prior to joining MAC, Hampp spent four years as senior correspondent at Billboard, wherehe led coverage of music business, advertising and tech and interviewed notable personalities for cover stories. Hampp also spent five years at Advertising Age, including two as L.A. bureau chief, and has contributed stories to The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture.com, The Columbus Dispatch and Adweek. He has also appeared as a speaker on Today, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, CBS Sunday Evening News, CNN, Bloomberg and CNBC.

DaveHansenGeneral ManagerEpitaph

Dave Hansen has spent the past 30 years working in the independent music business. He is the General Manager of Epitaph and ANTI- since 1996. Dave oversees marketing, sales, distribution and daily operations for one of the leading independent labels in the world. Dave is currently on the Merlin board where he has been part of the management board since 2011.He is also proudly serving a second term as an A2IM board member. Prior to Epitaph, Dave was the managing partner of Insomnia records. Insomnia records was the mail order service and one of the first Online stores for over 100 independent labels in the early 1990’s distributing over 1 Million catalogs annually. In the 80’s, Dave was the General Manager and partner at Doctor Dream records. Most recently, Dave Hansen is the founding partner of Independent Record Pressing, a vinyl pressing plant located in New Jersey.

ChristinaHellerCEOCo-Founder/CEO VR Playhouse

Christina Heller is the CEO and Co-Founder of VR Playhouse, a virtual reality creative studio based in Los Angeles. VR Playhouse provides VR and AR services and creates original content. Beginning her career as a political journalist, Christina has explored ways to use mediato make an impact on people’s lives. Heller currently serves on the Board of Advisors for SH//FT, a non-profit dedicated to promoting diversity in virtual reality, and the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC). She won the 2016 "Women to Watch" award from the California Women's Leadership Association and was called one of 5 women changing the virtual reality scene by Craig Newmark in the Huffington Post.

StevenHillHead of N AmericaWarp Records

Steven oversees Warp Records in North America and works alongside the likes of Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Brian Eno, Danny Brown, Oneohtrix Point Never, Kelela, Battles, Autechre and more on their projects globally.

MichaelHuppePresident & CEOSoundExchange

Michael Huppe has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of SoundExchange since 2011. With a board of directors comprised of artists, major and independent record labels,artist managers, union heads and trade associations, SoundExchange represents the entire recording industry. It is the only entity in the United States entrusted by the Copyright Royalty Board to track, collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings from more than 2,900 digital streaming services, including satellite radio (such as SiriusXM), Internetradio (such as Pandora & iHeart Radio) and cable television music channels (such as MusicChoice). SoundExchange has distributed more than $4.5 billion in digital performance royalties to recording artists and rights owners since its inception in 2003. Royalty collections have increased by more than $500 million annually since Michael’s tenure began. Today, SoundExchange is responsible for approximately 16 percent of the entire U.S. recorded music industry’s wholesale revenue.

ChrisIsraelExecutive DirectormusicFIRST

Chris Israel became Executive Director of the musicFIRST coalition in January of 2017. Israel brings to musicFIRST extensive experience in government and working directly with U.S. artistsand copyright owners. His government service includes work on Capitol Hill and nearly seven years in senior leadership roles during the Bush Administration. Israel was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at the Commerce Department in 2001 and served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Commerce Secretaries Donald Evans and Carlos Gutierrez from 2003-2005. In 2005, Israel was appointed to be the first U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement (IPEC). In this role, he was responsible for coordinating and leveraging the resources of the U.S. government to protect American intellectual property at home and abroad. Since leaving government, he has worked directly with artists, businesses, and policy makers committed to promoting a strong copyright system that respects and rewards American creators.

FredJacobsPresidentJacobs Media

Fred is President of Jacobs Media, celebrating its 34th anniversary this fall, providing research and consulting guidance to media brands throughout North America, including commercial, public, and digital media. The company’s national Techsurveys have been widely quoted, providing extensive tracking data about media, technology, and how consumers habits are changing. In 2013, 2014, and 2015 Jacobs Media partnered with Radio Ink to present DASH, the radio industry’s “connected car” conference. Fred’s mobile app company, jācapps (JAKE-apps), has been at the forefront of connecting media outlets with the mobile revolution. In 8 years, the company has developed more than 1,000 apps generating more than 28 million downloads. In 2017, Jacobs Media launched its first “CEO/CES Tour,” bringing a group of

corporate media leaders to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

AndrewKautzCOOBig Machine Label Group

As one of the original employees when Big Machine opened its doors on Music Row in 2005. He has been instrumental in growing the then start-up into worldwide entertainment company. With a staff of 100+, including employees in Canada and London the company has been able to further develop its reach worldwide. Working closely with Big Machine President/CEO, Scott Borchetta, Kautz has led the charge for some of Big Machine’s largest initiatives, including the history-making performance royalty rights agreements with iHeart, Entercom, Cox Media and Beasley Broadcasting. Assisting Big Machine’s growth from a single imprint into the Big Machine Label Group with multiple labels and worldwide distribution. Big Machine Records, The Valory Music Co., BMLG Records, Nash ICON and publishing division Big Machine Music. BMLG is Billboard Magazine’s 2015, 2016 #1 independent all genre label group in the world.

JeffreyKoenigSenior AssociateSerling Rooks Hunter McKoy & Worob, LLP

Jeffrey is a music industry veteran who counsels clients in matters relating to all facets of the industry. His client list includes Grammy nominated recording artists, up-and-coming musicians and bands, Fortune 500 companies, independent record labels, industry executives, publishers,managers, songwriters, DJ’s, producers, vinyl record companies, and music PR and branding companies. A true music lover, Jeffrey plays an active and important role in the growth of his client's careers by skillfully advising on business and legal matters, making introductions to his strong network of industry contacts and by personally handling the negotiation and drafting of all client contracts and correspondence. Prior to joining the firm in 2010, Jeffrey worked for five years as in-house attorney for Universal Motown Republic Group in New York City, honing his skills on negotiation and transnational matters and advising on high-profile projects such as Amy Winehouse, Cash Money Records, and Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records.

AllenKovacCEOEleven Seven Music Group

What others say isn’t possible Tenth Street Entertainment/Eleven Seven Music Group CEO Allen Kovac turns into reality. From beginning the careers of Richard Marx, The Cranberries, and Tony! Toni! Toné!, to resurrecting the careers of Luther Vandross, the Bee Gees, Duran Duran, Motley Crue, and Blondie, Kovac remains on the cutting edge by learning evolving technology and always pushing the envelope to create new, forward-thinking marketing concepts. Kovac stays current with his record companies by working with The Dirty Heads, From Ashes To New and Nothing More and by constantly evolving his acts like Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch and Sixx: A.M.. His mantra? “Create the message, control the content,” by elevating the artist’s assets to open up new opportunities.

RisaLawrensonVice President, PromotionBeggars Group

I started in the music buisness in 1989 as an intern for a young A&R executive named Brigette at Columbia, I hung out at shows and did random stuff and met a TM who needed help with some computer nonsense (laptop in 1989 was not like today), he turned out to be Def LeppardsTM and I wound up working for him, whenever he was in NY. I joined Ratt on tour that summer as production assistant, and that led to my move to SF, as I continued to work for any company associated in music, I was in management, mechandise, radio assistant, radio sales assistant, label assistant, then eventually my first local gig at Artemis, then TVT , then Columbia as the ALT National, then Republic as the AAA national, then Myspace Records as the Head of Promo, and eventually here at Beggars, as VP of Promotion.

JimLeavittDirector Sync & LicensingThe Orchard

Jim Leavitt has been working in various facets of the music industry for over 20 years including record labels (Ze Records, Arista, Imago, 2/13/61, VP), publishing (ARC Music Group home to Chess Records, Vee Jay Records and Brunswick Records publishing), and marketing in multiple genres (indie rock, rock and roll, reggae and jazz). In a culmination of these experiences in the music industry, Jim now directs the sync and licensing team at The Orchard.Before working in sync licensing for over 15 years, Jim Leavitt worked at various record labels as a product manager, marketing consultant and creative director. Has a diverse background in music marketing and sync licensing. Worked at record labels, music publishers and as an indie music supervisor, offering experienced perspective from every angle of the licensing business.

EmmanuelLegrandUS EditorMusic Week

Emmanuel Legrand is a Washington, DC-based journalist, blogger and media consultant, specialising in the entertainment business and cultural trends. He is currently the US editor of British trade magazine Music Week, and worked in the past for such publications as Billboard, Music & Media, Impact and One Movement for Music. He is the author of the 2012 report "Music Crossing Borders" on the circulation of European repertoire.

JimLidestriCEOBuzzAngle Music

Jim Lidestri, Founder and CEO of BuzzAngle Music, is a long-time executive in the Internet andtechnology markets with more than three decades of experience in the space. In that time, he has handled corporate management for Fortune 500 companies IBM and Sprint, guided a startup from inception to a $70 million IPO and a $175 million secondary offering. With Border City Media, he is revolutionizing music analytics via BuzzAngle Music, which gathers data on a song or album’s sales, streaming history, airplay history, and social media metrics to provide a comprehensive picture of music consumption. Lidestri holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA in general management from NYU. He was named one of the Top 25 Leaders of the New Millennium by Computer Reseller News magazine.

DawnMadellMusic SupervisorAgoraphone

Dawn Sutter Madell has been music supervising at Agoraphone for 18 years. She has worked on countless ads, film and TV. Her latest projects include the upcoming Hilda, Night Train with Wyatt Cenac Season 2 and lots of commercials.

TimMandelbaumPartnerFox Rothschild LLP

Tim provides strategic career and business guidance to a variety of talent and corporate clients in music, film, television, new media, literature and sports. He is widely known as a pro-active deal broker on behalf of his clients and serves them in all legal facets of their careers and businesses. An experienced intellectual property and entertainment attorney, he regularly negotiates contracts and handles intellectual property matters involving copyrights, trademarks and other branding tools. He is a frequent guest lecturer on the rapid change confronting the entertainment industry, and has written about how those changes have affected independent labels. A member of multiple industry-focused groups, including the Entertainment Law Initiativeof the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, as well as an associate member of A2IM, Tim is deeply involved in the ever-changing, fast-paced industry in which his clients create and thrive.

JenniferMassetHead of Indies, North AmericaSpotify

Jennifer Masset connects opportunities to Independent music labels. Her previous role at A2IM enabled her to find companies who helped educate labels to grow their businesses. Her new role at Spotify creates these connections to the platform embracing the global music marketplace.

NariMatsuuraPartnerMassarsky Consulting

As Partner at Massarsky Consulting, Nari Matsuura has conducted music asset valuations of record label, music publisher, artist and songwriter assets including AC/DC, Andreas Carlsson, Arthouse, Berry Gordy, Bert Berns, Big Loud Shirt Industries, B-Unique, Bush, Downtown Records, Eddie Holland, Alan Parsons Project, Hall & Oates, Isley Brothers, Lionsgate, Linda Perry, Marvin Hamlisch, Music Theatre International, Ole Media Management, Peermusic, Offspring, Phase One Network, Primary Wave, Razor & Tie, Reservoir Media Management, Rogers and Hammerstein, Round Hill Music, Rush, True North Records, Verse Music Group, among many others. She has also conducted valuations of numerous film and television catalogs as well as production music libraries. Ms. Matsuura received an M.B.A. from Cornell and a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Piano Performance from the Juilliard School.

JasonMcGuireGeneral ManagerStones Throw Records

Jason McGuire is the General Manager of Stones Throw Records, where he has overseen label operations since 2011. During his tenure he has supervised campaigns for the likes of NxWorries, 7 Days Of Funk, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Tuxedo and Dam-Funk among many others. Jason started his career in the Soundtrack Department at Interscope Records in the late90s. In the early 2000’s he worked under the tutelage of Jimmy Iovine as A&R coordinator / Junior A&R rep, a stint highlighted by . . . And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s classic Source Tags and Codes. After taking a brief hiatus from the music business to earn his law degree, Jason resumed his career as an attorney in the music department at Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures before taking the helm at Stones Throw. Outside of work, he enjoys baking bread, playing basketball, and traveling with his family.

MarkMulliganManaging DirectorMIDiA Research

Mark Mulligan is a music industry analyst and the Managing Director of MIDiA Research, an analysis and data company focused on the intersection of media and technology. Mark has spent the last 19 years working with all of the leading players in the digital music market, from record labels, through telcos and device companies to music services, often right up the c-level.For 11 years Mark was a Vice President and Research Director at Jupiter Research and then Forrester Research, where he led research and analysis into how technology shapes media businesses and the consumer. Mark is the author of the industry leading blog Music Industry Blog. He is also author of ‘Awakening: The Music Industry In The Digital Age’ the definitive account of the rise of the digital music market.

ChrisMuratoreChief Business Development OfficerBuzzAngle Music

Chris Muratore is Chief Business Development Officer and Co-Founder of Border City Media, the company that developed the innovative music measurement and analytics service BuzzAngle Music. BuzzAngle Music is the only industry service that analyzes daily music consumption for sales, audio & video streaming activity and airplay for North America and beyond. BuzzAngle Music had been widely adopted by many labels, distributors, artist managers, publishers, marketers, tour and radio promoters, music tech companies, brands andadvertisers. Muratore is a seasoned music industry executive with 20+ years experience in the industry. Over that time he developed and managed relationships with Fortune 500 media and entertainment companies, like Apple, Amazon, Google, Wal-Mart, Target among others. He oversaw the global acquisition and integrity of entertainment data from more than 40,000 outlets across 30+ countries. Muratore has often participated in industry panels and discussions as well many media interviews with major media outlets.

DominicPandisciaCEOPledgeMusic

Dominic Pandiscia has had an extensive career in the music business. Since assuming the roleof CEO at PledgeMusic in April 2016, the company has rebranded and experienced aggressive growth of +25% for 2016 and has had it's biggest quarter ever in the first three months of 2017. Prior to joining PledgeMusic, Dominic launched his own company ("Sunday Artist") which oversaw the music strategy for the Discovery Channel Film "Racing Extinction" which was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Song". Prior to that Dominic served as President of the legendary independent service company Caroline, where he achieved unprecedented success and marketshare including four #1 albums in 2015 (the first #1's in the 33 year history of Caroline). Prior roles include EMI Music Executive Vice President, Commercial & Revenue Development, the launching EMI Label Services in 2008, and multiple roles at Virgin Records, Capitol Music Group and EMI.

JasonPetersonCEOGoDigital Media Group

Jason Peterson is an experienced entrepreneur, attorney, and producer named as one of the ‘Top 30 entrepreneurs under 30’ in Los Angeles by LA Business Journal. Jason is the current Chairman of GoDigital Media Group (godigitalmg.com), CEO of ContentBridge Systems (contentbridge.tv), AdShare (adshare.tv), Cinq Music Group (cinqmusic.com), VidaPrimo (vidaprimo.com) and past founder of GoDigital Distribution (godigital.com) (now known as Amplify Releasing). In his role as Chairman at GoDigital Media Group, Jason works with entrepreneurs to incubate innovative start-ups solving problems in the media industry. Jason has been chosen to speak as an expert in production, distribution, and marketing at many

conferences including MIDEM, & Digital Hollywood, and has been quoted in industry publications as an authority in the area. The foundation for his work is a license to practice law, a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University and a business degree from USC’s Marshall School of Business honors program.

EdPetoManaging DirectorOutdustry Ltd

A native of London, Ed moved to China in 2006 to serve on the front lines of the music industry.He now owns and runs Outdustry, a unique music industry services business specialising in theChinese recorded music industry via its management, A&R, rights, marketing and consultancy divisions. He is frequently sought out by international media - FT, WSJ, Guardian, Bloomberg, Reuters, Billboard etc - to comment on market news and conditions, has written extensively on the technical workings of the Chinese music industry and is a Billboard International Power Player.

LylettePizarroPartnerRPM Group

Lylette’s industry defining marketing work for clients such as Pepsi, Universal Pictures, Carlsberg and Universal Music Group has repeatedly been recognized on the world stage; she’s spearheaded campaigns supporting Grammy and Oscar winners, developed tent pole platforms for major brands and programming from the MTV Video Music Awards to the Super Bowl, creating work that’s consistently won nominations and awards from Cannes, the Webbys,Creativity, NACCP Image and Ad Color along the way. Today, Lylette continues working with global icons such as Katy Perry, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, as well as growing RPM’s client roster and forging prosperous partnerships for brands like Apple and Verizon and global entertainment houses including Paramount, HBO, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group.

TomPolemanPresident, National Programming GroupiHeartMedia

In addition to booking and co-producing iHeartMedia’s tentpole events including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, theiHeartRadio Country Festival, iHeart80s Party, iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party and iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, Tom is responsible for overseeing programming, talent development and music strategy for iHeartMedia’s 850 radio stations and leads the national team of programmers across the country. Tom is also heavily involved with iHeartMedia's music discovery and emerging artist initiatives including the Artist Integration Program and the On the Verge program.

AlissaPollackEVP, Global Music MarketingiHeartMedia

Alissa Pollack is the Executive Vice President, Global Music Marketing leveraging iHeartMedia's vast pool of music data insights to connect brands to artists in mutually beneficialways. Pollack consults with iHeartMedia's advertising and artist partners to provide them with a broad spectrum of music data, including deep consumption trend reports and custom insights to better inform their decision-making on everything from advertising content and social programs to events and artist partnerships. She works closely with Premiere Networks, iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia's National Programming Group to coordinate and maximize programs across all iHEARTMEDIA platforms. Pollack oversees the label business for Mediabase, Rate the Music, Buzz Angle and M-score. Pollack serves on many charity boards including City of Hope, Musicians on Call and Musicares. She chairs the Taste of Hope, benefitting City of Hope and The Jason Pollack Bedside Performance Program which Pollack

launched with Musicians on Call to honor her late father.

BrookePrimontSVP, LicensingRazor & Tie

Brooke Primont, SVP, Music, Razor & Tie Brooke Primont is the Senior Vice President of Music Placement and Licensing at Razor & Tie. She oversees the licensing department, working on music placements of Razor & Tie recording artists and music publishing writers and composers in television, film, ads, video games as well as all other media outlets. Primont joined Razor & Tie in 2010 after seven years as Vice President of Creative & Marketing at Cherry Lane Music Publishing where she headed the synch department and prior to that she was Director of WriterPublisher Relations at BMI for seven years. Primont has proven results in music pitching, and music licensing and clearance, including recent placements with Chevy, Kohl’s, Apple, Pantene,Pepsi, American Family Insurance, STP, Lenovo, Delivery Man, Transparent & Grey’s Anatomy.She has also held the title of Music Supervisor on independent films Concussion and No Pay Nudity.

EmmaQuigleyHead Of Music & EntertainmentPepsiCo.

Emma Quigley joined PepsiCo as Head Of Music & Entertainment in September 2014 – Emma’s focus is to continue to evolve and grow the brand’s storied relationship with music and within pop culture – Empire, Super Bowl, multiple music campaigns, commercial artist integrations and retail programs are just a few of her highlights to date. Emma began her career in the UK working for independent labels Acid Jazz and Independiente, holding the role of, Head Of International, before moving to Universal In early 2001, initially as a consultant for Polydor Records and then as Senior Director, at UMGI for the Island Def Jam label. In 2003 Emma moved to New York City to begin her role as Vice President Marketing, 19 Entertainment(creators and producers of American Idol). And from 2009 to 2014, Emma held the position of Vice President Global Priorities, at EMI Records / Capitol Music Group,

MichaelReinertPartnerFox Rothschild LLP

Michael has worked with many platinum-selling artists while serving as legal counsel to some ofthe world’s largest and most legendary recording companies including PolyGram, Verve, Motown, Universal and Republic. His clients benefit from his in-depth experience in drafting andnegotiating contracts, which has earned him professorship roles across the country, and his deep knowledge of the entertainment business. His numerous memberships and associations within the industry aid in his ability to provide strategic guidance and create brand longevity for his clients. Michael also served as an adjunct professor of law at his alma mater, The Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, for 10 years teaching contract drafting and negotiation in the music industry. Michael is a frequent moderator and panelist at entertainment industry programs and conferences, and various CLE programs around the country. Michael sits on the board of directors of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

MarkRobinsonSVP, Business & Legal Affairs300 Entertainment

Mark Robinson is currently head of business and legal affairs for 300 Entertainment. Robinson is a 20 year music veteran who most recently served as General Counsel for the newly launched BMG overseeing record and publishing divisions for North America. Billboard named him a 2016 Digital Power Player for his involvement in the precedent setting case BMG vs Cox Communication, successfully piercing the internet providers “safe harbor” defense for copyright infringement and gaining tremendous victory for rights holders. Prior to BMG, Mark held variouspositions at Warner Music Group, with a focus on the independent sector, where he was head lawyer for ADA and the Independent Label Group. Before Warner, he worked at Koch (now EOne) which had purchased the label he got his start, Walter Yetnikoff’s Velvel Records.

MatthewRogersGeneral ManagerUNIFIED

Matthew Rogers is the General Manager of UNIFIED; one of Australia's fastest growing independent companies. As an entertainment lawyer he represented some of the most well known Australian labels and artists. Mat now oversees Australia’s largest artist management group, a suite of online merchandise stores, a record label group including UNFD, ONETWO, NLV Records and Exist Recordings and an award winning boutique publishing catalogue. Mat'spassion for artists, music and the independent community is stronger than ever as he works with Australian artists both locally and internationally. Mat is a member of the Australian Independent Record Label Assoc as well as the WIN Council.

PaulRoperPresidentDualtone Music Group

With Dualtone Music Group since 2002, Roper has held positions of Director of Artist Development, General Manager and in 2012 was promoted to President and partner. At the label, Roper oversees label operations, film/tv licensing, publishing, distribution and general marketing strategy for Dualtone’s content. For over fifteen years, Roper has played an integral role in the release of over two hundred catalog, digital and frontline releases including critically acclaimed albums by The Lumineers, Shakey Graves, Shovels & Rope, Brett Dennen, Langhorne Slim, Guy Clark and June Carter Cash among others. In 2016 Roper executive produced and provided art direction for Chuck Berry’s final recordings on the forthcoming album CHUCK, to be released in June of 2017.

JimRyanSVP, ProgrammingCBS Radio

Ryan joined CBS RADIO in April 2010 as Program Director of WWFS-FM and Vice President, Adult Contemporary Programming. He will also continue in the latter role, and add oversight of the division’s Classic Hits stations to his responsibilities as well. In June 2012, Ryan was named Program Director of WCBS-FM, the most listened to station this year in New York whose audience has increased by more than 30% since the beginning of 2014. Before joining CBS RADIO, Ryan was head of his own consulting company, Jim Ryan Media, where he advised many top radio stations, including market leaders in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston, and syndicated national personalities, in addition to providing Arbitron PPM analysis to influential clients in the talk radio industry.

PortiaSabinPresidentKill Rock Stars

Dr. Portia Sabin is a cultural anthropologist. While working on her Ph.D. at Columbia University,she played drums, recorded, and toured with NYC band The Hissyfits. She founded Shotclock Management in 2004 and took over running the legendary independent label, Kill Rock Stars, in2006. She is the host of a radio show and podcast about the music business called The Future of What. Sabin is a board member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of The Recording Academy, chair of the board of the Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, and former chair of the board of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).

JonSalterGMATO Records

Jon Salter is the GM of ATO Records, overseeing A&R, marketing, sales, and business operations. A 20-year veteran in the music industry, Salter has worked in nearly every aspect oflabel work - beginning with his first job in the Creative Services department of Geffen Records, in 1996. Salter is responsible for introducing acclaimed artists including the Grammy-winning Alabama Shakes, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Benjamin Booker, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Nick Hakim, Joseph, and Margaret Glaspy. Under Salter’s leadership, ATO has worked to sign and develop countless new artists while supporting and growing audiences for career artists. This year, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Joseph, and King Gizzard have all enjoyed career-defining moments and break-through success. Prior to joining ATO, Salter worked in online marketing at RCA Records from 2001-2006, where he worked to develop successful and innovative campaigns for The Strokes and Kings Of Leon

PerrySchwartzManager, Streaming Accounts and AnalyticsEleven Seven Music Group / 10th Street Ent.

Schwartz began his career in music under the guidance of Terence Lam at Downtown Records,while still in college. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University, he held a position at Republic Records on the radio promotions team. In pursuit of further knowledge across additional industry platforms, Schwartz landed a position as the music director at Music Choice for the next 4 years. It was at this position that he was able to hone in on his passion for analysis of media consumption. Nurturing a penchant for analytics, the understanding of audience behavior, combined with his passion for music, he joined the Eleven Seven Music Group team as manager of streaming accounts and analytics, where Schwartz focuses in harnessing the wealth of data related to the digital landscape for the artist roster.

AnandaSenHead of Music Partnerships, Google HardwareGoogle

Ananda Sen is Head of Music Partnerships at Google Hardware, where he leads partnerships with global music streaming services to continually improve upon the music listening experience on Google Home, Chromecast and other Google hardware devices. Before joining Google in 2014, Ananda practiced as a music attorney and consultant for 8 years, and spent 2 years in business development at LeapFrog Enterprises.

EliahSetonPresidentAlternative Distribution Alliance

Eliah Seton is President of Alternative Distribution Alliance Worldwide, the independent distribution, and services arm of Warner Music Group. Since taking the helm in 2015, Seton has led a groundbreaking transition – building a label services business on top of ADA’s core offering, expanding ADA’s worldwide footprint, and laying the groundwork for digital expansion. In 2016, Seton was named one of Billboard’s 40 Under 40, and Music Week awarded ADA BestLabel Services. Previously, Seton was SVP, International Strategy & Operations, Warner Recorded Music, where he organized the acquisitions of Polskie Nagrania, Poland’s longest-running record label, and the Gold Typhoon catalog, one of China’s largest music collections. Seton joined WMG in 2009 and became VP, Office of the CEO in 2011. There, he contributed tothe acquisition and integration of Parlophone Label Group into the WMG family. Seton has an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated from Harvard College.

ThomasSilvermanFounderTommy Boy

Thomas founded Dance Music Report in 1978, the preeminent newsletter for DJs for over 15 years. He founded TommY BoY in 1981 which was one of the original pioneers in the hip hop movement with artists such as Afrika Bambaattaa, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain, and Coolio. TommY BoY pioneered the Electronic Dance movement with Information Society, 808 State, LFO and Coldcut and more recently launched the careers of Bob Sinclar and Gucci Mane, Tom was a founder of the legendary NewMusic Seminar, the world’s seminal music industry convention. Mr. Silverman serves on the board of RIAA, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and Merlin. He has served for many years on the board of Sound Exchange. Tom was the recipient of the 2013 A2iM Lifetime Achievement Award.

AJSilvermanVP, Entertainment & Sports PartnershipsHavas Sports & Entertainment

A.J. Silverman co-leads the Sports & Entertainment Partnership practice with a focus on IP Development and new technology. Prior to joining Havas, A.J. launched Live Nation's Brand Entertainment business unit and went on to executive produce their first web series, The Rider Challenge presented by Ford. Previously, AJ ran the New York Comedy Festival and Integrations & Partnerships for the People's Choice Awards at United Entertainment Group. A.J's approach to partnership is to view the opportunity holistically, an outlook that powered the B2B partnership he developed for Cisco which resulted in becoming a Founding Partner for the Sports Museum of America. While keeping an eye on new ways to grow the business and creating new solutions for clients, you'll find AJ playing softball, making wine, collecting Bourbon, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

HowieSingerMusic/Technology consultantHMS Marlboro, LLC

Howie Singer recently left Warner Music Group after 15 years with the company analyzing new models and services that could enhance or threaten WMG’s businesses. He served as SVP and Chief Strategic Technologist and is a leading expert on the implications of technology for the music industry. He played a leading role in the transition from physical products to digital music delivery. In 1996, he co-founded a2b music; a pioneering distribution service using audio and security technologies from AT&T. Over his 20 year career at Bell Labs, he led teams developing retail and call center management software, speakerphones, cellular phones, and videophones. Howie received PhD (’79) and MS (’77) degrees in Operations Research from Cornell and a BS degree in Computer Science/Math from Stony Brook.

HelenSmithExecutive ChairIMPALA (Independent Music Companies Association)

Helen Smith is IMPALA’s Executive Chair. Originally from Scotland, Helen is based in Brussels. She drives the organisation's key strategies with the board on a political, commercial and promotional level. Helping put thousands of independent companies and artists on the map of Europe by leveraging collective strength, IMPALA's first 15 years in milestones is an impressiveread, from Europe's first ever class action court case on a merger and its tough stance on digital platforms who don't play ball, to its various action plans and awards schemes.

GeoffSnyderVP Business DevelopmentPandora

Geoff Snyder is VP of Business Development at Pandora, where he builds and manages relationships with the world’s top automotive and consumer electronics brands, enabling listeners to seamlessly engage with Pandora via a multitude of different integrations.

TimStevensEditor-in-ChiefRoadshow by CNET

Tim Stevens is Editor-in-Chief for Roadshow, CNET's automotive portal. A journalist with more than 20 years of experience, Tim Stevens is a frequent contributor to major domestic and international news outlets, sharing his insights and perspectives on such topics as security, consumer technology and the latest advancements in the automotive industry. Mr. Stevens focuses on deep, immersive features telling the behind-the-scenes stories of products ranging from smart watches to muscle cars. He serves as a Director for the World Car Awards, a judge on the CEATEC Innovation Awards panel, attended the exclusive 2013 XPRIZE Visioneering Conference and regularly acts as speaker and moderator at industry events. He joined CNET in2013 after serving as editor-in-chief of Engadget, part of the AOL/Huffington Post network, and Editorial Director of AOL’s tech properties.

SarahStevensonVR/AR Consultant & Content CreatorREVRIE

Sarah is the Co-Founder of REVRIE Immersive Works, a full-service production and consulting company, specializing in 360º monoscopic and stereoscopic VR, binaural sound, stitching and editing.

EricTobinExecutive Vice President of Business Development and A&RHopeless Records

Eric Tobin is the Executive Vice President of Business Development and A&R at Hopeless Records and Sub City Non Profit. He has been with Hopeless for over 11 years and been integral in the success of the label's artists including All Time Low “Future Hearts” #1 debut in the US and UK as well as top 15 chart debuts in 9 additional countries and top 10 chart debuts for Taking Back Sunday, Sum 41, Yellowcard, The Used, Neck Deep and The Wonder Years.

DesireeVachManager GSAINgrooves Music Group / Snowhite

Originally from the Rhineland, Desiree J. Vach founded Snowhite (Label & PR) in 2009. Previously Vach worked for the independent label Kitty -Yo (Peaches, Gonzales etc) till 2006. Vach left Kitty-Yo and took over the management of the independent label Weekender Records Germany. In early 2009 Vach ended her activities at Weekender Records Germany and founded Snowhite (Label & PR). Since 2014 Desiree J. Vach is Manager GSA for INgrooves Music Group and also the Vice-Chairwoman of VUT (the association of independent Music-companies in GSA). http://www.ingrooves.com/ http://www.snowhite.de/ https://www.facebook.com/snowhitelovesyou/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/desiree.vach?fref=ts

DariusVan ArmanCo-OwnerSecretly Group

Darius Van Arman is the founder of the independent record label Jagjaguwar, whose artist partners include Bon Iver, Angel Olsen, Jamila Woods, Dinosaur Jr., Sharon Van Etten, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, to name just a few. Van Arman is also founder and co-owner of Secretly Group, an independent label group that includes Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, The Numero Group and Secretly Canadian. He is also co-owner of Secretly Distribution, Fort William Artist Management (representing artists such as Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Beirut, The War on Drugs and Grouplove), Secretly Publishing and Independent Record Pressing, a vinyl record manufacturing plant based in New Jersey. Van Arman also currently serves as a board member for various non-profit organizations, including A2IM (as chairman), Merlin, SoundExchange, and WIN (the Worldwide Independent Network). Van Arman currently resides in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn with his wife Jessie and his son Avery.

RobWeitznerHead of North AmericaCI

Rob Weitzner brings a rich strategic and operational perspective gained over 20 years of experience at the nexus of music and technology. He has served in senior roles at several forward-thinking companies including VP of Global Business Development at IODA; founding Head of Membership & Development for the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM); VP of Business Development & Digital Strategy at TVT Records; and VP & GM of New York for eMusic.com. Currently, as CI’s Head of North America, Weitzner is charged with overseeing the strategic development of the company’s business franchise in the territory. He also serves as an Assistant Professor in the Music Industry Program at Drexel University wherehe teaches Entrepreneurship, eCommerce, Artist Representation, Music Industry Business Structure, and Innovation & Creative Destruction. Weitzner holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA, with Distinction, in Economics from Stanford University.

AlisonWenhamCEOWIN

Alison Wenham Bio – WIN Alison has spent over 35 years working in the music industry, and is one of the most experienced and well known practitioners in the business. As the newly appointed CEO of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) Alison provides a collective voiceand platform for independent music companies and their national trade associations. WIN’s membership stretches across every continent, with trade associations in all the well-developed legitimate music markets taking a particularly active role – including AIM (UK), A2IM (USA), AIR(Australia), CIMA (Canada), VUT (Germany), IMNZ (New Zealand) , UFI (Spain); IMICHILE (Chile), ABMI (Brazil) – and Impala representing the whole of Europe. She was Founder and Chairman and CEO of AIM from 1998 through to 2016, guiding it through growth in membership, stature and influence. AIM members represent around 23% of the UK market, andindependents are the acknowledged creative backbone of the industry.

TimWestergrenCo-founder and CEOPandora

Tim Westergren, one of Pandora’s founders, served as the Chief Creative Officer and Treasurerfrom February 2000 to May 2002, as Chief Executive Officer and President from May 2002 to July 2004, as Chief Strategy Officer from July 2004 to February 2014, and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in March 2016. He has served as a member of Pandora’s board of directors from the company’s inception. Prior to founding Pandora, Mr. Westergren worked as an independent musician, composer, and record producer and has over 20 years of experiencein the music industry spanning production, audio engineering, film scoring, and live performance. Tim is an award-winning composer and accomplished musician – trained as a jazz pianist, his musical background spans such genres as rock, blues, jazz and classical music. Mr. Westergren holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, where he studied computer acoustics and recording technology. Tim started the popular personalized radio service in 2000 with the Music Genome Project.

SimonWheelerDirectorBeggars Group

Previously a musician, engineer, producer, remixer and promoter, Simon has been with The Beggars Group since 1990. Starting work with online distribution in 1997, Simon has since worked with almost every significant entity in digital media. He has spoken at most music conferences around the world on digital music and media strategy, made statements to the UK parliament on DRM and has testified at the USA's CRB webcasting proceedings. He is also a director and board member of Video Performance Ltd (VPL) and Consolidated Independent (CI), but the most important role is keeping the Beggars Group of labels at the forefront of all new technologies to deliver its award winning roster of artists to the widest possible audience. The Beggars Group represents 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Young Turks.

AlexWhiteHead of Next Big SoundPandora

As the Head of Next Big Sound at Pandora, Alex White oversees a NYC-based team of two dozen data engineers, designers, product managers, and data scientists focused on prediction research and cross-platform performance measurement. The team’s mission to make all the data that’s available about every artist in the world useful to music makers and Pandora’s brandclients. White and his co-founders have been featured in Fast Company (#1 most innovative company in the music industry, 2015), Forbes (30 under 30) in the music category three times, Billboard (10 best music companies), Bloomberg BusinessWeek (25 under 25), Entrepreneur Magazine’s 30 under 30 list and in the New York Times, CNN, Fox Business, Washington Post,

TechCrunch and many other publications. White is an adjunct professor at NYU, sits on the NY Board of Little Kids Rock and enjoys playing soccer, reading, skiing, and traveling for work and pleasure.

MatthewYazgeHead of Brand SponsorshipNielsen Music

Matt Yazge leads the Brand Partnerships team at Nielsen Music. In his role he helps brand advertisers activate music fans to achieve marketing objectives and drive sales; his team also helps music rights holders position their audiences to potential brand partners and maximize their sponsorship inventory. He brings rich experience with fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands and major film studios, as a former Nielsen consultant for Nestle's Wonka Candy portfolio and having led the Nielsen relationship with Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In his career at Nielsen, Matt has helped leaders in the entertainment sponsorship marketing space to better select, implement and measure their branded music, film, and video gaming campaigns. At Nielsen Music we believe that informed branded music partnerships based on consumer insights lead to the most successful campaigns for the music industry, brands, and most importantly the fans.

VictorZarayaPresidentRazor & Tie

As President of Razor & Tie and Kidz Bop, Vic oversees the daily management of the company’s diverse suite of artists and assets. At any given moment he may be supervising the strategic marketing of All That Remains, The Pretty Reckless, The Sword, or Starset; distribution of the #1 Broadway soundtrack label Ghostlight (Book of Mormon, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and vinyl imprint Analog Spark; song placement and royalty administrationfor the host of songwriters represented by Razor & Tie Music Publishing; or overseeing the track listing for the next multi-platinum compilation from the company’s blockbuster Kidz Bop series. While the scope of Razor & Tie’s business—and Zaraya’s responsibilities—has consistently intensified over more than a decade of disruptions in the industry, he cites the company’s diversity of interests as the primary reason why Razor & Tie has been able to respond to massive change with such dexterity and success.

EmmanuelZunzCEOONErpm

Emmanuel Zunz is the founder and CEO of fiercely independent ONErpm, a digital distribution, rights management, and publishing company and one of YouTube’s fastest growing Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) generating 4.5 billion monthly plays. The company began in 2010 and has offices in New York, Nashville, Mexico City, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Zunz, a former musician, began his entrepreneurial path using business to create change in 2005 when he founded Verge Records, a label predicated on releasing music from impoverished neighborhoods to yield profit to invest back into the communities in need. His business plan for Verge earned him the Grand Prize of the 2006 NYU Business Plan Competition. Zunz has a background in management consulting, and holds a Masters Degree in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).