Welcome to the ASCAP EXPO schedule and panelist/attendee directory! You will find the full EXPO schedule and panelist bios here.
As the world's leading performing rights organization and strongest advocate for music creators, ASCAP is at the center of the sweeping changes affecting the music industry. You don't want to miss this opening session, in which ASCAP's President and Chairman Paul Williams, ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento and ASCAP Executive Vice President of Membership Randy Grimmett will provide an update on the "state of the union" of ASCAP, the choices you have for future career success and making the most of your EXPO experience. You’ll get a deeper understanding of what ASCAP is doing on your behalf, and how ASCAP’s role fits into the wider music industry climate.
Great production is as essential to a song’s success as a great lyric and melody, but the role of a producer is often shrouded in mystery. This panel of top producers from across the genre spectrum will explain how they help turn a song into a recording that’s more than the sum of its parts. You’ll end up with a solid understanding of how your favorite music transitioned from ideas to finished products, and the skillset you need to be a professional producer.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from a chart-topping country singer-songwriter and music publishers in this song feedback session, during which a limited number of songs pre-submitted by registrants will be given constructive criticism in front of an audience.
A growing number of music creators are earning money and building connections with fans on YouTube. While the coin of the realm is still cover songs, there are also opportunities to make money with your original music. This panel will explore advertising partnerships, royalties and other channels for songwriters, composers and performers alike to get noticed and market themselves on YouTube.
Asia has emerged as one of the biggest markets for pop music in the world, and not just for Asian music creators. Our panel of trans-Pacific pop experts will talk about breaking into K-Pop, J-Pop and Chinese pop music, and how their success across the Pacific has impacted their careers back home.
Learn how to use Digital Print Publishing to sell your sheet music online through www.sheetmusicplus.com, the world's largest sheet music store. We will demo our easy-to-use service including how to sign up for a free account, and upload your titles for sale. You'll get great tips on making your titles more appealing to buyers, including adding sound samples, detailed descriptions, and more. Join the satisfied songwriters, musicians, composers and arrangers who are already successfully selling their sheet music to millions of customers around the world with Digital Print Publishing.
Online video has created a new ecosystem for creators, delivering the work of songwriters and musicians to a global audience. The continued growth of user engagement on YouTube, coupled with the company's licensing efforts, presents new ways for songwriters and publishers to drive revenue and maximize awareness. This workshop will discuss ways to monetize and control your content, gain insights to maximize revenue and other best practices.
The world fell in love with Katy Perry in 2008, the year she released the multi-platinum One of the Boys, and topped the charts with its first single “I Kissed a Girl." She has since set sales and chart records with her album, Teenage Dream, earning dozens of industry accolades including Billboard’s Woman of the Year. While Katy has blossomed into one of today’s biggest and boldest pop stars, her success has been hard-won. In the ten years leading up to her major label debut on Capitol, Katy was signed to three record labels, yet remained true to her artistic vision throughout the process. Katy Perry is no manufactured pop princess - she wrote or co-wrote her songs every step of the way, including the record-breaking six #1 singles from Teenage Dream. Katy’s story is one of both talent and perseverance, and she’ll share the ups and downs of the journey in this keynote interview.
One-on-One Sessions, which have sold out early each year, provide attendees an opportunity to meet with a songwriter/composer, music publisher, online marketing executive, record company executive, Film/TV music executive, music attorney or ASCAP executive. The 15-minute session will be a mix of career advice and/or song critiques.
There are no openings or waiting list spots available.
Through ingenious combinations of pop, hip-hop and R&B, the Grammy-winning songwriting-production team Stargate, composed of Norwegians Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen, has crafted massive hits for some of today’s biggest artists. Stargate is a constant fixture on the charts, responsible for a wide range of unstoppable songs including Katy Perry's “Firework,” Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” and Rihanna's “Only Girl (in the World),” “S&M,” “What’s My Name” and “Diamonds” as well as songs for Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Ne-Yo, Lionel Richie and Shakira. Both Tor and Mikkel are experienced instrumentalists, and the solid musical core they bring to every production is the key to the durability of their music. In addition to their killer beats and great melodies, Stargate’s skills shine brightest in their ability to collaborate with other gifted artists, such as Ne-Yo, with whom they have created some powerful songs, including Ne-Yo’s “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)” and Rihanna dance-pop hit “Take a Bow.” Ne-Yo, who has risen to become one of modern music’s most talented and prolific artists. is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and producer, and in less than five years, he’s produced three #1 albums featuring such popular hits as “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “Miss Independent,” “Closer” and more, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson to Tim McGraw. His fifth album, R.E.D., was released last fall. In this very special session, Mikkel, Tor and Ne-Yo will provide a valuable look into the art of collaboration, the creative process and how they’ve created some of today’s most popular music.
Enjoy some great live music from this diverse group of successful ASCAP songwriters, who will treat the audience to acoustic performances of some of their best-known songs in an intimate “in-the-round” setting.
So you're an artist-songwriter, writer-producer or just a songwriter looking for that next cut. Why would the industry want YOUR song to drive its dreams, become a hit, convince someone to spend $100,000 on production and millions on promotion? Why should the listener want to own YOUR song? What do all hits have in common? What sets them apart? By looking at what every recent #1 record has in common, you can see the same trends that determine what guides every "hit" writer, producer and artist. ASCAP’s Ralph Murphy demystifies the process and arms you for success. His “Murphy's Laws of Songwriting” are used by successful writers worldwide and give you the tools to take songs from good to great. After this seminar, your songs will be ready to take on the world!
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from these industry executives in this song feedback session, during which a limited number of songs pre-submitted by registrants will be given feedback in front of an audience.
One-on-One Sessions, which have sold out early each year, provide attendees an opportunity to meet with a songwriter/composer, music publisher, online marketing executive, record company executive, Film/TV music executive, music attorney or ASCAP executive. The 15-minute session will be a mix of career advice and/or song critiques.
There are no openings or waiting list spots available.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from music industry executives in this song feedback session, during which a limited number of songs pre-submitted by registrants will be given feedback in front of an audience.
R&B, hip-hop, soul, dance, rap. Call these styles what you want, they are popular. The creators of today’s urban music draw from a rich array of sounds and sources to create some of modern music’s biggest hits. Learn how some of today’s most successful songwriters and producers got their foot in the door and continue to set the creative bar for everyone else trying to make it in urban music. They’ll explain how, with the right combination of innovation, skills and the ability to collaborate, you can begin your own journey up the charts.
While still in his teens, songwriter-producer Savan Kotecha would send out dozens of demo tapes a day in hopes of getting just one cut. He landed a major publishing deal when he was only 21, and flew from the US to Sweden to hone his craft with some of the leading writer-producers in pop music. Kotecha has since crafted gigantic hits like Britney Spears's "I Wanna Go," Usher’s "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" and Maroon 5's "One More Night," among many others, and he’s also the in-house Vocal Producer on X-Factor. Kotecha’s story is one of uncommon talent and incredible commitment. In this candid master session, he’ll give insights into his creative process, and what it takes to transform from an unknown songwriter to a charting hitmaker.
As performers, women have long dominated the world’s musical stage. But today more than ever they are also some of the most successful songwriters, executives and entrepreneurs in music. This panel of gifted women will share their experiences in navigating the music industry - the challenges they encountered, the lessons they learned and both the mistakes and smart choices they made - on their way to achieving career success.
One-on-One Sessions, which have sold out early each year, provide attendees an opportunity to meet with a songwriter/composer, music publisher, online marketing executive, record company executive, Film/TV music executive, music attorney or ASCAP executive. The 15-minute session will be a mix of career advice and/or song critiques.
There are no openings or waiting list spots available.
Success has taken many shapes for the renowned ASCAP members on this panel. Yet whether they made their name by writing smash pop singles, platinum-selling R&B hits or innovative film scores, they have all faced and overcome creative and professional challenges on the way to their current positions as leaders in their genres. You’ll gain valuable insight and inspiration from each of these artists, who will share what it’s like to build an enduring life in music.
ASCAP songwriter Priscilla Renea wowed last year’s EXPO by performing some of her biggest songs at our closing Writers Jam: “California King Bed” (Rihanna), “Who Says” (Selena Gomez) and “Love Spent” (Madonna). We’re bringing her back for an EXPO first - an interactive writing session, where Priscilla and some friends will write a song on the spot based on ideas from the audience. Be a part of some spontaneous music magic at this one-of-a-kind master session!
One-on-One Sessions, which have sold out early each year, provide attendees an opportunity to meet with a songwriter/composer, music publisher, online marketing executive, record company executive, Film/TV music executive, music attorney or ASCAP executive. The 15-minute session will be a mix of career advice and/or song critiques.
There are no openings or waiting list spots available.
Best Of Show winner at MacWorld and recipient of rave reviews in every major music magazine, MasterWriter is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program. MasterWriter is used by some of the world's most successful songwriters, including Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Babyface Edmonds, Kenny Loggins, Trent Reznor, Jimmy Webb and Carole Bayer Sager. Barry DeVorzon, the founder of MasterWriter and a successful songwriter in his own right, will be sharing stories and demonstrating the most helpful features in MasterWriter. On-site discount offered plus a chance to win a free copy by simply attending.
More than 20 years into his career, hip-hop and R&B producer No I.D. (“The Godfather of Chicago Hip-Hop”) continues to innovate, creating a seemingly endless string of hits. Best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common, No I.D.’s notable recent work includes “D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)” and “Run This Town,” the two singles he produced and co-produced, respectively, from Jay-Z’s album, The Blueprint 3. He also produced Common’s latest album The Dreamer/The Believer and continues to be one of the most sought after producers working today. In this special master session, internationally-acclaimed DJ and producer Don Cannon, who has worked with such artists as Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Young Jeezy and more, will talk creative process with No I.D., who will play and deconstruct some of his well-known tracks for the benefit of the audience.
ASCAP is the world leader in licensing your music and paying you royalties, but we also offer a world of services to our members. From Member Access (both online and through our mobile app) to our new OnStage program to workshops and showcases across the nation, ASCAP can help you learn the ropes and connect the dots in your music career. This panel of ASCAP staff and ASCAP members will detail a range of services and benefits that will help you take advantage of your membership. If you aren’t yet a member or currently belong to another performing rights organization, come find out why ASCAP is the right choice!
How do I write a good bridge? What makes for a good demo? Why can’t I write a third verse? If you’re having writing problems and are hungry for answers to questions like these and more, don’t sweat it. At this session Darrell Brown, an acclaimed songwriter, arranger and record producer who has cooked up numerous #1 pop and country hits, will share with you the right ingredients for a great song and help you troubleshoot common issues all songwriters face. Come prepared for a chance to perform (there will be a keyboard, guitar and flash drive-compatible music player available) as a basis for discussion for the audience. Got other questions about your music career? Try Brown’s recipe for success.
Note: This is the EXPO's only extended-length session.
This group represents some of modern music’s most successful songs from across the musical spectrum. These songwriters will share the fascinating stories behind the creation of their best-loved songs, and perform them live in a low-key, in-the-round setting. It’s the perfect way to end the 2013 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO. Feel free to sing along!
