ASCAP Experience (formerly the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO), the largest gathering of music creators in the country, announced the first wave of programming for its 15th annual conference, April 1-3, 2020 at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown LA. This three-day event will be filled with powerful performances, networking mixers, showcase opportunities and dozens of panels led by chart-topping music creators and top-level industry executives. Previous keynote speakers and panelists include Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Justin Timberlake, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Katy Perry and Tom Petty. Upcoming lineup announcements will follow throughout early 2020.
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As the premier gathering for music creators, the ASCAP Experience is taking it to the next level by adding tracks to the programming: curated panel and event recommendations to help guide attendees to the right sessions based on their specific interests and where they are in their careers. With seven different tracks to choose from, Experience attendees can easily explore the programming that best meets their goals.
The 2020 ASCAP Experience tracks include Brand, Wellness, Money, Create, Get Heard, Live Music and Network. Whether participants want to learn more about innovative ways to fund their careers or how to maintain their well-being, the ASCAP Experience will help equip music creators with the tools they need to succeed.
Now through January 3, ASCAP is offering the opportunity to gift the Experience with the ASCAP Experience Holiday Gift Set. The exclusive, limited-time offer includes an ASCAP Experience Pass, Coffee Connection, Mentor Session and a gift box filled with ASCAP merchandise.
Below is the first wave of programming (categorized by track) for ASCAP Experience 2020. Dates, times and panelists will be announced in the future.
BRAND
Your First ASCAP Experience
Attendees will hear from Experience alumni and industry experts who will supply networking tips and guidance on how to have the best “Experience” possible.
How to Find and Grow Your Fanbase
There are many ways of getting fans to pay attention to music, but what are the best ways to connect with the right audience? Panelists will explain new and tried-and-true avenues for getting noticed by both fans and the industry.
Stay Social with Songwriting
Expert insights on how creators can engage and grow audiences by leveraging social media platforms.
WELLNESS
In Tune: Music as the Bridge to Mindfulness
Emmy-winning producer, teacher and author Richard Wolf will guide attendees on finding a mindful approach to their art and lives. Wolf will explore how mindfulness can help manage some of the pressures of working in music, while contributing to overall health and well-being. Attendees will also learn about the longstanding relationship between music and meditation and discover how music creates headspace for mindfulness.
MONEY
Major Players in Music Publishing
A conversation with executives from BMG, Kobalt, Sony/ATV, UMPG and Warner Chappell about the evolving role of music publishers.
Innovative Ways to Fund Your Music Career
These days, musicians can launch successful careers from their bedrooms. While creativity is free, monetizing music is essential for any sustainable career. In this panel, representatives from several next-generation music companies will explain new models that can help music creators get paid while establishing their careers.
CREATE
Sonic Architects: Hit Producers and Engineers on How to Build a Hit
A cross-genre panel with acclaimed producers and engineers who are helping to define the sounds of tomorrow.
Songwriting for the Soul
A conversation with songwriters at the forefront of Gospel & Contemporary Christian music.
Horror Scorers
Music has always played a huge role in horror films, ratcheting up tension and raising goosebumps for unsuspecting viewers. But it takes more than a couple tritones and some dissonant strings to unnerve the modern horror fan. This panel features some of the most inventive composers of our time, unearthing how they serve up spine-chilling music for the finest – and freakiest – thrillers and horror flicks today.
Writing Kids Music in a Post-“Baby Shark” World
Business is booming in the kids music market! The genre’s biggest hits are among the most-heard songs of today, enjoyed by billions of youngsters around the world. With placements ranging from Cartoon Network to Nick Jr., the best music in the genre can also be super-creative, educational and even subversive. This panel, anchored by the Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter, composer and ASCAP Board member Michelle Lewis (Doc McStuffins, DC Superhero Girls), will outline the new trends and opportunities in kids music. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the creative joys and business reasons to focus on tunes for tykes.
Finding the “Aha!” Moment with Priscilla Renea
Stumbling upon a lyric that fits perfectly with the melody; finding that chord progression that lets the chorus take off; tweaking that beat just so, and all of a sudden everything just works. It can be hard to predict when these magical “aha!” moments will come, but it is possible to coax them out of hiding. Hit singer-songwriter Priscilla Renea will teach attendees how to bring the right energy to the studio, how to recognize an “aha!” moment in the making and how to harness that moment once it arrives.
GET HEARD
Pop/Rock, Country and Urban Music: Song & Lyric Feedback
There’s nothing like honest opinions from experienced music fanatics to help tune up a new song. Want to know what the pros listen for when they’re searching for new songs? Find out at these unique feedback panels, broken out by genre. Panels of veteran music creators and industry execs will evaluate a limited number of songs, pre-submitted by Experience registrants, in front of a live audience.
Darrell Brown’s Open House – Live Attendee Feedback
In this spontaneous, ever-popular session, master “song whisperer” Darrell Brown(songwriter, arranger and producer for LeAnn Rimes, Josh Turner, Neil Young) helps randomly-selected attendees tweak their songs live, with the help of the Experience audience.
Open Mic Night
An amped up version of the traditional open mic night: instead of an audience full of latte-sipping screenwriters with their earbuds in, attendees have the opportunity to perform in front of a rapt group of fellow songwriters and industry pros hanging on to every strum.
LIVE MUSIC
Center Stage Live
Songwriters from across the genre spectrum sing their hits live in a stripped-down, intimate setting. There’s a good reason why this showcase is packed every year – there’s just nothing like hearing top songs performed by the people who wrote them.
Get Heard: The ASCAP Experience Attendee Competition
A range of talented acts, pre-selected from a pool of attendee submissions, will perform their original work for a judging panel of industry experts. ASCAP judges will choose their favorites to move on to the final round – and one talented attendee will be crowned the ASCAP Experience champion!
She Rocks Showcase
The “She Rocks” Showcase returns to the ASCAP conference for the seventh year for a night of music and empowerment for the Experience community. The Showcase will feature drink specials, gear giveaways and – of course – some very talented women in music. The 2020 “She Rocks” Showcase is presented by the Women’s International Music Network, uniting women in the music and audio industries.
Writers Behind the Songs
Hit songwriters will lift the curtain on the creative process, deconstructing and telling the stories behind their songs we all know and love, and performing them like only they can.
NETWORK
ASCAP Experience “Collab Labs”
Attendees at any level of Experience can meet, share music and give each other feedback in a casual, encouraging setting. Each Collab Lab will be facilitated by an ASCAP representative.
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