Rick Beato | YouTube Personality, Multi-Instrumentalist, Music Producer, Educator | Everything Music

Rick Beato is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer; he has also lectured on music at universities.

Beato owns and operates Black Dog Sound Studios in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He has produced for and worked in the studio with bands such as Needtobreathe, Parmalee, and Shinedown. On his YouTube channel, he covers different aspects of rock, jazz, blues, electronic, rap, and pop, and he conducts interviews with musicians and producers.

J. Galen Buckwalter | CEO | psyML

J. Galen Buckwalter, PhD, has been a research psychologist for over 30 years. He began his career as a research professor at the University of Southern California. Subsequently, he initiated a behavioral outcomes research program at Kaiser Permanente, Southern California. He transitioned into industry when he created the assessment and matching system for eHarmony.com. He is currently CEO of psyML, using his psychological and social media expertise to design digital systems supportive of individual growth. Galen is also a participant/scientist in a trial of an implanted brain-machine interface geared toward the long-term restoration of spinal cord injury. As such he has unprecedented access to the neural functioning of his brain. As the front man for a four-piece pre-punk band of shrinks, Siggy, he has written over 70 songs and performed at most every underground dive in LA. He is currently working to integrate the sounds of his neuronal activity into his music.

Dan Furman, Ph.D. | CEO | Arctop

Dan Furman, PhD, began his neuroscience career as a researcher under neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duma, developing a surgical method that used brain imaging to predict the spread of malignant brain tumors and proactively halt tumor growth using gamma radiation. He went on to Harvard, where he earned his A.B. in Neurobiology with a minor in Music. After graduating, he joined a medtech company working on a brain-computer interface (BCI) for Dr. Stephen Hawking, before returning to academy to do a PhD in computational neuroscience. There, he was first in the world to demonstrate that non-invasive brain sensor data could be used to control individual neuroprosthetic fingers. In 2016, Dan co-founded Arctop to create general purpose BCI technology that unlocks human potential.

Arctop is a cognition company, founded to create widely accessible technology that profoundly improves human life. Arctop’s software applies artificial intelligence to electric measurements of brain activity in real time — translating people’s feelings, reactions, and intent into actionable data. Arctop’s clients include some of the most innovative organizations at the intersection of AI development and human experience, such as Endel (Apple Watch App of the Year), Stanford Medicine, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. The company has published in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, The Wall Street Journal, and been awarded multiple patents on its state-of-the-art methods of brain decoding.

Eros Marcello |  Founder | black dream ai

Eros Marcello is a distinguished design engineer known for his expertise in advancing human-enhancing Artificial Intelligence and adjacent emerging technology.

Marcello’s specialization is in conversational interfaces, Large Language Models (LLMs), and multimodal human-machine interaction. His career includes pivotal roles at Apple, Meta (Facebook), Samsung, Salesforce and more, with seasoned experience across diverse sectors such as Federal Government + Defense, Healthcare + Pharmaceuticals, Higher Education, Consumer Electronics and Audio Technology.

In 2023, Eros founded black dream ai: A startup currently in stealth focused on developing AI-augmented neurotechnology. The firm recently announced 2 open-source projects: Ouija (a platform slated to serve as a “God View” for their brain health) and Converge (the first human-machine collaborative programming language for Neuromorphic Engineering).

Beyond Machine Learning, Eros is deeply invested in Quantum Computing, Ambient Intelligence, Computational Neuroscience and advanced DSP Pro-Audio Technology. He strives to synergize these domains into impactful innovation.

Eros Marcello is based out of NASA Ames Research Park in Silicon Valley, California with a satellite office at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Jamie Gale | Founder | Jamie Gale Music

Industry insider, educator, consultant and curator of the Boutique Guitar Showcase. Jamie has shared his unique perspective on the un-written future of guitar in many of the world’s most prestigious institutions, from instrument-making schools with centuries-old traditions in Europe to the Harvard graduate school of design.

Having worked in almost every aspect of the guitar industry. From touring musician to retail, distribution and manufacturing enable him to see things from many different perspectives.

His work with the Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour provides annual trips to more than 25 cities in 11 countries, helping to keep a pulse on the global musical instrument industry, customer perspectives and needs.

These days Jamie is intent on working with as many other creative disciplines as possible to find new perspectives and synergies for the future.

John Raymond Riley | Assistant General Counsel | U.S. Copyright Office

John Riley is an Assistant General Counsel at the Copyright Office where he has contributed to the Government’s briefs in the Petrella and Aereo Supreme Court cases, the Thaler AI-copyrightability case, the Copyright Small Claims and Copyright and the Music Marketplace policy reports, and, among other regulatory work, has authored rules implementing the Music Modernization Act and Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (“CASE”) Act of 2020.

Prior to joining the Office, John worked as the Senior Manager of IP Enforcement at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. John earned his LL.M. in IP Law from the George Washington University Law School and his JD from the Dickinson School of Law. He holds BA degrees in Political Science, English, and Communication Arts & Sciences from Penn State University. He has been recognized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association for his distinguished service and contributions in the field of intellectual property law.

Paul Sitar (Moderator) | President, A3E | CEO, Sitarian Corporation

Paul began his professional career as an aerospace underwriter, commercial pilot, and certified flight instructor. However, his passion for information technology led him to transition into the field of emerging technologies that impact all aspects of business and life. He accomplished this by launching research projects, trade shows, and conferences for prominent organizations such as Gartner, Inc. and Advanstar Communications, Inc., as well as for several of his own ventures such as NlightN, Inc., Sitarian Corporation, A3E LLC, and the The Electric Vehicle + Energy Infrastructure Innovation & Sustainability Exchange™. These efforts and projects have included a global footprint.

Paul has focused his attention on several areas, including music and entertainment technology, electric vehicles and next-generation mobility, healthcare informatics, electronic commerce, artificial and creative intelligence, robotics, IT security, cyber terrorism prevention, and critical infrastructure protection.

Paul’s experience also includes founding and managing a software security company for seven years. During this time, he successfully patented and commercialized a deviceless one-time password authentication system. Today, Paul continues his work in research, trade show and conference creation, and the launch of innovative projects in technology driven industries.

Sean Phelan | Producer/Engineer | Republic Records Studios

Lizzo, Shania Twain, Migos, Mary J Blige, CeeLo, Lil Nas X, multiple Grammy wins

Rob Christie (Moderator) | Republic Records* Studios Director | Universal Music Group

2 x Grammy Winning A&R Producer, former Staff Producer for EMI-Capitol Records.

*(Republic Records has been recognized by Billboard as the industry’s #1 label over the last 10 years. It is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning superstar artists such as: The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Drake, Ariana Grande, John Legend, Post Malone, Metro Boomin, Stevie Wonder, among others.)

Rachel Stilwell (Moderator) | Owner/Founder | Stilwell Law

Rachel Stilwell is the Owner/Founder of Stilwell Law, a music and intellectual property firm based in Los Angeles. Rachel’s law practice focuses on entertainment, intellectual property, licensing, and commercial transactions. She advises and negotiates on behalf of businesses and creative professionals on complex intellectual property matters and business transactions. Stilwell Law serves businesses and individuals from all industries, with special expertise in entertainment and professional audio. Rachel is proud to have been named to Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers List for the last six consecutive years. Prior to becoming an attorney, Rachel held executive positions with several top record labels, including Verve Music Group, where she ran Verve’s multi-format radio promotional department, supervising all radio activities and promotional tours. Rachel is Co-Chair of the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter’s Advocacy Committee. She also serves on the national advocacy committee of the Songwriters of North America.

Ray Parker, Jr. | American Singer, Songwriter & Guitarist

Ray Parker, Jr. is an acclaimed American singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for his hit song “Ghostbusters,” the theme for the 1984 film of the same name. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Parker’s musical career spans decades, beginning as a session guitarist for platinum-selling artists like Stevie Wonder and Barry White. His distinctive blend of funk, R&B, and pop led to solo success in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Parker’s hits “You Can’t Change That.” “I’m in Love With The Other Woman” and his chart-topping “Ghostbusters” solidified his place in pop culture. Beyond his own career as an artist, Parker’s songwriting and production work for artists like Aretha Franklin and the Spinners have earned him recognition in the music industry. A multi-talented artist, Parker’s legacy extends beyond music to television and film, where his infectious sound and catchy hooks have made him a beloved figure in entertainment.

Kevin D. Jablonski | Partner, Chair Electrical/Computer Science Patent Practice Group | Fisher Broyles, LLP

Kevin Jablonski serves as chair of the FisherBroyles Electrical/Computer Science Patent Practice Group. Kevin is a registered patent attorney with a focus on patent portfolio development and patent prosecution. Kevin works with a number of clients across myriad technologies with a lean toward electrical engineering and computer science. Kevin’s practice involves additional aspects of intellectual property law including IP licensing, copyrights, and trademarks. He has experience in technology areas such as semiconductor design, analog and digital circuits, and computer architecture solutions. Kevin has also developed a technical focus in the audio arts and sciences and audio-related technologies. Kevin owns a professional-grade recording studio called Hollywood and Vines. Kevin also manages and plays drums in two bands: Whiskey Gaels and The Soul Proprietors. This music arts background and interest allows Kevin to branch out from patent prosecution into entertainment law to help fledgling artists and music technology companies navigate confusing landscape.

John Raymond Riley | Assistant General Counsel | U.S. Copyright Office

John Riley is an Assistant General Counsel at the Copyright Office where he has contributed to the Government’s briefs in the Petrella and Aereo Supreme Court cases, the Thaler AI-copyrightability case, the Copyright Small Claims and Copyright and the Music Marketplace policy reports, and, among other regulatory work, has authored rules implementing the Music Modernization Act and Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (“CASE”) Act of 2020.

Prior to joining the Office, John worked as the Senior Manager of IP Enforcement at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. John earned his LL.M. in IP Law from the George Washington University Law School and his JD from the Dickinson School of Law. He holds BA degrees in Political Science, English, and Communication Arts & Sciences from Penn State University. He has been recognized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association for his distinguished service and contributions in the field of intellectual property law.

Virginie Berger | Chief Business Development and Rights Officer | MatchTune

Virginie Berger, a seasoned professional in the music and tech industries, is renowned for her expertise in music business innovation and integrating artificial intelligence in music strategy and rights management. Her impressive 20-year career includes pivotal roles at Downtown Music-Songtrust, Armonia, Myspace, and Microsoft and her own company Don’t believe the Hype, where she played a key role in generating revenue, forging strategic alliances, and championing artists’ rights. Known for her work as a curator, writer, professor, and artist advocate, Virginie has a rich background in music business and rights innovation. She now extends her expertise as the Chief Business Development and Rights Officer at MatchTune, where we are pioneering advanced audio fingerprinting technology based on AI algorithms to detect all types of copyright infringement, AI-driven audio modifications, voice cloning, and AI deepfakes.

Roman Molino Dunn | Music Technologist | AudioIntell.ai

Roman is a film composer, music technologist, Billboard-charting producer, and entrepreneur. He has scored films and shows for Netflix, HBO, Disney, Paramount, and Hulu, and founded Mirrortone Recording Studios in NYC. As a music software developer, Roman founded The Music Transcriber (now Composer’s Tech), creating innovative music algorithms acquired by leading companies.

At AudioIntell.ai, he leads the development of AI systems for audio detection and analysis, focusing on detecting AI-generated audio and providing insights across industries like security and entertainment. He also serves as a Senior Operating Partner at Ulysses Management’s Private Equity Group, specializing in music technology investments, and is a co-owner of Antares Audio Technologies.

Eric R. Burgess | Founder/CEO | Credtent

Eric “E.R.” Burgess is the CEO of Credtent.org, a Public Benefit Corporation empowering creators to reclaim control of their content in the Age of Al. With a career spanning journalism, video game design, SaaS innovation, and marketing technology, Eric is a recognized leader in creativity, technology, and content authenticity. At Disney, he spearheaded the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire video games, introducing early downloadable content and selling over 4 million copies. He later led innovations in SaaS at SmartOffice, drove content marketing breakthroughs at PublishThis, and developed industry- first tools like the Earned Media Value Index at a.network. A prolific writer and creator rights advocate, Eric combines innovative storytelling and bleeding-edge technology to inspire a more authentic and financially inclusive digital landscape.

Credtent is a B Corp bringing creativity and Al together ethically and credibly. Our platform empowers creators to exclude their work or profit from Al by setting fair licensing terms for responsible Al companies. Creators can register any type of creative work for Al protection or licensing with our low-price, high-tech solution. Our Content Origin and Sourcing Badges have set industry standards for Al transparency and ethical training. Our Credibility Science enables Al tools to train their models on truly legitimate and accurate content to maximize efficacy, minimize business risk, and increase Al acceptance by creators across the artistic spectrum.

Tony Cariddi (Moderator) | VP Sales & Marketing | PreSonus

Tony Cariddi is a lifelong music and media technology enthusiast who’s led sales and marketing organizations at large and small companies for over 25 years. He’s currently the VP of Sales & Marketing at PreSonus. Previously, Tony led sales and marketing teams at Avid, Dolby, Apogee and various startups. In those roles, he’s led organizational transformations into new business models, technology partnerships, and marketplaces.

Matthew Azzarto | Sr Manager, Solution Architecture | AWS

Matt is currently Sr. Manager of Solutions Architecture at AWS where he leads a team of architects supporting key accounts globally. He has 20+ years of experience in the Media & Entertainment Industry, leading teams at the forefront of digital and cloud, transformations. He has delivered results on key strategic initiatives working at Disney, Hulu, HBO, Akamai and NBCUniversal. Prior to working on the content production and distribution side, Matt was a recording artist signed to MCA-Universal. He has had 2 music publishing deals and several songs placed in film and television. Matt is also a co-owner of a recording studio where he is working to integrate new technology like cloud-based services and collaborative software to drive accelerated content creation for artists and labels.

Hadi Nsouli | Sr Business Development Manager | T-Mobile

I am a product management professional who changed roles to work in business development here at T-Mobile Wholesale. T-Mobile enables me to create new MVNOs and IoT solutions with my partners for their customers.

I like to learn what my prospect’s business needs are, create innovative solutions with them and take them to market. What we have to offer is all about what the prospect is trying to accomplish. Think of it as a blank slate, build your own product space, I can help.

I started my career at a startup, I do not presume that I know what product will and will not succeed, but I am all about finding that out.

Julian McCrea (Moderator) | CEO | Open Sesame Media

Julian leads Open Sesame Media a B2B CPaaS (communication platform as a service) venture providing low latency synchronized audio over 5G to application developers via its patent-pending SyncStage platform. In short, they ‘sync’ a group of up to 8 devices at extremely low latency (8 times faster than Google Meet, 5 times faster than Discord) to enable instant synchronized digital audio experiences. His company just completed the world’s first music collaboration between London, New York and Toronto using SyncStage with Verizon, Rogers and Vodafone – called the ‘5G Music Festival’. They are working with major telecoms across the globe to bring their technology to market and are receiving application developer demand and in music, broadcast, gaming, metaverse, faith and music education verticals. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

James Hill | Co-founder | ever.fm

James Hill is the co-founder and Artistic Director of ever.fm, the platform where songs change every time they’re played. Hill is an award-winning performer and songwriter, a producer and an educator based in Atlantic Canada. His latest musical project is Champagne Weather, whose semi-improvised style inspired the creation of the ever.fm audio engine. Hill and his collaborators are innovating audio formats that thrive in the space between live performance and traditional recording.

Mansoor Rahimat Khan | Founder & CEO | Beatoven.ai

Mansoor Rahimat Khan is the Founder and CEO of Beatoven.ai. He is a Forbes 30 under 30 Asia in consumer tech. He comes from a family of musicians that has pioneered sitar music for 7 generations. With a combined experience in tech and music, Mansoor is an alumni of the Georgia Tech Centre for music technology, one of the most reputed music tech labs in the world and has worked extensively across startups in product and tech roles. His last stint was a senior product manager at a startup which was acquired for 600 million$. Mansoor has experience building across early stage and late stage and is currently leading Beatoven.ai and has been able to scale the product to 1.5 million users with US and Europe being primary markets. Mansoor also has an extensive network of artists across the world that aids towards the efforts of building the company.

Beatoven.ai is an AI music generator for content creators to compose original royalty free background music.Users can input prompts in the form of text, audio or video and generate original music and can further edit their output. The company is backed by marquee investors from Asia and Europe and is amongst the top 5 AI music players in the world. The company is also amongst the top 200 AI tools in the world as per Generative AI. The company has pioneered ethical AI by training their models on artists data through consent and licensing music from hundreds of artists and has been certified by Fairly Trained and AI4Music.

Kevin Vesterlund | CEO | Starmony

Kevin Vesterlund is the CEO of Starmony, a tech company developing AI music solutions that leverage creativity on a global scale. He was recently featured on BBC Global News to discuss AI within music, and how Starmony is positioned to meet the rapid trend shift from music consumption to co-creation. With his experience in digital media and product development he leads Starmony towards the vision where anyone, anywhere, can make and monetize music.

Starmony currently engages over 150,000 creators that transform ideas into music through an AI-powered ecosystem of intuitive products. They offer features like song generation, vocal analysis, asynchronous collaboration, remixing and distribution. At their core lies ethically sourced data and fair compensation to all contributors involved in the creative process. Backed by leading investors from the music and tech industry, Starmony is at the forefront of making music creation accessible to the masses.

Grayson Sanders | CEO | Chordal

Grayson is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chordal. He is also a composer and co-founded the Emmy winning music agency Safari Riot.

Chordal is a fast-growing music sync platform with a revolutionary collaborative rights technology.

Joe Kataldo | Composer & Sound Designer | Mad Wave Audio, LLC

Joe Kataldo is a composer and sound designer with a rich career spanning over a decade. He boasts a prolific portfolio of work that includes contributions to notable projects such as “Archer: Danger Phone,” “H3VR” and the Team Fortress 2 VR parody, “Terminator Salvation VR Ride”, the recent remaster of “XIII”, “The Last Night”, and “X8”. Notably, his score for “Blind Fate: Edo No Yami” earned a nomination for Best Video Game Score at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2022.

As the owner of Mad Wave Audio, LLC, Joe has crafted audio for countless Toyota commercials and provided immersive VR audio for theme parks like Songcheng’s “Dreamland” in China. He holds degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Music Conservatory of Napoli in Italy. In addition to his prolific work, Joe Kataldo shares his expertise by teaching a post-graduate masterclass on game audio for ADSUM.it.

Cody Matthew Johnson | CEO, Creative Director | Emperia Sound and Music / Emperia Music Group

Linnea Sundberg (Moderator) | Chief of Staff to the CEO | UnitedMasters Inc.

For the last ~15 years, Linnea Sundberg has operated at the intersection of music and technology. She currently serves as Chief of Staff to the CEO at UnitedMasters Inc., a leading label services and platform for independent artists, where she is also responsible for Corporate Development. Previously, Linnea spent over 6 years at Spotify. There, she developed and took artist-facing products to market, including commercial strategies, and go-to-market plans for the Spotify for Artists brand. She’s also an advisor (Soundverse), and investor (the Dematerialised), and has held previous Corporate Development roles (Splice). Her expertise lies in artist services, copyright and IP value, streaming market insights, and artist services. Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford. An advocate for innovation in the creator economy, Linnea is passionate about supporting the next generation of artists through technology-driven solutions.

Maya Ackerman, PhD.  |  CEO/Co-Founder  |  Wave AI

Dr. Maya Ackerman is a trailblazer in generative AI, serving as CEO and co-founder of WaveAI, a pioneering startup transforming music creation. An Associate Professor at Santa Clara University, Dr. Ackerman has researched generative AI for text, music, and art since 2014. Ackerman was an early advocate for human-centered generative AI, bringing awareness to the power of AI to profoundly elevate human creativity. Under her leadership, WaveAI has emerged as a leader in musical AI, benefiting millions of artists and creators with their products LyricStudio and MelodyStudio. Named a “Woman of Influence” by Silicon Valley Business Journal, she’s been featured in major media and speaks on global stages like the United Nations, Oxford, IBM Research and Stanford University.

Simon Cross | Chief Product Officer | Native Instruments

Simon is the Chief Product Officer at Native Instruments. He leads the product, design, sound design and partnerships teams across Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx. He supports the teams developing new products and services that empower and enable creators to express themselves through sound.

Simon has a lifelong passion for music and creativity: He started DJing at the age of 8, and grew up playing Jazz drums with both big bands and small groups.

Prior to Native Instruments, Simon spent 12 years at Meta where he built communication and developer platforms, and applied cutting edge AI technology to detect and reduce online abuse. Before that, he held several senior engineering and product roles at the BBC and in commercial radio.

Daniel Rowland (Moderator) | Head of Strategy and Partnerships | LANDR

Daniel Rowland is a unique combination of audio engineer, music producer, tech executive, and educator. He is Head of Strategy and Partnerships at LANDR Audio, co-founder of online DAW Audiotool, and longtime instructor of Recording Industry at MTSU. For nearly a decade, his primary focus has been on the empowerment of music creators via LANDR’s ethical AI-driven tools and accessible design, sharing that message on dozens of panels and podcasts.

As a creative, he has worked on Emmy/Oscar-winning and Grammy-nominated music projects totaling 13+ billion streams for Disney/Pixar, John Wick, Star Wars, Marvel, Jason Derulo, Seal, Nine Inch Nails, Nina Simone, Flo Rida, Adrian Belew, Burna Boy, and hundreds of others.

Jessica Powell | CEO | AudioShake

Jessica Powell is the CEO and co-founder of AudioShake, a sound-splitting AI technology that makes audio more interactive, accessible, and useful. Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions, AudioShake is used widely across the entertainment industry to help give content owners greater opportunities and control over their audio.

Powell spent over a decade at Google, where she sat on the company’s management team. She began her career at CISAC, the International Society of Authors and Composers in Paris. Her work has been published in the New York Times, TIME, WIRED, and elsewhere.

Marina Guz | Chief Commercial Officer | Endel

Marina Guz is the Chief Commercial Officer at the sound wellness company Endel. With over a decade of experience in the tech and music industries, Marina leads Endel’s record label business and spearheads cutting-edge collaborations between artists and AI. She has successfully signed deals with Universal Music, Warner Music, and Amazon Music, collaborating with renowned artists like James Blake, Grimes, and Sia.

Endel is a pioneering sound wellness company that creates AI-driven, personalized soundscapes designed to reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost productivity. By adapting to real-time inputs such as the time of day, weather, and heart rate, Endel’s technology delivers tailored soundscapes to meet the listener’s immediate needs. Backed by neuroscience, Endel enables artists to collaborate with AI, blending technology, art, and science to craft wellness music that enhances daily life.

Jordan Rudess |  Musician/Technologist | Jordan Rudess Music

Jordan Rudess is the renowned keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist for the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling progressive rock band Dream Theater. A former classical prodigy, he began studying at Juilliard at age 9 and later blended his classical roots with rock. In addition to his work with Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment, Jordan has released solo projects, including the orchestral symphony Explorations and a recent album on Sony Inside Out. His collaborations span artists like Deep Purple, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, and Enrique Iglesias.

As a technology pioneer, Jordan is a Visiting Artist at MIT’s Media Lab, working on AI-driven interactive projects, and has served as an artist-in-residence at Stanford’s CCRMA. Founder of Wizdom Music, he developed award-winning music apps like GeoShred, MorphWiz, and SampleWiz. Known as a tech influencer, he supports brands such as Moises, Roli Labs, Lava guitars, and Lightricks.

Joseph A. Paradiso |  Alexander W Dreyfoos Professor | MIT Media Lab

Joseph Paradiso directs the Responsive Environments group, which explores how sensor networks augment and mediate human experience, interaction, and perception. His current research interests include wireless sensing systems, wearable and body sensor networks, sensor systems for built and natural environments, energy harvesting and power management for embedded sensors, ubiquitous/pervasive computing and the Internet of Things, human-computer interfaces, space-based systems, and interactive music/media.

Perry Naseck  |  Research Assistant | MIT Media Lab

Perry Naseck is an artist and engineer working with interactive, kinetic, light- and time-based media. He specializes in interaction, orchestration, and animation of systems of sensors and actuators for live performance and permanent installation. Perry completed a Bachelor’s of Engineering Studies and Arts at Carnegie Mellon in 2022 where he studied both Art and Electrical & Computer Engineering. He worked at the Hypersonic studio in Broooklyn, NY where he created large interactive, kinetic, and light public art installations found all over the U.S. and abroad. Perry is Research Assistant in the Responsive Environments group at the MIT Media Lab where he focuses on creating new experiences that bridge the gaps between musicians, improvisation, and audiences.

Lancelot Blanchard |  Research Assistant | MIT Media Lab

Lancelot Blanchard is a musician, engineer, and AI researcher pursuing a PhD at MIT Media Lab’s Responsive Environments group. His research explores the potential for generative AI systems to enhance the creative processes of musicians, with a special focus on live performances. Lancelot has collaborated with multiple artists to create innovative tools for real-time AI-augmented music making. Lancelot holds a Master’s of Research in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and a Master’s of Engineering in Computing from Imperial College London, as well as a degree in classical piano from the Conservatory of Rennes, France.

Michele Darling |  Chair, Electronic Production and Design (EPD) | Berklee College of Music, Boston

Michele Darling, is an accomplished sound designer, composer, recording engineer, and educator. Her work – always rooted in the possibilities of sound – aligns futuristic thinking with music production and sound design. From national television shows and video games to electronic toys and music software, Michele shares her expertise across a range of media types and platforms and her work can be heard among Emmy-winning entertainment, on the top 100 most influential toys list, and throughout multi-genre music productions worldwide. Michele is currently the Chair of the Electronic Production and Design Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She leads the EPD department in educating students in electronic music production, sound design, sound for immersive platforms such as video games and mixed reality, new musical instrument design, and electronic music performance.

Gillian Desmarais |  K-12 Music Production and Engineering Teacher | Maplewood Public Schools/District 622

Gillian Desmarais was recently named 2024 National TI:ME Technology Teacher of the Year and a 2024 Yamaha “40 Under 40” Music Educator. She currently teaches K-12 Music Production and Engineering at Maplewood Public Schools in Maplewood, MN. Gillian has been nationally recognized for her work in electronic composition and is an active clinician and adjudicator for state and international music conferences and competitions. She has collaborated with companies such as Ableton Live, Yamaha, Zildjian, Novation, and Jamstik to design new music technologies and curriculum for the classroom. As a music technology graduate student at New York University, she continues to perform IRB research in collaboration with Dr. Alex Ruthmann, Director of the NYU MusEDLab, for developing curriculum, new music ensembles and web applications.

Jonathan Wyner |  President | M Works Studios

Experienced leader and subject matter expert: Director of Education at iZotope inc. Participating in product development consultation and design strategies, supporting inbound marketing efforts with creation of educational and training assets public and inward facing. Blogger and Web-series host and moderator on topics related to music and audio production. Conceived, directed and implemented technical facility design for iZotope to serve product development, competitive testing and creation of marketing assets. Developing and delivering presentations for domestic and international audiences about new audio technologies, audio signal processing, audio mixing, mastering and production. Facile in most musical idioms, credits from many major artists. Focused on effective and compelling depictions of artistic intent, experienced in immersive audio production. Professor at the Berklee College of Music. Writer and editorial in media and audio production issues and techniques. Technical writing and QA. Literate in the arts with exceptional facility with musical genres and assembling teams well suited to any production task. Past President AES, and founder of the technical committee on AI/ML in audio.

Andrew Hutchens |  Assistant Professor of Music, Coordinator of Music/Music industry | Benedict College

Dr. Andrew Hutchens is currently an Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music/Music Industry at Benedict College. In this role, he is dedicated to providing transformative learning experiences for his students through courses in applied woodwind, music technology, music business, commercial music ensemble, entrepreneurship, and more. Many of his students have participated in internships and mentorships with organizations such as V12 Worldwide, Mezz Entertainment, Zync Music, Well Dunn, and the HBCU in LA program. Additionally, Dr. Hutchens serves on audio advisory councils and has fostered partnerships between Benedict College’s program and companies including Splice, Muhammad Ali Center, The Ray Charles Foundation, Yamaha, and American Music Supply. His research has been featured by Apple Education and at conferences such as the NAMM Show and the NCMEA conference. Dr. Hutchens holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and Western Carolina University. He regularly performs and commissions new works for saxophone and mixed chamber ensemble.

Lawrence Grey |  Executive Director, Curriculum Director | Young Producers Group

Lawrence Grey is a lifelong musician, a dedicated educator, and a tireless proponent of music education in schools. Lawrence is the executive director of Young Producers Group (YPG) and also serves as the curriculum director, designing innovative, engaging materials that reflect the interests and lived experiences of 21st century students. Hundreds of teachers all over the US rely on YPG’s methods and materials to deliver standards-based, music technology curricula that stoke creativity and prepare students for modern careers. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from New York University (NYU), a Masters Degree in Education from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and as an Ableton Certified Trainer, Lawrence’s unique position singularly qualifies him to create curricula and lead a team of forward-thinking educators.

Brian Hardgroove | Musician

Brian Hardgroove is a record producer, bassist, drummer and member (on hiatus) of the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy. Although he’s done productions that include the extraordinary talents of Chuck D (Public Enemy), Steven Tyler & Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Burning Spear, Marc Anthony, Supertramp and The Fine Arts Militia, his most cherished work is the production of two of China’s premier punk rock bands Demerit and Brain Failure.

Hardgroove’s musical repertoire spans the genres of hip-hop, soul, rhythm and blues, rock, and reggae.

In 2013 Hardgroove joined the faculty of Santa Fe University of Art & Design as Artist in Residence until shortly before the school began closing in 2017. In 2009, Gov. Bill Richardson proclaimed May 11th as “Brian Hardgroove Day” in the state of New Mexico for Hardgroove’s commitment to the regional music scene and for using his position as a touring musician, radio personality, writer, performer, and producer to promote the state in interviews while touring the world with Public Enemy and Bootsy Collins. Santa Fe Mayor David Coss proclaimed June 7 as “Brian Hardgroove Day” in the city of Santa Fe as well.

Hardgroove is currently producing two separate album projects with Stewart Copeland (The Police) and Fred Schneider (The B-52’s) in addition to his role as multi-instrumentalist in Ghost In The Hall (ft. DMC of RUN-DMC).

Bian Liunian | Musician

Musician, composer and musical director of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony and the CCTV New Year’s Gala, one of the most watched television programs in the world.

Athan Billias | Executive Board | The MIDI Association

Athan Billias has dedicate his whole life to music, technical innovation and MIDI. He played keyboard with Herb Reed and the Platters and Jerry Martini from Sly and the Family Stone. He then moved into the musical instrument industry as Product Planning Manager at Korg where he helped turn the Korg M1 into the largest selling music workstation of all time. He then Joined Yamaha as a Director of Marketing where he was involved with the product planning and marketing of Yamaha products including the Motif Series and the Montage. He has been on the Executive Board of The MIDI Association for over 25 years.

Linn Westerberg |  Director of Music Distribution| Epidemic Sound

Linn Westerberg is the Director of Music Distribution at Epidemic Sound. She leads a team of problem-solvers and communicators to optimize the streams and revenue for Epidemic Sound’s artists, elevate the music curation in the player based on data, trends, and culture insights, and package and release new music to maximize traction. Prior to Epidemic Sound, Linn helped develop the music programming strategy at Spotify. Linn also has a background in artist management and publishing, working at agencies representing artists such as Labrinth, Paloma Faith, Teddybears, and Taio Cruz. Linn holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing & Media Management from Stockholm School of Economics and a Masters Degree in Arts & Culture Management from Rome Business School.

Connor Cook |  Composer

Connor Cook is an interdisciplinary artist – a composer/ multi-instrumentalist/ producer/ musician/ educator based in Los Angeles. She is a 3-time Sundance Fellow, a MacArthur/Sundance Grantee, and has been a part of many high profile music/art programs. Her work has appeared on NBC, Prime, Hallmark, and more. Connor is currently working between music and science with her latest music project where she is working with soil scientists to serialize literal soil data to interpret musically what climate change sounds like. She also works with emerging music technology including generative AI, experimental models, game systems, sample coding, and other audio technologies. She teaches music composition for media at California State University Northridge.

Shauna Krikorian |  Executive Vice President  |  SongHub

Shauna Krikorian has a diverse background in the music industry that spans music publishing, artist development, and working with new technologies to enhance the creator experience. Shauna serves as EVP of SongHub, an innovative blockchain-powered collaboration, rights management and registration platform developed for creators, music publishers, performing rights organizations and music education programs worldwide. An advocate for more transparency within the music industry, Shauna drives SongHub’s mission to help promote the standardization of clean data practices.

As a creative, Shauna has signed and developed artists for synchronization licensing across various visual media including film, TV, ads and promos. She has also spearheaded synch marketing campaigns for many iconic music publishing catalogs (KISS, George Thorogood, Elvis Presley, Charli XCX, Paul Oakenfold and others). Recent projects include Ralph Lauren, Fitbit, Macys, Squishables, Victoria’s Secret, The Good Doctor, Matlock, Yellowjackets, Sweet Tooth, Charmed, and multiple Marvel franchises.

Janishia Jones (Moderator) |  Founder / Music Tech Advisor | ENCORE Music Tech Solutions

Janishia Jones is the CEO and Founder of ENCORE Music Tech Solutions, a pioneering consultancy at the intersection of music publishing, technology, and business operations. With over 14 years of experience at companies like Universal Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing, and EMPIRE, she has driven transformative solutions in rights management and royalties, increasing revenue by 700% at EMPIRE alone. Janishia is also the creator of HRMNY, an innovative platform improving transparency and efficiency in the music industry. A thought leader and advocate for equity, she regularly speaks at global conferences, including SXSW and Canadian Music Week.

ENCORE Music Tech Solutions specializes in building innovative systems to empower artists, rights holders, and music businesses. The company’s flagship technology, HRMNY, provides cutting-edge tools for rights and royalties management, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and efficiency. ENCORE bridges the gap between creative innovation and data-driven business practices, enabling clients to maximize their assets while navigating the complexities of the music industry.

Laura Clapp Davidson |  Senior Market Development Manager | Shure Incorporated

Laura Clapp Davidson is a dynamic and accomplished vocalist, songwriter, and Senior Market Development Manager for Shure, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio equipment. With a career spanning over two decades, Laura has captivated audiences worldwide with her rich, soulful voice and heartfelt performances. An alumna of the Women of NAMM Leadership Summit and an honoree of the She Rocks Awards, she is celebrated for her contributions to the music industry. Laura has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of cutting-edge music technology products as a respected product specialist and consultant. Her commitment to excellence and unique ability to bridge the gap between artistry and technology have made her an influential and trusted voice in the music community.

Shure: Shure (www.shure.com) has been making people sound extraordinary for a century. Founded in 1925, the Company is a leading global manufacturer of audio equipment known for quality, performance, and durability. We make microphones, wireless microphone systems, in-ear monitors, earphones and headphones, conferencing systems, and more. For critical listening, or high-stakes moments on stage, in the studio, and from the meeting room, you can always rely on Shure. Shure Incorporated is headquartered in Niles, Illinois, in the United States. We have more than 30 manufacturing facilities and regional sales offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and Asia.