Come meet your fellow EXPO attendees at this networking event the night before the ASCAP EXPO begins. Your EXPO badge is required for admittance, so be sure to pick up your badge at the ASCAP Registration desk on the Mezzanine Level of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel prior to the party! Complimentary appetizers for the first 250 people.
Join us at night at the Renaissance Hotel Lobby Lounge (1st floor) and enjoy live performances from songwriters. Check the hotel lobby area for details.
Learn about ASCAP Member Access and speak to an ASCAP Member Services representative. This is also where you can pick up your registration bag and drop your business card to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
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.
Get your official ASCAP EXPO & ASCAP merch, pick up the latest music industry books, and purchase access to video content from this year's EXPO panels. Also, drop your business card here to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
Are you releasing a cover song? Wondering if you need a license? Confused as to how to get one? Getting a license means supporting your fellow artists and the music community at large! Join Harry Fox Agency's John Raso as he explains the how, what and why of obtaining a license for a cover song and shows how easy (and economical) it is to get one using Songfile, HFA's online licensing tool.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
Maor Appelbaum: Mastering the Next Generation
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
The Fretlight is a real guitar with a built in learning system that places fingering information where you need it most, right at your fingertips. Use Fretlight Studio to audition and explore new scales, improvise over 100 different backing tracks in your choice of key and scale. Light up Tablature directly to the Fretlight guitar using industry standard GuitarPro 6 software. Create, edit and play back your own scores or download GP6 tablature from many online sources. The Fretlight is the ultimate learning and creativity tool for the guitar.
Dan Wilson has transitioned from his early success with the rock bands Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic (“Closing Time”) to being one of the most in-demand songwriter/producers in the world. Among his most recent achievements, Wilson was responsible for co-writing and co-producing Adele’s Grammy-winning 21 (including the international hit “Someone Like You”) as well as Dierks Bentley’s number one country single “Home.” In this candid master session, Wilson discusses his history as a writer by sharing the stories and creative processes behind some of his most beloved songs.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from chart-topping country singer/songwriters 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.
The last decade has seen an explosion of independent music used in film, TV and new media projects. Syncing your music to picture is undoubtedly a lucrative income stream and a great promotional tool, but for many music creators, the paths to licensing success are unclear. How do you get your music from point A to point B? Who are the creative gatekeepers? What are they looking for? What new licensing opportunities are there in internet programming, and how do you make money in that arena? Our distinguished panel of music supervisors and licensing experts will answer these questions and many more.
Playing live remains a vital way of getting your music to the masses. But just like every part of your music career, there’s plenty of practical knowledge to pick up and potential pitfalls to avoid on your path to touring success. Our panel of live music industry pros and touring artists will share the secrets of the art and business of touring, from the importance of merch to dealing with promoters to tour van etiquette.
Gospel music has extended its rich history into a massive presence in modern music. This panel of gospel messengers will offer their thoughts on the creative, financial and spiritual aspects of forging a career in gospel music. If you’re curious about how to build a sustainable career fusing faith and music, this is the panel for you!
ClubCreate will demo its Remix Studio to artists and musicians to show how to monetize their content on the ClubCreate platform. ClubCreate will also provide free studios to any artist or band who signs up at the EXPO as well as partner with DJ's and Producers to sell loops and samples to the growing ClubCreate community of creators.
The KDJ-ONE packs everything you need to produce music into a portable CD case sized 126x150x27mm unit, making it the world's first fully mobile DAW. Features include a powerful synthesizer, drum machine, and support for ACIDized WAV audio tracks. Control is unique and intuitive, involving a combination of buttons, a jog dial, and a multi-touch screen. The KDJ-ONE can also be used as a VST instrument, or as a controller for other DAW software.
Learn how to maximize the composing and producing power of Cubase 6.5. Advanced multitrack editing tools, lush virtual instruments, an unrivaled take-comping system and a revolutionary approach to MIDI form the centerpiece of this next-generation production environment. Crucial to any System Solution is the perfect integration of software and hardware. Hear the pristine sonic quality of the UR Series audio interfaces that boast high-resolution analog and digital I/O, DSP FX alongside the widely acclaimed D-Pre mic preamps and experience the flexibility of the modular CMC Series USB controllers, six unique controllers designed to give you the fastest and most flexible way to control your session. System Solutions from Steinberg are unparalleled in the world of music and audio recording! Kevin Doucette (A.R. Rahman, Berklee College-Film Composing) and Brian McGovern (Steinberg NA Product Demonstrator) will conduct this informative session.
Trevor Morris: How to Become Immortal in Scoring
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
These leading songwriters and composers hail from all different points on the musical spectrum. Yet whether they made their name through writing smash radio singles, the score to a major box office hit or a Tony-winning musical, they have all faced challenges, overcome obstacles, made sacrifices, experienced breakthroughs and reaped rewards as they built real lives in music. Discover the common threads that connect all music creators together and gain valuable insight from these artists, who will share the unvarnished truth behind their success.
You’ll get a glimpse into the composer’s studio as one of today’s most prominent film and television composers walks you through his creative process, from the initial spotting sessions to the final cut and every step in between. The audience will get a live, on-screen demonstration of the mock up recording process, and see how to use scoring templates to turn their musical vision into a fully realized movie or TV score.
Grammy-winning guitarist Peter Frampton first came to fame through a mid-60's stint in British psych-rock group The Herd. Frampton then co-founded Humble Pie, all the while building a reputation as a first-call session guitarist for George Harrison, Harry Nilsson and others. In 1971, Frampton launched a solo career that would spawn the classic live set Frampton Comes Alive! The album spawned the hits "Baby, I Love Your Way," "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do," stayed on the Billboard charts for nearly two years, and instantly became one of the most beloved live albums of all time. His 2007 album Fingerprints won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Frampton’s most recent album was 2010’s Thank You Mr Churchill. He just completed celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Frampton Comes Alive! by performing the best-selling live album around the world in its entirety along with other highlights from his career. Frampton will share stories and wisdom gleaned from his 45-plus year long career.
From performing to session gigs, cross-genre collaborations to musical theatre, today’s concert music creator has opportunities far beyond the composer’s desk or the conductor’s podium. On this enlightening panel, you’ll hear about the diverse careers of four of the foremost (and busiest!) composers and conductors active in the field. They’ll provide advice and inspiration for anyone looking to have a fulfilling career in concert music.
In this “always online” world, the barriers to growing your career have been replaced with a host of new tools to reach fans all over the globe. With this great freedom comes a great responsibility: musicians now have to put down their instruments and put on their marketing and business hats to have success. These leaders from both the business and creative sides of music will provide practical advice on how to make the most of new marketing platforms, distribute your recordings, build loyal fans through social networks and monetize your music along the way.
Even the catchiest hook won’t connect unless it’s paired with a great lyric. You can expect more than a few clever turns-of-phrase and bon mots from this panel, in which some of the best songwriters working today talk about what goes into a top-shelf lyric and how lyric writing fits into the songwriting process. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune your lyrical craft or you’re just curious about how words and music can interact, these master wordsmiths will show you how it’s done.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
David Isaac: Producers Do’s and Don’ts
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
What do top drummers Kenny Aronoff, John Blackwell, Carter Beauford, Thomas Pridgen, Ray Luzier and Alan White have in common? They each play different styles of music on different acoustic drums, but they all agree the Yamaha DTX-PADs come closer to the dynamic response and feel of a real drum than any other e-drum on the market. Come see and play the new DTX kits and talk to DTX artist relations manager and Hal Leonard author, Bob Terry, about the benefits of adding electric drum kits to your live show.
The storied music career of 2012 ASCAP Founders Award honoree Carly Simon began in earnest with her solo debut in 1971, which yielded the top-ten hit “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and earned her the Best New Artist Grammy. Over the next few years her star would rise on the strength of huge singles like “Anticipation,” “Legend in Your Own Time” and especially “You’re So Vain,” which hit #1 on the U.S. pop charts and catapulted Simon to superstardom. Simon’s unflinching, sophisticated songs continued to connect with listeners throughout the 70's – her singles "The Right Thing to Do" and “You Belong to Me” became huge critical and commercial successes. In the 80’s, Simon began a string of contributions to film and TV soundtracks. Her song “Let the River Run” from Working Girl earned her a Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe. And while Simon has never stopped recording new albums and contributing songs to visual media, she’s also branched out into opera (Romulus Hunt), acted in film and TV and written a series of children’s books. In this unique session, Carly Simon will open a window into her songwriting process. In addition to an in-depth conversation on her creative journey, some early demos of her songs will be played and discussed, offering a rare glimpse of the creative evolution of one of the most inspired songwriters of our time.
Tired of playing the same ol’ live circuit? Think your melodies might fit better with lyrics in a different language? Sail into the uncharted waters of foreign markets with our panel of internationally successful songwriters and industry experts from outside the US. These folks know what it takes to make it in other countries, and they’ll share it all – everything from collaborating with a foreigner to how live audiences respond differently in other parts of the globe.
Music is a huge part of the experience of any TV show, and there’s often as much drama and heart-racing action involved in finishing an episode as there is on-screen. You’ll find out how the composers, music supervisors and music editors for some of the biggest shows on television work together – and independently – to create the perfect small-screen soundtrack. It’s a must-see panel for anyone interested in the creative or business sides of television music.
As dance culture has infiltrated pop music, we’ve seen the DJ emerge from behind the turntables to become an essential part of the songwriting team. Our panelists are all respected DJs who have gained significant acclaim as producers, songwriters and remixers in recent years. They’ll examine the changing role of the DJ by talking about how they moved from the club to the charts, and offer attendees pointers on how they can do the same.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from chart-topping R&B and hip-hop songwriters, producers and 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.
Meet your fellow music creators and panelists at a special networking reception in and around the Dell, Intel® and Open Labs Lounge on the terrace outside the Grand Ballroom.
Join us at night at the Renaissance Hotel Lobby Lounge (1st floor) and enjoy live performances from songwriters. Check the hotel lobby area for details.
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.
ASCAP and iStandard are excited to present for its fourth year this showcase opportunity at the EXPO, specifically for Producers and Rappers. Eight EXPO attendees, whose tracks were pre-selected by iStandard, will have their music played before a panel of prominent music industry tastemakers, who will then provide valuable constructive criticism for the benefit of the participants and the audience. Two rappers have been selected, via submissions from EXPO attendees, to perform as part of the showcase. The iStandard Producers Showcase has been held in 12 major U.S. cities.
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.
Learn about ASCAP Member Access and speak to an ASCAP Member Services representative. This is also where you can pick up your registration bag and drop your business card to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
In 1989, a former real estate appraiser named Allen Shamblin became an overnight songwriting sensation when Randy Travis took his song “He Walked on Water” to the top of the charts. In the two-plus decades since, superstars like Bonnie Raitt, Mark Wills, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Miranda Lambert have connected with country fans over and over again with songs written by Shamblin’s golden pen – most notably Lambert’s recording of “The House That Built Me,” which won Song of the Year at the CMA, ACM and ASCAP Country Music Awards, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song. Shamblin hit it big through innate talent, hard work and incredible perseverance. It’s an amazing story, and he’ll tell it in detail during this intimate master session.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from professional film and television composers and entertainment executives in this feedback session, during which a limited number of music cues, pre-submitted by registrants, will be given feedback in front of a live audience.
Engage in honest talk and receive valuable advice from chart-topping pop/rock songwriters and 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 a live audience.
Though there are now more paths than ever to publishing success, major music publishers still play a huge role in developing songwriters into hitmakers and propelling their songs to the charts. This panel of executives, representing the heavy hitters of the music publishing world, will discuss how they find new talent and the role of the major music publisher in this rapidly changing music environment. You’ll emerge with a deeper understanding of how publishers operate day-to-day and what they look for in a prospective songwriter.
Whether you just co-wrote your first song or you’re a veteran hitmaker in a long term publishing deal, being aware of your legal rights and responsibilities is an important part of a successful career in music. Our panel of music law experts are devoting their entire session to answering your questions about publishing deals, co-writes, clearing samples and anything else you might want to know about putting your “legal” house in order. Come prepared with questions – our panelists will have the answers!
Get your official ASCAP EXPO & ASCAP merch, pick up the latest music industry books, and purchase access to video content from this year's EXPO panels. Also, drop your business card here to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
Live at the ASCAP Playback Stage...Makana
Come see a live performance by Makana, who is an internationally acclaimed Slack Key guitarist, singer, composer, philosopher, activist and one of Hawaii’s cultural ambassadors to the world. He is considered the youngest authority on his art form and recognized as one of the top guitarists in the US (Guitar Player Magazine, 2008).
The KDJ-ONE packs everything you need to produce music into a portable CD case sized 126x150x27mm unit, making it the world's first fully mobile DAW. Features include a powerful synthesizer, drum machine, and support for ACIDized WAV audio tracks. Control is unique and intuitive, involving a combination of buttons, a jog dial, and a multi-touch screen. The KDJ-ONE can also be used as a VST instrument, or as a controller for other DAW software.
Line 6 is proud to present a powerful new ecosystem of innovative live sound solutions—from the world’s first smart mixing system and most versatile speakers, to the fourth generation of the acclaimed Line 6 digital wireless platform. Designed to work together as an integrated system, the new StageScape™ M20d digital mixer, StageSource™ series loudspeakers and XD-V digital wireless microphone family represent the future of live sound.
Learn how to maximize the composing and producing power of Cubase 6.5. Advanced multitrack editing tools, lush virtual instruments, an unrivaled take-comping system and a revolutionary approach to MIDI form the centerpiece of this next-generation production environment. Crucial to any System Solution is the perfect integration of software and hardware. Hear the pristine sonic quality of the UR Series audio interfaces that boast high-resolution analog and digital I/O, DSP FX alongside the widely acclaimed D-Pre mic preamps and experience the flexibility of the modular CMC Series USB controllers, six unique controllers designed to give you the fastest and most flexible way to control your session. System Solutions from Steinberg are unparalleled in the world of music and audio recording! Special guest Allen Morgan, a remix engineer and producer who has worked with Taylor Swift, N.I.N, Sony Records and MCA Nashville, will join the session.
David Miles Huber: Composing/Producing IDM in 5.1
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
From Kid Cudi to Katy Perry, Timbaland to Taylor Swift, the Deftones to the Count Basie Orchestra, there are few points on the music spectrum that haven’t been investigated by Grammy-nominated writer/producer Greg Wells. The one thing that informs all of Wells’s work, no matter the genre, is his musical imagination. Listen to his colorful production on Mika’s Life in Cartoon Motion, or the authentic soul ballad “One and Only” he and Adele co-wrote for her Grammy-winning 21, and you’ll hear the stamp of a studio wizard, as well-trained as he is creative. In addition to performing some of his best-known songs and fielding questions from the audience, Wells will talk about how he has been able to successfully balance artistry with commercialism throughout his diverse career.
Production music libraries have become a lucrative revenue stream for songwriters and composers. You’ll learn everything you need to know about this corner of the licensing world from the biggest names in production music, the songwriters/composers that write for them and the music supervisors who use them.
In today's do-it-yourself world, there are more opportunities for the aspiring musician than ever before. But what isn’t always clear is how to finance your projects and effectively protect your assets. We have the tools to produce our own music, but how do we pay for them? We can market directly to our fans, but how do we analyze and improve our business models? Your success is dependent on the tools of your creativity, but how can you afford to protect them? This panel explores real world solutions for sourcing and protecting the physical and financial assets that every music professional now needs.
Every hit song requires a killer hook, a great vocal performance and a memorable lyric. But there’s also a dash of magic that turns a good song into a smash. The respected urban writer/producers on this panel know what it takes to craft a chart-topping hit from scratch. They’ll share the stories and secrets behind their best-loved songs, and inspire you to create your own hits.
Writing with other music creators can yield artistic and financial fruits. In this panel, hit country writers discuss the process of collaboration. They’ll talk about how to balance writing alone versus writing with others, and delve into the psychology and people skills involved. Our panelists will also weigh in on working with recording artists, and what it takes to transition from writing for yourself to writing with - and for - others.
175 attendees who signed up for the Lunch Roundtables will meet with four different panelists in small group settings. This event sold out five months in advance!
There are no openings or waiting list spots available.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
Propellerhead Software shows you the newest features in their songwriting and music production software, Reason. You can also check out their award winning audio interface, Balance. Balance's sleek design is a perfect representation of its easy-to-use, artist-friendly capabilities. Line 6 will also be on hand showcasing their latest gear! LA-based band Standing Shadows will be dropping by to demo how they use Reason and Balance to create and record their sound!
Ray Williams - Advanced Audio Editing and Vocal Tuning with Melodyne
Learn the art of vocal and instrument tuning with this Grammy award-winning software. With Melodyne, you can edit audio, and vocals in particular, to the exact degree of perfection you want to. With Melodyne DNA, you can edit audio from a musical point of view, like changing a minor chord on a guitar track to major.
Since its 2001 introduction, the Motif synth/workstation has found wide use in a variety of applications ranging from music production to live performance. To celebrate the Motif 10th anniversary, we are offering a special Anniversary Pack with the purchase of a Motif XF. The Anniversary Pack includes over $800 worth of software and hardware including the Mark V Chick Corea library, developed by Chick himself. Come hear special demos created by Chick and play the same sound he used in the Return to Forever tour. Product specialists will be on hand to explain all the power in the top selling workstation in the US.
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” and “What’s My Name,” as well as songs for Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Ne-Yo, Lionel Richie and Shakira. The duo has also teamed up with Jay-Z to launch the record label StarRoc, proving that these musical impresarios know their way around the business of music as well. 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. Adding to that killer beats and great melodies, Stargate works with each artist to create the perfect showcase for the artist's talents and strengths. In this special Master Session, Tor and Mikkel will share the inspiration and craft behind their biggest hits, breaking down how they take a song from a concept to the studio to the top of the charts.
The tools you need to deliver a professional quality recording have become increasingly affordable. But which ones do you need, and what basic techniques should you know to get moving? This panel will address these questions and more, all aimed at helping you establish a solid foundation for recording your music.
Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Desmond Child has written massive, worldwide hits for Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, Aerosmith, Bonnie Tyler, KISS, Ricky Martin, Cher, Meat Loaf and countless others. More than 30 years after landing his first major cut, Child is as in-demand as ever – and he’s only grown more versatile. But as anyone that attended one of his master classes at last year’s EXPO can attest, there is much more to what Child does than simply writing great songs. In this provocative master session, Child and his longtime friend and collaborator Darrell Brown – himself a veteran songwriter with numerous #1 pop and country hits under his belt – will discuss the personal, emotional and spiritual dimensions of songwriting in a town hall-style setting.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
Propellerhead Software shows you the newest features in their songwriting and music production software, Reason. You can also check out their award winning audio interface, Balance. Balance's sleek design is a perfect representation of its easy-to-use, artist-friendly capabilities. Line 6 will also be on hand showcasing their latest gear! LA-based band Standing Shadows will be dropping by to demo how they use Reason and Balance to create and record their sound!
Darius “Deezle” Harrison: The Value of Pre-Production
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
The Fretlight is a real guitar with a built in learning system that places fingering information where you need it most, right at your fingertips. Use Fretlight Studio to audition and explore new scales, improvise over 100 different backing tracks in your choice of key and scale. Light up Tablature directly to the Fretlight guitar using industry standard GuitarPro 6 software. Create, edit and play back your own scores or download GP6 tablature from many online sources. The Fretlight is the ultimate learning and creativity tool for the guitar.
If you’ve listened to the radio in the last three years, you’re already well-acquainted with the music of songwriting/production team The Smeezingtons. Beginning with Flo Rida’s worldwide smash “Right Round,” the trio of Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Bruno Mars have written and/or produced an unrelenting stream of gigantic songs, culminating in the phenomenal success of Mars’s Doo-Wops and Hooligans album and its three Top 10 singles, one of which – the #1 hit “Just the Way You Are” – won Mars a Grammy and was the 2012 ASCAP Pop Song of the Year. But the Smeezingtons aren’t your garden-variety hitmaking squad. Their production style embraces vintage pop, reggae and soul along with cutting-edge urban and dance music, and they face the unique challenge of balancing their busy docket of projects with Mars’s burgeoning solo career. In this can’t-miss keynote panel, this Grammy-nominated production trio will reveal how they’ve found themselves at the top of the music industry with all their grace, humor and creative sensibilities intact.
Join us at night at the Renaissance Hotel Lobby Lounge (1st floor) and enjoy live performances from songwriters. Check the hotel lobby area for details.
ASCAP proudly presents our annual Attendee Showcase. The lineup represents a diverse group of EXPO registrants, all of whom were hand picked from a pool of submissions by our panel of music industry experts. Don’t miss this great opportunity to meet your fellow ASCAP members while listening to some great music from independent songwriters! On tap to host and perform is ASCAP member Eric Bazilian (member of The Hooters, writer of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us”), who will entertain the audience between acts, and will be joined by Hawaiian artist Makana.
We’re raffling off gear, products and services from our generous EXPO sponsors! To enter the drawing, just drop your business card into the box at the ASCAP EXPO Boutique or The ASCAP Room. Remember, you must be in the Grand Ballroom when we call your name if you want to win - don’t miss your chance to walk away with some great prizes!
Learn about ASCAP Member Access and speak to an ASCAP Member Services representative. This is also where you can pick up your registration bag and drop your business card to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
As the music landscape continues to undergo dramatic changes, it’s more important than ever to understand the policy issues that affect you and your livelihood. ASCAP President Paul Williams is a veteran of numerous trips to Washington D.C. on behalf of ASCAP members. In this informative forum, Williams will speak with U.S. Congressman Howard Berman of Los Angeles and Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton - two of Washington’s most prominent advocates for effective copyright protection - about what they’re doing to protect your intellectual property rights. Joined by ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento, they will discuss legislative, law enforcement, international and other recent policy developments that involve the creative community, and what you can do to get involved.
Get your official ASCAP EXPO & ASCAP merch, pick up the latest music industry books, and purchase access to video content from this year's EXPO panels. Also, drop your business card here to be eligible for the sponsor giveaways during the EXPO.
The KDJ-ONE packs everything you need to produce music into a portable CD case sized 126x150x27mm unit, making it the world's first fully mobile DAW. Features include a powerful synthesizer, drum machine, and support for ACIDized WAV audio tracks. Control is unique and intuitive, involving a combination of buttons, a jog dial, and a multi-touch screen. The KDJ-ONE can also be used as a VST instrument, or as a controller for other DAW software.
Darius “Deezle” Harrison: The Value of Pre-Production
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
Yamaha created the A Series to be the ultimate performance-level, bang-for-your-buck guitars, built with our legendary excellence. Come see why for both stage and studio the A Series acoustic electric guitar is going to make recording and performing easier. You can also demo the new revolutionary THR amps and the Yamaha GL1 Guitalele, now officially available for the first time in the USA! Half guitar / half ukelele - 100% FUN!
ASCAP Nashville’s Ralph Murphy is both a great advocate for songwriters, composers and publishers and a successful songwriter who quite literally wrote the book (Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting: The Book) on the art of the hit. Murphy’s workshops are renowned for their insight, honesty and humor. Join Ralph to discover what makes the songs on the chart tick – and how to write one yourself.
Versatile composer/musician Mark Isham’s career has traversed from Grammy award-winning performer/songwriter to award-winning composer of scores for film and television. An evocative trumpeter and master of the synthesizer, Isham became a pioneer of electronic music early on in his career; this led the composer/musician, with an intimate understanding of how sound and emotion interact, to garner a reputation as a leading film and TV composer. Isham has written critically acclaimed scores to over 100 films including Warrior, Dolphin Tale, The Black Dahlia, A River Runs Through It (Oscar nominated), Nell (Golden Globe nominated), Fly Away Home, October Sky and Bobby. He scored the Oscar-winning Crash, the celebrated miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, and received an Emmy for his score to EZ Streets. In addition to scoring the hit ABC series Once Upon A Time, he has just completed the films The Lucky One starring Zac Efron and Stolen starring Nicolas Cage. Isham is also creating a series of public sound installations using the spatial elements of music. Noted film music writer Jon Burlingame will interview Mark Isham in this thought-provoking and wide-ranging master session.
This session features three successful songwriters working with EXPO registrants in front of a live audience, offering valuable advice, insight and teachable moments for all attending to help enhance their songwriting skills. In a bit of a departure from the other Song Feedback panels, our panel will be spending additional time with each pre-selected song, providing more in-depth analysis. The selections were drawn from the same pool of songs that registrants submitted to the regular Feedback panels.
In recent years, we’ve seen an influx of successful songwriters becoming successful publishers by developing their own stables of up-and-coming songwriters. Why has this new phenomenon developed, how is it different from a traditional publishing arrangement, and why might it be attractive from a financial and creative perspective? Three hit ASCAP writers-turned-publishers will answer these questions and more in this provocative discussion.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
SoundExchange will explain how registering (for free!) with them can earn you royalties for plays on satellite radio, Internet radio, cable TV music channels and other services that stream sound recordings. SoundExchange is a non-profit, and an important source of revenue for all artists (big and small) and labels (indie and major): they've distributed over $900 million to artists and labels so far. But thousands of artist and labels don't know they need to register, and millions in royalties haven't yet been claimed. Interactive and question-driven, this workshop will also cover need-to-know info on copyright, licensing, metadata, and legislation that will affect your career.
Michael Bearden: A Career In and Beyond the Music Industry
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
This session will offer live critiques of EXPO attendees’ websites. Our panelists will assess each site's design, organization, content and functionality. How does the website fit with the artist's overall online strategy, and how successfully does it achieve the artist’s goals? Our experts have worked with thousands of songwriters and musicians, from major label superstars to secluded basement composers. They are extremely knowledgeable about website best practices and deeply allergic to bad design, music that auto-starts, Flash widgets and unreadable fonts. Our panelists have been instructed to be ruthless and leave all diplomacy aside, so if you’re courageous enough to submit your website for their scrutiny, send a note to Bandzoogle’s Dave Cool: dcool@bandzoogle.com.
The Fretlight is a real guitar with a built in learning system that places fingering information where you need it most, right at your fingertips. Use Fretlight Studio to audition and explore new scales, improvise over 100 different backing tracks in your choice of key and scale. Light up Tablature directly to the Fretlight guitar using industry standard GuitarPro 6 software. Create, edit and play back your own scores or download GP6 tablature from many online sources. The Fretlight is the ultimate learning and creativity tool for the guitar.
ASCAP writer/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda burst into the spotlight with his Tony and Grammy-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated musical, In the Heights. But anyone who has heard the authentic salsa and hip hop-flavored music for that Broadway smash knows that Miranda’s talents extend far beyond the realm of musical theatre. Miranda will explain how he was able to fuse his love of urban and Latin music with an appreciation for theatre and film to become the versatile writer/composer/rapper/actor that he is today. This will be an inspiring panel for anyone seeking a music career without boundaries.
Talent is only half the equation in a successful music career. You also need a solid grounding in the “business” part of the music business. Noted attorney Donald S. Passman has helped his clients navigate the industry’s choppy waters for over 30 years, and his book All You Need to Know About the Music Business remains an essential guide to understanding the biz. Passman will offer an accessible overview of how the music industry operates like only he can, from record deals to the digital sphere and everything in between. Whether you’re a total music biz newbie or just need a refresher course, this panel is for you.
Successful albums are the product of a whole team of people, not just the artist on the cover. This panel will offer an overview of how albums are put together. You’ll come out of it with a solid understanding of the role of the songwriter, publisher, A&R executive, artist and everyone else who has a hand in bringing a project from the idea stage to release day.
Fifteen years ago, songwriters and jingle writers operated in different worlds. Times have changed. Today, corporate campaigns are considered a legit way for songwriters to get their work heard and get paid well at the same time. Yet despite the sea change, most songwriters still feel walled off from the commercial music business. This panel is designed to give writers of all kinds the tools to gain access to this rewarding career path. Attendees will leave with a basic understanding of how the commercial music industry operates and feel informed and empowered enough to take meaningful steps toward creating new income streams in commercial music.
Just like jazz itself, producing your own jazz recordings involves both know-how and a willingness to improvise. But you don’t have to have deep pockets or decades of training to get professional quality results. ASCAP Board member George Duke and Lee Ritenour are both master jazz musicians, and they also have extensive experience as producers for their own projects and for others. These two impresarios of improv will discuss tips and techniques for producing a professional jazz recording, all by yourself.
The new KDJ-ONE packs all the functionality of a modern DAW into a compact, multi-touch screen smartbook. Features include an advanced synthesizer, sequencer, multitrack audio editing, and high precision rhythmic force feedback. ACIDized WAV support and remote VST control ensure that your on-the-go KDJ-ONE creations will mesh perfectly with your existing production setup back home.
Learn how to maximize the composing and producing power of Cubase 6.5. Advanced multitrack editing tools, lush virtual instruments, an unrivaled take-comping system and a revolutionary approach to MIDI form the centerpiece of this next-generation production environment. Crucial to any System Solution is the perfect integration of software and hardware. Hear the pristine sonic quality of the UR Series audio interfaces that boast high-resolution analog and digital I/O, DSP FX alongside the widely acclaimed D-Pre mic preamps and experience the flexibility of the modular CMC Series USB controllers, six unique controllers designed to give you the fastest and most flexible way to control your session. System Solutions from Steinberg are unparalleled in the world of music and audio recording! Kevin Doucette (A.R. Rahman, Berklee College-Film Composing) and Brian McGovern (Steinberg NA Product Demonstrator) will conduct this informative session.
Tommy Vicari: Mixing an Italian Superstar
Following last year's hugely successful program, our sessions will entertain and educate the EXPO audience with the most impressive selection of producers/engineers in the industry, ranging from pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music. They will share their knowledge and experience with lots of opportunities for Q&A.
We’re raffling off gear, products and services from our generous EXPO sponsors! To enter the drawing, just drop your business card into the box at the ASCAP EXPO Boutique or The ASCAP Room. Remember, you must be in the Grand Ballroom when we call your name if you want to win - don’t miss your chance to walk away with some great prizes!
This group represents some of modern music’s most successful songwriters and performers from across the musical spectrum. In a fun, stripped-down, in-the-round setting, they will share the fascinating stories behind the creation of their best-loved and chart-topping songs and will perform them live. Feel free to sing along!
Join us at night at the Renaissance Hotel Lobby Lounge (1st floor) and enjoy live performances from songwriters. Check your program book and hotel lobby area for details.
