Pandora CEO and Founder Tim Westergren will lead the keynote address to kick-off A2IM’s 2017 Indie Week presented by SoundExchange, an international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact and future of Independent music. Happening June 5-8 at The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center in New York City, this year’s conference is expected to be the largest one to date with three days of panels and workshops featuring music luminaries IMPALA Executive Chair Helen Smith, WIN CEO, Alison Wenham, musicFIRST Executive Director Chris Israel, Merlin CEO Charles Caldas among others. More names to be announced in the coming weeks. For the first time, the event is open to selected non-members and will include specialists from outside of the music industry.
“Pandora, A2IM and the independent community have enjoyed a longstanding and successful relationship. Pandora’s recent introduction of its on-demand streaming service and its move away from statutory to direct deals makes Tim Westergren’s keynote address to the world’s largest gathering of independent labels, particularly timely,” said Richard James Burgess, A2IM CEO.
The 2017 Indie Week Conference is comprised of panels and workshops that will focus on core operations and pathways, which look beyond month-to-month cycles, to drive higher earnings for long-term regional and international growth. Topics of discussion will include investing, asset management, radio, international expansion, new technological opportunities, resources to gain a competitive advantage, the economics of sync, case studies, data, playlisting, and more. Additional keynote speakers to be announced.
The conference will wrap with A2IM’s 6th Annual Libera Awards presented by SoundExchange on Thursday, June 8 at PlayStation Theater. The evening will honor Independent artists and labels for their achievements with a variety of 19 awards, including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, and feature performances by Independent Icon Award honoree Nick Lowe (Yep Roc), Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe), Talib Kweli (Javotti Media), Twin Peaks (Grand Jury) and Nick Hakim (ATO Records). GA tickets available for the public to purchase.
A2IM’s 2017 Indie Week and The Libera Awards are presented by SoundExchange in partnership with ADA, YouTube, Caroline, The Orchard, INgrooves, BuzzAngle Music, CI, Merlin, and PledgeMusic.
For conference registration, please visit https://a2im.org/event/indie-week-2017
About Pandora Founder & CEO Tim Westergren:
Tim Westergren, one of our founders, served as our Chief Creative Officer and Treasurer from February 2000 to May 2002, as our Chief Executive Officer and President from May 2002 to July 2004, as our Chief Strategy Officer from July 2004 to February 2014, and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in March 2016. He has served as a member of our board of directors from the company’s inception. Prior to founding Pandora, Mr. Westergren worked as an independent musician, composer, and record producer and has over 20 years of experience in the music industry spanning production, audio engineering, film scoring and live performance. Tim is an award-winning composer and accomplished musician – trained as a jazz pianist, his musical background spans such genres as rock, blues, jazz and classical music. Mr. Westergren holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, where he studied computer acoustics and recording technology. Tim started the popular personalized radio service in 2000 with the Music Genome Project.
About A2IM:
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of more than 430 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America’s creative class that represents America’s diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine, using Nielsen SoundScan data, identified the Independent music label sector as 35.1 percent of the music industry’s U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.
The organization’s board of directors consists of the following: ATO Vice President Stephanie Alexa, Razor & Tie COO Craig Balsam, Redeye Co-Owner Glenn Dicker, INgrooves EVP & General Manager Amy Dietz, Epitaph/Anti General Manager Dave Hansen, Big Machine COO Andrew Kautz, Beggars Group Founder/CEO Martin Mills, Hopeless Records Owner Louis Posen, Dualtone CEO/Co-Founder Scott Robinson, Tommy Boy Owner & CEO Thomas Silverman, and Secretly Label Group Co-Owner Darius Van Arman.
You can read Billboard’s Exclusive with a quote from Pandora CEO Tim Westergren, here.