MAKE IT MUSIC

Aamina is a passionate host and entertainer on a mission to amplify diverse voices in the music industry. She works in Artist Relations and Education to build better infrastructure and connect industry professionals and artists. Through her work with filltheBLNK, Girl Connected, and The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, Aamina fosters collaboration and promotes growth while ensuring underrepresented voices are heard.

Aamina lives by "Connect, Exchange, Thrive" which drives her efforts to inspire a love of music and create a more inclusive industry. With energy, passion, and a commitment to excellence, Aamina is dedicated to making a difference.

THE FUTURE OF MUSIC: THE RISE OF A BUSINESS COUNTERCULTURE

Mark Mulligan is the Managing Director of MIDiA Research and a long term media and technology analyst and a leading thinker on the music industry’s digital transition. Mark has 20 years of media business analysis and consulting experience, working with leading global media, technology and device companies. Mark heads up MIDiA’s music research and oversees all of MIDiA’s research output. Mark is the author of the industry leading blog Music Industry Blog. He is also author of ‘Awakening: The Music Industry In The Digital Age’ the definitive account of the rise of the digital music market.

Co-editor, MUSIC x Academy Coordinator, Water & Music

Maarten Walraven operates at the intersection of music, technology, communities, and education. There are many different hats, from Co-CEO at Symphony.live to co-creator of the experiment in scene building, Wild Awake and from teaching at the University of Utrecht to being co-project lead for the Water & Music academy. If you want to follow his thinking, the best place is MUSIC x, the newsletter he co-edits.

Virginie Berger - Chief Business Development and Rights Officer at 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, where she played a key role in generating revenue, forging strategic alliances, and championing artists' rights. Known for her work as a curator, 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, a pioneer in AI-powered audio recognition, developing the cutting-edge “Advanced Audio Fingerprinting” technology.

OLD RIGHTS IN THE NEW TECH FRONTIER

Blurb.fm is a technology startup scaling content creation for music companies. They’re already working with companies like Concord Music to capture millions of dollars in lost catalogue revenue, and automate realtime, cross-platform creative for frontline. Irfaan is a Techstars alum and holds a Juris Doctor from Western University.

Founder, Cyber PR

Ariel Hyatt runs Cyber PR Music, an artist development, social media & content strategy firm based in New York City. Her agency just celebrated 25 years in business and she and her team of women who get sh-t done run digital PR campaigns and advise on how to create online influence and release impactful projects. She has spoken in 12 countries to over 100,000 entrepreneurs and is the author of five bestselling books on social media, marketing, and crowdfunding, including her most recent release, “The Ultimate Guide to Music Publicity” which went to number one on Amazon in Music Business.

Independent Consultant & Researcher, Erasmus University / Hive Mind

Frank Kimenai is an independent consultant, researcher and cultural professional, specialized in the creative industry in general and popular music in particular. Frank operates from Rotterdam, and is involved in European, national and regional projects, for example the development of Music Moves Europe, and the business management of the Grauzone festival. He is currently conducting a PhD research on the resilience of music ecosystems. Frank feels most at home at the intersection of culture, economy, policy and the social domain. He has a healthy dose of grass roots ethics, an entrepreneurial mindset and an international gaze. He likes Excel sheets and listens to Black Flag.

Journalist & Researcher

Melissa Vincent is a music journalist, researcher, and strategist based in Toronto. Her work broadly investigates questions of equity, intimacy, and community formation as it relates to music, technology, and culture. She’s been featured in Pitchfork, Elle Canada, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, Billboard, NPR Music, and The Fader among others. In 2022, she was nominated for a Digital Publishing Award in the category for Best Science and Technology Storytelling for her essay, "Ethical AI has Not Solved Tech’s Problem with Racism." She’s led content platforms operated by Universal Music Canada and Banger Films. She’s a Prism Prize juror, a SOCAN Songwriting Prize Panelist, a member of Mayor's ArtworxTO External Advisory Committee, and the Polaris Prize jury foreperson and board member. She’s a frequent on-air music correspondent for The National, CBC’s flagship nightly news program. Vincent is currently a graduate fellow at University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information.

Senior Music Industry Analyst & Consultant, MIDiA

Tatiana Cirisano is an award-winning music industry analyst, consultant and journalist based in Brooklyn, NY. She began her career at Billboard, where over five years she wrote cover stories on influential artists like Tame Impala and Travis Scott, as well as features exploring topics like the booming business of TikTok influencers. Now at MIDiA Research, she identifies the risks and opportunities in the rapidly-changing music market for a client base of leading global entertainment and tech companies. Her key focus areas include the creator economy, fandom and emerging technology.

Community Connector & Independent Curator, The Framework

Kingsley Swim (she/her) is a community connector, independent curator, and the driving force behind her agency, The Framework (fka Black Market Framework). Her efforts encompass collaborating with multidisciplinary artists, artist-led collectives and art service organizations through grant proposal composition and storytelling, forward-thinking program development, and experiential production. She remains active behind the scenes, bringing her innovative ideas to several art, culture and funding committees. In 2023, she was selected as a Keychange Innovator, engaging in professional development, networking and travel throughout Europe. Biannually, she proudly volunteers as a jury member and partnerships coordinator for the Bourses Tontine Award, a microgrant supporting gender-diverse artists in her hometown of Ottawa. To date, Kingsley has secured a combined total of seven figures of grant funding to support and empower Canadian-based creatives and artist-centered initiatives.

Instagram tags: @kingslxy @theframework.ca

Singer-Songwriter & Co-CEO, Heart Lake Records

Witch Prophet is a queer, East African, singer-songwriter, and the President and Co-CEO of Heart Lake Records. She provides her fans with a soundscape of vocal layers, loops, raps, and harmonies on a bed of hip-hop, jazz, and soul-inspired beats produced by her wife and business partner SUN SUN. Think Erykah Badu meets Lauryn Hill meets Portishead.

She has toured Europe independently twice; playing shows in Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin, as well as performed at North American and European music Festivals. In March of 2020, Witch Prophet released her Ontario Arts Council funded sophomore LP “D.N.A Activation”, an ode to her Ethiopian and Eritrean ancestral roots, fusing Jazz, Hip-Hop, Soul and RnB with songs sung in English, Amharic, and Tigrinya.

Co-produced by herself and her partner SUN SUN, praised by press and music lovers alike, DNA Activation was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. The Video for her song Tesfay directed by Leah Vlemmiks was nominated for the 2021Prism Prize and was an official selection at the 2021 Rhode Island International Film Festival as well as the 2021 SXSW Music Video awards.

Witch Prophet was also featured on limited edition wine bottles by Ontario Winery Jackson Triggs through their Local Artist Series initiative highlighting up and coming artists from coast to coast.

In 2023, Witch Prophet released her deeply personal and intimate 3rd studio album “Gateway Experience”, produced by her wife and business partner SUN SUN via Heart Lake Records and long listed for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize. Coinciding with its release, Witch Prophet was also the subject of Loveleen Kaur’s 2023 documentary film ‘Leilani’s Fortune’, a film documenting the singer's rise and evolution as an artist. It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2023 InsideOut Film Festival.

Currently, Witch Prophet is working on her 4Wh Studio Album titled ‘Words Are Spells / Thoughts Are Magic’.

Partner Audio Analyst, MIDiA Research

As a partner Audio Analyst at MIDiA, Rutger’s mission is to situate analytical insights within a broader cultural, creative, and societal context. In addition to covering all things audio for MIDiA, Rutger manages digital marketing campaigns for an independent record label. Previously, Rutger managed consulting, marketing, and analytics at Chartmetric; served as a music editor at NBC; and is still recovering from years of touring as an independent artist.

Chief Strategy & Impact Officer, Voice-Swap.ai
Founder, Forms + Shapes

Michael Pelczynski is a music industry leader, strategist, economist and music rights expert that has been a pioneering force in evolving the music streaming, fan and creator businesses.

Currently serving as the Chief Strategy & Impact Officer at Voice-Swap.ai, Michael drives the company's overarching vision and impact strategy. He oversees key areas such as partnerships, business development, and the alignment of innovation efforts with social responsibility objectives and policy frameworks, all while championing the interests of creators within the community. Concurrently, as a principal advisor at Forms + Shapes, Michael continues to shape the landscape of the music industry, collaborating with clients across various domains including AI, creator tools, fan engagement models, and administrative technologies.

Michael's tenure as the Vice President of Strategy at SoundCloud marked a period of significant accomplishment. There, he conceptualized, negotiated, and launched an acclaimed new streaming model, earning accolades for his contributions to global business strategy and the establishment of future-oriented, fan-powered initiatives.

A relentless advocate for improving the economics of music, Michael has brokered groundbreaking licensing agreements with major record labels, while also spearheading the development of patent-pending artist-to-fan engagement tools aimed at enhancing the commercial value proposition.

Focused on the future state of the industry, Michael has led cross-functional teams in tackling pervasive challenges such as fraud, while also identifying and evaluating strategic opportunities for growth. His strategic acumen has been instrumental in driving ancillary revenue initiatives, forging strategic partnerships, and implementing operational enhancements aimed at bolstering efficiency and effectiveness.

Prior to joining SoundCloud, Michael directed rights administration at Warner Music Group, overseeing royalties and reporting across six label divisions totaling 440MM in annual revenue. In addition to his formal economics background, Michael's career in music began as a songwriter, composing for BMG Rights Management and several film productions, notably garnering 2014 A2IM Libera Awards semi-finalist nominations for Album of the Year and Up & Comer.

President and CEO, CIMA

Andrew Cash is the President and CEO of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), the voice of Canada’s independent music sector. As a Member of Parliament from 2011 to 2015 Cash championed the music sector while raising awareness of the realities of making a living in Canada as an arts and culture worker. He continued this mission post-Parliament, co-founding the non-profit Urban Worker Project.

As a singer/songwriter, producer and performer Cash spent 25 years touring and recording, first in the post punk band L’Etranger followed by a successful solo career as well as several collaborations including the Cash Brothers, with Peter Cash, Skydiggers and Jason Collett. He has created soundtrack music for television, including as series composer for Dragons Den. Cash has released over a dozen records and his contributions as an artist have earned him a Juno award and three SOCAN awards. His music can be found at https://andrewcash.net.

Commercial Director, Monstercat

Daniel Turcotte is a forward-thinking music industry executive with over a decade of experience spanning across record labels, industry associations, and the nonprofit sector. In his nine years at Monstercat, he has played a pivotal role in evolving the label from a start-up to one of the most influential dance record labels in the world.

Turcotte’s primary focus is to drive global revenue growth for the Monstercat roster through the identification and negotiation of key digital licensing agreements and commercial partnerships. He is passionate about developing creative and sustainable revenue streams for artists, particularly in new media. During his tenure, he has built and managed the global licensing and distribution framework for Monstercat. In doing so, he has negotiated licensing deals with major stakeholders such as Spotify, Tencent, and NetEase, as well as partnerships with video game publishers like Roblox, Epic Games (Fortnite & Rocket League), and Beat Saber, among hundreds of others.

Over the years, he has managed a number of teams at Monstercat, including: Sync & Partnerships, Asia Pacific, Business & Legal Affairs, Digital, Live Programming, and Streaming & Radio. His current focus is on leading the evaluation of potential new business ventures under the Monstercat innovation program, as well as developing cross functional strategies to meaningfully drive global revenue growth across the business.

A staunch advocate for the independent sector, Daniel sits on the boards for both MusicBC and CIMA, where he aims to empower artists and labels from Coast to Coast.

Music Curator, Event Producer & Project Manager, Debaser

Rachel Weldon is a music curator, event producer, and project manager living on Anishinaabe Algonquin territory (so-called Hull). She is the founder and director of non-profit music and arts presenter organization Debaser, and a programmer at artist-run centre SAW.

Rachel is a trusted voice in the music industry, and is passionately dedicated to supporting independent artists. Community engagement, storytelling, and DIY/underground music culture are undercurrents throughout all of her work.

Since founding Debaser in 2013, Rachel has developed the organization from a volunteer-run ad-hoc collective producing DIY shows on zero operating budget, to a non-profit organization with five employees, over 100 volunteers, an annual budget of over $500k. Throughout this growth, Rachel has steered Debaser to remain true to its core values of supporting underrepresented and experimental artists, offering thoughtfully curated event experiences, and promoting diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity.

In 2021, Rachel founded Pique, a quarterly building-wide music and arts event series that takes place at the Arts Court complex in downtown Ottawa. Rachel has led the conception, development, and creative direction of Pique since its launch, supporting its growth into what is now a vital creative event in Ottawa that welcomes approximately 1,500 attendees to each seasonal event.

Previously Rachel worked as a manager at Kelp Management, where she worked with artists Lido Pimienta, U.S. Girls, and Andy Shauf. During her time at Kelp, she also helped produce MEGAPHONO for three years as festival manager. She was the first staff member of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, working closely with the board of directors to build the foundation of the organization. As a freelance consultant, she has managed projects for the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Folk Music Ontario, the National Arts Centre, Weird Canada, and Artengine.

Rachel’s career began in community media, as a writer, content manager and curator for Weird Canada, and a Project Coordinator for Wyrd Distro, Weird Canada’s online music distribution service. She was an active member of the community radio community from 2012-2021, hosting programs on CKCU, CHUO and CKUT, and currently DJs under the moniker Pink Veil.

She has been an invited speaker by events and organizations such as the National Gallery of Canada, POP Montreal, Music New Brunswick, Sled Island Music Conference, Music Calgary, Carleton University, and Algonquin College, and has served on juries for the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Ottawa, the National Campus and Community Radio Association, and Arts Network Ottawa.

Rachel also serves on the advisory committee for Produced by Youth, a mentorship program that offers accessible and safe spaces for emerging Black recording artists, and previously served on boards for Everyseeker Festival, CHUO FM, Girls+ Rock Ottawa, and Riverbed Reading Series.