Music Biz 2018 Day 3 Recap: Awards Breakfast with Kelsea Ballerini, RIAA’s Cary Sherman & Dimple Records’ Radakovitz Family; Keynote Conversation with Pandora’s Roger Lynch & Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman; and More

The line wrapped all the way around the Omni Nashville Hotel’s second floor for the Music Business Association’s Awards Breakfast & Presentations, which kicked off the third day of the Association’s 60th Anniversary Music Biz 2018 conference. It was just as packed for the day-ending Keynote Interview with Pandora President & CEO Roger Lynch and Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman. And in between, there were popular programs such as the Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit and Sync It!, along with plenty of break-out sessions.

Country star Kelsea Ballerini brought the house down at the Music Biz 2018 Awards Breakfast & Presentations, sponsored by the Country Music Association (CMA). She performed heartfelt versions of “Legends,” “I Hate Love Songs,” and “Love Me Like You Mean It” in honor of RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman, who received the Music Biz 2018 Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement. Sherman also presented Ballerini with an RIAA Certified Gold Song plaque for “Legends.”

Country star Kelsea Ballerini performs in honor of RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman, recipient of the Music Biz 2018 Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement, at the Music Biz 2018 Awards Breakfast & Presentations on May 16.

Prior to the performance, awards were handed out to RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman (Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement) and Dimple Records Owners The Radakovitz Family (Independent Spirit Award). Music Biz President James Donio also delivered his annual President’s Address, touching on the Association’s 60th Anniversary and his own 30 years with the Association; Music Biz Chairman Fred Beteille of Facebook announced the 2018-2019 Music Biz Board of Directors; and Music Biz Vice Chairman Steve Harkins of Baker & Taylor introduced the Scholarship Foundation Class of 2018. (To download a full copy of Donio, Beteille, Harkins, and Sherman’s remarks from the stage, click here.) Beteille and Harkins then surprised Donio with a plaque commemorating his 30th year anniversary at Music Biz, which featured the covers of the top albums for each of the past 30 years. Nashville Mayor David Briley also made an appearance to present Music Biz with an official city proclamation celebrating the Association’s 60th Anniversary.

Music Biz President James Donio (left) presents the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman at the Music Biz 2018 Awards Breakfast & Presentations on May 16.

Maintaining the momentum of the Awards Breakfast, Music Biz 2018 Day 3 ended with an info-packed Keynote Interview in which Pandora President & CEO Roger Lynch shared key perspectives coming out of his first six months at Pandora, his vision for the company’s future, and his predictions of what the increase in music streaming means for the future of the music business with moderator Beville Dunkerley of Pandora. He was then joined by Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman, and the two drilled into how increased music streaming is impacting the music industry, the trends they are seeing for the Country genre, and the importance of personalization and voice for the future.

From left: Beville Dunkerley of Pandora conducts a Keynote Interview with Pandora President & CEO Roger Lynch and Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman at Music Biz 2018 on May 16.

This year’s Brand & Strategic Partnerships Summit provided insight into innovative new brand partnerships, the future of brand-artist partnerships, and how data can impact these deals. To that end, “The Future of Brand-Artist Partnerships” session (pictured below) brought together key music industry stakeholders and marketing leaders Carlos Alvarez of Azteca Music Group, Josh Terry of Workshop Management, Dr. Syleecia Thompson of DYG Management Group, Joe Belliotti of NOISEGATE, and Nathan Hanks of Music Audio Exchange (MAX) to discuss the best ways for brands and artists to collaborate.

From left: Carlos Alvarez of Azteca Music Group, Josh Terry of Workshop Management, Dr. Syleecia Thompson of DYG Management Group, Joe Belliotti of NOISEGATE, and Nathan Hanks of Music Audio Exchange (MAX) at “The Future of Brand-Artist Partnerships” during the Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit at Music Biz 2018 on May 16.

The first-ever Sync It! program consisted of a series of panels focused on music syncs in TV, film, commercials, and more. Pictured below during the “Fireside Chat: Scoring Super Bowl Sync” session, Julie Hurwitz of Kobalt Music Group told moderator Gene Culver of Music Drizzle about how Kobalt secured seven placements in this year’s Super Bowl commercials for brands ranging from Amazon to Doritos.

Julie Hurwitz of Kobalt Music Group and Gene Culver of Music Drizzle during “Fireside Chat: Scoring Super Bowl Synch” at the Sync It! program at Music Biz 2018 on May 16.

For more info

Facebook – Music Business Association

Twitter – @MusicBizAssoc

Instagram – @musicbizassoc

Hashtag – #MusicBiz2018

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