NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Feb 3, 2016) - ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, expands an already packed ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO lineup with three Grammy-winning talents: James Fauntleroy, co-writer on Rihanna's ANTI album; Ariel Rechtshaid, producer on "When We Were Young" from Adele's 25; and Rob Thomas, the multi-platinum songwriter, solo artist and frontman for Matchbox Twenty. The 11th annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO takes place April 28th - 30th, 2016 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
Fauntleroy will lead a unique Master Session that will use live performance to demonstrate the songwriting process in real time. Rechtshaid's Master Session will share his process and insights working with top artists like HAIM, Vampire Weekend, Madonna and Adele, among others. Thomas will join Thursday's keynote "We Create Music" panel along with "King of Reality TV" composer David Vanacore, known for his music for Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother and more. Thomas will also join Thursday night's "I Create Music" writers-in-the-round performance with superstar songwriter/producer Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin) and country songwriter/producer Brett James (Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney).
Two of today's hottest writer-producers have been added to the ASCAP EXPO Hit Producers panel: Andrew Cedar, currently nominated for Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media for his work on Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" with Charlie Puth; and Harmony Samuels, Grammy-nominated producer who helmed Ariana Grande's triple platinum single "The Way," and has also worked with Ciara, Chris Brown, Fantasia and JoJo. The Hit Producers panel is being presented by LANDR, cloud-based audio mastering software.
The ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO also announced another high-profile songwriter Master Session with Priscilla Renea, the singer-songwriter who has collaborated with Rihanna, Madonna, Mika and Demi Lovato. Renea's Master Session will provide attendees with guidance on how to capitalize on their passions to reach industry success. Renea is known for co-writing the #1 hit "Timber" by Pitbull (featuring Kesha), "Somethin' Bad" (#1 country hit for Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood), and the hits "Don't Wake Me Up" (Top 10 hit for Chris Brown), "Who Says" by Selena Gomez & the Scene and "Promise This" (a #1 U.K. hit by Cheryl Cole).
Other panelists added to the 2016 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO lineup include: entertainment attorney Ken Abdo, Esq., publishing executive Eric Beall, songwriter Prince Charlez, Bandzoogle's Dave Cool, booking agent Arionne Davies, publishing executive Michael Eames, songwriter Cheryl B. Engelhardt, publishing executive Shea Fowler, songwriter Delaney Gibson, songwriter-blogger Ari Herstand, entertainment manager Jennifer Horton, record and publishing executive Brandon Kitchen, publishing executive Nate Lowery, publishing executive Dave Pacula, songwriter-producer Joe Solo, songwriting team TRiON and producer-songwriter Swiff D.
Previously announced sessions for this year's event include a conversation between Nate Ruess, songwriter and vocalist for the GRAMMY-winning group fun. and ASCAP President and Hall of Fame songwriter Paul Williams; and an attendee song feedback session with Desmond Child. The lineup also features Master Sessions with Greg Kurstin (co-writer and producer for Adele's "Hello"), Ashley Gorley (a three-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year); rock royalty Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, gospel hitmakers Warryn and Erica Campbell, and an interview with Salt-N-Pepa, the boundary-breaking trio that opened up rap for women.
Now in its 11th year, ASCAP's "I Create Music" EXPO is the premier conference for songwriters, composers, artists and producers in all music genres. Participants can attend creative and business-focused panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, one-on-one sessions, networking events, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations and performances. The ASCAP EXPO provides music creators with an unforgettable and authentic experience -- real knowledge, tools, connections and a community of support and guidance they can't find anywhere else.
Since its inception, the event has brought together music's biggest talents and most successful industry players. Previous keynote speakers include Justin Timberlake, Tom Petty, John Mayer, Katy Perry, Quincy Jones, Ludacris, Carly Simon, Sara Bareilles, Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, Steve Miller, Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart), Diplo, Big Sean, Ne-Yo, Stargate, Bill Withers, Aloe Blacc, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Jeff Lynne.
For more information on the ASCAP EXPO and to register for the conference, visit: http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/expo/2016/registration.aspx.
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 560,000 members representing more than 10 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter @ASCAP and on Facebook.
