2012 ASCAP 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!