Keynote with Hitmaker Sam Hollander.
June 10, 2025 – GMPS – Keynote – Sam Hollander
From Capitol Hill to industry boardrooms, evolving laws and regulations are transforming the U.S. music landscape. How will these changes impact music publishers, rights holders, and the broader ecosystem?
Join our panel of experts as they break down the latest legislative and regulatory updates—what they mean for music rights, royalties, and industry practices, and how stakeholders can navigate this shifting legal landscape.
Featuring Jeff Pachman, Jeff Waye, Vinny Kumar & Joanne Kelsey. Moderated by Marc Emert-Hutner.
Let’s dive into the important collaboration between a music publisher’s Sync and A&R departments and how these teams collaborate for success.
Independent music publishers play a vital role in shaping the global music industry, fostering creativity, championing songwriters, and ensuring fair compensation for their work. This panel discussion, centered around the IMPF Global Market View Report, offers an exclusive look at the latest trends —from emerging markets to evolving revenue streams.
Following the report presentation, we will explore “The Benefits of Building a Network of Like-Minded Partners Around the World.” In today’s fast-changing landscape, independent publishers thrive when they collaborate across borders, sharing resources, expertise, and opportunities. From strengthening licensing agreements to navigating new digital platforms, strategic partnerships empower independent music publishers to amplify their impact and gain a competitive edge in a globalised market. Our panelists will provide firsthand insights.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the music industry—transforming everything from creation to licensing and revenue streams. But how does this evolution impact music publishers, rights holders, and the broader ecosystem? Join John Phelan of ICMP and Frank Handy of Peermusic for a compelling conversation on AI’s implications for music rights and intellectual property. As AI-generated music becomes more prevalent, what protections, challenges, and opportunities lie ahead for the industry? This session will explore the future of rights management, ethical concerns, and how stakeholders can navigate this rapidly shifting landscape. Following the discussion, John Phelan will deliver a presentation highlighting key regulations and areas of interest shaping AI and music rights globally.
Join us as we delve into the evolving landscape of music publishing royalty tracking, exploring cutting-edge tools, technologies, and best practices. Hear from industry experts as they share valuable insights on optimizing royalty collections and ensuring you’re maximizing revenue.
Get ready to dive into the electrifying world of live performance royalties! This crucial income stream is often a mystery to songwriters and music publishers. Are you maximizing your earnings? Are your songwriters getting the royalties they deserve? Fear not! Our panel of industry rockstars is here to shed light on all you need to know. Whether you’re looking to maximize your earnings, ensure your songwriters get their due, or simply understand the ins and outs of this revenue stream, this session is for you. Don’t miss out on this dynamic and informative session!
The discussion will cover musical theater opportunities beyond Broadway, including regional venues, touring productions, stock and amateur theater, and even cruise ships.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the music industry—transforming everything from creation to licensing and revenue streams. But how does this evolution impact music publishers, rights holders, and the broader ecosystem? Join John Phelan of ICMP and Frank Handy of Peermusic for a compelling conversation on AI’s implications for music rights and intellectual property. As AI-generated music becomes more prevalent, what protections, challenges, and opportunities lie ahead for the industry? This session will explore the future of rights management, ethical concerns, and how stakeholders can navigate this rapidly shifting landscape.
As AI, analytics, and algorithms become increasingly integrated into the music industry, we’re all learning to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape. We’ll explore how data-driven tools are influencing how writers are discovered, signed, developed, and pitched, without losing sight of the instinct and human connection that have always been core to music publishing. We’ll also look at how AI is being used to organize and enhance catalogs, from smarter metadata tagging to more strategic pitching for sync and beyond. Join our panel of independent publishers, A&R executives, and music tech experts on how they’re using these tools responsibly, what’s actually working, and how we can strike the right balance between metrics and gut instinct in shaping the future of indie music publishing.
Moderated by MARC CARUSO, CEO/CO-FOUNDER ANGRY MOB MUSIC.
Panelists:
CHRIS MARTIGNAGO, VP OF A&R PRESCRIPTION SONGS
Chris Martignago, based in Nashville, TN, is Vice President of A&R at Prescription Songs recognized for his achievements developing creative talent.
With over 14 years of experience in A&R, Martignago began his career in 2012 by helping to establish the A&R Research department at Atlantic Records prior to joining Prescription Songs in 2021.
Martignago has worked on a diverse group of gold and platinum-certified chart-topping songs over the course of his career with artists that include Paramore, Marshmello, Saweetie, A Day to Remember, Stephen Sanchez, Devin Dawson, Wilder Woods, Anna Clendening, Ingrid Michaelson, Galxara, Matoma, Shinedown, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Martignago has built an impressive roster at Prescription Songs including Grammy-nominated and award-winning creatives such as Anderson East, Trent Dabbs, JT Daly, Nick Lobel, Tony Esterly, Brett Truitt, Josie Dunne, Dominique Sanders, Derik Fein, Heather Russell and Vancouver Sleep Clinic.
Martignago regularly volunteers with local schools and art programs. He is also the founder of HELL YES!—an online community that showcases emerging songwriters, hosts annual songwriting camps and events, including PLAYBACK, a partnership with PøpSquad founder, Wes Davenport. Through this platform, Martignago has provided invaluable resources and opportunities for independent songwriters, producers, and artists to forge real-world connections. His mission is to advocate for creatives, bridging the gap between local artistry and a global music industry.
Currently, Martignago is using his unique blend of analytical and creative experience to grow the presence of Prescription Songs in Nashville through innovative signings and timeless songs.
VICKIE NAUMAN, FOUNDER/CEO CROSSBORDERWORKS
Vickie Nauman specializes in the intersection between technology and music, focused on music licensing, creating new business models, products, relationships and rights; helping grow companies; and global strategic development. She is Founder and CEO of the Los Angeles-based boutique consulting and advisory firm CrossBorderWorks and has an ambitious portfolio of forward-thinking companies in gaming, tech, consumer electronics, M&A and music since 2014.
A digital music pioneer and tech enthusiast, Nauman worked on product for one of the first legal digital services MusicNet (RealNetworks JV), led strategic partnerships for connected device company Sonos, started and ran the US business for global music platform 7digital, and did early digital music business in China as a consultant. She built one of the first DMCA-compliant services at taste-making Seattle station KEXP and has an MBA through the London School of Economics, NYU-Stern, and HEC-Paris, in the executive program TRIUM. She is an advisor and subject matter expert to some of the world’s most innovative companies, including those in gaming, M&A, platforms, apps, rights-related, strategic growth, and early-stage startups in music/tech. Client base includes Beat Saber/Meta, Riot Games, Harman Kardon, Musical AI, Downtown Holdings, various Roblox projects and more listed on LinkedIn.
GRAYSON SANDERS, CO-FOUNDERS/CEO CHORDAL
Grayson is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chordal. Chordal is a fast growing music licensing platform focused on elevating artist and songwriter opportunities in visual content via a revolutionary, collaborative rights management technology. Grayson began his career in classical music as symphonic composer in residence for NYU Symphony while working on commissions for New York area contemporary chamber ensembles. He soon turned his focus to experimental multimedia, co-founding art collective Aytia Matia which hosted warehouse scale events in Brooklyn fusing music, art, and technology in the early 2010’s. In 2015, he co-founded the Emmy winning music agency Safari Riot, which has since facilitated 8+ figures of sync licensing deals for artists in its 9 year history. In 2019, Chordal was born as a collaboration between several leading music companies & music supervision firms, with a focus on streamlining the complex and disjointed processes currently limiting the music industry’s ability to fully access sync licensing revenue streams. Chordal now serves hundreds of rights holders from majors to leading independents.
AIMP LA’s annual marquis event at Lawry’s the Prime Rib with special guest, NMPA President and CEO David Israelite, as he discusses current music publishing matters.
Download David Israelite’s Presentation Slides here.
David M. Israelite is President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), a position he has held since February 2005. Israelite is responsible for overseeing all aspects of NMPA’s operations, from legal strategy and implementation to government affairs and advocacy. His leadership has produced revolutionary successes on behalf of publishers including the largest CRB rate increase in history, groundbreaking industry collaboration in royalty rate agreements, landmark settlements and model licenses with streaming platforms, and ultimately raising the profile of the publishing community. Additionally, Israelite was instrumental in guiding the effort to modernize copyright laws culminating in the Music Modernization Act (MMA) and the subsequent creation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). He has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 multiple times and serves on the boards of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Association and Special Olympics DC. He also serves as the President of the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation (Supporting Our Next Generation of Songwriters) which supports songwriters through funding scholarships and direct services, among other assistance. Prior to leading NMPA, Israelite held senior positions in various capacities for the U.S. government including at the Department of Justice where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States and was appointed Chairman of the Department’s Task Force on Intellectual Property. He also worked in the U.S. Senate where he was Administrative Assistant (Chief of Staff) for Missouri Senator Kit Bond. Previously, Israelite also practiced law in the Commercial Litigation Department at the firm of Bryan Cave, LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Israelite earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri and his undergraduate degree from William Jewell College.
