2024 Conference Schedule

Michael Perlmutter, Tony Scudellari & Lou Plaia

“All You Ever Wanted to Know about the SYNC world – and can ask !”

The interactive mentorship will explore various layers of the craft of music supervision and how the job relates to you: the artist, manager, label, publisher or the 'music supervisor in training’.

Michael Perlmutter, Music Supervisor at instinct entertainment will take you behind the scenes and look at the music supervisor’s creative process, explore scenes in detail, and break down a script. He will discuss creative collaborations and the process of working with Producers and Directors, break down business concepts, define terms and rights of deals, discuss negotiation techniques, explain how to get songs Sync-ed, and 'blue sky' the future of Sync for you.

Michael will also be joined by Tony Scudellari, Senior Vice President, Television Music at Sony Pictures Television to share his perspective working with music at a major television network.

Speakers: Everton Lewis Jr, Telan Wong & Warren Bray

Moderator: Michael Perlmutter

When music and visuals come together on screen, a scene comes to life. The impact music has on a scene can be quite profound - driving emotion and energy. Each Music Supervisors participating in this session will be sharing with you a scene they have worked on and will showcase both the song that was selected for the scene as well as an alternative East Coast selection. They will walk through their creative process and also discuss the business behind their work.

Alice McLean

Learn how to build an online strategy with Alice McLean, Head of Video & Audience Development at Believe. Alice will walk you through how to maximize your video content across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok in order to drive new fan discovery and connect with fans internationally. In this session, you'll learn best practice for each platform and how to optimize your channels and content. Additionally, we'll go through the importance of rights management and how to effectively monetise your YouTube channels.

Adam Bentley

Adam Bentley, Founder of music marketing company Auteur Research, will take you through key elements for building a long-term release strategy. Covering everything from foundational planning and distribution best practices, to how to augment organic reach with third-party playlist pitching, online press and digital marketing.

Join representatives from CMRRA, Canada's leading reproduction rights agency, to learn more about what they do and how they support music publishers and self-published songwriters collect reproduction royalties in Canada.

Presented by Music Nova Scotia

The demands of parenting do not always mix well with the life of a musician. This Parenting Peer Group is for those of us who are parents and work in the music industry. Come and meet other parents, share strategies, resources, and create community through the shared experience of raising awesome people and being in the industry you love!!

Melanie Hall, Tamara Kater & Emmanuelle LeBlanc

Pour la majorité des salles, scènes et festivals aux États-Unis, les artistes doivent obtenir un permis de travail de classification P2 pour recevoir l'autorisation de traverser la frontière entre le Canada et les États-Unis. Des professionnels avec de l’expérience et des connaissances considérables dans ce secteur présenteront les grandes lignes du permis, comment faire une demande, les ressources qui peuvent vous appuyer, et répondront à vos questions à ce sujet. Cette session aura lieu en français.

Un léger goûter petit-déjeuner et café seront servis.

Get connected with music buyers from around the world! These pre-scheduled one-on-one business meetings feature Canadian and International talent buyers, booking agents, festivals, event and venue programmers, promoters, presenters, film and television music supervisors, publishers, and showcasing events. These pre-scheduled 10-minute one-on-one conversations are open to all export-ready artists, artist representatives and companies. Pre-registration required.

Evan Newman, Stephanie Pronk & Darryl Smith

Pre-Registration Required - CLOSED

The Emerging Artist Initiative is an intensive seminar that will introduce artists with the necessary skills and strategy to develop their art into sustainable music careers. Led by industry leaders Evan Newman and Steph Pronk, the seminar will cover audience development and engagement through effective release strategies, building a team, the foundations of starting a business, touring strategies, revenue captures, and utilizing streaming services.

The seminar will use real-time scenarios provided by participants, conducted in a collaborative environment, where artists can share their own experiences and seek guidance and strategies to navigate the music business and accelerate their careers.

Sean Power, Corey LeRue and Tessa Balaz
Moderator: Arun Chaturvedi

Advances in AI across all industries brings up mixed emotions - intrigue, fear, excitement - often rooted in the unknown of it all. This discussion hopes to uncover and discuss some of those unknowns and look at the opportunities and challenges that come with AI in the music industry. We also look to shed some light on one of the most important questions and concerns for artists, how can we attribute and credit the origin of creative expression? Join Sean Power, CEO and Co-Founder of SOMMS.AI who will share what SOMMS.AI is doing to unleash the power of AI while recognizing the importance of protecting artist's creativity. Joining Sean is East Coast Producer Corey LaRue and artist/producer Tessa Balaz to share their perspectives and experience with AI. Moderating the session is Arun Chaturvedi from the Songwriter’s Association of Canada who will be probing into this exciting topic from the perspective of producers and songwriters.

When you're a member of SOCAN, you enjoy many benefits and access to helpful resources including support from our Creative team. Meet one-on-one with Houtan Hodania, Creative Executive, East Coast to learn more about SOCAN and ask any questions you may have!

Samantha Pickard

More than ever artists are doing more for themselves without the support and guidance of major and independent labels. In this 2-hour session Samantha Pickard, President of Strut Entertainment, a leading PR, talent management and event firm, will cover what the best next steps are when considering promotion in 2024. When releasing new music, artists consider radio promo, digital marketing, social media and public relations. We will dig into budgeting for these costs and service providers. We will also discuss when the right time is for these services regardless of genre and how brand partners can play a role in your promo needs.

Partnership between Canadian Music Centre Atlantic, Debut Atlantic and ECMA

Moderator: Blanche Israël
Speakers: Erin Costelo, Jeremy VanSlyke, Shimon Walt, Lennie Gallant

Ever wondered about working with a string quartet? Dreamed of hearing your song orchestrated? Or maybe you have a question about how the world of classical music works – arrangements, rehearsals, pitfalls, and success stories. This panel will demystify the world of classical music, providing practical advice about real life genre crossing collaborations. Hear from composers, arrangers and performers who have successfully combined styles and enhanced their musical compositions. Whether it’s a professional choir, horn section, or solo cello you’re dreaming of, this panel will help you figure out next steps to working with the world of classical music.

Sheri Jones, Rose Cousins, Kyle Cunjak & Dwayne Marcial

Moderator: Tim Des Islets

The role of the modern artist manager is constantly changing. Traditional artist management is anything but traditional at this point, requiring managers to have a diversified skillset while continuing to evolve and adapt to a changing industry. This panel will feature artist managers and a self managed artist as they discuss their roles and responsibilities as they work to better serve their artists and the community.

Vince DeGiorgio, Kyle Merkley, Joce Reyome & Logan Richard
Moderator: Michael Perlmutter

Sync placements have the potential to open up doors to new audiences. However they also have the opportunity to stretch artists creatively and offer interesting opportunities for expanded exposure. Join this session to learn more about how East Coast artists have benefited from working with publishers and music supervisors to not only expand their reach but also flex creative expression.

This is an opportunity for artist managers to come together to discuss challenges and opportunities while creating connections. This guided networking opportunity will be facilitated by the Music Managers Forum of Canada's Director of Outreach Gabrielle Rubaine.

Connect with this year’s VIP delegates at these pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings. Meet with Regional and National buyers, agents, event and venue programmers, promoters, presenters, publishers, rights management companies and industry associations.

These pre-scheduled 10-minute meetings will connect the East Coast music industry with visiting VIP delegates to create connections and provide opportunities to do business.

Regional,National & International Festival Programmers!

Join us for the launch of the Festival Symposium 2024! These roundtable networking sessions will be attend by a stellar and diverse line-up of international and Canadian festival programmers aimed to build new business connections and meet new colleagues. This one-of-a-kind opportunity is a prime networking opportunity to meet a large network of international, national and regional festival presenters in interactive environment. Choose your adventure festival-style based on your career trajectory! Not to be missed!

Presented by Music Nova Scotia

You might think you are the only person at the venue, festival, or conference who isn’t drinking. This isn’t true! An ever growing number of artists and industry professionals have made the decision to not drink alcohol. So whether you are newly sober or have been sober for years this meet-up offers artists and industry professionals who are sober from alcohol a fun and engaging space to connect.

Join hosts Julien Matwawana, Ken Hudson, and Kayla Borden for a community gathering and networking mixer. This is a great place to meet up to get ready for the Black Vibes show happening later in the evening.

Presented by Canadian Federation of Musicians

Speakers: Humbert Martins, David Owen & Cathy Lee

Moderator: Liana White

Join us for an educational infusion over coffee and morning snack, as you are guided through the process of diversifying your revenues. This panel of experts will introduce musicians to various revenue streams which are in addition to standard copyright royalties, teach musicians how to build their pension & highlight various asset protections available to musicians.

Audrey Levert, Gwenaël Le Priol, Sami Parbhoo, Sophie Bernier & Arnaud Cordier

Des représentants de grands festivals qui présentent plusieurs artistes acadiens et francophones sur leurs scènes nationales et internationales donneront un aperçu de leurs événements afin de répondre à des questions récurrentes telles : Quel genres musicaux priorisent-ils? Comment les artistes peuvent savoir s’ils sont prêts pour leurs scènes? Comment faire un ‘pitch’? Qu’avez-vous besoin de savoir avant d’arriver au festival? Cette session aura lieu surtout en français avec quelques présentations en anglais.

Un léger goûter petit-déjeuner et café seront servis.

Presented by Music Nova Scotia

Speakers: Delvina Bernard, Christine Campbell, Jenn Grant and Allegra Swanson

The strive to reduce barriers for people working in the music industry has highlighted the difficulty parents have balancing their music career with the demands of parenthood. Artists, venues, and funders are advocating for recognition, resources, and understanding. This panel highlights industry awareness and what it means for parents who are musicians and those who may become parents in the future.

Get connected with music buyers from around the world! These pre-scheduled one-on-one business meetings feature Canadian and International talent buyers, booking agents, festivals, event and venue programmers, promoters, presenters, film and television music supervisors, publishers, and showcasing events. These pre-scheduled 10-minute one-on-one conversations are open to all export-ready artists, artist representatives and companies. Pre-registration required.

When you're a member of SOCAN, you enjoy many benefits and access to helpful resources including support from our Creative team. Meet one-on-one with Houtan Hodania, Creative Executive, East Coast to learn more about SOCAN and ask any questions you may have!

Evan Newman, Stephanie Pronk & Darryl Smith

Pre-Registration Required - CLOSED

The Emerging Artist Initiative is an intensive seminar that will introduce artists with the necessary skills and strategy to develop their art into sustainable music careers. Led by industry leaders Evan Newman and Steph Pronk, the seminar will cover audience development and engagement through effective release strategies, building a team, the foundations of starting a business, touring strategies, revenue captures, and utilizing streaming services.

The seminar will use real-time scenarios provided by participants, conducted in a collaborative environment, where artists can share their own experiences and seek guidance and strategies to navigate the music business and accelerate their careers.

Speakers: Chris Simmons, Zac Peters, Lauren Down & Christina Martin

Moderator: Chloe Goodyear

The music industry is a complex and ever-changing landscape that requires a deep understanding of business principles and practices to succeed. Planning for international development is the key to understand how you should approach new markets, build connections and networks and develop audiences. This panel will focus on the planning and opportunities essential to navigate and to build an effective international live strategy.

How do digital platforms and metrics help you identify and reach global markets and build huge fanbases? How do you attract new partners and build a solid team to grow your career? What are the current market trends? Showcasing opportunities? Touring and border entry requirements?

Join a seasoned panel of industry experts as they dive into the UK and European landscape and share their valuable insights to build a realistic international market development plan.

Todd MacLean & Teresa Doyle

Songs for a Small Planet is an international songwriting collective focused on climate activism and promoting environmental sustainability and social justice through the power of original music. The community is building as more and more artists feel compelled to address the climate crisis through song. Membership is open to any professional musician who is interested in writing a song about climate change or justice to include in their repertoire.

Drop by the Member's Lounge and meet with Todd MacLean and Teresa Doyle from Songs for a Small Planet to learn more or share your own work in response to the climate crisis.

Christian Gallant, Danielle Rochon, Ghislaine Cormier, Émile Gallant & Marcel Bernard

Des représentants de salles et festivals de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard donneront un aperçu de leur programmation habituelle, et comment les artistes acadiens et francophones peuvent accéder à leurs scènes. Cette session aura lieu en français.

Sarah Conn

Come learn about the National Arts Centre's National Creation Fund and meet with Artistic Producer Sarah Conn! The Fund makes transformative investments in the creation of bold new music, dance, theatre and interdisciplinary performance, and we are an incubator of research and experimentation on the conditions required to create ambitious work. Fuelled by donors, the Fund is a catalyst for Canadian artists to take their creations to a new level. National Creation Fund | National Arts Centre (nac-cna.ca)

Presented by Atlantic Presenters Association

Speakers: David Myles & Jah' Mila
Moderator: Skip Taylor

Join us for a conversation with two East Coast artists, led by moderator Skip Taylor (OSAC) as they share the value of Showcasing and Contact events and their potential impact on your career development. Beyond your performance, these gatherings present invaluable opportunities to build long lasting relationships with presenters and their communities, a key factor to growing your audience and markets.

Presented by Music Nova Scotia

Queer artists report feeling isolated as they navigate the music industry. The Queer Artist Meetup provides a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ artists and industry professionals to network, connect, and enjoy community.

Speakers: Morgan Toney, Irish Mythen + HARMZ

Moderator: Samantha Pickard

Your music is a unique expression of who you are - but can you clearly define it? Casting a vision of what your music career looks like is also an important part of defining who you are and what you want to be. Without a clear vision, how do you ensure that you maintain your authenticity when external pressures try to push you to be someone else? Hear from some East Coast artists who bring a unique perspective to what success looks like for them and how they have worked to keep true to who they are. This discussion will be guided by Samantha Pickard from Strut Entertainment. Sam works with artists in the areas of PR, marketing and management.

Connect with this year’s VIP delegates at these pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings. Meet with Regional and National buyers, agents, event and venue programmers, promoters, presenters, publishers, rights management companies and industry associations.

These pre-scheduled 10-minute meetings will connect the East Coast music industry with visiting VIP delegates to create connections and provide opportunities to do business.

Speakers: Peter Toh, Andrew Jackson, Sami Parbhoo & Del Ro
Moderator: Julien Matwawana

Join some of this year's Festival Programmers as they discuss how they build and establish their festivals in the global market. How do they keep things fresh and engaging year over year in order to build and sustain audiences? This oceanside chat will shed light on how they program their events and the diverse talent that they look for to build audiences year over year.

Presented by SOCAN

Speaker: Rose Cousins

Moderator: Houtan Hodania

SOCAN is excited to present an interactive songwriting “Masterclass” workshop during the 2024 ECMA Industry Conference. Houtan Hodania (Creative Executive, East Coast, SOCAN), will lead the discussion with ECMA and JUNO Award winning and GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter Rose Cousins, discussing the process of her songwriting (including finding inspiration, process, co-writing, etc.), giving participants valuable insight into the craft of writing a great song. This workshop is part of SOCAN’s Creative strategy in craft development, constructed in an effort to help members improve their songwriting and reach new heights in their careers.

Calling all self-managed artists. This is an opportunity to come together and discuss current challenges, share opportunities and make new connections. This session will be facilitated by Gabrielle Rubaine, Director of Outreach with the Music Managers Forum.