MUMBAI:The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will bring Music Biz 2015, the music industry’s premier conference, to Nashville for the first time on May 12-14 at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. The event gathers retailers, subscription services, record labels, artists, managers, startups, and representatives from all other facets of the industry to discuss important issues such as music metadata, music licensing, sales measurement, streaming music, High Resolution Audio, and legal concerns around touring and brand partnerships. The conference’s wide-ranging agenda is designed to address the needs of all levels of the music business, from those just getting their feet wet to those who have climbed the ladder to become powerful decision-makers. As such, it offers a unique opportunity for all those interested in the future of music to meet, discuss their latest projects, and work together to ensure a bright future for the entire industry.

The first day of Music Biz 2015 will kick off with the third annual Metadata Summit. This event provides a rare opportunity for industry heavy-hitters and newcomers alike to gather and discuss the often-overlooked topic of music metadata, which is quickly becoming one of the most important issues in the music business as digital services continue to grow and evolve. The event will kick off with a keynote from Mike Jbara of Warner Music Group.

A variety of industry experts from the Universal Music Group, The Recording Academy, BMI, the RIAA, Pandora, Getty Images, SONOS, The Echo Nest, and more will then take the stage to address the current state and size of the market, interoperability, high resolution audio and images, data storytelling, future business models enabled by metadata, and more.

The Music Startup Academy, which will be held concurrently with the Metadata Summit on May 12, will feature a variety of sessions aimed at teaching aspiring startups, app developers, and entrepreneurs everything they need to know about creating and maintaining legal and sustainable music businesses, including a keynote address from Shawn Yeager of Back Porch Group and Endorsee as well as panels on music licensing, selecting APIs, and securing business development deals. It will end with the popular Elevator Pitch Shark Tank, in which companies will have the chance to pitch their products to a panel of music industry experts and receive valuable feedback that they can use in their real-life meetings with artists, managers, record labels, and other potential partners.

Also on May 12, the first-ever Artists, Management & Touring Town Hall will bring together members of each community to address new music commerce opportunities that have sprung up as a result of the convergence of these areas. Topics include the artist’s role in creating a development and marketing plan for their music and live performances, how to use fan clubs and VIP packages to introduce new sources of revenue, and how new digital services can assist with direct-to-fan sales, tour promotion, and more. It will end with a Digital Marketing Mixer, in which artists, managers, label staffers, students, and more will have a chance to discuss these new revenue streams and how they can work together to engage fans and maximise sales.

The first day will end with a special 'live-to-acetatel performance from critically acclaimed Country music singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe at Third Man Records’ Blue Room venue. Universal Music will also host a live music showcase at the Session’s Lounge featuring Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Muddy Magnolias, and Honeyhoney.

The second day of the convention will begin with the Breakfast & Business Session, at which Jack White will be presented with the Innovator Award for his record-breaking Lazaretto ULTRA LP vinyl and John Kunz of Waterloo Records will receive the Independent Spirit Award. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Charlie Brock of LaunchTN will also speak at the ceremony, and Rock band Civil Twilight will perform live. In addition, Music Biz President James Donio and Chairman Fred Beteille of YouTube will each address the crowd, with the latter announcing the Scholarship Foundation Class of 2015 and the 2015-2016 Music Biz Board of Directors.

Wednesday will end with Live @ The Wildhorse, a night of live performances sponsored by YouTube at The Wildhorse Saloon. The event will feature acts from all three major labels, as well as Redeye, including Casey James from Sony Music Entertainment, Jana Kramer from Warner Music Group, Mike Posner from Universal Music Group, and Jackie Green from Redeye.

The Songwriters & Publishers Town Hall will start the final day of the conference. It will include a presentation from Jacqueline Charlesworth, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office, who will discuss important legislation surrounding copyrights, including proposed changes to the U.S. Copyright Act and the recently reintroduced Songwriter Equity Act. In addition, executives from BMI, the Harry Fox Agency, ole, Rumblefish, and SESAC will explain how online video can lead to increased revenue, and representatives from Spotify, YouTube, Songspace, Songtrust, and SynchTank will show attendees how their products can help them get the most out of publishing.

Attendees will then be able to enjoy the annual Awards Luncheon. This year, Meghan Trainor will receive the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, Martina McBride will receive the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award, Scott Borchetta of the Big Machine Label Group will receive the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement, and The Doobie Brothers will receive the Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement.

Music Biz 2015 will close with the Entertainment and Technology Law Conference, which will focus on touring and independent artists with the first panel targeting brand partnerships for live performances and the contracts and relationships that govern them. The next panel will assess the current situation facing unsigned and independent artists today and illuminate potential revenue streams, explain important terms they may find in contracts with labels and publishers, and teach them how to determine whether these contracts are in their best interest.

Music Biz will also gather some of the industry’s top data decision-makers and analysts to discuss the future of sales measurement at a variety of sessions to be held throughout the conference. These include the Metrics & Sales Analysis Town Hall on May 12; the Streaming by the Numbers sessions on May 13; the Bands, Brands, and the Data Behind the Partnerships sessions on May 14; the Country Music Meetup on May 13; and Vevo’s lSelling Music Through Sight, Sound, Motion (& Timing)l session on May 13.