INVITED DELEGATES (2017)

DAN KOPLOWITZ
Creative Sync & Licensing Rep // Friendly Fire Licensing
San Francisco, USA

Dan Koplowitz has been involved with the music industry in one way or another for the past twenty years. He represents about thirty international labels for sync placements via Friendly Fire Licensing and does A&R for the legendary UK label Cooking Vinyl. He ran the boutique indie label Friendly Fire Recordings (Asobi Seksu, the Phenomenal Handclap Band, Faunts) and was one of the founding members of the marketing/PR company Terrorbird Media. Dan manages a number of bands and focuses primarily on working with international acts in the USA. 

CAROLINE MATT
Cultural Funding Officer // City of Ottawa
Ottawa, CA

Caroline has spent her entire career working with and for musicians. After studying music and getting her M.A. in musicology, she started her career in the orchestral world working for orchestras in Canada and Switzerland, eventually ending up in the artistic administration of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. For the last 10 years, Caroline has worked as a funding officer at the federal and municipal levels. She was an arts consultant for the Arts Presentation Canada and Canada Cultural Spaces Funds of the Department of Canadian Heritage before joining the Cultural Funding Support Section of the City of Ottawa, where she currently holds (amongst others) the music portfolio. Caroline is proud to work for the community she lives in.

Caroline can speak to City of Ottawa Grants that are available to professional artists, youth trying to start a career in culture and arts/festival organizations. Specific funding programs include: the Arts Funding Program, the Creation and Production Fund for Professional Artists, and the Youth in Culture Pilot Program.

KYLE CUNJAK
Festival Programmer // Shivering Songs
Label-Management // Forward Music Group
Halifax, CA

Kyle is a Halifax-based visual artist and multi-instrumentalist who has recorded and worked with David Myles, Rose Cousins, Justin Rutledge, Petunia, and many more. He helps organize the annual Shivering Songs festival in Fredericton and is a founding member of The Olympic Symphonium as well as an award-winning artist manager with Forward Music Group

Forward Music Group is an artist management team and record label that works with Canadian musicians to further the careers of musicians through the creation and presentation of challenging, contemporary, non-commercial compositions. 

COLLEEN KRUEGER
Manager // Landlocked MGMT
Calgary, CA

Operating since 2011 Landlocked MGMT is run solely by Colleen Krueger who has been working with various artists over the years in a management  and artist development capacity. These artists have all started with Colleen at a development stage of their career, which has allowed Colleen to learn a lot about the business, negotiating and communicating with the artists and other industry professionals. Landlocked currently is home to 36?, Viking Fell and Bad Pop. Landlocked also has a consulting service which allows Colleen to support more artists in their development stages, such artists as; Scenic Route to Alaska, Jesse and the Dandelions, Pat Lok, Blue Crime (NL), Bad Animal, SuperGlu (UK), Consilience, The Velveteins, Fever Feel, Double Fuzz, Beach Season and many more. These services include Canadian tour bookings, promotions, grant writing, and strategy building. 

Colleen also works with Flemish Eye Records and Music Calgary in various capacities.

GRIMUR ATLASON
Festival Manager // Iceland Airwaves
Reykjavik, IS

Grimur Atlason is the current manager of Iceland Airwaves music festival. The festival takes place in Reykjavik, Iceland during the first weekend of November every year. Over 200 acts performs 250 official shows over the course of 5 days. On top of that over 680 shows takes place ‘off-venue’ at Iceland Airwaves.

During his time as manager, Grimur has worked with PJ Harvey, Skepta, Warpaint, Flaming Lips, Of Monsters and Men, Hot Chip, Björk, Caribou, Sigur Rós, Robyn, Jon Hopkins, Ásgeir, The War on Drugs, Beach House, Kraftwerk, John Grant, FM Belfast, Haim and many others. Grimur has been promoting bands since he was 16. From his first gig with Happy Mondays to being manager of bands, he’s worked with hundreds of bands such as Sonic Youth, David Byrne, St. Vincent, Morrissey, Antony and The Johnsons, Belle and Sebastian just to name a few.

ADELE SLATER
Booking Agent // Coda
London, UK

Adele is a booking agent at Coda, previously at WME, The Agency Group and promoter at Live Nation prior to that, booking all territories outside of North America, which includes UK, Europe, Japan, Asia, Australia, and South America. Current roster includes Perfume Genius, Asgeir, Japanese Breakfast, Liam Gallagher, Dream Wife and US Girls.




 

MELANIE STONE
Artist Manager // Sonic Entertainment
Halifax, CA

Melanie Stone is an artist manager at Sonic Entertainment Group and has been working in the music industry in Nova Scotia for over a decade, starting in Cape Breton with Company House Records and Celtic Colours before relocating to Halifax. Day-to-day artist management has been Stone’s focus for the last five years, though she remains active in the scene as a member of Dark for Dark and The Heavy Blinkers.

Helping artists make good music makes her happy.

ALEXANDRE JACQUES
Producer // OPAK Productions
Montreal, CA

Started out in the industry by booking/ renting venues like Montreal's La Tulipe, Le National and Cabaret Music-Hall while developing a heavy habit of seeing shows frequently.  Hopped in the Opak team on show/ tour production plus a bit of management work in 2008 and stayed busy there ever since. 
Always loved and been driven by the music itself.

MAYA BEDWARD
Information Services Coordinator // Ontario Arts Council
Toronto, C

Maya has worked at the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) for over four years. Currently, she functions as the Information Services Coordinator, where she helps artists navigate OAC’s new funding framework. Previously she worked as the Program Administrator for the Skills and Careers Development: Indigenous Arts Professionals and Arts Professionals of Colour program (formerly Access and Career Development) and the Deaf and Disability Arts Projects program. Maya holds an MA in International Communication from the University of Leeds and a BA in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. Ottawa is her hometown.

BYRON PASCOE
Entertainment Lawyer // Edwards PC, Creative Law
Ottawa, CA

Byron Pascoe provides legal services to Music, Film, TV, New Media, Gaming and other creative clients. Byron works with musicians and music companies across Canada, including to assist with drafting and reviewing agreements, including record label, publishing, distribution, producer, remixer, band and management agreements. Along with Capital Rehearsal Studios and Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, on behalf of Edwards PC, Creative Law, Byron co-founded and co-manages the Independent Music Business series which provides free monthly music business workshops to the capital’s music community. Byron also contributes the legal column to Ottawa's music publication, Ottawa Beat.

AMBER CAREW
A&R and Digital Marketing Coordinator // ANTI- Records
Los Angeles, USA

"I don’t have a bio, and I don’t like talking about myself in the 3rd person so what shall we do? Will a job title not suffice?"

GARETH SMITH
Music Publisher // SUB POP
Seattle, USA

Gareth Smith is a Music Publisher with over fifteen years experience working across Synch, Catalogue acquisition and exploitation, A & R and Music Supervision at Major and Independent companies in UK, Mainland Europe and North America. Originally from London but currently at Sub Pop Publishing, Seattle.

DANE SUNDSETH
Manager // Bedlam Music Management
Los Angeles, USA

Dane Sundseth is an Oregon native who has called Los Angeles home for 10 years. After working as a day to day manager for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for 5 years while at New Community Management, he joined Toronto based Bedlam Music Management last year to head their LA office and works with the likes of The Sheepdogs, New Swears and Wild Ones.

He is also a partner at Autumn Tone Records which was founded by Aquarium Drunkard's Justin Gage and has released records by The Orwells, Twin Peaks, J Tillman and more.

AMY FORT
Production Manager // The Burdock Music Hall
Toronto, CA

Amy Fort is a recording and front of house engineer based out of Toronto. She is the production manager and head tech for The Burdock Music venue, as well as a touring tech with bands Ought, U.S. Girls and  Wake Owl, to name a few. Also a studio engineer and producer, Amy has worked in many studios and has a very portable recording setup for location and field captures. She enjoys using a mix of analog and digital gear and is an advocate for marrying confident choices with continual learning and exploration in audio. She loves to listen. 

GOURMET DÉLICE
Artist Management and Business Development // Bonsound
Montreal, CA

Gourmet Délice is the co-owner and co-founder of Bonsound, a Montreal-based, management, booking and record company which represents artists such as Malajube, Champion, Radio Radio, Groenland, Lisa LeBlanc, Dead Obies, and Safia Nolin. Bonsound also runs Bonsound Promo and Bonsound Concerts.

CARLA GILLIS
Music Editor // NOW Magazine
Toronto, O

Carla Gillis is the music editor at NOW Magazine, Toronto's urban weekly. She is a juror for the Polaris Music Prize and Prism Prize, active with Girls Rock Camp Toronto, and has played in bands since her teens. Currently she plays in Overnight with her drummer sister and The Lord Almightys with other displaced Haligonians.

EMY STANTCHEVA
Marketing & Events Coordinator // MusicOntario / CIMA
Toronto, CA

Emy Stantcheva is the Marketing and Events Coordinator at the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and MusicOntario. Emy came to CIMA in January 2013 with seven years of experience working in music publicity and marketing, artist management, social media, festival and event planning and copy writing. As part of the CIMA team, Emy works on various domestic and international events, showcases and professional development initiatives, and programs and coordinates all things MusicOntario with Interim Manager, Brian Hetherman. A lifelong music junkie, Emy moonlights as Lifestyle Editor for Addicted Magazine.

ALLISON OUTHIT
Vice-President // FACTOR
Toronto, CA

Allison joined FACTOR in February 2011. A native of Halifax, NS, Allison earned her LLB from Dalhousie University in 1994. Her experience of life in the musical trenches, along with her depth of entertainment business experience and legal knowledge, give her a skill set uniquely primed to help FACTOR and the independent Canadian music industry keep on keepin' on.

SARAH SHOUCRI
Communications and International Relations Director // POP Montreal
Montreal, CA

Sarah oversees the media and international strategy for POP Montreal (September 13-17, 2017), an annual 5-day bacchanalian festival of everything art, fashion, film and music, but especially music. 600 artists, 50 venues, 65,000 people, 200 outstanding volunteers and a whole love of love. Sarah also owns shouc-shouc, a PR firm that has worked with countless amazing acts such as FOXTROTT, Poirier, Organ Mood, Mashrou' Leila, and many more!

Clearly, she doesn’t need much sleep.

BRIAN HETHERMAN
Music Ontario
Toronto, C

Brian Hetherman began his career when he landed at one of Canada’s premier Indie record labels, Duke Street Records. In the 90s, he moved to MCA Records (which would soon become Universal) and worked his way up from sales, to radio promotions and marketing. From there, Brian was hired as the inaugural Executive Director of the Radio Starmaker Fund, where he set up one of the largest funding agencies in Canada. In 2003 he pursued his dream of becoming an artist manager, record label owner and music publisher with Curve Music and Cerberus Artist Management. In 2005, he was tapped to become the President of the Music Managers Forum Canada, and soon was elected to the board of the International Music Managers Forum as Chairman. In 2009 Brian was asked to join FACTOR as VP, another of Canada’s largest funding agencies, after initially serving as a Board member for five years. In 2010 Brian became the acting General Manager of FACTOR (Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings), while the Board conducted an executive search for a new President.

In 2011 Brian returned to one of his true passions: his label and management company. In addition Brian has been an International consultant for Canadian Music Week, Chairman of the CCMA Board and has worked with Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) as Chair of their Artist Advisory Board. 

JULIA TRAIN
Senior Manager, Communications and Outreach // Musicians' Rights Organization Canada (MROC)
Toronto, CA

Julia is the Senior Manager, Communications and Outreach at the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC). She's a graduate of the Harris Institute for the Arts, where she studied Recorded Arts Management. She went on to work for the CMRRA’s Royalties Administration department, followed by 3 years at FACTOR. At MROC, Julia now ensures that musicians receive the recompense that they are entitled to.

DOMINICK MASTRANGELO
Photographer // Brooklyn Vegan
New York CIty, USA

Dominick Mastrangelo is a freelance photographer (and sometimes writer) based in New York City. He's covered concerts and festivals across North America since 2008 for the likes of Spotify, SpinMedia, and he was a regular contributor to the popular blog BrooklynVegan for several years. His work has appeared in a multitude of print and online publications including Esquire, Rolling Stone, Rockin' On (Japan), Intro (Germany) and New York magazine.

JEFF WAYE 
Third Side Music 
Montreal, CA

Jeff Waye has over 30 years of music industry experience,  from retail to distribution to label managing to music publishing and beyond. Getting his start during the mid-late 80’s DIY/indie punk explosion (booking punk & metal shows and manning the counter at The Record Dealer in London, Ontario), the ethics around that era influenced and guided everything that was to come. Moving to Montreal in 1990, Waye got himself into music distribution, acting as a buyer and sales person for Cargo Records. In addition to setting up Canadian deals for numerous reggae and jungle labels, such as celebrated UK reggae labels Blood & Fire, On U Sound and Trojan, Waye also connected well-known UK independent record label Ninja Tune to Cargo. In 1996 he partnered with Ninja Tune and opened their North American office, spending the next 9 years label managing what became one of the most respected independent labels. In 2005, with the recorded music industry in shambles, he made a move into music publishing and started Third Side Music (TSM) with an aim to create a new breed of publisher modelled on the aforementioned DIY ideals. Transparent, honest, and ethical with a goal of working with, and elevating interesting career artists. With offices in Los Angeles and Montreal, TSM now represents a catalog of over 50,000 titles from well-respected and unique artists of all genres (Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, Flying Lotus, The Heavy, Wolf Parade, Colin Stetson, Amon Tobin, Coxsone Dodd/Studio One, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, to name just a small cross section).

BETH MARTINEZ
Publicist // Danger Village
Los Angeles, CA
 

Beth Martinez founded Danger Village Music Publicity in 2007 to promote emerging artists that she had faith in.  After ten years of sustained success, she embarks on a new venture in music publishing where her personal conviction and strong integrity will cultivate the careers of the exceptional artists that call the Danger Village home.

Beth's relationships in the music business run deep and cross the boundaries of publicity, production, distribution, marketing and management.  She has assembled career-stimulating campaigns leading to the rise of Cloud Nothings, MØ, Say Lou Lou, Magic Man, Holychild, FIDLAR, Little May, High Highs, Nicky da B, Goldroom, Bishop Briggs, and many more. She is now poised to impact the lives of the artists that she champions through creative and strategic IP exploitation services via Danger Village Music Publishing.

JASON BURNS
Manager // Arts & Crafts 
Toronto, CA

Jason is a senior manager at Arts & Crafts in Toronto. In 2008, he started an independent music company in Halifax to help friends put on shows and make music together. He now oversees the careers of Belle Game, Brave Shores, Choir! Choir! Choir!, Hey Rosetta!, Plants and Animals, and Rich Aucoin. So…still putting on shows and making music together. 

EVAN WHIKEHART
Project Manager // Secretly Group
Bloomington, USA
 

Evan Whikehart is a Project Manager with Secretly Group, a label group comprised of Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian. Based in Bloomington, Indiana, he works with releases across all three labels including Bon Iver, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast and Damien Jurado among others. Prior to Project Management with the labels, Evan spent 8 years at Secretly Distribution, where he worked as Head of Sales.

DAN SELIGMAN
Director // POP Montreal
Montreal, CA

Daniel Seligman has been active in the Montreal music scene since 2000. He has managed Stars, The Unicorns and Socalled. In 2002 Seligman started POP Montreal and remains the festival's creative director. In 15 years the fest has worked with such acts as Bun B, Patti Smith, Arcade Fire and Malajube. Most recently, he co-founded the record label Club Roll Music. In 2013 Club Roll released records by AroarA, Jef Barbara, Karneef and in 2015 Club Roll will released the new record by Katie Moore.
 

JAMES BOYLE
Executive Director // Halifax Pop Explosion
Halifax, CA

James has a love for music that flows through his veins! Currently working as executive director of the Halifax Pop Explosion, James is also a founder of the east coast label Forward Music Group and a long time concert promoter. As a professional, James has poured every ounce of energy he has into the East Coast music community bringing a fresh perspective with tried and true results.

HPX (Halifax Pop Explosion) is an international music festival and conference that presents 150 bands in 20 venues over 4 days to over 30,000 fans and industry delegates from around the world. HPX 2017 takes place October 18 - 21

JEFF MORTON
Program Officer // Canada Council for the Arts
Ottawa, CA

Jeff Morton is a Program Officer in the Music Section at the Canada Council for the Arts, where for the past five years he has managed the New Music program, Commissioning of Canadian Compositions, and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, among other programs. In the New Funding Model, launching on April 1, 2017, Jeff Morton will be a Program Officer in the Explore and Create program, where he will help manage project and core grants for individuals, groups, and organizations with the specialization of Music and Sound. For information on the grant programs and opportunities for support through the Canada Council for the Arts, you can check our website: www.canadacouncil.ca

KEVIN PEDERSON
A & R // Dead Oceans
New York, USA

Kevin Pedersen runs What's Your Rupture? out of a NY office.  Over the past 10 or so years he's released records by Parquet Courts, Royal Headache, Iceage, Fucked Up, and Comet Gain.  His newest release is the S/T debut LP by Savoy Motel.  In addition to WYR Kevin filled an A+R position at Dead Oceans and hopes to work with the best bands.