The 11th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO has announced new additions to its program, including a blockbuster lineup for the keynote “We Create Music” panel on Thursday, April 28. Grammy and ASCAP award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, chart-topping “Cheerleader” songwriter OMI and Grammy-winning songwriter Dan Wilson (Adele’s “Someone Like You”) join previously announced Multiplatinum songwriter, solo artist and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas and “King of Reality TV” composer David Vanacore to give attendees an inside look at their individual paths to songwriting success. The 2016 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO takes place April 28 – 30 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
The ASCAP EXPO has also announced that folk singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega (“Luka,” “Tom’s Diner”) will perform at the opening night “Writers in the Round” show on Thursday, April 28; and hit-making duo R. City (“Locked Away,” Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop”) will join the closing day “Writers Jam” on Saturday, April 30.
An ASCAP EXPO panel on musical collaboration will feature WAX LTD, the Multiplatinum production team that has worked with The Rolling Stones, New Order, Best Coast and more; and songwriter/producers The Futuristics, who wrote and produced "We Own It" from Fast & Furious and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" from Saturday Night Live. Songwriter Sam Hook (The Game’s “Pot of Gold;” Chris Brown’s “4 Years Old”) joins the “Hit Songwriter” panel.
Read More: ASCAP Confirms Adele Producer, Country Songwriter of the Year and Ruess for 2016 Expo
Previously announced sessions for this year’s event include a conversation between Nate Ruess, songwriter and vocalist for the Grammy-winning group fun. and ASCAP President and Hall of Fame songwriter Paul Williams; and an attendee song feedback session with Desmond Child. The lineup also features Master Sessions with rock royalty Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, gospel hitmakers Warryn & Erica Campbell, James Fauntleroy (Rihanna’s ANTI co-writer), Ashley Gorley (a three-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year); Greg Kurstin (songwriter/producer behind Adele’s “Hello” and Sia’s “Chandelier”), Ariel Rechtshaid (producer for Adele’s “When We Were Young” and Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City), and an interview with Salt-N-Pepa, the boundary-breaking trio that opened up rap for women.
Read More: Benetar, Giraldo and Gospel Campbells Join ASCAP Expo Lineup
Now in its 11th year, ASCAP’s “I Create Music” EXPO is the conference for songwriters, composers, artists and producers in all music genres. Participants can attend creative and business-focused panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, one-on-one sessions, networking events, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations and performances. The ASCAP EXPO provides music creators with an authentic experience—real knowledge, tools, connections and a community of support and guidance.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit ascap.com/eventsawards/events/expo/2016/registration.aspx.
