ASCAP's “I Create Music” EXPO, a large conference for songwriters, composers, artists and producers, has announced 32 additional panelists for their 2017 conference, to take place April 13 - 15 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. Panelists at the 2017 ASCAP EXPO have contributed to some of the year’s major releases: Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, Rihanna’s Anti and Justin Bieber’s Purpose. The lineup includes Grammy winners, tastemaker A&R executives and Multiplatinum hit-makers offering their knowledge and advice to those participating in this year’s EXPO.
Now in its 12th year, the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO has become an incubator for up-and-coming talent in the music industry. Young songwriters and producers are given the opportunity to advance their careers through networking, collaboration and mentorship opportunities with a diverse array of industry leaders. Throughout the three-day EXPO, ASCAP will offer panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes and one-on-one sessions to the 3,000-plus participants from across the globe.
Songwriters, producers, artists, executives, composers and authors added to the lineup include:
• Brian Kennedy: four-time Grammy-winner who’s collaborated with Rihanna for a decade, including on her No. 1 hit “Disturbia” and her most recent record Anti.
• Malik Yusef: six-time Grammy-winning songwriter credited on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Beyonce’s Lemonade.
• Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd: writer of eight songs on Justin Bieber’s triple-platinum Purpose, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “What Do You Mean?”
• Sam Hollander: co-writer of Fitz and the Tantrum’s smash single “HandClap,” along with four songs on the Grammy-nominated Panic! at the Disco album, one of the Top 5 selling albums of 2016. Hollander has produced for major artists such as One Direction, Katy Perry, Train, Daughtry, the Fray, Carole King and Weezer.
• Dave Bassett: writer of two of 2015’s most prominent breakout hits, Rachel Platten’s triple-platinum “Fight Song” and Elle King’s No. 1 Adult Top 40 hit “Ex’s and Oh’s.”
• Greg Wells: musician, producer and songwriter whose songs have appeared on more than 85 million albums sold. Wells has worked with Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Adele, Twenty One Pilots and more.
• Dave Pirner: principal songwriter for the band Soul Asylum, including their Grammy-winning hit single “Runaway Train.”
• Eric Bazilian: founding member of the Hooters and writer of Joan Osborne’s “One Of Us.”
• Mark Hudson: producer who has worked with Cher, Ringo Starr and Aerosmith.
• Shawn Barron: Vice President of Urban A&R for Atlantic Records, discovered Drake on MySpace and signed him to his first recording contract in 2007.
• Tommy Brown: writer of seven tracks on Ariana Grande’s platinum-certified Dangerous Woman.
• Geoff Zanelli: Emmy-award winning film composer and frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator.
• THEY.: up-and-coming R&B duo that meld diverse influences like Babyface, New Edition, Taking Back Sunday and Kurt Cobain. Released their debut album Nu Religion: HYENA in February.
• Vincent Berry: ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO alum who co-wrote Beyonce’s Grammy-nominated hit “Sandcastles.”
Related: ASCAP Announces 17 Hitmakers for "I Create Music" EXPO: Aloe Blacc & more
Additional panelists are listed in alphabetical order:
• Jean Baptiste: songwriter for the Black Eyed Peas and Madonna.
• Lesley Barber: composer for Oscar-winning film Manchester By The Sea.
• Paul Brill: International Documentary Award-winning composer.
• Dae Dae: 300 Entertainment recording artist who scored a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Rap charts with “What U Mean.”
• DallasK: DJ and record producer who has collaborated with Tiesto and Hardwell.
• the Futuristics: songwriting and production duo who have worked with Halsey and Bruno Mars
• Fran Hall: songwriter for Britney Spears and Selena Gomez.
• Rob Hyman: co-writer of Cyndi Lauper’s No. 1 hit “Time After Time.”
• Ism: producer who has worked with Chief Keef and Wiz Khalifa.
• Danny Jacob: composed film scores for Shrek, Antz, Phineas and Ferb.
• Gary Leon: A&R Manager for Atlantic Records’ Urban division.
• Menace: Producer for Desiigner’s hit single “Panda.”
• Nez & Rio: production duo who have collaborated with A$AP Rocky and ScHoolboy Q.
• Carly Paradis – composer and pianist who has worked on television programs including BBC’s Line of Duty, ITV’s Prime Suspect and more.
• Justin Rhodes: music business professor, hip-hop producer and author of the production handbook These Beats Ain’t Free.
Previously announced panelists include platinum-selling recording artist Aloe Blacc, Songwriters Hall of Fame member Desmond Child, four-time ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year Ashley Gorley, Grammy-winner Darrell Brown and more.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit ascap.com/expo.
