The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is commemorating Black Music Month by teaming up with Nashville Music Equality (NME) to present For The Culture: Empowering Black Music Creators to Achieve Beyond Reach on Tuesday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The MLC’s offices in Nashville.

Spearheaded by Dae Bogan – The MLC’s Head of Third-Party Partnerships – in collaboration with NME’s Gina Miller, Kortney Toney and Shannon Sanders, this one-day summit will celebrate the evolution of Black Music and its unique and ever-growing impact on the music industry with collaborative discussions and insightful presentations from some of the leading African American voices in the industry.

The event will feature panels designed specifically for Black music creators that both explore creative business strategies and examine the overall royalty landscape, networking opportunities for attendees and a host of live music performances.

Agenda:

10am – Check-in

10:30am-11:00am – Opening Discussion: “How Did We Get Here? A Coffee Conversation on the Evolution of Black Music” - The day will kick-off with a conversation to set the tone for the events ahead. Grab a cup of coffee and sit in as three music industry executives discuss the influence of African Americans on popular music. What’s in a genre? Looking to the evolution from Ragtime > Blues > Jazz > R&B > Rock & Roll > Hip-Hop; the commercialization of Black music and the exploitation of Black artists; and more.

Panelists:

Dae Bogan (Moderator) - Head of Third-Party Partnerships, The Mechanical Licensing Collective and Billboard Digital Power Player 2019

Brennen Boose - Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications National Museum of African American Music

Shannon Sanders - Executive Director of Creative, BMI Nashville and 3X GRAMMY Award-Winning Producer

11:00am-11:15am – Reset Break

11:15am-12:15pm – "Breaking Through the Noise: Creative Business Strategies for Black Music Creators"

Panelists:

Shannon Sanders (Moderator) - Executive Director of Creative, BMI Nashville and 3X GRAMMY Award-Winning Producer

Mimi McCarley, Founder of Collab Music Network & Co-Founder of Nashville is Not Just Country Music and We Own Now

Derek Minor, Grammy Award-winning artist and producer. Co-Founder of We Own Now as well as hip-hop record label Reflection Music Group (RMG)

12:30pm-1:30pm – "Black Dollars: Unlocking U.S. Digital Music Royalties for Black Music Creators" - Be prepared to take notes and ask questions as this informative panel of music business experts dive into the fundamentals (copyright ownership and publishing), royalty streams (interactive, non-interactive, downloads), post-MMA era rights and entitlements, songwriter challenges, Digital Music Royalties Landscape, and more.

Panelists:

Dae Bogan (Moderator) - Head of Third-Party Partnerships, The Mechanical Licensing Collective and Billboard Digital Power Player 2019

Alandis Brassel - Entertainment Attorney, Manager, Assistant Professor of Music Business - University of Memphis

George Monger - CEO, Connect Music

Cheryl Potts - CEO, Cleerkut Royalty

1:30pm - 2:30pm – Networking Lunch sponsored by BMI Nashville

2:30pm-4:30pm –

• Mental Health in the Black Community - A Conversation with NME's President, Shannon Sanders, and Vice President, Gina Miller (SVP & General Manager, MNRK Music) about the state of mental health in the Black Music Industry community. How can we heal in the right way and what resources to connect to for help. Moderated by: NME's Executive Director, Kortney Toney (Marketing, Inclusion & Outreach Manager, Naxos of America).
• The Black Opry Experience - A conversation with the founder of Black Opry, Holly G and Tanner D., artist conversations, and acoustic performances by Roberta Lea, Jett Holden, and O.N.E. the Duo. Hosted by Gina Miller (SVP & General Manager, MNRK Music) and Kortney Toney (Marketing, Inclusion & Outreach Manager, Naxos of America).

4:30pm-6pm – Closing Reception sponsored by The MLC