MMF CONNECT - NORTH AMERICA
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024, 1:00 to 2:30pm ET
Online

co-hosted by MMF Canada, MMF-US, and MMF Mexico

Join us and connect with managers, self-managed artists, and music industry professionals from across North America at this virtual networking event.

The session will kick off with a short presentation titled “Taking Control: How to Protect Your Music in the Age of AI” followed by networking time to chat with the presenters as well as the other attendees. The presentation will cover how creators can turn AI from a threat into an opportunity to protect, control, and monetize their work.

**This event will take place on a virtual conference platform called Remo. You will find instructions for how to access the event once you register and in event email reminders. You may wish to test your gear per the instructions BEFORE the event so you don’t have issues during.

This event is for artist managers, self-managed artists, and industry professionals who are looking to grow their networks and to learn more about AI. Registration is free and non-members are welcome.

SPEAKERS:

Tamay Aykut - Founder & CEO Sureel AI

Tamay earned his PhD with distinction in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the TU Munich in 2019, receiving the Nokia Bell Lab’s Best Student Award and the Kurt-Fischer Doctorate Award. Selected for Stanford's Junior Research Group Program, he became the youngest visiting assistant professor since the program's launch and led the Visual Computing and AI group at the Max-Planck Center. His AI work includes peer-reviewed publications and multiple AI patents. As CTO at CareX.ai and Snowcrash, he built and led teams developing advanced AI platforms. He also served on the AI Subcommittee at Harvard’s Wyss Institute. In 2022, he founded Sureel.ai, pioneering explainable AI with patented attribution technology.

Aileen Crowley - Co-President Sureel AI, Partner Lark42

Aileen Crowley is a data driven innovator with expertise in streaming and digital strategy, with a record of success in new entertainment models. She was on the ground floor of building a new model record label, DigSin, then the first playlist promotion company in the industry, and then the first global streaming team within Universal Music Group. Aileen was the VP of Global Streaming Marketing at UMG, creating and implementing global streaming innovations. Aileen’s breadth of experience from artist management to music startup to major label, positions her in a unique way to help artists and the industry adopt new ideas and continuously innovate in an ever evolving business. Aileen has been recognized on the Billboard 40 under 40 list. And has spoken on industry panels internationally.

Benji Rogers - Co-President Sureel AI, Partner Lark42

Benji Rogers is a British-born, New York-based entrepreneur technologist who co-founded multiple companies, including Verifi.Media, Lark42, Radiary Creations & PledgeMusic, the first direct-to-fan music platform to acquire 4.5mm users and 50k artists as its then CEO. PledgeMusic was listed in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2015.

Straddling the worlds of technology and music, Rogers sits on the board of and advises a range of tech and music companies on bridging the divide between their industries. Benji has been recognized on the Billboard 40 Under 40 list and Awarded Digital Executive of the Year. He recently joined Sureel AI as co-president.

Sureel AI - Protection, Control & Monetization Solutions for Creators, Media Rights Owners & AI Companies (http://www.sureel.ai/)

MMF Canada AGM (*Members Only)
Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 3:00 PM ET - 3:30PM ET

MMF Canada members, please join us for the first half an hour to exercise your vote. We’ll be approving last year’s minutes and audited financial statements as well as the newly elected board directors. Watch your email for the Notice of AGM sent out August 22, 2024. This will include the agenda and documents for review.

REGISTER IN THE MEMBER PORTAL IN THE EVENTS CALENDAR.
You will not need to register separately for the post-AGM networking. You will automatically have access to the whole event.

MMF CONNECT (All are welcome!)
Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 3:30 PM ET - 5:00PM ET

Catch up with colleagues and make new connections at our virtual networking event! Also, learn more about what MMF Canada has been up to and meet our new board of directors. Please note this online meet-up will directly follow our members-only Annual General Meeting. You’ll be in the waiting room until the AGM is over.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER? Learn more about what MMF Canada Membership offers here.

This event will take place in a platform called Remo. You will receive access instructions prior to the event start via email.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Be sure to create an account on REMO and login prior to Sep 12 to ensure a smooth connection on the day of the event. There will be limited support available for troubleshooting your connection on the day of the meeting.

As part of MMF Canada's Germany Mission and CIMA's Business Events in Germany, join us for a free online workshop to learn more about the German/Berlin Market. This is a great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding whether or not you’ll be heading to the Reeperbahn Festival this year.

The session will be presented by Steffi von Kannemann (Better Things Berlin), alongside Claudia Seeber, the Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to Germany.

To register and receive the Zoom link, email jenia@cimamusic.ca.

Note: Applications for the MMF Canada Export Mission in Germany 2024 have now closed but follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop for future export missions.

Thank you to our funders:

This program is supported by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations Program.

Made possible with the support of Ontario Creates.

We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

 MMF Canada Online | REAL TALK SERIES: Live Performance and Touring Realities

Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Online on the REMO platform
Panel: 1PM to 2PM ET
Networking: Between 2PM and 3PM ET

Free for Members
$30 for Non-Members

We've been seeing some big changes in the live sector these past few years. Artists, promoters, festival buyers, agents, and others in the industry have had to adjust significantly to the changing global environments. Our panelists will chat about topics such as the rising demand for festival and tour dates, the complex world of visa applications, shifts in fan engagement, performance sustainability, what the future of touring holds, and much more.

Speakers:

Eleanor McGuinness 
Agent/partner, Playbook Artists

Eleanor first immersed herself in the Dublin music scene in 2002, promoting acoustic nights & booking national tours for Irish artists.

Soon thereafter advancing to promoter & booker for POD Concerts which included bookings for Electric Picnic among other festivals, and alongside live bookings for a premier music venue in Dublin.

Finally joining Pitch & Smith Agency in 2011 helping to develop their roster and strategy across Europe before leaving and setting up PlayBook Artists Agency in 2021.

Her roster includes Andy Shauf, Arooj Aftab, Leith Ross, Son Lux and Beverly Glenn Copeland among others.

Gilad Carroll
Artist, Living Hour
Composer & Community Organizer
Founder, Real Love Winnipeg and First Date Touring

Gil Carroll is a Winnipeg born musician, booking agent, concert promoter, composer, and community organizer. Carroll is a founding member and guitarist of Winnipeg based bands Living Hour and Palm Trees and is the co-founder of Real Love Winnipeg, Real Love Summer Fest, and Slow Shine Records. Carroll is an owner and booking agent at the Winnipeg-based boutique booking agency, First Date Touring - he has booked tours for bands and solo artists all over Canada, USA, and the UK. He has toured extensively in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe with Living Hour. He was the editor of Manitoba’s only music magazine, Stylus Magazine, and is a volunteer DJ for the show Space Cadet and former staff member with CKUW 95.9 FM. Gil was the 2018 recipient of the Kevin Walter’s Legacy Award presented by Manitoba Music.

Merv xx Gotti
Artist, Merv xx Gotti, Samurai Champs, GHOSTFORM
Artistic Director, Trifecta Sound Co.

Merv xx Gotti is the Canadian, award-winning multi-genre artist behind solo singer-songwriter dream-pop project, "Guitar Songs”. He is also the singer of hip-hop/R&B duo, Samurai Champs, as well as indie-emo band, GHOSTFORM.

Additionally, he is the Founder and Artistic Director of Canadian DJ & artist collective, Trifecta Sound Co, as well as Archivist of Toronto’s ISO Radio.

Tao-Ming Lau
Founder of Blue Crane Agency
Agent with Paquin Artists Agency

Tao-Ming Lau is the founder of Blue Crane Agency (@bluecraneagency) and an Agent with Paquin Artists Agency. Blue Crane is a music booking platform centred on elevating women, artists of colour, and LGBTQ2S+ musicians on stage in North America and abroad. Tao’s roster currently includes Mustafa, Tanya Taqaq, Tegan and Sara, Ash, Wild Rivers, Priyanka, Begonia, Kiesza, Tia Wood, Billianne, Logan Staats, Ikky, and more. She founded Blue Crane with artists like Zaki Ibrahim, Shay Lia, Clerel, DJ NDN (Co-Founder of A Tribe Called Red), Vivek Shraya, BAMBII, and more. The agency has programmed festivals such as Pride Toronto and curated events for Nuit Blanche, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and more. Tao is a board director at Polaris Music Prize and Canadian Live Music Association and was chosen as a Rising Star in Toronto Life Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2018.  Previously, she was at Chicago-based touring agency Billions, Universal Music Canada, and originally from Vancouver, on the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Tao is a queer woman of colour seeking to open more doors and establish better infrastructure for underrepresented talent.

 MMF Canada Online | REAL TALK SERIES: Exploring Revenue Avenues in Music

Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Online on the REMO platform
Panel: 1PM to 2PM ET
Networking: Between 2PM and 3PM ET

Free for Members
$30 for Non-Members

Join us for an engaging panel and networking mixer to discuss embracing different avenues of revenue in order to sustain ourselves as music industry professionals and artists. Learn from our panelists who have carved out ways to expand their skill sets and network through their numerous roles. We will hear their insights on the realities, challenges, and enjoyment of wearing so many hats in this day and age.

SPEAKERS:

MMF Canada Online: Transcending Boundaries - Exploring the Experiences of Trans Artists and Industry in Music

WEDNESDAY APRIL 3, 2024 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm ET

(via Zoom)

Join us for this panel discussion sharing and exploring the experiences of trans artists and industry in the music industry.

TICKETS:
Registration is free.
MMF Canada welcomes the attendance of non-members.

SPEAKERS:

Saskhia Menendez (she/her) - Equality and Diversity Researcher & Activist
Saskhia Menendez's story is one of breaking barriers, fostering inclusion, and championing diversity in the music industry. Celebrated for her innovative contributions as an Innovator at Keychange and a Previous Board Member at The F List Music. With over a decade of experience, Saskhia is a LiVE Diversity Expert Panel Member, passionately advocating for improved representation, equity, and inclusion.

As a multi-racial trans woman who transitioned 14 years ago, Saskhia brings a unique perspective to her advocacy efforts, tirelessly working to reshape the music industry landscape. In addition to her impactful work, Saskhia is a devoted parent of two children and is currently in the process of creating brand-new tracks set for release in 2024. Her commitment to academic excellence is evident as she prepares to undertake a PhD in gender equality in music, with a primary focus on trans and non-binary inclusion. She recently completed her MA in Music Marketing in 2021, building upon a musical education that began at the age of 8. She is also the host for the awesome podcast, Music Industry Insights Worldwide, voting member for the Brit Awards and Roll of honour inductee Women in Music, Agent of Change 2024 nominee and Inspirational global diversity role model 2023.

T. Thomason (he/him) - Artist
T. Thomason has captured audiences with high energy, emotional indie pop performances in Canada & beyond since his teenage years. A passionate advocate for queer/trans rights, T. aims to create life affirming, joyful experiences for his community (& everyone else) through music. He approaches songwriting as a commitment to “Say tough things tenderly,” a practice revealing an impressive depth of wisdom, clarity & courage in the young artist. Collaborating with Sarah McLachlan, opening for Carly Rae Jepsen, & touring with Collective Soul are only some highlights of T.’s exciting career to date. Recently signed with Six Shooter Records, 2024 promises to usher in T.’s best work yet.

Satch Satchell (he/him) - Songwriter
Small town born and fled, Joshua ‘SATCH’ Satchell migrated to Brighton to pursue his songwriting career, eventually forming and fronting the band ‘‘Frankie Furlow’, with long time collaborator Will Nash. The project enjoyed early success and performed at major festivals such as Glastonbury, The Great Escape and Reeperbahn and at venues across the UK and Europe, but something was missing.

After coming out as Trans, his voice breaking and the lowering of the keys of many songs, it was time to write some new ones.

With lyrical candor, genre-queer pop arrangements, and a band of talented friends alongside him, SATCH began sharing his story at Pride festivals all over the country, including headlining the first ever trans led stage at Pride in London.

Simultaneously, the devout songsmith was inspired to help others to tell their stories, and started co-writing with artists and producers around the globe, while also interviewing various trans voices on his esteemed podcast ‘Satch and Leo’s Transmission’.

His ground-breaking, autobiographical debut album “Present In The Post'' was released in October 2023. Launched to a packed out Phoenix arts club in London, one music journalist remarked ‘Satch is one of the most impressive new songwriters of this year. He speaks from the heart and stands out from the crowd’.

Sonically connecting with the marginalized, SATCH isn’t a project aiming to change the music industry. SATCH is a project aiming to change the world.

Laura Nagtegaal (she/her) - Tour, Stage & Merch Manager, Guitar & Keys Technician
Laura Nagtegaal is a self-employed tour & stage manager, guitar & keys technician, and merchandise manager with 25+ years experience across the globe. From intimate single digit audiences to headlining in front of 100k+ audiences, Nagtegaal specialises in providing the much-needed safety net for the artist.

SESSION ACCESS

The event will take place online via Zoom. The access link will be emailed to you after registration.