Steven Tyler, Lionel Richie, Ne-Yo and Diplo Among Panelists at 8th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO

NEW YORK, NY and LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 27, 2013) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced the initial lineup of panelists and programming for the 8th annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO, taking place April 18th-20th, 2013 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel (formerly known as the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel) in Los Angeles, CA. 

In addition to signature keynote interviews, master classes, hitmaker panels and top-notch performances, ASCAP will once again bring together a diverse group of music creators and industry professionals to participate in a broad range of panels designed to support music creators at every stage of their career. The EXPO will also provide attendees with several opportunities to get their music heard -- and receive honest feedback and advice -- through a variety of panels and showcases.

Panelists and programming highlights will include:

• A Keynote Conversation between two massively successful Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters and producers, Lionel Richie and Ne-Yo.
• A Keynote Interview with iconic Aerosmith rock star and songwriter Steven Tyler, who will be interviewed by entertainment news journalist Roger Friedman.
• A series of writer, composer and producer-focused Master Sessions with some of the most successful names in music, including Grammy-winning producer and DJ Diplo; producer and EVP of A&R at Def Jam Records No I.D.; songwriter, producer and talent coach Savan Kotecha; prolific television composer James S. Levine; concert and film composer Nico Muhly; a conversation between electronic DJs Ken Jordan (of The Crystal Method) and RJD2; and prolific producer Steve Lillywhite, among others.
• Two interactive Master Sessions with attendee involvement: songwriter, producer and arranger Darrell Brown will give feedback on attendees' music; songwriter and artist Priscilla Renea will lead a live songwriting workshop.
• Two intimate "in the round" performances from a variety of incredibly talented songwriters and artists.
• A Copyright and Legislative Issues panel featuring ASCAP's President and Chairman Paul Williams and Congresswoman Judy Chu of the 32nd Congressional District of California.
• A broad range of panels covering important topics related to a successful career in music, including craft, engineering and recording, legal issues, marketing, publishing and more. Many successful songwriters, producers and influentials will be on hand to provide insight and advice, such as Akon, Antonina Armato, Aloe Blacc, Michael Brook, Don Cannon, Brandy Clark, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's Jonathan Cohen, Mike Daly, LaShawn Daniels, Randy Goodrum, Brett James, Nathan Johnson, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Ledisi, Bleu McAuley, Dano "ROBOPOP" Omelio, Robert Ellis Orrall, Matt Pincus, Monte Pittman, Rock City and a total of over 150 others, including top music industry executives.
• Creative panels, including Hit Producers, Urban Hitmakers, Anatomy of a Film, Songwriter/Artists Moving into Film and TV, a Live Songwriting Session, Women in Music, Ralph Murphy's Law of Songwriting, four special Attendee Feedback Panels (country, film/TV, pop/rock, R&B/hip-hop) and "We Create Music," a signature EXPO panel with notable ASCAP members.
• Business panels, including Music Placement, A New Era of Record Companies and Services, Building Your Team, International Digital Rights Licensing, Online Marketing and Revenue Streams (Presented by CD Baby), Fan Funding (Presented by Berkleemusic.com), Independent Publishers, Production Music Libraries, Opportunities in the Asian Pop Marketplace, Legal Q&A, Music Business 101 and a conversation between Warner/Chappell's CEO Cameron Strang and ASCAP's EVP of Membership Randy Grimmett.

Additional panelists and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO is the premier conference for songwriters, composers and producers. The three-day event covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, One-on-One sessions, song critiquing, networking events, round-table workshops, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances and more. All music creators, producers, publishers and executives -- not just ASCAP members -- will benefit from this unique creative event, which is designed around personal interaction, education and networking. For more information and to register, please visit www.ascap.com/expo.

Members of the press may apply for credentials at www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/expo.

About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business -- from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 450,000 members representing more than 8.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com