AFEM (Association for Electronic Music) is the trade body for the entire ecosystem of Electronic Music, from Labels to Live, Managers to Media, Technology to Talent. They connect their worldwide membership to develop business opportunities and drive change in the industry where needed.
JOHN COSENZA graduated from Oneonta State University with a degree in Music Industry. John has always been in bands and loved audio recording & production, but felt it was important to learn the business. His first job after school was at the Harry Fox Agency, and then moved on to Warner Music on the label side where he then moved over to publishing at EMI/Sony/ATV as an Income Tracker. Prior to joining Songtrust, John ran Royalties & Income Tracking at SONGS Music Publishing.
JAMIE FRANZESE'S aspirations to become a rock-star died ten years ago; he then realized the next best thing to do was to help musicians get paid for their craft; accurately & efficiently. He's been with Downtown since 2012 doing just that and looks forward to continuing to provide unparalleled services to our clients.
ANNA MICELI born in New York, but raised on the road, spent most of her early years on tour with her family, thus sparking her affection for music. She attended the College of Saint Rose and studied Music Industry, where she cofounded Rose Record Label and SMAN Music Publishing. As a fellow songwriter, Anna is proud to have been one of the first few royalty members for Songtrust. She currently helps manage the ever-growing royalty department.
SAMANTHA SHANK recently graduated with her MBA in Music Business where she developed a deep interest in music publishing and the massive business surrounding the song. After learning about Songtrust’s aim to make the complex music publishing accessible to all writers, she knew she wanted to work there. Today, Samantha works hard every day as part of the Royalties team to make sure Songtrust is collecting every last penny out there for their writers.
NIKKI BROWN studied Undergrad at Syracuse University, where she majored in I.T and minored in Music Industry. She wanted a career at a place that bridged the gap between tech and the music industry, which is what brought her to working in Royalties at Songtrust.
STEVE GUIGLIANO graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz with a degree in Digital Media Production and has written and performed music most of his life as a guitarist. His love for music compelled him to find a career within the music industry and now is a member of the Royalties team at Songtrust as a Coordinator.
MACKINGOSH ZUMARRAGA found his love for music through playing the piano and singing since the age of four. This passion prevailed throughout his school years and after graduating from Pace University with a degree in Arts and Entertainment Management, he decided to pursue a career in music publishing. With his experience in royalties, he aspires to help music creators develop not just artistically, but also financially, to provide them a better opportunity to impact the world.
NEXGEN MUSIC is a worldwide independent record label group recognized for its pioneering sound representing underground and cross-mainstream music. Converging from countries across the globe, NexGen artists, composers and musicians showcase their talent of creating music that "pushes the envelope."
Through their various imprints the label showcases a wide range of musical genres and styles such as: Downtempo, Chill-Out, Nu/Future-Jazz, Drum & Bass, Bass Music, Dubstep, UK Garage, House, Electronica (EDM), Trap, Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop, Soul, Funk, Leftfield, Experimental, Dance, Pop and more.
NEXGEN MUSIC is an artist-centric brand devoted to creating a forward-looking, inclusive and multifaceted musical community. They foster a philosophy of artistic growth, collaboration and experimentation, uniting promising new talent with established music production artists.
CJ OLIVIERI manages the Client Acquisition Team throughout New York, Atlanta and Nashville. His team focuses on identifying rights owners in need of global publishing administrative services and transitioning them onto the Songtrust platform. CJ is also tasked with providing tools and education to prospects to help them better understand the music publishing landscape and learn how to further take control over their own publishing.
NOELLE GAMBUTI graduated from Pace University with a degree in Arts and Entertainment Management and fell in love with music during her many years of dance training. She always knew she wanted to have a career in the music industry and now focuses on educating Songtrust clients on music publishing and why it is so important to maintain the rights to their music.
ELIZABETH MCBRIDE is a Publishing Specialist at Songtrust. With a degree in Music Industry Studies from Loyola University Orleans, the publishing world has become her centrifuge for understanding how songs get from creation to transaction data. After witnessing widespread inequality for songwriters, Elizabeth now shares Songtrust’s mission to create better harmony for performing rights and royalty models, and improve publishing literacy as a whole.
LORENZO COOK is the northeast representative for the Client Acquisition team at Songtrust in New York. As a musician with a background in A&R and a degree from the Bandier Program at Syracuse University, Lorenzo was one of the first employees to test out Songtrust’s outreach program, directly dealing with artists and managers on a daily basis.
CARLI GONDERINGER represents the CAT team in Nashville, TN. After spending a semester in college interning with DMP Nashville, Carli joined Songtrust in September of this year. She grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but has called Nashville home for the past four years. Studying music business and interning with a variety of companies has provided a deep insight into the independent, genre-bending music scene in need of publishing.
BRE HARPER, from Memphis, TN, is a young music professional making strides in the Atlanta music scene. After receiving her bachelors in Music Business, Bre joined the Songtrust Client Acquisition team in September. She prides herself on being an advocate for independent artists and helping them navigate through the industry.
MARSHEAUX IS A Greek electro pop duo, a name derived by the first syllables of the two girls' names that comprise it: Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. Originally from Thessaloniki, the girls moved to Athens and formed Marsheaux to express creatively their appreciation of electronic pop music. Brought up to the sound of synthesizer, they lived on a healthy diet of Depeche Mode, Human League, OMD, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, New Order and Sparks.
In July 2016 Marsheaux released their 5th studio album titled “Ath.Lon” on Vinyl, CD,
limited aluminum CD box and digital format. Having previously released four albums that have earned them rave reviews in publications such as Classic Pop, Electronic Sound and Future Music, the brand new ‘Ath.Lon’ represents a quantum leap forward for Marsheaux.
Fans are urged to look out for the limited edition version of the album, titled
‘The.Ath.Lon’ with ‘The’ standing for Thessaloniki, their beloved birth place in
the north of Greece. This format will include surprise guest artists and each track will
feature contributions from a different producer – it will be Marsheaux's very own sound
boutique.
AROWAGENCY IS AN Australian-based music company specializing in artist management, digital and social media marketing, publicity and event management.
With combined experience across marketing, digital and social media, publicity, radio, A&R, artist development, label management and publishing, co-founders Elizabeth Browne and Tamara Georgopoulos work to create engaging campaigns to connect artists and organizations with their audiences.
They bring creativity, passion and a dedicated focus to everything we do. They stand for diversity and aim to create a supportive and inclusive community within the music industry.
FOUNDED IN 2004, HeadCount is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to voter registration and voter engagement. Working with a small core staff and a national network of volunteers, they hold voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives at music festivals, concerts, and cultural events nationwide.
Their work focuses on advancing participation in the democratic process by going directly to new and young voters to educate them on upcoming deadlines and elections, as well as registering them if they are not currently on the voter rolls in their states. HeadCount has registered more than 500,000 individuals to vote through their work at live music events and cultural gatherings. Additionally, HeadCount is partnered with March For Our Lives, having served as the lead voter registration organizer for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students’ nationwide bus tour. This summer, HeadCount also organized voter registration efforts on summer concert tours including Jay-Z and Beyonce; Macklemore and Kesha; Dave Matthews Band; the Vans Warped Tour; and many other musical artists.
They are now focused on get-out-the-vote initiatives, as many states have already begun their early voting periods for the 2018 midterm elections.
Click the image above for the full timeline
Update: The Music Modernization Act has been signed into law on October 11th.
You’ve definitely heard about it in the news as it’s been making waves in the music community for the past year—the Music Modernization Act, or MMA. On the surface it’s legislation, written and introduced by Representatives Doug Collins (R-GA) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), that would change the rates and the way mechanical royalties are paid out to copyright owners, and overhaul how the statutory boards and courts regulate collective licensing in the United States. Looking under the surface, this proposed legislation is much more complicated and nuanced, ultimately positively affecting the lives of rights holders, streaming companies, and the music industry for the future.
ZOO LABS teaches business to artists, empowers them as entrepreneurs and directs resources towards their ventures. The process starts in their onsite intensive Zoo Labs Music Residency Program and expands to two years of artistic and entrepreneurial development. Since 2013, Zoo Labs has operated as an Oakland, CA based non-profit, and supported over 200 artists. Their goal is to empower artists to build and strive in their creative careers. We sat down with Brad Dollar, mentor and developer, to learn more about Zoo Labs creation and collective vision on why artist development is so important for aspiring songwriters.
