ASCAP Experience 2020 Is Set To Inspire With First Wave Of Award-Winning, Chart-Topping Panelists 

Paul Williams, Jason Mraz, Brett James, Dan Wilson, Priscilla Renea, Poo Bear, Amy Allen, Desmond Child and More to Appear at 15th Annual Conference 

April 1-3 in Los Angeles

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2020 -- The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announces the first wave of music creators lighting up the stage at the 2020 ASCAP Experience (formerly ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO), April 1 - 3 in Los Angeles. ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams leads a lineup of more than 40 different panels stacked with top industry talent (89% of which are working songwriters and composers). 

“I am so excited to introduce our 15th annual music creators conference as we debut our very first ASCAP Experience,” said Williams. “It is my favorite time of the year and I personally can’t wait to be there with our attendees, who can look forward to an unforgettable three days of information and inspiration from some of the best in the industry.” 

Grammy-winning artist, songwriter and producer Dan Wilson (“Closing Time,” Semisonic; “Someone Like You,” Adele) is teaming up with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz (“I’m Yours,” “I Won’t Give Up”), producer-songwriter Stefan Johnson (“Memories,” Maroon 5; “The Middle,” Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey) and singer-songwriter Steph Jones (“People You Know,” Selena Gomez, “Nightfall,” Little Big Town) to bring his popular “Words & Music in Six Seconds” Instagram series to life for Experience attendees. The chart-topping writers will expand on Wilson’s format to provide unique insights on songwriting, life, the creative process, working relationships and more.

In partnership with She Is The Music, “Sonic Architects: Hit Producers & Engineers Defining the Sounds of Tomorrow” spotlights an all-star female lineup: Colombian producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and DJ Ali Stone, Grammy-winning engineer Ann Mincieli and songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Wendy Wang. Also set to inspire, “Horror Scorers” gives attendees the opportunity to hear from some of today’s most inventive, spine-chilling composers including Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place; Scream) and Joe Bishara (The Conjuring; Insidious). 

Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Desmond Child (“Livin’ on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi; “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” Aerosmith) will host an intimate, submission-based master class with a set of handpicked aspiring Experience songwriters. The winners will work one-on-one with the Songwriters Hall of Fame member and his elite team of genre-spanning hitmakers Claudia Brant ("A Partir de Hoy," David Bisbal; "Quédate con Ella," Natalia Jiménez), Sam Hollander (“High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco; “Handclap,” Fitz and the Tantrums) and Brett James (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Carrie Underwood; “Summer Nights,” Rascal Flatts).

Other panelists added to the 2020 lineup include: 

• Amy Allen (“Without Me,” Halsey; “Back to You,” Selena Gomez)
• DJ Aryay (“Tied Up,” Major Lazer, “Barely Breathing,” Dillon Francis)
• Poo Bear (“Yummy,” Justin Bieber; “10,000 Hours,” Justin Bieber & Dan + Shay)
• Anthony Brown (“Trust in You,” “I Got That,” Anthony Brown & group therAPy)
• Darrell Brown (“You’ll Think of Me,” Keith Urban; “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner)
• Bryan Calhoun (Creator, Music Business Toolbox and Head of Digital Strategy, Blueprint/Maverick)
• Jekalyn Carr (“You Will Win,” “I See Miracles”)
• Hisham Dahud (Founder of ArtistProm Artist Rizik)
• Sue Drew (General Manager, Creative & Acquisitions, Kobalt Music)
• Hillel Frankel (Partner, Mandell Menkes LLC)
• Emile Ghantous ("I'm Blessed," Charlie Wilson ft. T.I., "Hope We Meet Again," Pitbull ft. Chris Brown)
• Garret Nash (Gnash) (“i hate u i love u,” “Lights Down Low”)
• Ari Herstand (singer-songwriter and author, How to Make It in the New Music Business)
• IN-Q (“Love You Like a Love Song,” Selena Gomez; “Good Life,” ZHU)
• Daymond John (“Shark” on Shark Tank, entrepreneur and motivational speaker)
• Blu June (“LoveHappy,” The Carters; "You Stay," DJ Khaled))
• Mickey Karbal (“Barely Breathing,” Dillon Francis; “Hold Me Down,” Anjulie)
• Michelle Lewis (composer for Doc McStuffins and DC Superhero Girls)
• Priscilla Renea (“Timber,” Pitbull; “California King Bed,” Rihanna)
• Suzy Shinn (“Say Amen (Saturday Night),” Panic! at the Disco; “The Last of the Real Ones,” Fall Out Boy)
• Daphne Willis (“Do it Like This;” “Slow Burn” from Empire)
• Malik Yusef (“Sandcastles,” Beyoncé; “All Day,” Kanye West)

Designed to be the biggest music networking event of the year for music makers at any stage of their careers, the 2020 ASCAP Experience takes place April 1-3 in vibrant downtown Los Angeles at the InterContinental Hotel. It promises songwriters, composers, artists and producers an unforgettable and authentic musical immersion — real knowledge, tools, connections and a community of support and guidance that can’t be found anywhere else. A unique look at what it means to be a professional music creator today, the innovative conference offers three days of panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, performances and one-on-one sessions with the industry’s top hitmakers. Now in its 15th year, the event has evolved into a platform for industry leaders to give back to the next generation of music creators. Additional speakers will continue to be announced in the coming months.

To help attendees maximize their time at the Experience and start networking in advance, ASCAP has launched the 2020 ASCAP Experience app to act as a personalized conference guide. Attendees can download the app and get tickets and more information about the 15th annual ASCAP Experience at: https://www.ascapexperience.com.

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 more than 740,000 members representing more than 11.5 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. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.