Set for Wednesday, March 15th: 11:30am CT - 12:30pm CT, Austin Convention Center, Room 17AB

Description: 

Songwriters work across crafts, styles and genres, arguably, more than any other creative group in the music industry. To succeed, songwriters need to understand the business they're in and develop a brand - just as an artist would - that cultivates incoming work that both pays and fulfills them.

Hosted by Seeker Music CEO Evan Bogart, this panel will discuss why volume of credits isn't always the best way to navigate becoming a big songwriter, or music creator, and how to empower yourself (both on your own and with publishers/managers/partners) to say no to work that won't ultimately serve your development. 

Moderator:

Evan Bogart is a hit songwriter (Beyonce's "Halo," Rihanna's "SOS," MKTO's "Classic," etc.) and music industry executive who founded Seeker Music, an independent publishing company, at the start of 2020. He is Chair of the Songwriters & Composers Wing of the Recording Academy (as well as a National Trustee), and helped write the proposal to create the GRAMMY’s Songwriter of the Year Award. His career spans A&R (he discovered Eminem at 19), publishing (he signed GRAMMY-Award winning Ricky Reed - Lizzo, Camilla Cabello, Leon Bridges, Jason Derulo), and even TV/film production, including Bravo’s songwriting competition show Platinum Hit.

Evan Bogart (Credit: Caity Krone)

Panelists:

• Bonnie McKee - Hit singer and songwriter who rose to fame after releasing her debut album as a performer in 2004. She has since pivoted to writing, penning 10 #1 singles which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide ("California Gurls" "Teenage Dream," "Last Friday Night," and "Roar" by Katy Perry, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, and "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears).

• Larry Wade - Co-Founder and owner of Decible Entertainment/Nice Life Recording Company. Wade co-founded Nice Life Recording Company in 2014 with his management client, producer Ricky Reed, and they have since released music by The Marias, Junior Mesa, St. Panther, and more. Decible Entertainment launched in 2012, and its founding clients included 8x GRAMMY-winner and Bruno Mars collaborator Philip Lawrence, the songwriting collective The Writing Camp, Boardwalk Music Group, and Harmony Samuels.

• MNDR (Amanda Lucille) Warner - Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, MNDR started her career in 2009 as a songwriter-for-hire before releasing an album under her own name - her 2010 debut EP, ‘E.P.E.’ As a performer, she’s featured on tracks by the likes of Mark Ronson ("Bang Bang Bang," which she also co-wrote), Killer Mike, Flume, Tokimonsta, and Brooke Candy, and additional songwriting credits include work with Charli XCX (“Vroom Vroom”), Carly Rae Jepsen, Santigold, Kylie Minogue, and more.

About Seeker Music

Seeker Music is a modern day music company bringing a creator-led business model and perspective to the worlds of publishing, records and management. Founded in 2020 in Los Angeles by chart-topping songwriter Evan “Kidd” Bogart (“Halo”), Seeker follows a creative-first focus in everything it does, focusing on catalogs and music creators that most inspire Bogart and his creative team.

After only two years in business, Seeker has already amassed a catalog of over 13,000 highly curated copyrights and master recordings, including Christopher Cross’ full catalog, Run the Jewels’ first three albums, and classic copyrights performed by the likes of Drake, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and Rihanna.

Alongside Bogart, the company is led by an executive team consisting of CFO Jennifer Scher, COO Rob Guthrie, and Head of Creative Steven Melrose, and works with a Board chaired by John Smith and representing key investors M&G.