Music Tectonics Is Returning To LA

RPS is announcing the first wave of speakers for this year's Music Tectonics conference and has officially opened up ticket sales. A spokesperson told us, "Music Tectonics is officially headed back to our chosen home of Santa Monica and this year we've moved into the first week of November, with the conference now taking place Nov. 4–6." Here's the official press release...

Growing Music Tectonics Conference Announces Industry-Leading Speakers
Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale for the November 4-6, 2025 Event--Famed Beachside Santa Monica Venues Unscathed by Fires

Music Tectonics is no stranger to Southern California wildfires, since the Getty Fire in 2019 drove a last minute venue change. The conference organizers aren't backing down--they're committed to LA's unique intersection of tech and music as the community recovers, thrives, and grows. The locations Music Tectonics attendees have come to love--the Santa Monica Carousel, the Annenberg Community Beach House, and the rooftop Expert Dojo--remain untouched by the fires that devastated the region. As this 7th edition returns to the conference's chosen home in Los Angeles, expect it to tackle seismic conversations like fair use versus ethical use, leaving no music money on the table, and the future of fandom.

Now the November 4-6 thousand-person gathering in sunny Santa Monica, California launches three days of conversation, networking, and getting business done with the announcement of some of the top voices in music innovation.

MIDiA Research Music Strategy VP Tatiana Cirisano will keynote this year's conference. This groundbreaking industry analyst sets the tone for the conference's focus on the shifts in music and adjacent industries that are poised to have tectonic impacts in the near future.

Tatiana will be joined by Music Tectonics speakers who bring expertise from investment, the intersection of music and games, and the recorded music industry:

• Kristen Bender, Universal Music Group
• Alicia Yaffe, Warner Music Group
• Maria Egan, Riot Games
• Aadit Parikh, Sony Ventures
• Darryl Ballantyne, LyricFind
• Steven Pardo, Secretly Canadian
• Joshua Stone, Stuff.io
• Scott Yusuke Sugino, Yamaha Music Innovations
• Tetris Kelly, Billboard
• Lindsay Meisels, BMG
• Rian Rochford, Loma Vista Recordings
• Bruce Hamilton, Everybody Ventures
• Sun Jen Yung, Nfluence Partners
• Paul McCabe, Roland
• Ethan Millman, The Hollywood Reporter
• Dmitri Vietze, Rock Paper Scissors
• More to be announced before embargo lifts on 5/6/2025

 

"The formulas of yesterday are broken, and we don't think conference center dungeons are the right place to re-invent the industry," explains conference director Dmitri Vietze. "My goal is to get the right people to the right beach, give them some space and sunshine, and let the future unfold. This year's Music Tectonics is the one people will reminisce about two decades from now." The seventh annual conference returns to creative beachside venues that encourage openness to new connections and ideas, and schedules in networking breaks and parties to make that space.

Music Tectonics is unlike any other conference in music and tech. Top industry movers and shakers mingle with rising innovators and thought leaders. High-energy sessions explore nuances of the latest trends as well as innovations in the nuts and bolts of the music business. Music tech leaders LyricFind and Stuff.io have already signed on as event partners to support more outstanding experiences at the 2025 conference.

"I spend all year looking for speakers who are established thought leaders, alongside up and coming thinkers who are about to shake things up," remarks Music Tectonics head of events Shayli Ankenbruck. "In my experience, that strategy helps fresh ideas bloom." That list is just a sample of the 60+ more speakers from leading companies who will join the roster before the conference kicks off in November.

Attendees can expect a new spin on the Creator Fair introduced last year, which moves to the Santa Monica Carousel to feature even more innovative musical instruments, influencers, and artists. The 2024 Creator Fair was built to recognize the emerging creator economy boom by convening the recorded music industry and tech innovators who have been Music Tectonics' main audience with music makers, content creators, and gear and instrument companies. "Attendees told us that they had a hard time choosing between overlapping panels and creator talks and we heard them," Ankenbruck elaborates. "This year we are giving the Creator Fair more space on the schedule so everyone can experience it." Expect more details on 2025 Creator Fair keynotes with leading influencers in the music creator space and demos of cutting-edge instruments and gear.

Music Tectonics now has a limited number of tickets on sale at a special Super Early Bird rate of $299, until they sell out. The Early Bird rate of $349 goes into effect until August 19. Stay tuned for details on the return of the friendliest pitch competition in music tech, Swimming with Narwhals.

Music Tectonics 2025 Conference Schedule

• Tuesday, November 4: Santa Monica Pier: Carousel Creator Fair, Keynote, Demos, Opening Party
• Wednesday, November 5: Annenberg Beach House: Keynote, High-Energy Panels, Exhibitors around the Pool, Creative Activations, and Startup Pitch Competition Final Round, Pool Party
• Thursday, November 6: Expert DOJO: Startup day: Investor & Startup Bootcamp

More information:

• Music Tectonics

• Rising Tide, Many Boats 01-Oct-26
• Swimming With Narwhals Finalists Announced 20-Sep-24
• Music Tectonics Conference News 29-Aug-24
• Music Tech Startup Pitch Competition 12-Jul-22