Four music tech movers and shakers have been selected as finalists to pitch at the Music Tectonics Conference in Santa Monica, CA, October 22-24, 2024. 

Every year, early-stage startups apply to Music Tectonics’ Swimming With Narwhals Pitch Competition for a chance to present their business breakthroughs to a panel of music tech investors. Now in its sixth year, the conference received a record number of applications from companies using innovative tech solutions to do everything from making rehearsal and studio booking easier, to automating music marketing, to supercharging online collaboration.

These companies join the lively community of music innovators that is Music Tectonics, which unites investors, labels, advisors, distributors, tech-savvy artists, and other music pros. Like the conference community itself, Swimming with Narwhals is high-powered but approachable, inspired by the friendly but mighty unicorn of the sea. Rather than pitting founders against each other and antagonistic judges, the Music Tectonics competition is designed to be welcoming and mutually supportive—focused on spotlighting real-world solutions and creating a rising music tech tide that lifts all boats. 

To select this year’s finalists, judges have focused on key measures like product-market fit and originality, looking for startups solving vital problems in music based on presentations given at the Music Tectonics Virtual Pre-Conference. For the last big splash of the competition, startups will pitch the conference crowd, as well as a fresh panel of judges including investors Andrew Kahn (Crush Ventures) and Rishi Patel (Plus Eight Equity Partners). 

Meet the 2024 Narwhal Finalists

• DAWn Audio: While other DAWs force creators to follow their lead and sacrifice their workflow, DAWn offers live, multiplayer collaboration that meets creators where they are and opens up a new world of online musical co-creation.

• Soloist makes practicing, especially practicing alone, a whole lot more fun and accessible to any instrument or style.

• Soundspace has developed a proprietary method of space sharing that’s focused on audio creators and uses Reusable Credits to take studio booking to the next level.

• un:hurd music is a music marketing tool that empowers artists and record labels to make more effective marketing decisions via tailored recommendations and platform agnostic, data-driven campaigns. 

The four finalists will demo their products at a “Startup Carousel” at the Santa Monica Pier Carousel on October 22 and will present final pitches in person on October 23. Finalists have two opportunities to take home a win, by audience vote and by jury choice. The winners will receive a feature in a press release about the competition, founder interviews on the Music Tectonics Podcast after the event, and a free badge for the 2025 conference. Participating startups will also have an opportunity to hear presentations and network with Joe Tou of Sony Ventures, Amy LaMeyer of The WXR Fund, Bruce Hamilton of Everybody Ventures, Bob Moczydlowsky formerly of Techstars Music, Tracy Maddux of Artes Management, and more. 

“We are always deeply impressed by the pool of startups who apply to Swimming with Narwhals. There is so much energy and passion in music tech right now, in all parts of the tech ecosystem that involve music, and our finalists reflect that,” explains Shayli Ankenbruck, Head of Events at Music Tectonics. “Any of the finalists would make amazing narwhals and we can’t wait to see who swims to the top in Santa Monica this October.”

About the Swimming With Narwhals Competition
Spotlighting creative startups through this competition is one of the ways the Music Tectonics Conference focuses on music innovation—wherever it’s shaking up the industry. Music Tectonics’ competition keeps the focus on real-world innovators who are poised to make waves in the music industry. Read more about the competition at the Music Tectonics website.

About Music Tectonics
Music Tectonics was founded to explore the deep seismic shifts that keep the music industry unsettled. Music Tectonics unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done. A variety of experiences in unexpected venues offer attendees many opportunities for making meaningful connections, scheduling meetings, and serendipitous encounters.

Music Tectonics’ annual pre-conference event is coming September 11, 2024 (10 AM-12:30 PM PT/ 1-3:30 PM ET/ 6-8:30 PM UK) and will feature a keynote by MIDiA’s Tatiana Cirisano to set the tone for 2024’s in-person conference (October 22-24, 2024), as well as the first pitches from the Swimming with Narwhals semi-finalist startups.

The pre-conference is open to all conference ticket holders. Get your ticket now at the Music Tectonics website, or enter a free ticket giveaway by September 2. Only two people will win, but everyone who enters will get a discount!

Music Tectonics’ flagship event brings the music and tech industries together by the beach every year, but the conference also sees the value in virtual meetups that let anyone anywhere get involved. “During the pandemic, we discovered the incredible benefits of online events, and we love the serendipity and deep connections we see happening in-person,” reflects Music Tectonics founder Dmitri Vietze. “Virtual events let us unite the entire music tech community across the globe. We’re committed to gathering both online and offline, and letting each style of event serve different aspects of our community.”

To jumpstart this year’s community conversation, MIDiA Research analyst Tatiana Cirisano will present a big picture keynote on the future of music, exploring an emerging bifurcation of the music industry she and MIDiA founder Mark Mulligan foresee on the horizon, in which the traditional, streaming-focused music business splits off from the emerging fandom and creator-centered sector.

Cirisano’s pre-conference presentation will cue up an electrifying keynote in October. Mark Mulligan returns in-person to Music Tectonics for the first time since 2019 to take on Bifurcation: the presidential debate. Streaming and social go head to head as Tatiana and Mark will present the case for each side and explain how, regardless of which side you may be backing, the music industry is bifurcating and today’s music business will become two.

Along with this big-picture view, pre-conference attendees will get to meet ten startups who promise to change the music business. These startups will throw their first pitches in Swimming with Narwhals, and this juried semi-final round will determine who will demo in person at the Music Tectonics Conference. Semi-final jurists are Sun Jen Yung, (Nfluence Partners), Deek Velagandula (Waverley Capital), and Kristin Grant (Investor).

Semi-finalist Startups:

CreateBase
DAWn Audio
HITMKR
Roadie by IndieFlow
Booking-Agent.io by Innovation Syndicate
Showcase
Soloist
Soundspace
Switchchord
un:hurd music

These semi-finalists were selected from a record-breaking pool of applicants. As a group, they represent innovation across all aspects of artists’ careers—from creative collaboration, to management, to marketing and ecommerce, to booking shows and managing rights and royalties, another sign of the rising influence and impact of independent and DIY musicmakers. 

As always, attendees can expect a lively chat full of networking and insights, a regular occurrence at Music Tectonics online events. If a conversation really gets rolling, attendees can move networking into the conference app, which will be launched in time for the preconference, yet another way farflung Music Tectonics attendees can find kindred spirits and make valuable connections.

“Music Tectonics is more than just a couple days of high-intensity networking and future-forward thinking,” explains Vietze. “It’s an ongoing community that keeps talking throughout the year thanks to our regular online events and our podcast. This September pre-conference should heat up the conversation and get everyone ready to rumble in October.”

About Music Tectonics
The Music Tectonics Conference unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done.The sixth annual conference returns to Santa Monica, CA, October 22-24, 2024, for three days devoted to the future of music and the seismic shifts that shake up music and technology the way the earth’s tectonic plates cause quakes and make mountains. Throughout the year, Music Tectonics builds community and tracks trends through their weekly podcast and monthly online events.

Hands-on demos, software showcases, and career inspiration abound at first-ever creator-focused event, a supplement to the industry-leading conference

Music Tectonics is uniting two sides of the music ecosystem with its new Creator Fair, an expansion on its unique annual industry and innovation event. The Fair will be held side-by-side with the Music Tectonics Conference at the Annenberg Beach House, the stunning ocean-side space in Santa Monica on October 23. 

The Creator Fair will mix demonstrations and performances with substantive conversations and presentations designed to help creators boost their craft and business. Events will include:

• Artist showcases of the coolest new instruments 
• Conversations with creators and influencers on elevating careers and brand partnerships
• Hands-on demos of innovative musical tools and toys
• Networking with pioneering influencers

The need to expand the perspective of the traditional music industry is clear, as music undergoes what Music Tectonics 2024 keynote speaker Mark Mulligan and his colleagues at MIDIA Research term a “bifurcation.” This split into two distinct but mutually beneficial layers presents a huge opportunity to both legacy players and newcomers eager to innovate. 

“The traditional commercial industry is being expanded by a new wave of creators who see music making in a whole new light,” explains Music Tectonics founder Dmitri Vietze. “Both sides are vibrant and growing, and both can benefit from closer connection and deeper inspiration. We want our event to reflect what’s happening and to empower everyone.”

The Creator Fair will bring new music and audio creators and influencers into the conversation, while offering valuable advice in an exciting, casual environment. For this debut event, Creator Fair is open to conference attendees.The full schedule and speakers will be announced later this summer. 

About Music Tectonics
The Music Tectonics Conference unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done.The sixth annual conference returns to Santa Monica, CA, October 22-24, 2024, for three days devoted to the future of music and the seismic shifts that shake up music and technology the way the earth’s tectonic plates cause quakes and make mountains. Throughout the year, Music Tectonics builds community and tracks trends through their weekly podcast and monthly online events.

Strong business insights, creative convergences, and classic beachside networking will unite an increasingly diverse, innovative music business on October 22-24, 2024 in Santa Monica.

With the first tickets dropping now, Music Tectonics returns this October for its sixth edition, adding fresh tracks to its popular greatest hits. The conference creates a relaxed but productive atmosphere that mixes informal networking, a startup pitch competition, and insightful panels that dive into data and vision, not platitudes. Events happen in locations designed to spark creativity and business connections, from a playful carousel on the pier to a beachside pool house with water views from every conference space.

“Our mission from the start has been to create an environment that really encourages business through community, that helps people find one another and discover commonalities that lead to friendship and partnerships,” notes Dmitri Vietze, founder of Music Tectonics and CEO of PR agency Rock Paper Scissors. “We’ve discovered that a pool party and a ride on a carousel, alongside serious industry conversations, do just that.” The conference has grown to embrace label execs, publishers, live music pros, tech founders in and outside of music, investors, creators, and researchers—anyone and everyone with a serious business perspective on music, fandom, tech, and media.

Music Tectonics kicks off ticket sales on April 23 with a limited number at the Super Early Bird rate of $199. They’ll be available until May 21 (unless they sell out first!), then the Early Bird rate of $249 goes into effect until August 20. 

Tickets can be purchased at musictectonics.com/conference.

Music Tectonics 2024 Conference Schedule

• Tuesday, October 22: Santa Monica Pier Carousel 
  • Startup Carousel Demo Day, Opening Party
• Wednesday, October 23: Annenberg Beach House 
  • High-Energy Panels, Exhibitors around the Pool, Creative Activations, and Startup Pitch Competition Finals
• Thursday, October 24: Expert DOJO and Universal Music Group offices
  • Keynote, Networking, UMG’s Ever-Popular Startup Bootcamp 

Music futurist and revered research analyst Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research will set the tone for this year’s edition, with a keynote that will challenge and inspire. This is the latest moment in a long-running conversation between the industry-leading minds at MIDiA and Music Tectonics. “Mark and his colleagues bring data and big ideas to every edition of the conference, shaping the forward-thinking vibe of Music Tectonics,” explains Shayli Ankenbruck, Head of Events at Music Tectonics. “We can’t wait to hear what Mark sees emerging as major industry trends this year, as the traditional music industry and the creator economy converge.”

The conference continues to expand its international reach, with companies like LyricFind and initiatives like Korea’s MU:CON already signed on for October’s event.

The sixth edition will also see the return of the Swimming with Narwhals startup competition, focused on finding promising early-stage music innovation companies and giving them the mic. The competition’s approach is friendly and community focused. “Sharks are mean, unicorns are myths,” Vietze says. “Narwhals are real and they swim among us.” Applications will open in July 2024 and finalists will be invited to give their pitches in person on the second day of the conference. 

Along with these favorites, Music Tectonics will be bringing a few new twists and surprises to the beach this year, elements that will set the gathering apart from other industry conferences. These offerings will unfold at the edge where the industry meets the creator economy, at a moment when media of all kinds are merging into a new generation of art and entertainment, with music at its heart. 

“We’ve got some plans that will really tear down the walls between the legacy business and all the wild, new ways music and audio are popping up,” Vietze hints. “It will be a real ear opening experience, as well as a new window on an entirely new music ecosystem we’re watching form right now.”

About Music Tectonics
The Music Tectonics Conference unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done.The sixth annual conference returns to Santa Monica, CA, October 22-24, 2024, for three days devoted to the future of music and the seismic shifts that shake up music and technology the way the earth’s tectonic plates cause quakes and make mountains. Throughout the year, Music Tectonics builds community and tracks trends through their weekly podcast and monthly online events.

AI, DIY, Gaming, Super Fandom, Investment, and the Creator Economy are Top of Mind for Fifth Annual Conference October 24-26 in Santa Monica, CA

As technological upheavals shake up how music is made and enjoyed, there’s one place where industry innovators gather to spot what’s on the horizon—and it’s by the beach in Santa Monica. Music Tectonics brings together thinkers, movers, shakers, and makers in music and tech for three days in October. In this roller-coaster year that’s seen record-setting music revenues, a bumpy ride in tech investment, and an AI boom causing a stir in every creative industry, an event like this is more vital than ever.

2023 conference sessions explore current and emerging trends in the music business with the help of speakers who are top innovators in their fields. Standouts include: 

• “Music Meets AI: Navigating a Positive Future” with streaming experts Angela Abbott of TIDAL and Con Raso of Tuned Global in conversation with Marina Guz of Endel, an AI music and wellness company that leads the way working with artists and major labels.

• “The Explosion of Musical Creativity in Gaming & Esports” with Maria Egan of Riot Games, David Knox of Reactional Music, and Aadit Parikh, an entertainment and new media investor at Sony Ventures.

• “Strength in Numbers: Growth of the Independent Artist and the Future of DIY,” a fireside chat by Andreea Gleeson of TuneCore with Kristin Robinson of Billboard.

• “The State of Creativity in Music Tech” with Dani DiCiaccio of Splice and Daniel Rowland of LANDR, moderated by Dani Deahl, BandLab.

See the full schedule of sessions at the Music Tectonics website here. 

Music Tectonics is designed to help attendees meet the future of music head-on. In 2019, the conference put on an AI Talent Show long before generative AI became headline news. In this year of AI, expect nuanced conversations and transformative experiences with AI music. “I named this event Music Tectonics because we explore the shifting trends that change the industry sometimes suddenly and sometimes incrementally, the way the earth’s tectonic plates cause quakes and make mountains,” explains Music Tectonics director Dmitri Vietze. “Music tech founders, label execs, artist teams, investors, and industry stakeholders come back to Music Tectonics each year because they learn about what’s about to emerge as well as what the state of innovation is.”

One way the conference instigates cutting-edge innovation is through Swimming with Narwhals, a startup pitch competition for young tech companies poised to shape the future of music. Five finalists will present their pitches to an audience and a panel of music tech investors at the conference. This competition is welcoming and anti-shark, but making it through to the finals is no mean feat. “It's inspiring to witness the wave of innovation happening right now in the music industry, and the rich spectrum of companies reshaping the music landscape, from revolutionizing ticketing to redefining music video creation,” said Sony Ventures’ Aadit Parikh, a judge at the semi-final. Learn more about the finalists and the competition here.

Music Tectonics’ ecosystem-wide reach is supported by the companies that are driving innovation. Top level support from leaders based in three continents, Kuack Media Group, LyricFind, and MU:CON, demonstrate the international impact of the conference. Sponsors Beatdapp, Innovation Norway, The MLC, Moises, Music Reports, Reactional Music, Revohloo, RoyFi, SESAC Music Group, TuneCore, TunedGlobal, Downtown Music Holdings, and MAM bmat represent every corner of the music industry where innovation is bubbling up.

Music and tech innovation thrive on connection and conversation, so the Music Tectonics schedule makes space for networking, meetings, and serendipity. “We chose eclectic venues by the beach strategically,” explains Music Tectonics head of events Shayli Ankenbruck. “Everyone feels more relaxed and open when they watch the sun set over the ocean or ride a carousel together. We’re all tired of conferences in hotel basements and on Zoom screens.”

Those connections don’t begin and end in October: the conference is just one way Music Tectonics convenes the music tech community. “Ticketholders can start networking in our new event app right now,” says Eleanor Rust, Music Tectonics marketing director. “Throughout the year, we hold free ‘Seismic Activity’ online events for our international community as well as in-person meetups at major events like SXSW. Our podcast checks the pulse of music innovation in a different corner of the industry each week.” 

To stay in the loop on all the ways Music Tectonics brings music innovators together, sign up for the Music Tectonics newsletter on its website.

Program Highlights:

Music Tech Investment Panel
Bruce Hamilton, Mech Ventures; Rishi Patel, Plus 8 Equity Partners; and Joe Tou, Sony Ventures; moderated by Tatiana Cirisano, MIDiA Research

Music Meets AI: Navigating a Positive Future
Angela Abbott, TIDAL; Marina Guz, Endel; and Con Raso, Tuned Global; moderated by Allie Garfinkle, Yahoo Finance

The Explosion of Musical Creativity in Gaming & Esports
Maria Egan, Riot Games; David Knox, Reactional Music; and Aadit Parikh, Sony Ventures, moderated by Vickie Nauman, Consultant

Strength in Numbers: Growth of the Independent Artist and the Future of DIY
A fireside chat with Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore; and Kristin Robinson, Billboard

The State of Creativity in Music Tech
Dani DiCiaccio, Splice and Daniel Rowland, LANDR; moderated by Dani Deahl, BandLab

Monetization Beyond Streaming
Amit Nerurkar, Bandcamp; Rian Rochford, Loma Vista Recordings; and Michael Shanley, Music Reports; 

Fueling Fan Engagement: Creating Meaningful User Experiences
Darryl Ballantyne, LyricFind; Tracy DeBarros, Revohloo; and Tine Nitsch, Amazon Music

Untangling Music Data for the Benefit of All
Dae Bogan, The MLC; Britnee Foreman, Exceleration Music

Rising Tech: Expanding Music Distribution Through New Technology
Alisha Outridge, TuneCore and Mauhan Zonoozy, Spotify; moderated by Amelia Daly, Solana Partnerships

The X Billion $ Problem: Emerging Solutions to the Music Industry’s Streaming Fraud Conundrum
Morgan Hayduk, beatdapp

Untapped Opportunities in the Mobile Market
Juan Saavedra, Kuack Media Group

Illuminating Artist Deals: The Inevitability of Fairness
Peter Harvey, RoyFi, moderated by Tristra Newyear Yeager

Transmedia Approaches to Music The Intersection of Hollywood, Gaming, and Music
Brando Bauman

AI Innovation House
An AI Music Demo Experience

Swimming with Narwhals Final Pitch Competition
Pitches by Aux, Get Moments, MAYK, Offstage, RealCount

Conference Schedule Overview:

• Tuesday, October 24: Santa Monica Pier Carousel 

Keynote, Music Tech Carnival, Startup Carousel Demo Day, Opening Party

• Wednesday, October 25: Annenberg Beach House 

High-Energy Panels, Exhibitors around the Pool, and Startup Pitch Competition Finals

• Thursday, October 26: Expert DOJO and Universal Music Group offices

Closing Keynote, Workshops, and UMG Startup Bootcamp

About Music Tectonics
Music Tectonics was founded to explore the deep seismic shifts that keep the music industry unsettled. At the fifth annual conference in 2023, we’ll delve into the consequences of these shifts and the new fault lines poised to change the industry yet again. Music Tectonics unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done. A variety of experiences in unexpected venues offers attendees many opportunities for making meaningful connections, scheduling meetings, and serendipitous encounters. The fifth annual conference returns to Santa Monica, CA, October 24-26, 2023. Join us for three days of programming about the future of music that prepares you to ride the next seismic shifts shaking up the industry.