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The annual Music Tectonics Conference unites music tech innovators across industry boundaries to share insights and get business done. The 2025 conference returns to Santa Monica, CA, November 4-6 for three days devoted to the future of music. Track the seismic shifts that shake up music and technology the way ...
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- 12/09/202512/09/2025
Music League and Roxxem Win Music Tectonics’ 2025 Swimming with Narwhals Startup Competition
Music Tectonics is here to shout about the winners of its annual Swimming with Narwhals competition for innovative startups in music tech. These winners show how music is everywhere, shifting the status quo of media, tech, and entertainment.
This year, two winners emerged from the competition. Roxxem, an app that uses music to promote new language learning, went home with the Jury award, while social music game platform Music League won the People’s Choice award, the favorite of the...
- Music Ally, Feature story, 12/09/2025, Roxxem and Music League win 2025 Swimming with Narwhals contest
- Voyage LA, Interview, 11/10/2025, Conversations with Dmitri Vietze
- Billboard, Feature story, 11/07/2025, AI Is Sure to Transform the Music Biz. Opinions Vary on Exactly How.
- Santa Monica Daily Press, 10/28/2025, Music Tech Leaders Gather at Santa Monica Conference to Chart Industry’s Post-Streaming Future
- + Show More
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Music Tectonics is here to shout about the winners of its annual Swimming with Narwhals competition for innovative startups in music tech. These winners show how music is everywhere, shifting the status quo of media, tech, and entertainment.
This year, two winners emerged from the competition. Roxxem, an app that uses music to promote new language learning, went home with the Jury award, while social music game platform Music League won the People’s Choice award, the favorite of the community. Both companies use music in unexpected ways to bolster connections and enrich people’s lives. Both have already gained remarkable traction, with more than a million registered users each.
Winners were selected after a rigorous process, in which investors evaluated one of the largest, most sophisticated cohort of applicants ever, eventually winnowing it down to four finalists. Then, at Music Tectonics’ Santa Monica conference, the finalists pitched a jury of industry investors and experts including Andrew Kahn of the Yamaha Music Innovation Fund, Mike Walsh of Structure Capital, and artist Blanco Brown.
The final competition was sponsored by Troy Gould, a law firm known for providing sophisticated corporate, transactional, and litigation counsel to clients in the music and broader entertainment industries. Winners were announced on stage at Yamaha Music Innovations Fund's Startup Day at Music Tectonics, where participants also got the chance to hear a variety of perspectives on operating in the face of AI, including presentations from creator companies, VC firms, and founders.
“This year’s winners really demonstrate how the most innovative ideas in music right now acknowledge how music can enhance everyday activities, from learning to speak a language to having fun with friends or colleagues,” explains Music Tectonics founder and director Dmitri Vietze. “Though we had some great finalists this year who are building products for the music industry itself, Music League and Roxxem bring music to more places and moments and show how the industry can grow.”
Winning means more than recognition; it means exposure to key decisionmakers. “Music Tectonics is truly the place to be for founders, investors, and creators working at the intersection of music and media,” exclaims Shawn Lee, co-founder of Roxxem. “The conference helped us connect with dozens of investor contacts who we are excited to continue building relationships with, and it gave us valuable insight into AI and music licensing that will shape our future product and business model. We left feeling energized, supported, and even more confident about the path ahead for Roxxem.”
“It’s awesome to have a couple hundred music industry vets in the room validating our approach,” says Eric West, founder and CEO of Music League. “I’m actively raising now and reaching out to the dozens of people I met at the competition who might be part of that, as well as scores of others. It was nice to have so many investors in the same place at the same time “
Other Narwhal finalists included Plates, a better way to manage marketing releases for labels, and Sesh, a fan community management platform for artists and their teams. Past winners have included several apps and platforms that have gone on to thrive, such as Audioshake, an AI music company that has opened up the industry to the wonders of stem separation.
This year’s Narwhals show that there is no one way to innovate in music tech. “We never know where innovation is going to come from in our competition each year,” notes Shayli Ankenbruck, head of events at Rock Paper Scissors, the music innovation marketing and PR firm that organizes Music Tectonics. “By planting a flag for music innovation without dictating what aspect of the business startups should focus on, we uncover incredible founders who are transforming music and society. I can’t wait to see where these two winners take things next. And I can’t wait to see what innovators jump into the pool next year!”
Meet 2025’s Narwhals
Music League
Music League (musicleague.com) is a group-based music game played through a web or mobile app, where friends compete by sharing and voting on songs around themed challenges. Inspired by fantasy sports, the game invites friends to submit songs based on themed prompts—like “Best Road Trip Songs” or “Guilty Pleasures”—vote anonymously on the picks, and climb the leaderboard for ultimate bragging rights.
Roxxem
Roxxem (roxxem.com) brings language learning to life for teachers and learners via licensed music. Designed to help English, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese learners get to the next level in comprehension, Roxxem provides rich, authentic context and learning opportunities that go beyond basic language-learning apps.
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. Explore the new terrain at the epicenter of music and technology through podcasts, media services, and online events at MusicTectonics.com.
This year’s Music Tectonics looks beyond streaming and AI to imagine a cooler, more vibrant, more prosperous future.
Music Tectonics, the conference by the sea that’s here to push music forward, has unveiled this year’s programming, a mix of future-facing, thought-provoking panels and in-depth how-to sessions about how to make music tech thrive. Combined with one of music tech’s best startup competitions, a daylong Creator Fair that matches music brands with influencers, and a breathtaking setting right on the beach in Santa Monica, Music Tectonics creates the perfect conditions to learn, connect, and get business done.
“People go to trade conferences to see where the industry is. You come to Music Tectonics to see where it’s going,” reflects Founder Dmitri Vietze. “Our programming this year reflects the best thinking on transforming the industry and helping to return music’s value in practical and fantastic ways. People walk away with new jobs, new partnerships, and new investments.”
Music Tectonics
November 4-6, 2025
Santa Monica, CA
Badges and full program available at www.musictectonics.com
This year’s conference, held once again at three alfresco venues, will grapple with some of the industry’s most pressing challenges, now that streaming has matured. Tackling everything from direct-to-fan ecommerce and new opportunities in games, a slew of label-oriented panels will reveal how labels, publishers, and other music companies can flourish in this tech-driven era.
In an incisive fireside chat, Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy at MIDiA Research, will lay out the case for the industry looking beyond streaming instead of merely tinkering at the margins. Other speakers and panelists from major companies and platforms including Riot Games, WMG, UMG, Roland, Shure, Secretly Canadian, Create Music Group, BMG, LyricFind, Stuff.io, Tipalti, Loma Vista, and Rock Paper Scissors will sit side-by-side with game-changing new forces in music in an atmosphere that encourages lively conversation and real talk. Investors from Patron, Sony Ventures, Connect Ventures, Mindset Ventures, and Creator Partners will join panels and the competition. (More on these panels and panelists here.)
Music Tectonics 2025 also offers key experiences for music-related startups and innovators. It will include the final pitch session to decide the winner of this year’s Swimming With Narwhals competition. This year’s finalists demonstrate the broad range of music-related tech and include:
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Music League: Discover new music, share your favorites, and compete against your friends.
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Plates: Music marketing for the 21st century.
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Roxxem: Learn a new language with music by playing interactive games with songs in Spanish, French, Chinese, and German.
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Sesh: A fan engagement platform that empowers artists to connect with their audience through structured interactions.
One day of the conference will be devoted to all things startup and will feature programming with founders and funders co-curated with Yamaha Music Innovations Fund. The conference ends with a return to Universal Music Group’s iconic studios for a startup bootcamp. Conference attendees will get the chance to pitch UMG executives on their ideas, to meet leading investors, and to learn all about what other innovators are building.
Finally, Music Tectonics knows the future of music is creator-led. That’s why the industry conference is hosting the second-annual Creator Fair on November 4. The Creator Fair unites the creative energy of innovative brands, influential creators, and music makers to the Santa Monica Pier Carousel.
“We curate Music Tectonics so that it embraces all sides of the music business right now, from tech startups to global entertainment enterprises to music makers of all stripes,” explains Head of Events Shayli Ankenbruck. “Our goal is to bring everyone together who needs to talk and do business and create the perfect atmosphere for real collaboration, all with an ocean view. This year really encapsulates what makes Music Tectonics special.”
Applications open July 1 at 12 noon Pacific Time
The Music Tectonics Conference has opened applications for its annual Swimming with Narwhals Music Tech Startup Pitch Competition. Entrepreneurs in music and media tech are invited to apply for the competition and attend the conference November 4-6, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Early Bird rate tickets are available for $349 before August 19 (when prices go up), plenty of time to buy a badge before Pitch Competition applications close August 8, 2028 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Find competition applications and conference tickets at MusicTectonics.com.
Applications will be open from July 1 to August 8 on the Music Tectonics website. A panel of music tech entrepreneurs, investors, and experts will review all applications. The ten semi-finalists will pitch at an online preconference event judged by Bruce Hamilton, Everybody Ventures; Scott Sugino, Yamaha Music Innovations fund; and Sun Jen Yung, Nfluence Partners.
The four finalists they select will move on to demo and pitch in person at the Music Tectonics Conference in Santa Monica. A jury of investors will evaluate pitches on originality, likeliness to succeed, and product-market fit in order to select Jury Choice winners. Meanwhile, attendees vote on an Audience Choice winner.
“We had already enjoyed attending the conference once, so RealCount was really excited to participate in the pitch competition in 2023,” remarks Diana Gremore, RealCount CEO and 2023 Audience Choice winner. “The virtual semi-final pitch led to great feedback, and at the finals I was proud to share how far we’d come in our roadmap since then. I am a bit of a nervous public speaker, so being able to win the audience over with RealCount was a triumph for me personally as well as for the company.”
The conference offers a host of opportunities for other applicants to level up their startups. All three days of the conference offer unparalleled opportunities to connect, learn, and network with investors, industry leaders, and peers. The last day of the conference brings a sharper focus on startups’ needs, featuring speed-networking sessions with investors that are open only to Narwhal applicants. Winners of the competition will be announced and awarded their symbolic narwhals. The programming lineup for the rest of the day is yet to be revealed, but past years have focused on connecting startups with record labels and investors.
Prizes for winning Swimming with Narwhals include being featured in a press release about the competition, founder interviews on the Music Tectonics Podcast after the event, and a free badge for the 2026 conference. But according to past winners, the real dividends of participating are the connections, experience, and knowledge founders gain.
“Pitching at Music Tectonics was a great experience,” recalls Jessica Powell, Audioshake CEO and 2022 Narwhal winner. “I originally came from a tech background, so pitching Audioshake in a room full of music people was a great opportunity to connect with the industry. Music Tectonics attendees are a great mix of startups, DSPs, and other kinds of music companies we wanted to meet, and after I pitched people came up to start conversations. It's a warm, friendly competition as well.” No sharks at Music Tectonics, just narwhals— the unicorns of the sea.
Competition Timeline:
July 1 Applications open on the Music Tectonics website
August 8 Applications close at 11:59pm Pacific Time
August 19 Last day to purchase badges at Early Bird rate of $349
September 4 Ten semi-finalists announced, selected by a panel of music tech
entrepreneurs, investors, and experts
September 17 Semi-finalists pitch at the Music Tectonics Online Preconference
September 23 Finalists announced
November 4 Startup demos at the Music Tectonics Conference & Creator Fair in Santa
Monica, CA
November 5 Finalists pitch in-person at the conference
November 6 Jury choice and Audience Choice winners announced at the conference
Find competition details and an application form at MusicTectonics.com.
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.