America's Biggest Music Tech Conference Attracts Investors, Startups, Labels, Instrument Companies to Build the Next Big Thing

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:

• Music League: Discover new music, share your favorites, and compete against your friends.

• Plates: Music marketing for the 21st century.

• Roxxem: Learn a new language with music by playing interactive games with songs in Spanish, French, Chinese, and German.

• 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.”