CO-CREATE THE (R)EVOLUTION OF MUSIC
A different kind of music conference where novel solutions and new visions for music take center stage.
where is the MUSIC BUSINESS going?
Stop asking and start building the answer!
This year, MUSIC FRONTIERS is going to happen in Hamburg on September 17 & 18 at the epicenter of Reeperbahn Festival - Europe's largest club festival.
Our program goes where most music conferences won't: beyond the current value chain, into the territories where music collides with AI, spatial computing, rights infrastructure, new business models, and the wider creative industries.
LIVE from
Schmidtchen Theater in Hamburg
THE PROGRAM
NETWORKING
09:30 - 10:45
ANGIE’S
FRANZBRÖTCHEN, CONNECTIONS & FUTURE MAKERS:
Registration & The Grand Opening Breakfast
brought to you by the Music Tech Coalition
Kickoff networking breakfast bringing together attendees and industry leaders to open Music Frontiers 2026.
KEYNOTE
10:45 - 10:55
schmidtchen
Welcome Words and Opening Remarks from Matthias Strobel Hohmann
Opening address setting the scope, themes, and vision for the conference program.
PANEL
11:00 - 11:30
schmidtchen
The urgent need for Industry Cooperation: Introducing the Music Tech Coalition
Panel addressing cross-industry collaboration and joint initiatives across music technology ecosystems.
PANEL
11:35 - 12:35
schmidtchen
Rewiring Indie Revenue Streams: Owned, Direct and Thriving
Focuses on how independent artists build sustainable revenue using direct-to-fan channels and owned platforms.
KEYNOTE & PANEL
12:40 - 13:40
schmidtchen
Death of the Algorithm: The Future of Music Promotion and Fan Relationships on Social Platforms
Explores shifting social media dynamics and emerging strategies for organic fan engagement beyond algorithms.
INTERVIEW
13:45 - 14:45
schmidtchen
From Walter White to Saul Goodman:
How Music Supervision Shapes Characters, Consequences, and Narratives.
Interview detailing the impact of music supervision on character development and story arcs in television.
PANEL
14:50 - 15:50
schmidtchen
Cleared in Seconds, Sync at Scale: The Micro-License Opportunity for Music and Creators
Panel discussing automated micro-licensing platforms scaling sync clearance for modern digital creators.
PANEL
15:55 - 16:55
schmidtchen
Fund Your Vision: The New Landscape of Artist Finance
Reviews funding options for musicians, from catalog advances and fan investment to alternative finance models.
Fireside-Chat
17:00- 18:00
schmidtchen
The Composer and the Machine: A Life at the Frontier of Music and AI
Fireside chat exploring human-AI collaboration in composition, creative boundaries, and legal implications.
KEYNOTE
11:35 - 12:05
ANGIE’S
Punching Below Our Weight: How the Music Industry Can Grow Into Its Cultural Worth
Keynote analyzing strategies to translate music's massive cultural value into stronger economic models.
PANEL
12:10 - 13:10
ANGIE’S
Assist, Replace, or Transform?
How AI Is Reshaping the Art and Craft of Music Production
Panel evaluating how generative AI impacts studio workflows, creative choices, and song production.
PANEL
13:15 - 14:15
ANGIE’S
Wem gehört Deine Stimme? KI im Pop und das Recht auf eigene Identität
*This session is conducted in German.
German-language session discussing voice rights, identity protection, and legal frameworks in AI music.
SHOWCASE
14:25 - 15.:25
ANGIE’S
Innovation Showcases I
Live demonstrations of groundbreaking music tech solutions and early-stage startup innovations.
PANEL
15:30 - 16:30
ANGIE’S
The Science and Economics of Music as Medicine and Its Role in Health and Human Wellbeing
Covers therapeutic music applications, clinical research, and commercial opportunities in health tech.
RECEPTION
16.35 - 18.00
ANGIE’S
All Signal, No Noise: The Global Music Tech Networking Reception
by MusicTech Germany, Music Tectonics, Music Tech Europe, Music Tech Coalition
Evening reception hosted by MusicTech Germany, Music Tectonics, Music Tech Europe, and Music Tech Coalition.
FIRESIDE CHAT
10:00 - 11:15
ANGIE’S
FUEL UP, LINK UP:
Friday's Networking Breakfast by Groover and DISCO
Morning networking session hosted by Groover and DISCO to connect music tech founders, labels, and creators.
FIRESIDE CHAT
11:20 - 12:00
schmidtchen
It’s (Just) an Algorithm, After All: What AI Is Really Capable of in the Creative Industry, Between Doom and Salvation
Demystifies artificial intelligence capabilities to assess practical, realistic tools for creative workflows.
PANEL
12:05 - 13:05
schmidtchen
From Training data to rights holder: Closing the Attribution Gap for the AI Era
Addresses training data rights and attribution gaps to ensure fair creator attribution and royalties.
PANEL
13:10 - 14:10
schmidtchen
The Human Algorithm: Why Curation Is the New Scarcity
Discusses why expert human curation and personal taste are increasingly vital in an algorithmic landscape.
PANEL
14:15 - 15:15
schmidtchen
Touch, Play, Own, Treasure: The Physical Music Renaissance
Explores physical formats like vinyl and cassettes, focusing on tangible collector goods and fan connection.
PANEL
15:20 - 16:20
schmidtchen
Connected Intelligence, Wired for Growth: How Smart Music Companies Are Connecting Their Data
Shows how music companies integrate fragmented data sources to optimize decisions and scale growth.
PANEL
16:30 - 17:30
schmidtchen
Human in the Loop: Wiederherstellung von Vertrauen in einer von KI geprägten Musikbranche
*This session is conducted in German.
German-language session examining trust restoration and human oversight in an AI-driven music industry.
INTERACTIVE
THINK TANK
11:15 - 12:40
ANGIE’S
The European Music Ecosystem 2035 in a world of new boundaries and music networks
Interactive think tank mapping future web networks, policy shifts, and decentralized European music models.
FIRESIDE CHAT
12:45 - 13:15
ANGIE’S
The Invisible Upgrade: How AI Is Transforming the Business of Music From the Inside Out
Examines back-office AI adoption across rights administration, catalog processing, and operational tasks.
PANEL
13:20 - 14:20
ANGIE’S
Your catalog, fully alive: intelligent metadata and the infrastructure that makes it pay
Explains how clean metadata and modern rights infrastructure reactivate legacy catalog earnings.
PANEL
14:25 - 15:10
ANGIE’S
From Tools to Agents: The Next Music Business Infrastructure
Panel discussing the transition from standalone software tools to autonomous AI agents in music business ops.
SHOWCASE
15:15 - 16:15
ANGIE’S
Innovation Showcase II
Second showcase session featuring pitches and product demos from international music tech innovators.
PANEL + PITCHES
16:30 - 17:30
ANGIE’S
Dead Money or Next Frontier? Funding Music Tech in 2026
Investors and founders discuss venture capital trends, funding obstacles, and startup opportunities for 2026.
AFTERPARTY
20:00 - Open End
Hafenklang
MUSIC FRONTIERS offical Afterparty
@Hafenklang
Official closing afterparty hosted at Hafenklang to celebrate and network late into the night.
GRAB YOUR TICKET
YOUR TICKET TO THE FUTURE OF MUSIC
We keep it easy and affordable!
Buy a ticket either for the full 2-day experience or join us for just one of the days.
Tickets include access to all sessions, workshops, networking receptions, and innovation showcases.
We keep it accessible!
If you are younger than 30 years, you can get a discount of 30% on your ticket.
In order to get the discounted ticket, please send us a copy of your ID via email.
Our visionary speakers 2026
François Pachet (Flow Records) | TURO PEKARI (Copyright Delta / Music Tech Europe) | MERSHAD JAVAN (GoDigital Music) | MARIT WOODY-LAMBIN (The Swedish Jazz Federation) | GEORG ILIAS (Crates) | TIM HALLORAN (Skipless) | DAVID GEISSER (ZATAP) | CHRISTIAN BEHRENS (Sway me more GmbH) | ALBERT GRUBER (seeqnc GmbH) | SILVIA MONTELLO (Voicebox Music Consulting Limited) | YVONNE ERIKSEN (Nordic Records / VIRE) | DENNIS COLLOPY (Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and Menace Management) | INDRE BOARETTO (Elevate in Music) | GRACE MANNING (Cantilever Music) | BAS GRASMAYER (Calm & Fluffy) | STEFFEN HOLLY (Fraunhofer IDMT) | JESSIE DYMOND (Overflow) | SINI TIAINEN (Qobuz) | Ivana Claudel (Best Nights VC) | Amélie Anglade (seeqnc) | Jakob Wredstrøm (Amplitude Ventures) | Taj A. Khan (Amplitude Ventures) | Michael R. Böwadt (SoundInvest) | Hanna Lukashevich (Fraunhofer IDMT) | Jessica van Loon (BumaStemra) | Anastasia Schöck (Epidemic Sound) | LudwigSelsNamier (Creative Industries) | Guy Morrow (University of Melbourne) | Markus Schwarzer (CYANITE) | Max Shafer (Just 4 Noise) | Jonny Amos (Jonny Amos) | Vasja Veber (Viberate, music data layer for AI) | Knut Schlinger (MusikWoche) | Alex Warnke (PRO Agency) | Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura (Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura) | Codruta Vulcu (ARTmania) | Christine Osazuwa (Measure of Music) | Christine Preitauer (Christine Preitauer) | Terry Tyldesley (Kat Five) | Jana Vejmelka (Music & Entertainment) | Yohan Hennequin (views in soud (regard sonores )cats on trees) | Balbina | Florian von Hoyer (AIxchange) | Andreas Kohl (Making Vinyl) | Aël Guégan (Soundcharts) | Mariia Saveleva (Lexi | AIRA Law) | Tom Tyler (Rezonate Music) | Sönke Schal (Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH) | Christoph Hüning (NMA.vc) | Ninon Devis Salvy (Native Instruments // Ninon) | DR. CARSTEN WINTER ( Hanover University of Music, Drama and MediA) | Theresia Crone (Aktivistin) | Anna Gruszka (Songmate - Epic Elite) | Benjamin Geyre (Lissen) | Agnes ChunG (Bold Forward) | Maurits Hagemans (Lotronic.live) | Jelmer Rotteveel (FindSocial) | Matthew St Pierre (Lisnin.io) | Emelie Olsson (Corite & Aflow) | Carl-Erik Moberg (TicketCo) | Cedric PISTOL (Payd Labs) | Matthias Hartwig (Budde Music Publishing) | Kelli Slade (Slade Music Services) | Mea Liedl (Bitwig GmbH) | Ronny Krieger (kitbetter / vut) | Nicole de Beer (Gigevate) | Idil Galip (Digital Culture Research Studio) | Chinyere Weiderer (GEMA) | Nisse Ingwersen (Nisse) | Charles Accarisi (Bridgent) | ShaNon Bobinger (Sipping RealiTeas) | Hanna Kahlert (MIDiA Research) | Tomas Luyke (Nettwerk Music Group) | Robert Linke (Image-Line) | Dr. Christian Alexander Bauer (Musicright) | Guido von Monrath (Everday is a Holiday Publishing&Management) | Paul Ramisch (tourdarts) | Johannes Cordes (HappyRights) | Fronx Wurmus (Vibseek) | Peter Brown (Music Tech Coalition / Venable LLP) | Mathis Nitschke (CORPUS by Sofilab GmbH) | Daniel Cole (LANDR) | Yohan Imakhoukhene (YAARZ) | Hendrik SChwarzer (Orchestral Tools) | Charlene San Buenaventura (MNGRS) | Karen Emanuel (Key Production Group) | Heiko Hoffmann (NYU Berlin) | ALEKSANDER BENJAnIN MORATO (VIBESEEK) | Goran Lazarevic (HfMT / Ligeti Zentrum) | Katharina Köhler (Management Deichkind, Wa22ermann, Paula Carolina, CONNY, The Red Flags) | SASKIA WHEELER (SASKIA WHEELER) | Dmitri Vietze (Rock Paper Scissors / Music Tectonics) | | Milena Fessmann (CINESONG) | Thomas Golubić (SuperMusicVision | Zoe Agnoly (ZANDOLY) | Matthias Strobel Hohmann (Musictech Germany | MUSIC TECH EUROPE)
MUSIC FRONTIERS serves as a hub for those who are committed to transforming the music landscape for the better.
It’s the ultimate experience for top minds in the music biz to learn, connect, and collaborate.
If you're building tools, creating policy, producing music, funding innovation, or rethinking how any part of the music industry works, this is where you want to be.
MUSIC FRONTIERS is the event for those who don't want to wait for the industry to change; they're the ones changing it.
MUSIC FRONTIERS 2026 Official
AfterpartY
FRI 18.09.2026
Doors Open at 20:00 - till late
Hafenklang
Reeperbahn Festival Partnership
MUSIC FRONTIERS is part of this year's official Reeperbahn Festival conference program.
Still, tickets that are available here (in our MUSIC FRONTIERS ticket shop) give you access to the entire MUSIC FRONTIERS program, but not to the Reeperbahn Festival program.
If you also want to experience the Reeperbahn Festival or/and/or its conference, you can purchase tickets in their ticket shop.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Startup Accelerator Partner
SPONSORING PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
After Show Party PARTNERS
Watch Music Frontiers 2025After Movie
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