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DDEX Announces Full Schedule for MusicTech 20/20 Summit in November

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New York, NY (September 29, 2026) – DDEX, the international standards-setting organization dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry, has announced the full schedule for the MusicTech 20/20 Summit taking place on November 19 in Toronto, CA. The schedule for the MusicTech 20/20 Summit will identify critical operational challenges across the full music value chain that the industry will face over the coming years. This will include discussions on defining where standardisation and shared infrastructure are essential, changing the narrative around AI to how can the industry harness it for its operational infrastructure, developing actionable frameworks around trust, data, identifies, and interoperability, and more.

As part of the programming, previously announced keynote speaker Phil Wiser will take part in a fireside chat with Mike Jbara (EVP and COO of The Lenbrook Media Group) who was a founding Board Member of DDEX. Previously, Mike spent nearly 10 years in various roles within the Warner Music Group including EVP, Technology and Business Process and was subsequently the CEO of MQA Ltd, the company that developed an audio compression technology for high-resolution master recordings before. The joint experience of Phil and Mike will make for a fascinating discussion on how the music value chain will need to adapt as technology continues to sprint ahead, and set the scene for the remainder of the Summit.

Newly announced speakers include representatives from across the music industry value chain and other industries including representatives from ASCAP, Beatdapp, CISAC, BMAT, EIDR, GEMA, Kobalt, Meta, The MLC, Pandora, SOCAN, Sony Music, Symphonic Distribution, Universal Music Group, WIPO, and more.

Full MusicTech 20/20 Summit Schedule:
9:00am – Welcome
Speaker:

  • Dan Simpson (Head of Music Operations, Meta Platforms Inc., and Chair DDEX Board)

9:15am – DDEX Past & DDEX Present: Morning Fireside Chat
Speakers:

  • Kirit Joshi (EVP and CIO, Executive Board Member, Digital Transformation, Startup Advisor at Sony Music Entertainment, former Chair of DDEX, and current Board Member), in conversation with,
  • Dan Simpson (Head of Music Operations, Meta Platforms Inc., and Chair DDEX Board)

9:45am – Building Industry Consensus 2006-Style
Speakers:

  • Michel Allain (Senior Manager Collective Management Team, WIPO, and former DDEX Board Member for Sacem)
  • Debra Ameerally (former DDEX Board Member for Apple)
  • Rich Lappenbusch (Senior Principal, Supermicro, and former DDEX Board Member for Microsoft)
  • Nick Lehman (Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, ASCAP, and DDEX Board Member) – Moderator
  • Additional speakers to be announced

10:30am – Phil Wiser Fireside Chat
Speakers

  • Phil Wiser (Silicon Valley Media Tech Pioneer and Proven Scaled Enterprise Transformation Leader), in conversation with,
  • Mike Jabara (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Lenbrook Media Group, and former DDEX Board Member for WMG)

11:30am – Connecting the Dots: Evolving Identifier Systems for Complex Attribution and Rights Management
Speakers

  • Hollie Choi (Managing Director, EIDR)
  • Chris Horton (EVP, Strategic Technology, UMG, and former DDEX Board Member for UMG)
  • Sylvain Piat (Director of Business and Technology, CISAC)
  • Till Evert (Senior Media Executive, New Business, GEMA, and DDEX Board Member) – Moderator
  • Additional speakers to be announced

12:15pm – Q&A, Attendee Polls, and Collective Discussion
Led By

  • Till Evert (Senior Media Executive, New Business, GEMA, and DDEX Board Member)

12:45pm – Lunch

2:00pm – Fraud, Trust and AI: Building the Music Industry’s Collective Defence
Speakers

  • Jennifer Brown (CEO, SOCAN)
  • Morgan Hayduk (Co-Founder and CEO, Beatdapp)
  • Eshan Shah Jahan (CTO, Symphonic)
  • Josiah Albertsen (Associate Director, Music Licensing, Pandora, and DDEX Board Member) – Moderator
  • Additional speakers to be announced

2:45pm – Metadata Without Borders: The Integration of Music Data and Interoperability
Speakers

  • Frank Kruyer (SVP Royalties; Business Intelligence, Kobalt Music, and DDEX Board Member)
  • Marc Lefebvre (Executive Director, Media Operations, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
  • Iñigo Ugarteburu (CEO, BMAT Music Innovators, and DDEX Board Member) – Moderator
  • Additional speakers to be announced

3:30pm – Q&A, Attendee Polls, and Collective Discussion
Led By

  • Josiah Albertsen (Associate Director, Music Licensing, Pandora, and DDEX Board Member)
  • Iñigo Ugarteburu (CEO, BMAT Music Innovators, and DDEX Board Member)

4:30pm – The Future of Music Operations: Designing the Next Generation Music Processing Ecosystem
Speakers

  • Andrew Melchior (Artist and Producer)
  • Leho Nigul (Chief Technology Officer, WMG)
  • Richard Thompson (Chief Technology Officer, The MLC)
  • Additional speakers to be announced

5:15pm – Q&A, Attendee Polls, Collective Discussion, and Closing Remarks
Led By

  • Dan Simpson (Head of Music Operations, Meta Platforms Inc., and Chair DDEX Board)

Additional speakers for the MusicTech 20/20 Summit will be announced in the coming months and include representatives from across the music industry value chain as well as speakers from other media and technology industries.

Registration for the MusicTech 20/20 Summit is open now, with tickets available for $650 USD until November 1. After November 1, tickets will be sold at their full price of $770 USD.

Tickets for the Summit are for in person attendance only and can only be purchased online ahead of the event. No tickets will be sold at the door.

The MusicTech 20/20 Summit is presented by Meta and supported by SCPP, Beatdapp, RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, Kobalt Music, SOCAN, Sound Exchange, MétaMusique, Music Infrastructure Company, and The Recording Academy.

Sponsorships for the Music Tech 20/20 Summit are still available. Those interested can contact the DDEX Secretariat directly at info@ddex.net for more information.

Sign up for the DDEX newsletter to receive regular updates from the Secretariat at www.DDEX.net.

Follow DDEX on:
Facebook: @DDEXstandards
Instagram: @ddexnet
LinkedIn Company page: DDEX
LinkedIn Group: DDEX

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About DDEX
Formed in 2006, DDEX is an international standards-setting organization made up of leading digital music service providers, record companies, music publishers, music licensing organizations, and technical intermediaries that is dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry. To support the automated exchange of information along the digital value chain, DDEX has standardized the format in which information is represented in messages and the method by which the messages are exchanged between business partners. These standards help rights holders, retailers, and technical intermediaries to more effectively communicate information along the digital value chain. This leads to efficient business transactions, reduced costs, and increased revenues for all sectors involved. DDEX standards are developed by members, and then made available for free, industry-wide implementation. For more information, visit http://www.ddex.net/.

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