ASCAP Expo program announced

ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is pleased to announce that some of the biggest names in music, both on the creative and business side, will convene at the 4th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO next month to share their knowledge and expertise on a broad range of topics of great importance to today’s music creators. The three-day event will take place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, April 23-25, 2009.

Programming highlights include:

· "I Create Music" Interview with Jeff Lynne on Friday, April 24, focusing on his incredible 40-year career as a songwriter, producer and leader of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), co-founder of The Traveling Wilburys and producer of such artists as The Beatles, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Prior to the interview, ASCAP will present Lynne with its prestigious Golden Note Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to music. Previous honorees include Tom Petty, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Garth Brooks, to name a few.

· "I Create Music" Interview with Ann & Nancy Wilson on Thursday, April 23, focusing on their 35-year career as songwriters and leaders of rock group Heart, the 30th anniversary of their classic multi-platinum album Dog & Butterfly, and their 14th studio album which will be released next year. The Wilson sisters will be honored with ASCAP's Founders Award during the organization's Pop Music Awards ceremony, held the previous evening, in recognition of their pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators.

· "We Create Music" – a super panel featuring songwriter, musician and producer Wyclef Jean, country songwriter Craig Wiseman, OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, and others to be announced. These successful songwriters from across the musical spectrum will share their in-depth knowledge about building a life in music.
· A conversation with Chaka Khan, who will be interviewed by singer-songwriter and actress LeToya Luckett.

· A series of Master Sessions featuring top songwriters and composers representing a cross-section of genres, including composer Paul Chihara, songwriter Richard Marx; composer-producer Marcus Miller; film/tv composer James Newton Howard; rapper-producer Pete Rock; songwriter, producer, performer Ricky Skaggs; and songwriter Billy Steinberg.

· Round Up: The Writer-Producers Jam featuring The Hooters' Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, Holly Knight and Narada Michael Walden. This successful group of songwriters and producers will share their fascinating stories behind their work and will perform them live in a fun, stripped down, in-the-round setting.

Also confirmed to participate are:

· A diverse mix of multi-talented music creators: Antonina Armato; Gary Baker; Stephen Bishop; Stephen Bray; Russell Brower; Warryn Campbell; Desmond Child; Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford; Drumma Boy; Rory Feek; Curt Frasca; Mitchell Froom; Phil Galdston; Siedah Garrett; Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald; Peter Himmelman; Sam Hollander; Jamie Houston; J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League; Emanuel (Eman) Kiriakou, Greg Kurstin; Brian Lapin; Lenka, Seth MacFarlane; Vince Mendoza; Frank J. Oteri; Amy Powers; Jason Reeves; Lindy Robbins; Peter Rutenberg; John Rzeznik (of the Goo Goo Dolls); Skillz; Alex Shapiro; Stargate; Christopher "Tricky" Stewart; Wendy Waldman; Dan Wilson (Semisonic); and many more.

· Members of ASCAP's Board of Directors: songwriter Marilyn Bergman; composer Richard Bellis; songwriter Wayland Holyfield; composer Stephen Paulus; songwriter Paul Williams; composer Doug Wood; and publishers Martin Bandier; Barry Coburn; Roger Faxon; David Johnson; Dean Kay; James Kendrick; Leeds Levy and David Renzer.

· Industry professionals: Eric Beall, VP, A&R - Shapiro Bernstein & Co. and author of The Billboard Guide To Writing and Producing Songs That Sell and Making Music Make Money; Jon Burlingame, Journalist - Daily Variety; Chris Douridas, DJ & host of KCRW's "New Ground" and Music Supervisor; Ron Fair, Chairman - Geffen Records; Jay Frank, SVP, Music Strategy - CMT; Michael Frick, Founder, Executive Producer - Mophonics Music; Jody Gerson, Co-President - Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Gary Gross, Worldwide President - Universal Publishing Production Music; Thomas Lee, Professor, Director of Bands, Conductor – UCLA; Pat Magnarella, artist manager; Brian McNelis, SVP, Music & Soundtracks - Lakeshore Entertainment; Chris Montan, President - Walt Disney Music; Michael Morgan, Conductor - Oakland East Bay Symphony; Don Passman, Esq., entertainment attorney and author of "All You Need to Know About the Music Business;" Pat Prescott, DJ, co-host of "Brian McKnight Morning Show" (KTWV 94.7 FM, LA); John Rubeli, President - Chop Shop Records; Lou Spisto, CEO/Executive Producer - The Old Globe Theatre; Tom Sturges, EVP, Head of Creative - Universal Music Publishing; and many more.

For more details, including a regularly updated list of panelists, go to www.ascap.com/expo.

The ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO is the premier conference for songwriters, composers and producers. It covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, One-on-One sessions, song critiquing, networking events, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances, and more. All music creators, producers, publishers and executives – regardless of their performing rights organization affiliation – will benefit from this unique creative event, which is designed around personal interaction, education and networking.

The 4th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO is part of "ASCAP I Create Music Week" -- an entire week of events being held in Los Angeles to celebrate the voice of the music creator.
Members of the press may apply for credentials at www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/expo/.

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 350,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com