RSVP:
Let Music Fill My World & Artist For Action® present:
Take Action x SXSW Event Series
March 16 & 17, 12pm - 2am @ Inn Cahoots
Join us for an interactive, informative and impactful series of official SXSW showcases, panels, masterclasses and recording sessions curated by Let Music Fill My World & Artist For Action® in partnership with Bandsintown, Music Managers Forum-US and SXSW. In addition to live performances, this series will spotlight the importance of music education and mental health. RSVP* now to see performances from legendary and breakthrough talent and hear from industry leaders in music and social impact.
TWO DAY OVERVIEW
Inn Cahoots 1221 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
MONDAY MARCH 16
11:30am - Doors
12pm - 6pm - Music & Impact Summit Panel Series - Free Food, Drinks, Giveaways & Good Vibes + win limited edition SXSW merch capsules and big prizes (from over $335,000 worth) from Let Music Fill My World's Music Matters Challenge!
6pm - 7pm - VIP Industry Mixer (Invite Only)
6pm - Tours of The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
7pm - 2am - Music Showcases feat. Passion Pit, Five For Fighting & more
TUESDAY MARCH 17
11:30am - Doors
12pm - 6pm - Film Screenings, Q&A's, Masterclasses, Recording Sessions on The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, Giveaways with artists including Slick Rick, Neil Giraldo of Benatar + Giraldo and Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show + win limited edition SXSW merch capsules and big prizes (from over $335,000) from Let Music Fill My World's Music Matters Challenge!
6pm - Tours of The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
7pm - 2am - Music Showcases feat. John Popper of Blues Traveler, Micah Edwards & more
MONDAY MARCH 16 SCHEDULE
12:10pm - Get Paid! Understanding Rights & Royalties
Music generates revenue across streaming, radio, live performance, neighboring rights, and global collections - but many artists leave money unclaimed. This session demystifies the rights landscape, breaking down how royalties flow, where revenue is lost, and how creators can ensure they’re paid properly worldwide. Industry experts share practical guidance on registrations, metadata, performance rights, and digital royalties so artists and rights holders can protect their work and capture every revenue stream.
Hillel Frankel - Entertainment Law Group / Novo Management & Publicity Inc, Attorney / Artist Manager (Moderator)
Jamie Dominguez - The MLC, National Director, Industry Relations
Tiara Guy - SoundExchange, Director, Artist & Industry Relations
Mitch Ballard - BMI, Executive Director – Creative, Austin
1:00pm - Music Managers: The New Power Brokers
Let’s be honest: the center of gravity in the music industry has shifted. In 2026, the people shaping careers, controlling budgets, and driving long-term strategy aren’t sitting exclusively inside labels or platforms. They’re managers. What began as a cottage trade is now a global profession, with managers serving as the industry’s central power brokers. They are the only role structurally positioned to operate across every sector of the ecosystem on behalf of the artist - translating artistic vision into strategy, deals, and sustainable careers. Modern management is about leadership, leverage, and long-term value creation in a decentralized, global marketplace. This panel dives into how that influence is exercised, how power is stewarded responsibly, and how managers are shaping the future of the global music economy.
Neeta Ragoowansi - Music Managers Forum - US, President (Moderator)
Jess Tomlins - Neon Coast, Manager
Aja Pecknold Smith - Fort William Artist Management, Artist Manager / Partner
Gabriel Barreto - Gold Village Entertainment, Manager
Mandy Aragones - COO, Slick Rick Music Corp & Manager to Slick Rick
Michele Fleischli - LIKE MGMT, Owner
Julie Klein - C3 Management, COO
1:50pm - From Discovery to Superfans: Powering Artist Growth in the New Music Economy
Success in today’s music industry depends on more than streams - it requires discovery, fan connection, and community building. This panel examines the platforms and strategies helping artists expand globally, deepen fan relationships, and convert attention into lasting careers.
Emily White - Collective Entertainment; Impact Data & Events, Partner/CEO (Moderator)
Brian Miller - Tunecore, Chief Revenue Officer
Dorian Perron - Groover, Co-Founder
Ryan Star - Stationhead, Co-Founder / CCO
Harrison Cohen - DUUNES, Independent Artist
Tommy Stalknecht - Single, Founder & CEO
2:40pm - Filling the Room: Live Music Growth in the Age of Data & AI
In today’s live music economy, success isn’t just about ticket sales - it’s about discoverability, booking demand, fan engagement, and diversified live revenue. This session brings together leaders shaping the live ecosystem to explore how artists, promoters, and event platforms use data, marketplaces, fan tools, and AI-powered insights to grow audiences and secure more opportunities. From tour promotion and targeted fan outreach to private events, brand activations, and experiential bookings, panelists share how live growth is evolving - and what it takes to fill calendars and rooms in 2026.
Fabrice Sergent - Bandsintown, Co-Founder / Managing Partner (Moderator)
Mark Steiner - GigSalad, Founder
Jeremy Gruber - Friends at Work, Head of Artist Marketing & Digital Strategy
Anj Fayemi - Rivet, CEO
3:30pm - Turning Music IP Deals Into Experiences
Music IP is rapidly becoming the engine behind today’s most compelling live and immersive experiences, fueling residencies, pop‑ups, destination venues, cultural exhibitions, branded entertainment and long-term touring formats. Turning songs and catalogs into experiences requires far more than creative vision. It demands a sophisticated mix of rights clearances, licenses, approvals and production strategy. This panel pulls back the curtain on how these deals actually get made. Entertainment lawyers, artist managers and venue designers will unpack the legal, economic and creative mechanics that determine what IP can scale and why. Moderated by Craig Laurie, Chief Creative Officer of RWS Global, the discussion explores how rights decisions shape storytelling, design, production workflows, casting, budgets and long‑term viability, offering a rare, insider look at how music IP becomes a repeatable, live experience audiences want to return to.
Craig Laurie - RWS Global, Chief Creative Officer (Moderator)
Brian Mirakian - Populous, Senior Principal
Lisa T. Oratz - Perkins Coie LLP, Senior Counsel, Firmwide Co-Chair, Film and Television
Michele Fleischli - LIKE MGMT, Owner
4:20pm - Mental Health in Music: Beyond Awareness
Mental health conversations in music have evolved - now the focus is action. Artists, a neuroscientist and leaders in social connection and wellness explore what truly supports wellbeing across the music ecosystem. From brain science and lived experience to connection-driven initiatives and artist advocacy, this session looks at how music can move from awareness to real impact.
Cayley Tull - Let Music Fill My World, Co-Founder (Moderator)
Andrew MacPherson - Foundation for Social Connection Action Network, Founder
Michael Angelakos - Passion Pit, Artist / Mental Health Advocate
Neil Giraldo - Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Artist / Producer / Activist
Coyle Girelli - Calm and Collected Music Group, Co-Founder / CEO / Artist / Composer
Dr. Assal Habibi - USC, Associate Professor of Psychology & Director of the Center for Music, Brain, and Society
5:10pm - The Power of Music for Social Good
What happens when songs become rallying cries and artists become catalysts for change? Influential musicians and social impact leaders explore how music is driving action - from mental health and gun violence prevention to expanding music education, confronting antisemitism and hate, supporting humanitarian efforts, and strengthening community healing. Through firsthand stories and real-world initiatives, this session reveals how music can inspire connection, mobilize audiences, and transform empathy into meaningful impact.
Cayley Tull - Let Music Fill My World, Co-Founder (Moderator)
John Ondrasik - Five For Fighting, Artist / Activist
Ketch Secor - Old Crow Medicine Show, Artist / Activist
Neil Giraldo - Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Artist / Producer / Activist
Mark Barden - Artist For Action / Sandy Hook Promise, Co-Founder
6pm - Invite-Only Industry Mixer
AUSTIN GARDEN - OUTDOOR STAGE
8pm - DUUNES
9pm - Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show
10pm - Five For Fighting
11pm - Passion Pit
12am - Sexpop
1am - Glassio
THE STUDIO - INDOOR STAGE
7:50pm - Rakel
8:50pm - Spacestation
9:50pm - The Dumes
10:50pm - His Lordship
11:50pm - Buckets
12:50am - OKAN
TUESDAY MARCH 17 SCHEDULE
12pm - 6pm - Film Screenings, Q&A's, Masterclasses, Recording Sessions on The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, Giveaways
6pm - Tours of The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
7pm - 2am - Music Showcases feat. John Popper of Blues Traveler, Micah Edwards & more
2pm - Louder Than Guns (Film Screening + Q&A)
Motivated by a tragic school shooting in Nashville, TN, Ketch Secor, of the popular bluegrass band Old Crow Medicine Show, and radio journalist David Greene, set out to have an open conversation about gun violence in America. The result is a music documentary which humanizes all sides of today’s gun debate: rural, urban, gun-owners and non, and shows how reason and actual listening can help move the needle on gun violence prevention in ways our polarized culture rarely displays.
Ketch Secor - Old Crow Medicine Show, Artist/Activist
David Greene - Journalist and Broadcaster
Mark Barden - Artist For Action/Sandy Hook Promise, Co-Founder
4pm - Slick Rick's VICTORY: The Art of Storytelling in Sound
This is not a traditional masterclass, it is a curated listening session anchored in dialogue, reflection, and sound. Centered on the visionary storytelling of Slick Rick, the experience explores the power of imagination, narrative craft, and cultural authorship in hip-hop and beyond through the lens of the new visual album, VICTORY. In this close-quarters exchange, the art of painting cinematic worlds with words, building timeless characters, and using storytelling as a vehicle for identity, resilience, and creative freedom takes focus. Designed as a space for listening first, the session blends guided playback, live reflection, and intentional audience dialogue - allowing the music to breathe and the stories behind it to unfold in real time. Guests are invited aboard The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus for an immersive Dolby Atmos listening experience - a rare opportunity to hear VICTORY in its fullest dimensional form.
Slick Rick - ICON, Hip Hop's greatest storyteller
Mandy Aragones - COO, Slick Rick Music Corp & Manager to Slick Rick
5pm - Magic Hour
6pm - Tours of The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
Check out the premiere non-profit mobile recording studio and production facility that travels around the US and Europe offering students free hands on opportunities to create original projects. While you're there, enter Let Music Fill My World's Music Matters Challenge to pick up a limited edition SXSW merch capsule and enter to win from over $335,000 worth of prizing.
AUSTIN GARDEN - OUTDOOR STAGE
8pm - Artie Tobia & Redtail Revival
9pm - Jo Alice
10pm - Electric Enemy
11pm - John Popper of Blues Traveler
12am - Tomar and The FCs
1am - Buddy Red
THE STUDIO - INDOOR STAGE
7:50pm - addie addie addie
8:50pm - Micah Edwards
9:50pm - Ryan Star
10:50pm - Summer Brennan
11:50pm - Silvertone
12:50am - Rob Eberle
*Registration includes opt-in to AFA, Let Music Fill My World and all partner mailing list
