Guest Speakers

Yvette Noel-Schure

Yvette Noel-Schure is a seasoned and respected industry veteran, and one of the top creative executives in the music PR business. She has developed press campaigns for a diverse roster of artists, including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Chloe X Halle, Prince, John Legend, and LeAnn Rimes, among others.

Will Anderson

With over a decade of experience in the music industry, Will Anderson is a leading promoter and curator of live music, currently promoting Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, Take That, AURORA, Jacob Collier, Ava Max, Vance Joy, and more, while also founding New Blood, a live series spotlighting emerging international talent in Madrid and Barcelona. Previously, Anderson spent 12 years in A&R at Virgin Records, EMI, and MTA Records, discovering and developing major artists, such as Emeli Sandé and Naughty Boy, and executive-producing projects with Swedish House Mafia and deadmau5.

Pieter Van Rijn

Pieter van Rijn is president of Downtown Music, overseeing its global business and professional services, including distribution, label services, publishing, neighboring rights, and sync licensing. Previously CEO of FUGA, he led the Amsterdam-based distributor through rapid global expansion, establishing hubs across EMEA, North America, LATAM, and APAC, and transforming it into a full-service music and technology company. A graduate of Erasmus University of Rotterdam and a former Sony-signed songwriter, van Rijn has also worked in corporate strategy and M&A. A frequent speaker and columnist, he has presented at SXSW, A2IM’s Indie Week, and ADE, and was named to Billboard’s 2022 Indie Power Players list.

Christine Osazuwa

Originally from Baltimore, Christine Osazuwa got her start in music at the age of 15. She holds degrees in music, marketing, and data science and combined those passions into roles in data and marketing at Universal Music Sweden and Warner Music Group in London. Currently, Osazuwa is the chief strategy officer for the ticketing/event-marketing startup Shoobs, where she leads marketing and brand partnerships strategy. In addition, she sits on the board of the LIVE Association, Indie Venue Week, and Keychange US. Osazuwa is also the founder of Measure of Music, an event that's part conference, part hackathon, introducing music and data to participants while highlighting majority-minority attendees and speakers.

Marie-Anne Robert

Marie-Anne Robert is managing director of Sony Music Entertainment France, where she leads operations, signings, acquisitions, digital transformation, and cross-company artist opportunities. With more than 20 years of international music, digital, and marketing experience—including a decade at Believe—she has held senior roles spanning marketing, artist services, and international expansion at Believe and its subsidiary TuneCore. Earlier in her career, she managed projects at Virgin Music France and EMI, working with artists such as David Guetta, Phoenix, and Alain Souchon. Deeply connected to hip-hop since her start at Lehiphop.com, she is also a mentor and active member of MEWEM.

Will McKinney-Raphelt

Will McKinney-Raphelt, a seasoned music industry executive with over 15 years of experience, recently joined the RCA Records and Gold League team at Sony Music Germany. As senior product manager for RCA Germany's international hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats lineup, he oversees product releases and marketing campaigns for a superstar roster that includes A$AP Rocky, Wizkid, Chris Brown, and more.

Martin F. Frascogna

Named the official US ambassador for the Global Entertainment and Music Business Program, Martin Frascogna led an extraordinary week of seminars focusing on the US market. Frascogna is an international entertainment attorney who represents clientele in 34 countries spanning six continents. His clients include international musicians, Grammy winners, and international labels and tours. 

Stef Pascual

Stef Pascual is a digital marketing consultant specializing in artists and entertainment brands. As general manager at Deviate Digital for the past three years, she has led campaigns for artists, promoters, festivals, startups, and brands. Previously, she headed the digital department at Crown Talent/Talent Everywhere, working with clients like Fusion Festival and 9 to 5 the Musical. Pascual co-runs the independent label Silent Cult, representing artists such as Mimi Barks and LOOM. She began her career as a record label intern, later leading digital marketing and strategy at Sony Red/The Orchard for labels including Cooking Vinyl and FatCat, supporting campaigns for Skepta and Alter Bridge.

Cliff Fluet

Cliff Fluet is a partner at Lewis Silkin LLP, leading its media and entertainment practice with over 25 years’ experience advising clients on digital media, technology, and brand entertainment. Ranked in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame, he specializes in rights, catalog acquisitions, and exploitation. He is also founder and managing director of Eleven Advisory, guiding media companies on emerging technologies, such as AI and immersive entertainment. Fluet is vice chair of Help Musicians, chair of Music Minds Matter, and chair of Music Technology UK, supporting talent, well-being, and innovation across the creative industry.

Scooter Braun

Scooter Braun is the founder and chairman of Ithaca Holdings LLC, founder of SB Projects, and cofounder of TQ Ventures. He’s one of the major forces and innovators in the entertainment industry.

Sophia Chang

Sophia Chang is a music business matriarch who has worked with Paul Simon and managed Wu Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, RZA, Raphael Saadiq, and D'Angelo, among others. Her record company experience includes marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, running A&R administration and operations at Universal, and acting as general manager of Cinematic Music Group, the label and management company for Joey Bada$$, Pro Era, and Mick Jenkins.

Alex Rivas

Although still early in her career, Southern California–based tour and project manager Alex Rivas has already worked with a variety of renowned artists, including Lauryn Hill, Chloe x Halle, Alanis Morissette, Ella Mai, and Jamaican artists such as Chronixx and Koffee. On each project, she has moved tours both domestically and internationally while retaining her individual style.

Claire Mas

Claire Mas has managed the digital strategy of top artists, such as Sigrid, Robyn, Mumford & Sons, Ray BLK, and Hozier, among others. She is an influential voice in the digital music ecosystem, having previously headed up digital at Communion, led training for Music Ally, and managed independent artists.

Shawn Barron

Shawn Barron is the man behind the signing of Drake, Diggy Simmons, Wale, Curren$y, and Ty Dolla $ign. He is now senior director at Atlantic Records and has previously worked for Universal Records and Koch Records.

Ekaterina Bazhanova

Ekaterina Bazhanova is the founder of Music Development Russia, a company providing services in different areas of the music business. Its key activities are artist development, music business consulting, publishing, events, and music exports. Bazhanova has worked with artists such as Yuar, Tesla Boy, Poko Cox, On-the-Go, and НААДЯ, among others.

Cherie Hu

Cherie Hu defines herself as a citizen of the music tech macrocosm. The main topic of her work is how technology transforms music and culture. Her written work can be found in Billboard, Forbes, Music Business Worldwide, Columbia Journalism Review, Pitchfork, and many other publications.

Stephen Budd

Stephen Budd Music represents some of the most successful and influential producers, songwriters, mixers, engineers, remixers, and programmers from Europe and the US. In addition to his management services, Budd himself is a music cultural commentator and an advisor to music festivals and live events.

Scott Cohen

The music business program had the pleasure of hosting Scott Cohen, cofounder of the Orchard, the world’s largest digital distribution company. Cohen is a world-renowned lecturer who visited the campus to discuss reinventing business models as we see them. Currently, he is a visiting professor at London Metropolitan University and is a member of the British Phonographic Industry Council.

Steve Stoute

Steve Stoute is the founder and CEO of the brand development and marketing firm Translation, and author of The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy. For more than a decade, Stoute has worked to identify and activate a new generation of consumers on behalf of iconic brands like State Farm, Jeep, and the National Basketball Association, helping them thrive in the changing cultural climate. He has worked with artists like Will Smith, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Jimmy Iovine, and Solange Knowles. During his special visit to our campus for the Branding and Advertising Music Business seminar, Stoute shared his knowledge about the music and advertising industries with our students and gave them valuable advice on how to succeed in this evolving space.

Rob Dickins

Industry legend Rob Dickins is the former president and chairman of Warner Music UK. Dickins is responsible for the signings of Prince, Madonna, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic), Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, among others, to the UK company. Dickins visited our campus as a special guest for the final week of the Master of Arts in Global Entertainment and Music Business Degree Program A&R seminar.