The Foundation for Independent Music has revealed the programming lineup for the 18th annual Indie Week conference, including keynotes from Shira Perlmutter and Charlie Lexton. The event, supported by the American Association of Independent Music, will occur from June 8 to 11 at the InterContinental New York Times Square. Special initiatives like IndieVest and sessions on legal education and market spotlights are featured.
The Foundation for Independent Music (FIM) announced the detailed programming for Indie Week 2026, the premier gathering for the independent music community. This three-day conference, backed by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), will convene label executives, artists, distributors, technology leaders, attorneys, and global partners for discussions on strategic topics, networking, and innovative sessions.
Keynotes include Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, alongside Charlie Lexton, CEO of Merlin. Special programming encompasses IndieVest, an initiative to connect the independent music sector with investors through financing talks, revenue analysis, and a pitch competition called Elevating Indies: Music Innovation Showcase. Attendees can participate in Record Swap, a networking session for exchanging independent music, and Continued Legal Education (CLE) sessions curated by Perkins Coie LLP. These CLE topics cover music litigation cases, privacy for music services, AI music licensing, ethics in diversity and representation for women in music, catalog transactions, and enforcement strategies.
The agenda features panels like the International Market Spotlight on LATAM presented by Symphonic, examining streaming dynamics, partnerships, and growth strategies in Latin America. Symphonic also hosts The Modern Label Playbook on data usage and demand building. Other highlights include SonicOrigin's interactive challenge on audio watermarking, a Spotify for Artists Masterclass on tools like Countdown Pages and Marquee, and Chartmetric's data-driven snapshot of the global indie landscape.
Additional sessions address the APAC market, artist development in film scoring, catalog management, fan lifecycle building, micro-genres, radio strategies, user-generated content with influencers, visual storytelling beyond music videos, CFO insights, long-term business durability, metadata solutions, data ownership in distribution, and high-performing team structures. The event concludes with A2IM’s Annual General Meeting, featuring speakers such as Ian Harrison, Nabil Ayers, Noemi Planas, Charlie Lexton, and Josh Hurvitz.
Tickets are available for purchase.
