Once again this year the Reeperbahn Festival’s conference will feature a fascinating array of international speakers.

And we’re pleased to be able to present the first confirmed speakers today. In talks, panels, and workshops, conference speakers will discuss and debate the main developments in the music industry and its submarkets.
The range of topics has been reduced compared to last year, thus making navigation of the conference programme easier and focusing attention on the most important issues. Live, media, marketing, politics, publishing, recorded, startup, synch & brands, and technology are the key areas for this year’s sessions programme.
Having said this we are proud to welcome these personalities at this year´s conference...

PAUL HASLINGER (US)
Synch & Brands
Blending electronic and acoustic elements into his scores, distinguished composer Paul Haslinger takes a unique approach to sound. Based in Hollywood for 25 years, Haslinger has worked on a wide range of projects, including the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated TV series “Sleeper Cell”, the historical action film “The Three Musketeers”, the captivating sci-fi thriller “Underworld: Awakening”, HBO’s “Cheaters”, “Blue Crush”, “The Girl Next Door”, and video games such as “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Need for Speed: Undercover”. Before moving to Hollywood, Haslinger was a member of German electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream and worked with the group on a multitude of projects.
At the Reeperbahn Festival Conference Paul Haslinger will offer his insights on working as a composer in today’s film/TV/games landscape.

CHRIS BARTON (US)
Startup
Also part of Next Con programme
Chris Barton is the co-founder of Shazam which started as an idea he conceived in late 1999. With three other co-founders, he led the creation of Shazam from concept through inventing a new pattern recognition technology to building and launching the world’s first mobile music recognition service. Today Shazam has been downloaded more than 500 million times and has more than 100 million monthly active users. Barton currently works at Dropbox where he is responsible for business development with mobile operators/carriers. He also still serves on the board of Shazam Entertainment. Prior to Dropbox, he spent nearly eight years at Google and focused on mobile with his last two years on the Android business development team.
At Reeperbahn Festival Barton will speak about the story of Shazam including the many ways it can be used in marketing and advertising.
The session is also part of the NEXT conference programme.

THORSTEN SCHÄFER-GÜMBEL (DE)
Media / Politics
As part of VUT Indie Days
German Social Democrat politician Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel is deputy SPD chairman and is also regional chairman and leader of the SPD in Hesse´s state parliament
His policy priorities are centred on economical and financial market issues. As the designated successor of Wolfgang Thierse, chairman of the Cultural Forum (Kulturforum) of the SPD Schäfer-Gümbel is also concerned to strengthen cultural policy.
Schäfer-Gümbel will take part in the discussion on musical diversity in Germany’s radio landscape.
The session is part of the VUT Indie Days in cooperation with Reeperbahn Festival.

ALISON WENHAM (GB)
Recorded
As part of VUT Indie Days
Founding AIM (Association of Independent Music) in 1999, Alison Wenham has been chairman and CEO since inception. She is founding chairman of WIN (Worldwide Independent Network), a founding board member of IMPALA (the European organisation representing the interests of small record companies and publishers in Europe), a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, a board director of Merlin (the independent global rights licensing agency), and also of UK Music, the body representing the UK music industry. She has featured in Billboard’s Top Women in Music every year since publication.
Wenham will address the debate on fair remuneration for artists in the digital music business.
The session is part of the VUT Indie Days in cooperation with Reeperbahn Festival.

DANIEL MÜLLENSIEFEN (DE)
Synch & Brands / Marketing
Also part of Next Con programme
How do we perceive and memorise music and melodies? What makes us love a song? Dr. Daniel Müllensiefen is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London; he is also part of the Music, Mind and Brain research group, and co-director of the Master’s course in Music, Mind & Brain. His projects address the cognitive, computational, and neuroscientific bases of musical understanding and behaviour.
Since September 2010, he has also been working with the London-based advertising agency DDB UK to explore how music works subconsciously in advertising.
We are looking forward to his talk on music, brains and what makes synapses dance.The session is also part of the NEXT conference programme.