Virigine Berger, Don't believe the Hype
Virginie Berger, more than 12 years of experience in the media and music industry, is the former marketing and content director of MySpace France, and now reader for IMM, Nanterre university, Irma and author. She is the founder and the CEO of DBTH, a strategy, development and management firm, dedicated to artists and creative industries. She also wrote  the book “Music and digital strategies”. She is also the publisher of “Don’t believe the Hype”, a website dedicated to musicians, artists, bands and people from the music industry. It gives them the tools, resources, expertise and guidance to help them take their music career to the next level.
http://virginieberger.com

Matt Bayles, Producer, Engineer, Mixer, musician, studio owner
Matt Bayles is a Seattle-based producer/engineer. In the past 15 years he has recorded and produced multiple records for Mastodon (including 2006's Grammy-nominated "Blood Mountain"), Isis, Botch, and Minus the Bear. He has worked with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Pearl Jam, The Sword, and dozens of others. Matt also owns Red Room Recording, his studio in Seattle.

Xavier Collin, publisher & more
Xavier Collin alias "Bill" comes from a booking agency and management. In 10 years he booked over 800  shows all over the world. Today he manages WTPL, a publishing company. WTPL was founded in 1991 by the english band called "Barking Dogs". Since 2003, Bill expanded his catalog. He had a big success with the Canadian Artist called "K.Maro" in 2004 with the hit "Femme Like U", N°1 in 17 country, platinium & gold album in many country. Since 2005, He developps a label part call "Booster". He build some other companies like "Regain" a musical library (music for cinema & TV), a publishing company in Canada, and at the end of the year a publishing company in Germany.

Jérôme Daab, Festival Le Jardin du Michel (F)
Jérôme Daab is the artistic director of the festival "Jardin du Michel", one of the main music gatherings in the the east of France that welcomes every year more 15.000 festival goers. He is also a member of the international festival federation "De Concert!"

Patrice Hourbette, Music:LX Luxembourg Export Office
Since twenty years in music business, Patrice Hourbette  was working in Tokyo, Amsterdam and was  founding in 1994 the Bureauexport  in Germany. From 1998 till 2004, he became Executive Manager from the Bureauexport in Paris. In 2004 Germany welcomed him back  leading again the Bureauexport in Berlin for 4 years. In 2008 he moved  to the UK as Manager of the Bureauexport in London promoting French labels  and artists in the UK. Since this year he is in charge of the Luxembourg Export Office Music:LX
www.musiclx.lu

Florian Hodbert, Rock Plan Makers
Florian Hodbert’s career starts in 1997 as he founds SUB POP association. At the basis, he’s in charge of the rehearsal studio, then, quite soon, he creates ad hoc activities for artists and groups’ management for each and every music style for rock to techno even including hip hop. It’s a big success with more than 1800 subscribers to the SUB POP solutions and 15 employees. Even the press speaks of this success at regional and national scales.

At the end of 2004, Florian leaves the structure and Nice to try is chance in Lille. In 2005 he starts concerts and events booking at “La malterie”, by this way he meets SPECTRE MEDIA and important german music label. He works with them on several projects and his qualities as an artist’s developer and manager immediately gain recognition.

Then, he works as a freelance for WTPL Music, a French publisher, and essentially manages export with Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Ireland and Canada. After many successes, bigger structures like Universal and Sony call him. 

At the end of 2011, under the impulsion of his long time partner XAVIER COLLIN he sets up ROCK PLAN MAKERS and works at 360° (media, tour, distribution) for strangers projects wanting to come to France or at the opposite projects wanting to export.

Gareth Jones, producer & mixing engineer
Born in 1954 Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure amongst many others. Trained at the BBC, he began working at "Pathway" studios in the late Seventies where he recorded and mixed John Foxx's Metamatic album in 1980 and the first Madness single, "The Prince", in 1979. He helped build “The Garden” studio for John Foxx and worked with Tuxedomoon & Depeche there.

Shortly afterwards he moved to Berlin and worked at the famous "Hansa" studio, where he continued experimenting with recording atmospheres and creating his own sound, making the three “Berlin Albums” with Depeche Mode.

Gareth Jones was a pioneer in the use of digital equipment (including the then new sampling technology), combined with Analogue recording techniques and synthesizers.  He worked with many bands in Berlin including Depeche & Einstürzende Neubauten, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Fad Gadget, Wire, Diamanda Galas. He also recorded and mixed 2 soundtracks for  Wim Wenders.

In the early nineties he moved back to London and worked in many famous studios including Abbey Road, Miloco and The Strongroom in London.

More recently he has mixed records by Efterklang, Grizzly Bear, Interpol, Mogwai, Sons and Daughters, Liars, The Futureheads & David’s Lyre.  Remixes for SCUM, Erasure, Plastikman, Can, Goldfrapp, Orbital, Neu, Pizzicato 5. Production work (often including mixing)  includes Emmy the Great, Wild Palms, We Have Band, These New Puritans, Clinic & Polly Scattergood.

During his keynote Gareth will focus on the producer’s role in developing an artist’s potential in the studio and share some of his working experiences. He may also discuss the major changes, which have occurred in the music industry and the music technology (recording techniques, sampling, producing) over the last 3 decades.

Kai Jorzyk, PR Rockstar e.V. Saarbrücken (D)
Kai Jorzyk has been booking shows in Saarbrücken / Germany for more than 10 years now. He started as a booker for a small live club called „Hellmut“. In 2004 he co-founded Rockstar e.V., a registered association that promotes about 50 shows every year at the Garage and Kleiner Klub Garage in Saarbrücken. Mr Jorzyk is also responsible for the booking of the bands that play the main stage of Nauwieser Fest, one of the biggest street fairs in the Saarland area. He also works as event manager, tour manager, producer and freelance journalist.

Joe Koener, Eternal Tango
Joe Koener is one of the founding members of Eternal Tango and active in it since 2002. Eternal Tango has played over 400 shows, from little DIY bar shows to international Touring in over 10 European countries. Since 2008 Joe is also one of the Managing directors of the Golden Fox L.L.C. A Structure that the Band decided to create during the release of their last record "Welcome to the Golden City" to make all the their transactions possible on a legal scale. All that Eternal Tango had ever signed was a publishing contract, DIY and to be as free as the Wind, had been their philosophy, until this day! But in nearly 10 years of existence views can change. Find out more at this years Sonic Visions.
www.eternaltango.net

Janine Lubas, finetunes GmbH
As head of the client & label care department at finetunes GmbH Janine Hélène Lubas is responsible for all client communications and the key account Jazz/Classics/World.
After having studied International Business and Mediamanagement she was involved in launching the cooperations&sales department at radio.de, an international webradio aggreagtor.
http://solutions.finetunes.net/

Jean-Charles Masson, Agence Culturelle Meurthe & Moselle (F)
Jean-Charles is the Communications Representative for the Agence Culturelle Meurthe & Moselle which is based in Nancy, France. Since 2009, he coordinates MULTIPISTES, a 12-month coaching program for bands that takes place in Belgium, Luxembourg an France.

David Moreira, Eternal Tango
Born in Luxemburg, David Moreira began his musical education with studying voice at the "Conservatoire de Musique" de la Ville de Luxembourg. 2008 he continued his studies at the Music Academy International Nancy and received a degree as a professional musician. 2006 he joined the Band Eternal Tango, where he is still the Leadsinger. With Eternal Tango he played over 300 shows. From little DIY bar shows to international touring in over 10 European countries.
www.eternaltango.net

Allan McGowan, Journalist/Consultant
Allan McGowan has some forty years of experience in the advertising, music and entertainment industries. He has worked in record retail, and as a concert promoter, artist manager, and booking agent , specialising in the arrangement of European tours. He is also a music business journalist having contributed to various trade magazines.
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At present he is News Editor for Vip News, an on-line data and news service for the live music industry, www.vip-booking.com. He is also Agenda Consultant for the annual International Live Music Conference (ILMC) in London- www.ilmc.com,  and is Associate Editor of IQ Magazine – the quarterly journal of the ILMC He also administrates music publishing company Wintrup Songs Ltd.
 
He has regularly presented and moderated panels at major international trade events, such as ILMC in London, the Noorderslag Seminar/Eurosonic Festival in Holland, Midem, SXSW , the Amsterdam Dance Event, Reeperbahn Campus Hamburg, MaMa Paris, and Popkomm in Berlin, as well as events in Scotland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Hungary and others.

Marc Nickts, General Manager SACEM Luxembourg s.c.
Marc Nickts has initially been working for the SACEM Luxembourg, the local music rights collecting society, for a period of 6 years, before being nominated General Manager of that society. He manages the music rights collection in Luxembourg aiming to guarantee a fair remuneration for the authors, composer and publishers of musical work.

John Rech, Music:LX
John Rech was born in Dudelange (L) on the 8th of May 1970. First following the family’s enthusiasm for football and politics, he rapidly turns towards basketball and track & fields. His promising career as a 400m runner is brutally stopped by 3 major injuries. “Just for fun”, John enters the world of music by founding a band called T42… The 15 years history of the band sees them tour Luxembourg and many countries of Europe as well as releasing numerous albums and singles with national hits.
Dream catcher is his solo project since 1997 and is still touring regularly. He has played & toured with numerous international artists such as Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Counting Crows, Train, Ezio, Bap, Krezip, Die Happy, Fettes Brot, Faudel, Mike & the Mechanics, Fish, Jethro Tull, The Paperboys, Reamonn, Alphaville, Fury in the Slaughterhouse, Die Prinzen, Wir sind Helden, Bananafishbones, Fool's Garden, Jeff Healey, Rory Gallagher, Wir sind Helden, les Innocents, Louis Bertignac (Ex-Téléphone) and many many more.
After working for a group of Parliament representatives as well as an advertising agency, John ran his own concert & touring company from 1996 to 2006 and can be described as a music all-rounder. He’s been promoting gigs for almost 20 years in his country and travelled Europe as a tour manager with bands such as Wir Sind Helden, Ezio, Tito & Tarantula or the Bananafishbones. Since 2006, John is working for the Town of Dudelange, promoting concerts and festivals. He's also the vice-president and a founding member of Luxembourg's export office Music:LX.

Tim Renner, Motor Entertainment
Tim Renner was born on December 1st 1964 in Berlin. After his A-levels in 1984 he began to study German language and literature but quit after the first term since he considered it as „too boring“.  He began to work as a journalist, started a press agency for city magazines and wrote articles for newspapers and books. During his inquiries for an undercover story about the music industry in 1986 he joined the Polydor label and put his journalistic plans on hold. He signed the Berlin based band Element Of Crime and had a first chart hit with the pop avant-gardist Phillip Boa from Dortmund. In 1989 he took over the management of the new founded Polydor Progressive Music Division. Five years later, he established a new record label within the Polygram Group, the Motor Music Ltd. which he run as the Managing Director. With Motor Music he developed acts like Philip Boa, Tocotronic, Absolute Beginner and international artists like Portishead, 2Pac and The Cardigans. Tim Renner´s biggest success so far was achieved with the band Rammstein from Berlin.In 1998 when PolyGram merged with Universal to Universal Music Germany, Tim Renner became President Music and replaced Wolf. D. Gramatke as CEO and Chairman. At Universal Music he worked with stars like Eminem, Sting, Texas, Pavarotti, U2, Bon Jovi, Howard Carpendale or Rosenstolz. In the year 2004, when Universal wanted to part from many national artists and to alter the company´s structure in a significant way, Renner resigned. After a journey around the world he published a book about the media industry in September 2004 and is one of a hundred managers worldwide who have been nominated as global leader for tomorrow by the world economic forum (Geneva/ Davos).

Half a year after Tim Renner left his seat at Universal, he first reanimated the brand Motor through the relaunch of the German alternative-music webportal www.motor.de, which became the 2^nd strongest German rock/alternative/indie/crossover website and further on with the spectacular launch of the radio-station Motor FM (Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen and Stuttgart). In the year of 2005, the Motor Music was reactivated. Different to former times, Motor Music doesn’t operate as a label, but is a service company Motor helped several artist to reach Gold and Platinum status. On top Motor operates their “Rent-A-Record Company Model” helping artist become independent by managing their releases. Even German megastars like Marius Müller-Westernhagen uses this service. Tim became Professor at the Popakademie Baden Württemberg in 2009 and published his latest book “Digital ist besser” (digital is better) March this year. Recently his company Motor expanded into TV production (“Berlin Live” for ZDF).
www.motormusic.de

Carlo Schneider, Managing Director of Ace Entertainment S.AR.L.
Carlo server as a manager, consultant and independant director in several industries including media, communication, entertainment & IP rights management, finance and luxury consumer goods. Since 2008, Carlo has been acting as Managing Director of Ace Entertainment S.AR.L., a company active in intellectual property rights management. Ace Entertainment is the parent structure of Shakira and managers her global IP rights. Furthermore, Carlo acts is Managing Partner of Tailor-Made S.A. and Media Coat S.A., two small advertising firms, active mainly in communication and media as well as in the luxury and lifestyle industries. He also holds several mandates as an independant director on the boards for Luxembourg based companies in IP rights management.
www.schneider.lu

Alexander Schröder, Redfield Records
Founded in the Düsseldorf suburb of Haan-Gruiten in 2001, Redfield Records has become one of the best-established record companies in the genres of Hardcore, Emo and Indie in Germany. Born in 1980, Alexander Schröder runs the label together with his partner Kai Rostock since the beginning.
http://www.redfield-records.de/

Philippe Schirrer (Dj, Producer - Monophona)
Chook starts mixing in 1995 and first focusses on scratch techniques. In 2003 he is finalist of the famous 'Movement/Vestax' competition in London.
Since 2007 he 's touring the international club scene with gigs in cities such as London, Berlin, Rome, Sidney and Budapest.
He is also a founding member of the band Monophona which is playing a showcase at the Sonic Visions Festival this year.
http://www.myspace.com/djchook
http://soundcloud.com/monophona

Dietmar Schwenger, editor MusikWoche
Dietmar Schwenger was born 1969 in Bochum where he studied German literature and philosophy. Since 1999 he works for the German business service MusikWoche based in Munich. He also moderates panels for events like Popkomm, Reeperbahn Campus, Frankfurter Buchmesse or Amsterdam Dance Event.

Moses Schneider, producer and mixing engineer
Active as a freelance producer since 1990, Moses Schneider has produced several number one and golden records with the Beasteaks (Smack Smash - 2003, Boombox - 2010) and Tocotronic (Schall und Wahn - 2009) and has been nominated for the best producer (Echo awards) in 2005 and 2007. In 2011 he has released the highly acclaimed book " Das etwas andere Handbuch or How to pimp my Übungsraum" including tips and tricks and explanations about how to record your band in your rehearsal room.

Billy Torney, Roadrunner Belgium & MTC Records

Billy Torney has been a music professional for the last 16 years in the Benelux. Staring his career as product manager with Belgian label Double T Music he worked on launching the careers of a.o. K’s Choice, Ashbury Faith and Ozark Henry.

His next step took him to the starting up V2 Records Belgium. Launching this label in Belgium first as label manager and at the end as managing director he and his team not only released epic acts such as Underworld, Grandaddy, Mercury Rev and Elbow. Here also was the start of a new alternative distribution setup with as first label: Beggars Banquet. Home to Basement Jaxx, White Stripes and nowadays Adèle and Radiohead.

In 2004 he joined Play It Again Sam as head of the Belgian department following up on various distributed labes such as Ninja Tune, Warp, etc. But also focussing on artist projects as Editors, Soulwax, Daan and An Pierlé.

2007 was a turning point where the decision was made to leave all bosses behind and go fully independent as a music professional. He joined MTC Records, a platform for new innovating bands with pop crossover potential (e.g. Zornik, Tom Helsen) and started managing several bands as independent consultant such as Headphone, The Hickey Underworld.

Busy be Billy also joined the Roadrunner Records Belgium team as a freelancer responsible for all marketing. Roadrunner needs little introduction as the metal and rock label in the world. Just some name dropping: Slipknot, Machine Head, KISS, Opeth, Slash, Channel Zero and recently even Lenny Kravitz.

Besides his current activities the newest challenge is Risky Business. Risky is a consultancy company for artists ranging from label and record support, management, bookings, toumanagement and music exploitation on every level such as synchs, etc. It’s Antwerp based since no one is taking care there of such a service. Current roster are RONES, Maxon Blewitt and UMA. But more to follow.

Serge Tonnar, independent musician, writer, actor
Since 1997, Serge works as an independent musician, writer and actor. He composes music for films and theatre plays, produces albums and tours as a singer-songwriter and occasionally works as a playwright and actor. He is the founder of the artistic collective MASKéNADA, a production platform for alternative projects in the performing arts sector.
www.tonnar.lu
www.legotrip.lu
www.maskenada.lu

Anne-Lize Vancraenem, Green l.f.ant Music
Anne-Lize Vancraenem works as a company lawyer for Green l.f.ant Music, an independent company based in Brussels. The company started as an independent label in 2001 and enlarged his activities to management, publishing and distribution.
Anne-Lize is a board member of BIMA (Belgian independent music association) and she also works for the "société de droit d'auteur des journalistes" in Brussels.