Ashanti and Hitmakers to Lead ASCAP Experience Programs

ASCAP experienceASCAP’s signature event created to inspire, educate and connect aspiring songwriters and composers around the world, has announced its June 2022 schedule. Ended with a session with the singer-songwriter and actress Grammy award-winning Ashantithe month includes a series of events dedicated to showcasing the many diverse voices and experiences within ASCAP and the music-making communities, as well as a live ASCAP Wellness musical meditation.

June 24 at 3 p.m. ET, singer and songwriter topping the charts Ashanti will speak with Dawton Thomas, Editor of VIBE on the 20-year legacy of his landmark debut album, Ashanti, and delve into the creation of some of his greatest hits of all time. In addition to the Grammy, Ashanti has won numerous Billboard and American Music Awards and is a Guinness World Record holder. She is CEO of her record label Written Entertainment, recently became the first black artist to co-found a Web3 company, EQ Exchange, and will release her first children’s book, My Name Is a Story, on July 12 with HarperCollins Publishing. The event will be broadcast on the ASCAP YouTube channel and will end ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awardstaking place on the social networks @ASCAP and @ASCAPURBAN from June 21 to 24.

Earlier in the month, June 8 at 3 p.m. ET, Indian-American television/film composer Raashi Kulkarni (Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Costa Rican composer-producer Daniel Rojas (Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, MODOK) Will Reunite With Universal Pictures Executive Jeff Cafuir for “The Sound of Diversity: Championing Unique Voices in Film/Television Music.” Panelists will explain why diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are so crucial for songwriters, businesses and fans. Kulkarni and Rojas will also discuss their experiences with NBCUniversal’s Universal Composers initiative, an effort to close the gap for women, people of color and other underrepresented communities in the world of composition. The conversation will take place live on Instagram @ASCAP.

On June 10 at 12 p.m. ET, leading up to World Wellness Day on Saturday, the ASCAP wellness program joins Experience in presenting “The art of listening: a live musical meditation with the beginner’s ear. Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, founder of Beginner’s Ear, will guide an immersive group meditation that explores the ways sound, stillness and mindfulness are interconnected and features acclaimed ASCAP musician and composer Todd Reynolds performing a program of contemporary classical works for violin and electronics. The meditation will take place live on Instagram @ASCAP.

On June 15 at 3 p.m. ET, ASCAP Experience hosts “Speak Out: A Roundtable on Identity in the Music Industry.” With Lazaro Hernández (VP, A&R at Warner Chappell Music for Latin America and Latin America), Ryan Cassata (award winning singer-songwriter, LGBTQ+ activist) and Jamie Moore (three-time Grammy-nominated songwriter-producer), this panel discussion will cover how each participant’s identity shapes their musical career, how they overcame the challenges they encountered along the way, and how to create an environment more welcoming and accessible and nurturing the music industry for all. The conversation will take place on the ASCAP YouTube channel.

In the first few months of 2022 alone, this year’s ASCAP Experience sessions have been viewed nearly 30,000 times. Sessions so far have included music creators from the Latin superstar Camille to the Oscar-nominated composer of Encanto Germaine Franco; K-pop stars justin liu and Amber Park to producers such as Ariana Grande’s hitmaker Tommy Brown and Bieber collaborator Bear poo for discussions on a wide variety of music-related topics. Last year, ASCAP Experience saw a 39% increase in attendance and a 53% increase in RSVPs over the previous year, and 2022 is on track to break attendance records again.

For more information and to see the full schedule as well as on-demand sessions, go to ascapexperience.com.