Khris Riddick-Tynes addresses attendees at the 2025 edition
Linney conducts a songwriting workshop during the 2025 edition
Over 60 award-winning artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, and industry leaders are part of this year’s program.
Over two days, our attendees gain direct access to and the opportunity to learn from some of the most prolific artists, producers, and engineers across the country.”— Loic Maestracci
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — MONO (previously Music Expo), San Francisco’s leading conference for music creators, has announced the initial lineup of speakers and sessions for its 2026 event. Now in its second consecutive year at The Midway in San Francisco, MONO will be held on November 13–14, 2026, preceded by an invite-only VIP welcome mixer on November 12. The conference is presented by Focusrite Group in association with Sound On Sound magazine.
Delegates from companies such as Squeak E. Clean, BMG, EMPIRE, Google, BeatLibrary, Liaison Artists, the Recording Academy, The Midway, Halcyon SF, and 1015 Folsom will participate in the program alongside independent artists, producers, and engineers — additional speaker affiliations are listed in the full lineup below.
Program Highlights
Friday, November 13
Keynote Presentation: Valentino Khan. An intimate dialogue with producer and DJ Valentino Khan about crafting compelling storytelling on social media as a music creator.
From Release to Career: Building Momentum Between Releases. DistroKid’s Mike Fink joins artists Adrian Marcel and Mr. Hong, along with YouTube Music’s Erica Foss, for a candid conversation about building a sustainable career during the periods between releases.
Inside Sync: A Discussion on Music, Creativity & Building a Career in Sync. Producer Jake Warren, whose track “HAUNT U” appeared in American Horror Stories, shares how he built an independent career composing for film, TV, and publishers.
The Art of Noticing: Transforming Everyday Moments into Songs That Connect. Songwriter and artist LINNEY leads a workshop on channeling everyday inspiration into resonant songs.
Why Some Songs Connect — and Others Don’t. Renowned songwriting coach Jai Josefs breaks down the specific steps successful songwriters use to lift their songs from ordinary to extraordinary.
Session-Ready: A Five-Minute Vocal Reset for Artists, Producers, and Performers. Whitney Nicole, founder of Songbird Studios, delivers a quick, practical vocal warm-up suitable for singers and producers alike.
Saturday, November 14
Keynote Presentation: Toby Gad Live Podcast with Khris Riddick-Tynes. Hitmaking songwriter-producer Toby Gad engages with Khris Riddick-Tynes in a live podcast conversation.
Live Vocal Tracking & Production Demo. Engineer Karina “Xarina” Flonnoy and vocal producer Tyler Reese demonstrate real-time comping and harmony-stacking techniques in a high-speed vocal session.
Explore SLAB: From Production to Performance. Presented by AlphaTheta, DJ and producer Magie Hue and DJ, producer, educator, and promoter Gera Akate lead a hands-on exploration of SLAB’s capabilities for beatmaking, sampling, remixing, and live performance — illustrating how it bridges production and DJ performance in a single workflow.
Replayability and the Philosophy of Mastering in 2026. Mastering Engineer Nicolas de Porcel, known for his “Million Dollar Snare” approach, and Artist & Songwriter Devvon Terrell from HelpMeDevvon examine what makes music designed to be replayed billions of times.
Navigating AI in the Music Industry: Rights, Risks, and Opportunities. Presented in partnership with California Lawyers for the Arts, attorneys Jessica Fajfar and Justine Levy explore how AI is reshaping copyright, licensing, and rights for music creators.
The Business of Game Audio: A Report From the Trenches. Moderated by Steve Horowitz of the Game Audio Institute, featuring panelists Clay and Chase Bethea, this panel examines career paths and the current state of the game audio industry.
Built to Last – Breaking In and Creating Longevity in the Music Industry. Presented by Neon Owl, featuring Manager and Songwriter Lorne Padman, Nick Garcia from Insomniac Music Group, Elaine Huang from Neon Owl, and Andrew Conde from Thrive Music, this panel explores what it takes to build a lasting career in music — from mindset and habits to meaningful relationships.
Rising Together – The Power of Community & Collectives. Presented by Neon Owl, featuring Elaine Huang, Goshfather, Jon Sax, and B Patt, this session explores the power of community and collectives for artists, talent buyers, promoters, agents, and creatives finding their place in the industry.
The complete schedule, including additional sessions, workshops, and mixers, will be posted at monomusic.co/schedule.
"Over two days, our attendees gain direct access to and the opportunity to learn from some of the most prolific artists, producers, and engineers across the country," said Loïc Maestracci, founder and CEO of MONO. "That kind of access is what inspires the next generation of music creators."
Presenters and Exhibitors
AlphaTheta is presenting MONO’s official DJ Stage, and DistroKid is sponsoring the opening keynote on Day One.
MONO 2026 partners and exhibitors include ADAM Audio, AlphaTheta, the Audio Engineering Society, California Lawyers for the Arts, Crescendo Research, DistroKid, Envelop, Focusrite, Game Audio Institute, Gear Space, Granola AI, Neon Owl, Novation, Oberheim, Pioneer DJ, rekordbox, Resin, Sequential, Singstraw, Songbird, Sound on Sound, Steinberg, Studio X, and Women’s Audio Mission, with additional partners being added.
View our exhibitors at monomusic.co/exhibitors
Early Bird Tickets
Early bird tickets are available now until September 13 starting at $69 on the MONO website and Tixr.
Further details can be found on the MONO Music website.
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