PANEL - Empowering Independent Musicians: Licensing, Distribution,
and Expert Coaching
Featured Speakers:
Molly Neuman - President of CD Baby
Molly Neuman is President of CD Baby, a leading music distribution company dedicated to empowering independent and self-releasing artists. As President, Neuman is leading strategy and management of Downtown’s primary D2C business which serves millions of artists every day. Neuman was previously CMO of Downtown Music Holdings, CD Baby’s parent company and prior to that, President of Downtown’s Songtrust, which grew under her leadership to manage more than 3 million copyrights for more than 350,000 writers in 145 countries.
With a career that has been focused on empowering musicians at all career stages, Neuman has been Head of Music at Kickstarter, Interim President and Vice President of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and has held senior roles in licensing in digital music, as well as label and artist management. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Women in Music and has previously served on the boards of the Music Business Association, SoundExchange and A2IM. Neuman has been recognized by Billboard in its 2018 Digital Power Players List, as well as its Women in Music Lists for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. Her musical career began as a drummer in Bratmobile, a punk band who were in the first wave of the riot grrrl movement.
Tony Alexander - President and Managing Director for Adaptive Music
Mr. Alexander is a proud member of the Leadership Music Class of 2023 and also serves on the Boards of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and is President of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Atlanta Chapter. He has been featured in publications such as Billboard, Wired, Music Ally, Music Week, Pitchfork, and Memphis Business Journal. He has also been selected as a Billboard Indie Power Player (2021), Worth Magazine Worthy 100 (2022), and Memphis Magazine Power Player (2020-22) among other honors.
Mr. Alexander is a magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College. He also holds both Master of Science and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been married to his best friend, Dr. Gwendolyn Alexander for twenty-nine years, and they have three children, seventeen-year-old Natalie, fifteen-year-old Philip, and thirteen-year-old Memphis Paige, and reside in Memphis, TN.
Doug Cohn - VP, Artist & Industry Relations at SoundExchange
Creative talent leader with deep experience across media and music, bringing exciting new talent together with technology and fresh ideas to spark, develop and deliver an incredible experience that represents the future of entertainment. Four-time Emmy winner, a Variety Top 20 industry influencer and a TJ Martell Foundation Visionary Award recipient.
Experienced executive who has steered highly-rated, talent-driven programming for some of the world’s best-known entertainment companies, including Nickelodeon / ViacomCBS, Netflix, MTV and Atlantic Records. Known for decades-long relationships with performers and music / entertainment gatekeepers including managers, agents, publishers, labels and publicists to deliver A-list artists for companies as well as key strategic partners.
Neeta was Executive Director of Folk Alliance International, Senior Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs for Global Citizen, founding head of artist-label relations and legal counsel for SoundExchange, Vice President of Business Development & Legal Affairs for Tunesat, Assistant General Counsel for The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and National Symphony Orchestra Association, and a former board governor for 10+ years for The Recording Academy (New York and DC Chapters). Neeta has served as a speaker at over 400 music industry conferences re: the global music business, artist management, new licensing models, legal and copyright topics, as well as diversity and women’s leadership and empowerment.
Tony D. Alexander is co-founder, President & Managing Director of Made in Memphis Entertainment LLC (MIME), a Black-owned full-service entertainment group comprising MIME Publishing, an independent music publishing company that handles the copyrights of some of the most sought-after young producers in hip-hop and R& B; Heavy Hitters Music, a film, TV, and ad sync company with an all-female creative team and Emmy-winning music catalog; Beatroot Music, a leading independent music distributor, as well as its subsidiary Beatroot Africa; and 4U Recording, a state-of-the-art recording studio brand with locations in Memphis and Atlanta. MIME is dedicated to developing and empowering diverse talent on both the creative and business sides of the industry.
and Women in Music, Global Co-Chair
Trend-spotter who identifies and secures deals before competitors, generating additional revenue through exclusive, multiplatform agreements with top artists. Deep consumer understanding that enables innovative content and impactful music experiences, including live events and series that generate ratings and social media buzz.
Neeta Ragoowansi has been a music business professional and entertainment attorney for 30+ years, serving as a strategic advisor, business development resource, and legal counsel to entertainment and tech industry clients. She is President of Music Managers Forum – US (MMF-US), Co-Founder of NPREX (National Performing Rights Exchange), a Global Co-Chair for Women in Music and Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries. Neeta serves on the advisory boards of IMMF (International Music Managers Forum), Gritty in Pink, and All About Music Conference (India).