On July 31, the Recording Academy’s Atlanta Chapter hosted its first-ever Creators Summit. Held at the historic Candler Hotel in partnership with the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing and Producers & Engineers Wing, the event brought together local creatives and key industry leaders for a series of panels addressing the importance of education for creators, as well as the evolution of revenue streams in the music business.
Atlanta has long been regarded as a dynamic and flourishing cultural hub best known for its deep roots in music, innovation and influence. Sometimes regarded as the "capital of the South," Atlanta has shaped global music for decades. The city is home to notable hip-hop and trap acts, including OutKast and Migos, and R&B superstars such as Usher and Summer Walker. This summit took on the important task of tackling crucial issues through the lens of local creatives and industry leaders.
Following a welcome from Chapter President Diane Durrett and Michele Caplinger, the Atlanta Chapter’s Sr. Executive Director, the program began with an Up Close and Personal panel with GRAMMY-winning songwriter Theron Thomas moderated by Joshua "J1" Raiford, Vice President of Music Programming at Pandora. Thomas, who is the second-ever recipient of the Academy’s Songwriter Of The Year (Non-Classical) award, offered an inside look at the trajectory of his career, citing his penning of the Pussycat Dolls’ mega-hit "When I Grow Up" as a major steppingstone in his journey as a songwriter. The panel also covered personal subjects such as celebrating your own successes and remembering the "why" behind your craft.
Following the day’s initial discussion, attendees received a brief presentation from Kayla Ott, Sr. Marketing Director for the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Ott provided an overview of the MLC and presented several resources including how to become a member of the MLC and how to contact their support team to begin collecting mechanical royalties.
The second discussion of the day titled, "Chasing the Money" was moderated by City National Bank executive Randie Brooks, and featured Tricky Stewart, Samuel ASH, Malita Rice, and Ronnie Jackson as panelists. The conversation offered unique perspectives on the relationship between cash grabs and career longevity and encouraged creatives to continue to advocate for one another to ensure fair and equal compensation.
The summit closed with a keynote discussion from newly elected Recording Academy Trustee Tami LaTrell. LaTrell who is the Founder and CEO of the Mezzo Agency in Atlanta, discussed the importance of having a grasp on the administrative needs of a creator. Following the presentation, attendees attended an intimate mixer with fellow Atlanta Chapter members.
From navigating the highs and lows of your career as a creative to exploring the hustle behind turning creativity into cash flow, this event sparked honest conversations and provided fresh perspectives on building and maintaining a sustainable career in the music industry. If you missed it or want to relive some of the day’s most impactful moments, here are five key takeaways from the 2025 Atlanta Chapter Creators Summit.
Compensation & Proper Education Are The Keys To Survival
To an emerging artist, the music business can be very daunting. It is easy to become intimidated or overwhelmed by a complex machine made up of record labels, publishers, DSPs, and PROs. Only through education can one "jump in" and combat a personal lack of understanding of the industry.
"We learn through experience, through messing up," Thomas said during his panel. This comment echoes the common reality for many creatives, which is that most of the learning in the music business is done by trial and error.
During "Chasing the Money" Randie Brooks, Sr. Vice President at City National Bank, asked panelists to provide examples of common mistakes made by artists. Veteran songwriter and record producer Tricky Stewart suggested that many emerging creatives prioritize short-term financial gains at the expense of personal artistic growth and the development of basic music business knowledge. The panel collectively stressed that an artist’s career longevity directly correlates with the evolution of their craft and with their understanding of the mechanics of the business.
It was not lost on any of the day’s speakers or moderators, however, that there is a much larger issue at hand regarding the inaccessibility of educational resources for creatives. Malita Rice, Vice President of A&R at Warner Records, insisted on the development and integration of educational infrastructure into the artist development process, suggesting "There has to be something in place for these [artists] who are writing songs, creating music, [and] producing tracks…to learn how to protect their works and get paid."
Each of these discussions suggests that education is not just important, but it is necessary to ensure fair compensation and, thus, essential to artistic survival.
There Is Power In Numbers
"It takes a village" is a popular sentiment amongst those who have achieved successful careers in the music business. Likewise, this same opinion is one that was echoed several times throughout the discussions held during the Atlanta Chapter Creators Summit.
"There’s no one way to do this, but what I do know is you can’t do this by yourself," Theron Thomas said. "You need people who will believe in you, people who will check on you, and people who will put you in the right rooms." Beyond curating a band of supportive people, an artist needs a team comprised of individuals who believe in them, are willing to hold them accountable, and will advocate for them in rooms that they are not in.
Producer Ronnie "Lil Ronnie" Jackson also stressed the importance of having a strong team, taking it one step further by insisting that artists don’t need to just surround themselves with "yes men" but with "people who know what they’re doing." This point calls back to the necessity of being educated on the inner workings of the music business to ensure optimal success.
Whether it's emotional support, creative collaboration, or strategic guidance, building a solid team and professional network is essential to navigating the intricacies of the music business. For any aspiring artist, recognizing the power of community and teamwork isn’t just beneficial, it's foundational.
Radio Is Still Relevant
In a world where streaming dominates how audiences discover and consume music, many would assume that it’s also where music makers see much of their revenue gain. On the contrary: Industry creatives and professionals agree that radio and live performances remain the most consistent and profitable revenue sources for artists.
Atlanta Chapter Vice President Cannon Kent-Grant asked "Chasing the Money" panelists for their personal takes on the significance of radio airplay. Kent-Grant, who is the National Director of Promotion at Atlantic Records, noted that many emerging artists are not interested in radio presence and prefer to focus on streaming. Tricky Stewart reaffirmed that radio is still one of the most lucrative pieces of the pie.
These comments reflect a hard truth: While streaming platforms boast billions of plays, creatives (and specifically songwriters) only see a small percentage of that profit. Radio airplay, on the other hand, offers the financial benefit of a performance royalty for songwriters, composers, and publishers for each individual play, in addition to relevant exposure that can drive other streams of revenue.
To ensure that attendees left the Creators Summit with an understanding on the importance and relevance of radio, Ronnie Jackson provided a breakdown of the three ways to obtain revenue from a song: mechanical royalties, performance royalties and sync licensing fees.
Artificial Intelligence: A Tool To Embrace & Regulate
The subject of AI has become quite a controversial topic among music makers in recent years. While many creatives have embraced the idea of its integration into their workflow, others continue to protest its use, citing it as a threat to human artistry.
Panelists did not shy away from sharing their opinions on the use of AI. Thomas regards himself as "a person that isn’t afraid of things I don’t understand" and shared anecdotes of how AI has assisted his songwriting process. However, Thomas made sure to note to audience members that, that power is in the hands of human creators, saying "AI can’t do what you do."
"AI is a tool, [but] It doesn’t feel heartbreak. It doesn’t know struggle," Jackson added later. While AI might be able to produce and organize complementary chord progressions and catchy lyrics, it doesn’t possess the emotional depth that human beings bring to the music making process.
Speakers also cited several instances in which they believed AI had gone too far, including examples of the unlicensed use of voice and likeness to produce content. Panelists discussed how AI’s ability to create the likeness of a deceased person raises important concerns about consent and respect for an artist’s legacy. In a more general sense, though, it justifies the need for regulations surrounding the use of AI in the music business.
Metadata Management Remains Important
Metadata is essential for ensuring that creators get paid and are credited properly. The unfortunate reality is that metadata is often mishandled, neglected or forgotten altogether. This can lead to missed payments, and, in some cases, crippling career oversights.
Most of the conversation surrounding metadata occurred during the "Chasing the Money" portion of the summit, where creatives urged fellow creatives to look out for one another and take care of the metadata in the beginning stages of the music-making process. "If we don’t get those splits right early, someone’s getting left out, and it’s always the same people," Jackson shared.
"There are songs that went number one where the [metadata] was wrong, and people still haven’t been paid," Malita Rice noted. This perspective from the record label side of the issue demonstrates how correcting these mistakes is neither cheap nor quick, and that business leaders see this as a major problem.
Tami LaTrell, a veteran songwriter in her own right, urged the audience during her closing keynote to continue to "have the hard conversations" as it pertains to intellectual property because ultimately credit determines compensation, and that it the business of a creator.
It was a consensus among panelists that some iteration of a standardized metadata management system is the only solution that can combat the administrative gaps that continue to cost creators money, credit, and subsequent recognition. Until then, it is encouraged that creators continue to utilize existing resources such as the Mechanical Licensing Collective and the Mezzo Agency to ensure that they are receiving appropriate compensation for songs on which they received credit.