First Speakers Revealed for AIR's Indie-Con Australia Conference 2025
A2IM President and CEO Dr. Richard James Burgess, MBE and General Manager Lisa Hresko are this year’s headline speakers.
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Less than two months out from this year’s Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Indie-Con Australia Conference and American Association of Independent Music’s (A2IM) Indie Week Australian Edition, organisers have revealed the first list of international speakers appearing at the three-day event.
Held in Australia’s UNESCO designated City of Music, Adelaide, from Wednesday, July 30 to Friday, August 1, this year’s speaker list is headlined by A2IM President and CEO Dr. Richard James Burgess, MBE and General Manager Lisa Hresko.
Burgess has produced, recorded, and performed on numerous gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, is known for his pioneering work with synthesisers, and has written several books, including "The Art of Music Production: The Theory and Practice" and "The History of Music Production."
Hresko oversees the operations of A2IM, which includes over 600 US record label members and almost 200 other music businesses. She is a strong advocate for the independent music community and has been a speaker at music conferences across the globe.
Other speakers taking to the podium include label executives Ian Harrison (EVP Hopeless Records), Melanie Sheehan (US General Manager Rough Trade Records), David Barnes (COO Rhymesayers), and Salvatore Maicki (Senior A&R The FADER Label), distribution and marketing leaders Anna Bond (Director of Planning and Initiatives Secretly) and Ali Murphy (Senior International Marketing Director Secretly), along with Kaoruko Hill (GM APAC Merlin) and Guji Lorenzana (A&R Business Development Symphonic Distribution APAC), who will disucss everything from music rights to licesnsing and stragedy.
More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks, with tickets on sale now via air.eventsair.com.
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Last year’s event was a massive success and featured the first Music Industry debate and a host of international panellists and delegates, including Dona Inthaxoum (Head of International Music Label Partnerships at Meta), Emmy Feldman, UK booking agent Stuart Kennedy (ATC Live) and Jim Romeo (Ground Control Touring). The conference also played host to a stack of local artists, such as PNAU, Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy, producer) and more.
This year’s Indie-Con coincides with the 20th anniversary of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), a trade association representing independent record labels in the United States. To commemorate the occasion, A2IM’s annual conference is being held outside the US for the first time, with A2IM Indie Week Australian Edition taking place on Wednesday, July 30, as part of this year’s Indie-Con.
“We look forward to welcoming speakers from around the globe to connect with the Australian independent recorded music community, discuss issues that affect our industry and explore opportunities for global growth,” says Maria Amato, AIR CEO.
This historic event is supported by the South Australian Government through the Music Development Office and will culminate with MusicSA’s Scouted, showcasing emerging, unsigned SA talents.
AIR’s Indie-Con Australia Conference and A2IM Indie Week Australian Edition take place in Adelaide from Wednesday, July 30 to Friday, August 1. Early Bird Tickets on sale via air.eventsair.com.
