MONO unveils first 2026 speakers and sessions

MONO, formerly Music Expo, has revealed the first wave of programming for its Nov. 13-14, 2026 conference at The Midway in San Francisco. The lineup includes Khris Riddick-Tynes, Valentino Khan, Toby Gad and Linney, as the event leans into music creation, AI, sync, mastering and career-building.

Why it matters: - MONO is positioning its 2026 conference as a high-access event for music creators, with more than 60 award-winning artists, songwriters, producers, engineers and industry leaders joining the program. - The conference puts major industry topics front and center, including career growth, sync, mastering, AI rights and music community building. - Early bird tickets start at $69, which gives creators an entry point to the event before prices rise.

What happened: - MONO released the first wave of speakers and sessions for its 2026 edition on Aug. 26, 2026. - The conference will run Nov. 13-14, 2026, at The Midway in San Francisco. - MONO will open with an invite-only VIP welcome mixer on Nov. 12. - Focusrite Group presents the event in association with Sound On Sound magazine. - Featured names include Khris Riddick-Tynes, Valentino Khan, Toby Gad, Linney, Mike Fink, Adrian Marcel, Mr. Hong, Erica Foss, Jake Warren, Jai Josefs, Whitney Nicole, Karina “Xarina” Flonnoy, Tyler Reese, Magie Hue, Gera Akate, Nicolas de Porcel, Devvon Terrell, Jessica Fajfar, Justine Levy, Steve Horowitz, Clay Bethea, Chase Bethea, Lorne Padman, Nick Garcia, Elaine Huang, Andrew Conde, Goshfather, Jon Sax and B Patt.

The details: - Friday’s keynote features Valentino Khan in an intimate conversation about building storytelling on social media as a music creator. - A panel called “From Release to Career: Building Momentum in Between” brings together DistroKid’s Mike Fink, Adrian Marcel, Mr. Hong and YouTube Music’s Erica Foss. - Jake Warren, whose song “HAUNT U” appeared in American Horror Stories, will discuss building an independent career in film, TV and publishing sync. - LINNEY will lead a workshop on turning everyday moments into songs. - Jai Josefs will break down what separates good songs from great ones. - Whitney Nicole, founder of Songbird Studios, will lead a five-minute vocal reset session for artists, producers and performers. - Saturday’s keynote is a live podcast conversation between Toby Gad and Khris Riddick-Tynes. - Karina “Xarina” Flonnoy and Tyler Reese will demonstrate live vocal tracking, comping and harmony stacking. - AlphaTheta will present a hands-on SLAB session led by Magie Hue and Gera Akate, focused on beatmaking, sampling, remixing and live performance. - Nicolas de Porcel and Devvon Terrell will examine replayability and mastering in 2026. - Jessica Fajfar and Justine Levy will discuss how AI is affecting copyright, licensing and creator rights. - Steve Horowitz will moderate a game audio panel with Clay Bethea and Chase Bethea. - Neon Owl will present two sessions focused on longevity in music and the power of community and collectives. - The full schedule, including additional sessions, workshops and mixers, will be available at the MONO schedule. - AlphaTheta is presenting MONO’s official DJ stage, and DistroKid is sponsoring the opening keynote on Day One. - MONO’s exhibitors and partners 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. - MONO says new partners are still being added. - Exhibitor information is available at MONO exhibitors. - Early bird tickets are on sale now through Sept. 13, starting at $69 on the MONO website and Tixr. - More information is available on the MONO Music website.

Between the lines: - MONO is broadening beyond a traditional conference format by blending keynotes, technical demos, legal discussions, community panels and hands-on sessions. - The programming mix suggests the event is trying to serve both working professionals and emerging creators looking for practical career guidance. - The AI and rights panel shows how music industry conferences are treating generative AI as a live business issue, not just a future concern.

What's next: - MONO will publish the full schedule at monomusic.co/schedule. - The organizer says additional partners, sessions and mixers will be added before the event. - Early bird pricing ends Sept. 13. - The conference returns to The Midway for its second consecutive year.