ADE Pro 2026 will put music technology at the centre of its October 21-25 conference, examining how artificial intelligence (AI) licensing and platform economics affect music businesses and artists.
The conference forms part of Amsterdam Dance Event‘s 30th anniversary edition. Its program includes sessions on attribution, artist-led technology ventures and investment.
AI licensing and music production
Executives from Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, YouTube Music, Splice, SoundCloud, Deezer, Image-Line and Believe will take part.
The planned “AI Platforms Roundtable: Setting the Terms” will examine licensing models and model training. Participants include:
- Splice CEO (chief executive officer) Kakul Srivastava
- SoundCloud VP (vice president) Bina Mistry
- NVIDIA’s Shari Reich
- Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier
- Believe COO (chief operating officer) Romain Becker
- Image-Line CEO Constantin Koehncke
Google DeepMind product director Jeff Chang will give a separate presentation on AI agents in music production.
Artists including BT, Portrait XO and Mathame will discuss AI’s effects on authorship and income.
Artist platforms and startup investment
Other panels will explore artist-owned distribution platforms, independent curation and venture funding in music technology. Tinie Tempah and Sam Feldt will participate in sessions on music industry investment.
Following a mentorship program, the ADE Startups initiative will showcase eight early-stage companies, including nowon AG, Exibeat and Sonura.
