Merck Mercuriadis to Deliver Keynote at Music Tectonics 2026 in Santa Monica
Merck Mercuriadis, the British‑Canadian executive who built the Hipgnosis catalog empire, will speak as keynote speaker at Music Tectonics 2026, a three‑day conference that will run from October 27‑29 at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, California. The event will focus on the theme “Grow Music, Grow Value,” and Mercuriadis is scheduled to address the audience on October 28.
Music Tectonics has expanded this year to two beachfront venues and three days of programming. The conference brings together music executives, artists, managers, investors, publishers and technology founders to discuss how different parts of the industry can collaborate to expand the overall music market. The organizers emphasize that the event is designed to bring traditionally separate sectors into the same conversation.
Mercuriadis has been a central figure in the transformation of music catalog ownership. He founded Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Hipgnosis Song Management and Hipgnosis Songs Capital, which invested in catalogs belonging to artists and songwriters such as Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nile Rodgers, Shakira, Leonard Cohen, Jack Antonoff, Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake. In a statement released with the conference announcement, Mercuriadis said the next decade will bring “the most significant value shift ever” for artists, songwriters, producers and managers.
In addition to his catalog work, Mercuriadis launched Hipgnosis Artist Partnerships, where he serves as founder and executive chairman. The new venture aims to connect artists with investment and business resources that can help them grow their careers beyond traditional record deals.
Other sessions at Music Tectonics will examine investor activity in music technology, the use of social games to activate artists, and the potential for artificial intelligence to expand the industry’s total addressable market through new licensing and royalty models. The schedule includes a discussion of technology designed to increase music revenue, a panel where label representatives respond to music‑tech startup pitches, and a session on making AI work for artists, labels and publishers.
Early‑bird tickets for the conference are available through August 11. Registration and additional details can be found on the Music Tectonics website. The conference is marketed as a place for “meaningful connections, scheduling meetings, and serendipitous encounters” in a variety of unexpected venues.
Music Tectonics was founded to explore the seismic shifts that keep the music industry unsettled. The conference’s broader goal is to rally industry stakeholders around a single theme: how collaboration can create a rising tide that lifts all boats.
The event will conclude with Mercuriadis’s keynote, which is expected to outline the future of music value creation and the role of catalog ownership in that landscape. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how investment, technology and artist management can intersect to drive growth in the music market.
