Feb 2025 Measure of Music Conference & Hackathon | Closing Remarks

Measure of Music is a three-day music & data conference & workshop/hackathon. The third annual event took place from February 21-23,2025 with 1900+ viewers, participants & contributors.

Read more & rewatch on measureofmusic.com. Below are the closing remarks I delivered at the end of this year's event.

In total every year only a few people actually make it to the end of this. ?By Thursday we were down to 136. By Friday 104. By Saturday 94 and today 91 people are left and presented. You are some of the elite few that made it to the end and you should incredibly proud of yourself for making it this far.

Each year, I try to put together a theme or a stand out topic to discuss, but instead of telling you the topic, I'll give you a quote from each year that I think encompassed both my closing talk & what I considered my theme for that year:

• Year 1: “This event was for the little girls with guitars, the first-generation Americans, the Women in tech, the STEM students that love music, but most importantly, it was for everyone.”
• Year 2: "You’re not trying, you’re doing. You’re not aspiring, you are. You are an absolute force to be reckoned with–all of you–and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise."
• Year 3: "I encourage companies to think about actively removing barriers for their employees and artists. Starting from a place of empathy makes practicing this so innate."
• Year 4: "Never allow anyone to convince you that the arts don’t deserve support and investment. When the world came to a standstill, artists, and creatives were also essential workers, enriching our lives as we turned to music and media more than ever."

So, I've already delivered an entire keynote, so what else is there to say?

Well, there's something quite obvious that needs to be discussed because one of my favorite quotes is, "Even if you don't 'do' politics, politics is gonna 'do' you."

Just like deadly diseases don't respect arbitrary land borders, neither does hate, bigotry or terrible policies. Don't be naive enough to believe you are “safe” . You know the old saying, “They came for them and I kept silent…” That’s never stopped being true.?

But thankfully, that all doesn't just apply to awful things. You can spread love across borders also. When the Black Lives Matter movement was rising in the US or the war in Ukraine started, the world came together to show their support. To quote Zach Efron, “we’re all in this together.”

We were in a much different place back in 2021 than we are today, yet so much remains the same. As I reflect back, I remember the catalyst to starting Measure of Music was because of the immense job loss we were seeing across the music industry. That, unfortunately, hasn't changed. In fact, one could argue it's gotten worse and now instead of using a global pandemic as an excuse, we now have no other rationale other than "because they can".?

And now 2 months into 2025, we are also seeing something even more devious at play. We're now in a world where upending the lives of your employees is celebrated, where 'cutting the fat' is used to discuss people and their livelihood. We are in a world where employees feel shame for losing their jobs rather than employers feeling shame for getting to the point of mass layoffs. We are in a world where it feels like empathy & compassion have no place in business.?

We've found ourselves in a rather unfortunate timeline...

• For my Boomers -- George Bailey was never born.
• For my Gen X folks -- Biff found the sports almanac.
• To my fellow Millennials -- The Death Eaters are winning.
• To Gen Z – President Snow still has us all playing his games.
• And to my nerds from all generations -- The Empire is very much in control.

And because I made that reference, I think it’s a good time to make it clear… trans women are women, trans men are men, marginalized communities will always have a safe space at Measure of Music and if you have a problem with any of that you are absolutely free to go and you will not be missed.

I say all of this because we must resist.

This isn't isolated to one country or one government (though as a first generation Nigerian American girl living as an immigrant in the UK, I have a lot of thoughts…). Also quick aside to point out that expat is a bullshit term.

All immigrants should be treated with the same level of respect and dignity. People should be treated like humans because they’re humans–not because English is their first language, because they can develop software or because they can kick a ball really well.

But really, the tides are turning all over the world, and we must resist.

I know what you’re thinking… resist? In this economy?

But that’s what they want us to think. They want us to feel scared, isolated and alone--like you have no other choice than to only look out for you and yours only. They want us to find enemies amongst ourselves so we don’t see who the true enemies really are.

Being here, right now, with all of these incredible people is an act of resistance.

You taking up space in an industry and a world that was systematically designed to ensure you do not prosper is inherently an act of resistance.?

You saying yes to opportunity presented to you is an act of resistance.

You paying it forward and helping others succeed is an act of resistance.?

You bringing any semblance of joy and hope in this bleak world when all the powers at be are actively trying to destroy all the progress we have made is absolutely an act of resistance.?

You all know what to do… call or write to your local politicians, donate to worthy causes, volunteer your time, protest, sign petitions.?

But also, resisting looks like consuming media from people you don’t normally see on your TV or hear on your radios. It’s buying local. It’s buying from companies owned by marginalized individuals. It’s making sure your hiring practices as an employer align to your values. It’s making your voice heard. It’s being an ally, not just when it’s convenient or trendy. It’s doing the work to leave this industry and this world a better place than how you found it.

It’s giving a shit.

And please do not let anyone dismiss the joy you get from music, entertainment and fashion as vapid. These things matter. These things are important. Shared experiences are what makes life worth living and if we can't enjoy culture, what are we even fighting for???

Look around… you are not alone. Look at these comments of people sharing their stories, looking for collaboration, looking for connection. I put this all together so many years ago to make sure you all know that. So I repeat… you are not alone.

Hundreds of people gave up part of their weekend to watch & participate live. People from over 70 countries are represented here and my hackathon participants, speakers and even attendees have been majority minority in gender and race every year since year 1. Yesterday, we had a moment during networking where conversations in the comments were in multiple languages and I cannot tell you how much that thrilled me.?

I’m not the first person to start a music conference, I certainly won’t be the last. Five years ago, I set out to make a conference that was different from all the other conferences I’ve attended and I know, more than anything else, what makes Measure of Music special is all of you. Your energy, your curiosity, your excitement, your inclusivity, your positivity–it’s infectious and it makes this one of my favorite weekends every year despite the very little sleep.

As with every year we had no panels that were all white or all male, in fact, we had several panels that were all women and all people of color and they were on the stage not because they are minorities but also not in spite of that fact.?They were invited to the stage because they are the best at what they do AND because they bring fresh & interesting perspectives to the conversations we had about music, entertainment & tech this weekend.?

And when I see incredible talent, I want to reward and nourish that talent. Every year I feel like Nick Fury assembling my team of Avengers. That’s why I’m grateful that for 4 out of the 5 years of this conference I was able to not only amplify marginalized voices but also able to PAY THEM. So, as a reminder, when you talk about celebrating diverse voices, it’s pretty cool to make sure that celebration includes a little celebration money…?

Speaking of money, you guys… Are you all serious!? This year we allowed for donations, not thinking many people would fork over money for a free virtual conference, but you all came through. Thank you so much.?

I’ll be transparent with you. We raised far less money than I was hoping for this year from sponsors. With all of the unrest, uncertainty and a devastating fire that spread through LA, it wasn’t exactly the right landscape to ask for money, but the donations you all made to the conference allowed me to cover the remaining expenses that would have otherwise come out of pocket, so thank you.

The money is specifically going to cover the costs to send out the prizes to our hackathon participants including the cash prizes that go to the winning team and the artist development grant money to all the artists that were part of the artist project. You all are incredible and your generosity is not unnoticed.?

Every year, I raise thousands of dollars but I don't keep that money. The money gets redistributed to the speakers, the weekend staff, the emerging artists and my support team. So many of which are people that are from backgrounds that are often overlooked and underpaid.?

If you’d like to donate, that’s awesome – there’s a link at the top of the conference page, but please feel no pressure or obligation. Lord knows enough people are asking for your money and there are so many worthy causes that you can put your funds to. But, do know it’s appreciated and put to good use if you do send a few dollars, pounds, euros, pesos, etc. to Measure of Music.

So, since we’re on the subject of money, Brie Stoner on our artists’ panel said:

“It’s time that we reclaim success from capitalism”

And that’s a line so good I WISH I wrote it! That’s why she’s the artist, right?

So, I’d like to point out that this is success. You turning up, you being here, you finding each other, you finishing your hackathon projects, you getting on the stage, that’s all success. You are not your bank account. You are not your company. You aren’t even your industry! You are a human worthy of love, companionship, friendship, fulfillment, and of course, success.?

When I first started this, I thought 50 people would show up. That would have been a success! This has been more than I’ve ever dreamed it would be, so thank you for being part of my success and I hope to in some way be part of all of yours. Getting to bring back past hackathon participants as speakers is one of the things that makes me proudest.

Every year I bring up a little anecdote about someone involved in the conference that made that year a little more special to me. This year I want to shout out a young person who’s background & experience I loved, so I invited him to be a mentor. He wrote back to me concerned that his experience didn’t match up to all of the other mentors already listed on the site. I said to him what I always say back to gender minorities and ethnic minorities when they talk about imposter syndrome:?

“People aren't going out of their way to give minorities a chance that they do not deserve. You've earned everything you've accomplished in life and belong everywhere you are (and many places you're not yet).”

So, this is a reminder to everyone… say yes to opportunities presented to you or to put it even more succinctly: “Don’t block your blessings.” I promise you so many people will attempt to do that for you in life. Don’t do it to yourself. You saying yes, you taking up space, you succeeding, is an act of resistance and I’ll repeat a final time… we must resist.

And with that being said… I think it’s a good time to thank our incredible sponsors for helping to make Year 5 of Measure of Music a success.

Measure of Music is supported by:

• Chartmetric , music streaming & social data platform
• Songkick , concert discovery & marketing platform
• The Orchard , distributor and artist & label services company
• Luminate , global entertainment/music data & analytics provider
• BandLab Technologies , a music tech company developing innovative tools & services for music creators
• jump.global , music executive management firm
• The ROSTR Group , music industry relationship, tools, & jobs directory
• Audoo , public royalties reporting & music recognition data company
• OFFstep , digital music distribution solution
• Abbey Road REDD, the innovation department of Abbey Road Studios
• Our hackathon location sponsors were Berklee College of Music and Abbey Road Institute .

And we had media & promotional support from:

• educational platform for Latinos in creative & entertainment industries, The Industry in Spanglish ;?
• women in musical arts equity non-profit organization, Women in Music ;?
• provider of tech & creative innovation to the UK recorded music industry, BPI (British Phonographic Industry) Innovation;?
• the professional community for music managers, MMF (Music Managers Forum) ;?
• and the trade association of the Country Music industry, Country Music Association (CMA) .

This isn't possible without you.

So, every year, on the final day of Measure of Music, I wear a shirt that encompasses the tone of the year. This year I was torn between two, but I went with this shirt with the famous quote from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich:

“Well behaved women seldom make history.”

It took a lot of very badass women, including the absolute force that is my mother, to make me the outspoken, loud, disobedient, troublesome, independent, stubborn woman that I am today. You’ve gotta make a whole lot of noise to change the world and God knows, we need a lot of good trouble to counteract the bad.

But I did say I had two shirt options and the other shirt deserves a mention as well. After everything I’ve said I’ll leave that shirt’s content without additional commentary:

• Science is real
• Black lives matter
• No human is illegal
• Love is love
• Women’s rights are human rights
• Kindness is everything

Your kindness has and always will be everything. It takes over 100 people to make this event happen, so a huge thank you to our judges, mentors, weekend staff, sponsors, community, artist & career fair booth speakers, the startups that pitched, and everyone else involved in Year 5.

And with that… Measure of Music 2025 comes to a close! Thank you & good night!

For more about Measure of Music 2025, you can check out the recap page.