The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) brought together leaders from across the global publishing community for the 2026 AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit, held June 9th at the McNally Amphitheatre at Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Taking place during one of the busiest weeks in the music business calendar, alongside A2IM Indie Week, the NMPA Annual Meeting, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards, the Summit convened publishers, songwriters, attorneys, rights organizations, technology companies, sync executives, and creative leaders for a full day of conversation focused on the future of music publishing.
One of the day’s most closely watched sessions was a special fireside chat with Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, and Emily L. Chapuis, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights, moderated by Art Levy, VP Business & Legal Affairs at Songtradr and Secretary of the AIMP New York Chapter.
Addressing a room of independent publishers and rights professionals, Perlmutter emphasized that the Copyright Office remains “very much here, very active, very productive,” and “still dedicated to the mission of promoting creativity,” despite a period marked by significant legal, political, technological, and operational challenges. The conversation explored the evolving copyright landscape at a time when artificial intelligence, streaming platforms, and rapidly changing technologies continue raising new questions for creators and rights holders.
Chapuis also discussed the Copyright Office’s role in helping address emerging issues around AI-generated works, royalty administration, and copyright policy, underscoring the increasingly complex relationship between technology, authorship, and rights management.
Together, Perlmutter and Chapuis offered attendees a rare opportunity to hear directly from the leadership responsible for helping shape copyright policy during one of the most consequential periods in the history of the modern music business.
+Read more: "Behind Every Copyright Is a Human Being. It's Time the Industry Acted Like It."
The Summit also featured a keynote conversation with legendary songwriter and producer Glen Ballard, moderated by Concord’s Tom DeSavia. Reflecting on a career that has included work with Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson, Dave Matthews, No Doubt, Aerosmith, Ringo Starr, and countless others, Ballard shared candid stories about songwriting, artist development, creative risk-taking, and the role publishers have played throughout his career.
Ballard spoke passionately about the value of music publishers, telling attendees:
"I wouldn’t be here without a publisher."
He also revisited the creation of Alanis Morissette’s landmark Jagged Little Pill album, describing it as “a book of short stories” born from a small number of intensely creative writing sessions.
Throughout the conversation, Ballard emphasized curiosity, persistence, and daily creative practice, encouraging attendees to remain open to inspiration wherever it appears.
Beyond the keynote and fireside chat, several broader themes emerged throughout the day’s programming.
Artificial intelligence remained one of the dominant topics across multiple sessions, though speakers consistently focused on practical applications rather than speculation. During the Summit’s AI For Good discussion, executives from publishing, distribution, and technology companies explored how AI is already being used to improve catalog administration, metadata management, fraud detection, royalty tracking, and operational efficiency, while emphasizing the continued importance of human oversight and creative decision-making.
Global growth was another recurring focus. Panelists representing Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Africa discussed the increasing importance of local expertise, regional partnerships, and culturally informed strategies as music consumption continues expanding worldwide.
Speakers emphasized that many of today’s fastest-growing music markets are becoming influential creative and commercial centers in their own right, creating new opportunities for publishers, songwriters, and rights holders, while reinforcing that the future of music publishing will increasingly be shaped through cross-border collaboration rather than traditional market boundaries.
The State of Sync: Ask Us Anything session emerged as one of the day’s most active conversations, with attendees driving a practical discussion around pitching, pricing, metadata, AI-assisted songs, creative trends, brand needs, and the realities of today’s sync dealmaking. Panelists emphasized that while sync remains a powerful revenue and discovery tool, success often depends on preparation, patience, complete rights information, and the ability to respond quickly when the right opportunity arrives.
Additional conversations examined the evolving state of independent publishing, sync licensing, creator rights, and industry legislation. Throughout the day, participants returned to a common theme: while technology, business models, and global markets continue changing rapidly, strong creative relationships, trusted partnerships, and long-term artist and songwriter development remain central to the future of music publishing.
Held annually during one of the busiest weeks in the music business calendar, the AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit has become one of the premier gatherings for the independent publishing community, bringing together publishers, songwriters, attorneys, rights organizations, technology leaders, and executives from across the global music business.
"This year's Summit was everything we hoped it would be and then some."
Melanie Santa Rosa, President of the AIMP New York Chapter, continued:
“Hearing Glen Ballard talk about what publishers meant to his career, in a room full of independent publishers, hit differently. For our community specifically, having Shira Perlmutter and Emily Chapuis there talking openly about copyright, AI, and the road ahead is exactly the kind of access independent publishers don't always get. Days like this remind me how strong and connected this community really is."
The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) is a professional organization dedicated to educating and informing music publishers about the issues affecting them most. With chapters in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta, AIMP provides programming, advocacy, networking, and community for independent music publishers and their songwriting partners.
