ARIA Innovator Welcomes Marcus Collins, Solai Valliappan & More

In October, ARIA announced the launch of the new music conference, ARIA Innovator, which will take place on Tuesday, 25, and Wednesday, 26 March, at the NSW State Library.

When the conference was announced, ARIA revealed that it would be spearheaded by business consultant and media innovation expert Megan Brownlow and feature the President of the Recording Academy (GRAMMY), Panos Panay, Universal Music’s Gabi Lopes, and AI Her Way founder and entrepreneur coach Dr. Nici Sweaney.

This week, more big names were added to the list. Co-founder of The Daily Aus Zara Seidler will appear and be in conversation with Dr. Marcus Collins entitled Culture and Consumption.

Collins has led digital strategies for Beyoncé and worked with Apple and Google. He’s also the former Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York. At the ARIA Innovator event, he will unpack how culture influences everything in our daily lives, from purchases to beliefs.

Amplify Music Education’s entrepreneurs Natalie and Ricky Kradolfer and tech investor Solai Valliappan will deliver a talk titled Creative Entrepreneurship: How To Make It Pay, moderated by Megan Brownlow.

The session will offer practical insights into “securing funding and scaling creative ventures” and provide takeaways for artists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

In a statement, ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said of adding new speakers: “It’s not every day that Australian artists and music professionals get direct access to the kinds of minds shaping culture, business, and technology on a global scale.

“ARIA Innovator is designed to give Australian music a real competitive edge by bringing in experts who have worked at the highest levels of cultural industries – in and out of music – with artists, brands, and startups. This is about gaining insights and practical tools to actually move the needle. 

“With the addition of Dr. Marcus Collins, Solai Valliappan, and Amplify Music Education, we’re not just talking about innovation, we’re delivering world-class intelligence that can be put into action immediately.”

ARIA Innovator Speakers List:

• Panos Panay – President, The Recording Academy (GRAMMY)

• Dr. Marcus Collins – Marketing Strategist, Former CSO at Wieden+Kennedy New York,  author of For The Culture

• Gabi Lopes – SVP Global Insight, Universal Music

• Dr. Nici Sweaney – AI and Innovation Expert

• Solai Valliappan – Investor, Tech Investor & Advisor 

• Natalie and Ricky Kradolfer – Co-Founders, Amplify Music Education

• Zara Seidler – Co-Founder, The Daily Aus (moderator)

• Megan Brownlow – Industry Strategist (moderator)