PANEL - Know Your Rights: Managing Your Music Licensing Portfolio

With streaming now the dominant global music consumption model, artists and managers must track every revenue stream to fully maximize the value of their intellectual property. Every year, tens of millions of dollars in royalties go unclaimed due to missing registrations, fragmented rights systems, and inaccurate metadata. Whether it’s neighboring rights, performance royalties, or mechanical royalties, failure to register with the relevant collection societies, CMOs, PROs, and rights organizations can leave significant money on the table. Even when registrations are in place, incomplete or inaccurate data can still prevent royalties from reaching the correct rights holders.

Featured Speakers:

Diana Hernandez, Director of Marketing & Growth, KOSIGN

Diana Hernandez helps independent artists understand their worth. As Director of Marketing & Growth at KOSIGN (powered by Kobalt), she's turning years of artist advocacy at TIDAL, the music fintech HIFI, and IBM into tools that put more money and power in creators' hands. She's also Boss Selektah on the decks and manager of ska band The Toughers, so she knows the grind from both sides of the stage.

Marvin Garcia, Client Growth & Relations Manager, KOSIGN

Marvin Garcia is a creative and strategic force in music publishing, sync, and event production with a deep commitment to empowering artists and building community. Since joining the KOSIGN team, Marvin has led global music education initiatives, produced international panels and showcases, and developed partnerships that amplify underrepresented voices across the U.S., Latin America, and beyond.

Jessica Roffe,  Director of Industry Relations, SoundExchange

Jessica Roffe is an accomplished and seasoned Music Industry Executive with extensive experience in artist relations, brand and media marketing, TV/film production, and royalty distribution. Currently serving as the Director of Industry Relations at SoundExchange, Jessica has a proven track record of conceptualizing and executing successful artist marketing campaigns across a wide range of music genres and digital content. With expertise in building and maintaining strong relationships with artists, management, labels, and publishers, Jessica is known for delivering results that enhance both creative and business aspects of the industry.

Throughout their career, Jessica has held leadership roles such as Director of Writer Publisher Relations at BMI, where they fostered strong connections between songwriters, publishers. In addition to their work at BMI, Jessica has worked on high-profile projects, including talent producing for HBO’s A Tiny Audience, Talent Manager at MTV, and managing talent for notable productions such as La Voz on Telemundo. As a consultant for major brands like AT&T, Canela Media, and Televisa/Univision. With expertise in digital distribution, licensing, and publishing, Jessica brings a holistic approach to the entertainment industry, focusing on innovation and creating new opportunities for artists and brands alike.

Serona Elton, Head of Educational Partnerships​, The Mechanical Licensing Collective

Serona Elton serves as Head of Educational Partnerships for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Elton directs The MLC’s efforts to engage future members of the music industry currently studying music business and related subjects at colleges and universities across the country and around the world.

With extensive experience as a music industry professional and educator, Elton is also the Vice Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, as well as a full professor and Chair of Music Industry at the school. In 2023, she was named Music Business Educator of the Year by the Music Business Association. She is also a Yamaha Master Educator.

 Elton has worked for or with many top music companies including Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group, as an expert in licensing and royalties. She is co-author of the book Music Business Handbook and Career Guide (13th edition), and has contributed to news stories for NPR’s Marketplace, CNN.com, The New York Times, Billboard and other outlets.

 Elton also serves as a council member on the College Music Society's Council on Music Business-Industry and serves as a Director-at-Large on the American Musicological Society Board of Directors. Elton has served as a president of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association, as a trustee of the Copyright Society, as the chair of the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Section, and on the Recording Academy, Florida Chapter, Board of Governors. She is also an alumnus of the Nashville-based Leadership Music program, and a licensed attorney in New York and Florida.

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