Welcome & Introduction - MMF-US
Featured Speakers:
Sharon Tapper - Executive Director, MMF-US
The Music Managers Forum-US is the leading trade association for artist managers and self-managed artists in the U.S. Since joining in 2022, the organization has grown by over 600%, expanding from its LA and NY roots to new chapters in Miami, Chicago, Nashville, Austin, Boston, and most recently, Atlanta. MMF-US provides vital education, advocacy, and global connections through its partnership with the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF)—supporting music managers and self-managed artists across the country.
With a background in artist management, music publishing, and studio operations, Tapper has held leadership roles at Kobalt and Razor & Tie and worked with artists including The Cranberries, Slash, George Michael, and Seal.
A longtime member of the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter, Tapper served 14 years as Governor and Secretary of the Executive Committee, including six consecutive terms as Co-Chair of its Advocacy Committee. She also served four years on the New York Board of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) and co-founded NYC3, a network created to champion and support New York City’s creative professionals.
Wesley T. A’Harrah - VP, Membership & Education, MMF-US
A’Harrah has trained teams at, run campaigns with, and developed products + GTMs across companies such as Meta, Snap, Google, Spotify, Red Bull, Universal, Warner, Sony, and most major independent record labels in 40+ countries, along with their agencies of record, primary marketing/tech partners, and startup investment properties; and has worked to improve and build teams behind artists including Tyla, Phoebe Bridgers, Cigarettes After Sex, The Script, Charli XCX, and many more.
For nearly a decade Wesley T. A’Harrah has been working to help creatives and the teams around them have better lives. He primarily does this from his role as VP of Education at the Music Managers Forum-US and as a longtime leading consultant across digital and strategic innovation spanning entertainment and tech.
A’Harrah and his colleagues are recipients of the Grand Clio Award for music marketing—the highest honor in marketing—awarded to his team for two years running from 2020–2021.
Previously, A’Harrah ran the consulting and educational arm of B2B services firm and trade magazine Music Ally, from which position he began driving record label and artist management teams around the world to build vertically; transformed music business department curriculum at the most prestigious universities; and worked to expand the originally UK-based company into the US, Japan, China, the Nordics, Latin America, and Africa.
Outside the music and tech industries A’Harrah and his friends run CaracolLabs, a multidisciplinary residency program for artists, researchers, and experts of different backgrounds to collaborate with each other on projects relating to art, being, education and sustainability, and EGG, a high-engagement art, philosophy, and book club.
He holds an M.A. in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music.
Neeta Ragoowansi - President of MMF-US
and IMMF, and Women in Music, Global Co-Chair
Neeta Ragoowansi has been a music business professional and entertainment attorney for 30+ years, serving as a strategic advisor, business development resource, and legal counsel to entertainment and tech industry clients. She is President of Music Managers Forum – US (MMF-US), Co-Founder of NPREX (National Performing Rights Exchange), a Global Co-Chair for Women in Music and Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries. Neeta serves on the advisory boards of IMMF (International Music Managers Forum), Gritty in Pink, and All About Music Conference (India).
Lucile is a transactional attorney in Reed Smith's Entertainment & Media Group. Lucile's practice focuses on transactions involving the acquisition, sale, and financing of music publishing and recorded music assets. She represents and advises music companies, artists, songwriters, private equity, and other investment funds at various stages of the transactions, including due diligence, negotiation, and drafting of the deal documentation.
Her past roles include Executive Director of Folk Alliance International; Senior Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs for Global Citizen; founding head of artist-label relations and legal counsel for SoundExchange; Vice President of Business Development & Legal Affairs at Tunesat; and Assistant General Counsel for The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra Association. Neeta has also served as a board governor of The Recording Academy (New York and DC Chapters) for over a decade, and as Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force and Sponsorship Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries.
A sought-after speaker, Neeta has presented at more than 400 music industry conferences on topics including the global music business, artist management, licensing models, legal and copyright issues, as well as diversity, women’s leadership and empowerment.
Lucile Bouhanna - Senior Associate,
Entertainment & Media, Reed Smith LLP