Brian Penick is a musician, disruptive entrepreneur, venture capitalist and writer. After a 12-year career as a professional musician, Brian launched a music consulting agency, developing artists like multi-platinum WALK THE MOON and TikTok stars Public in addition to consulting for LiveNation, Kobalt and a variety of major music companies.

Brian transitioned into the music tech space in 2013 with the debut of Musicians Desk Reference, an education and project management system that has helped thousands of musicians, music professionals, educators and students worldwide. The platform has grown into a full economic development suite that includes Music Industry Careers, a music career marketplace; Music Industry Academy, an online education and certification platform; and Music Career Map, a music-focused media outlet. Brian was also a co-founder in Soundstr, a music recognition technology company in partnership with Gracenote (acquired by VNUE, Inc in 2018).

Brian’s works are taught in a growing number of Universities and Brian has spoken at top music conferences and festivals like SXSW, CMJ, Mondo, Canadian Music Week and many more. Brian’s writings have been featured in Billboard, Hypebot, SXSW and American Songwriter, among other publications, and Brian is a regular contributor to Forbes.com on entrepreneurship, entertainment and investing.

Brian now works in venture capital as a Partner and Chief Marketing Officer for LOUD Capital, a venture capital firm that launched Legacy Entertainment Ventures, a venture-focused service suite for musicians, esports and influencers, of which Brian is Managing Partner. Brian works to bring value to the music and entertainment industry by teaching empowerment and career sustainability practices to everyone, from local artists to multinational corporations.