The Business of Music
Music & Tech Conference & Showcase Festival
Arlo Williamsburg Hotel October 15-18, 2024
Mondo.NYC Speaker
David Melhado
Vice President, Music & Marketing, UnitedMasters
David Melhado is a rising music executive, with experience in developing artists from the ground up through storytelling creating emotional connections with their audiences. David’s background as an entrepreneur in music and tech has made him a rising leader within the industry, often being referred to as an intrapreneur.
David started his career in Atlanta as an artist manager working with Grammy Nominated songwriters and producers Verse Simmonds and Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph. David’s clients' production credits included Jay Z, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Pusha T, Dr. Dre and Rihanna. During this time, David served as a millennial consultant for the Atlanta Hawks, helping to drive millennials to games via an influencer program in partnership with Atlanta-based tech platform, Sideqik.
After six years, David left talent management and joined Atlanta-based distribution startup StreamCut where he worked closely with recording artists Gunna, Latto and Yung Bans. Soon after, David joined Roc Nation as Director of Marketing to lead marketing efforts for the label roster including Buju Banton, Rapsody and Casanova.
As VP Music at UnitedMasters, David is responsible for leading the music team, ultimately owning the strategy to develop the roster of partner artists. Additionally, David’s team has worked on creative artist marketing campaigns for NLE Choppa, Chance the Rapper, Tobe Nwigwe, Alina Baraz and Ekkstacy. David was also influential in the launch of SelectCon, UnitedMasters’ Music Conference for Music Creators as well as the launch of Beat Exchange, a platform for producers and artists to collaborate in partnership with Hit-Boy.
The Demise of the Major Deal: What Happens Next?
10/11/22, 7:00 PM
The last fifteen years have seen transformative change in the music industry, driven in large part by the widespread emergence and adoption of streaming services that have opened up opportunities like never before. Today, the way that artists get access to funding is finally catching up. While most artists used to view getting signed by a label as a marker of career success, the traditional companies no longer control exposure and distribution like they once did. So if artists can build a platform and a fanbase themselves, why do some of them still give up ownership of their music or control of creative decision making in order to access investment to advance their careers? Companies like beatBread are finally helping artists draw a line in the sand between ownership and investment. So when is it right for the artist to stay independent, and when does the traditional label model still work? The Demise of the Major Deal: What Happens Next? brings together managers, distributors and investment capital to discuss the future of creative investment, and the shift in power that puts control firmly back in the hands of artists.