ABOUT
Scott Cohen is one of the music industry’s most notable pioneers. In 1997, Cohen co-founded The Orchard; the world’s first digital distributor of music. The Orchard, now owned by Sony Music, provides independent artists and labels a platform to sell their music to mainstream audiences. The Orchard continues to be the leading distributor of music and generates approximately $2B in revenue annually.
In 2019 Cohen retired from The Orchard and joined Warner Music Group as its first-ever Chief Innovation Officer, a role uniquely tailored to Cohen's expertise in both music and technology.
In 2016, while still at The Orchard, Cohen co-founded the CyborgNest. The CyborgNest developed a device called North Sense that Scott implanted in his chest to create a new sense – the sense of the magnetic field of the planet.
More recently, Cohen Co-founded Jukebox (JKBX), a platform that converted income streams from hit songs into SEC regulated securities.
He also advises more than a dozen music technology companies, keeping his finger on the pulse of the industry.
A champion of innovation and progress in both his professional and personal lives, he publicly advocates for human rights and has been a vegan for more than 25 years.
PANELS
Music industry Innovator Scott Cohen & A2IM CEO Ian Harrison in Conversation: The Royalty Should Be the Floor, Not the Ceiling
Royalties have long defined how artists, songwriters and rightsholders participate in the economics of music. But they represent only one part of the financial value music creates. Who captures the rest — and should creators and rightsholders have a greater stake in it?
Music industry innovator Scott Cohen and A2IM CEO, Ian Harrison, examine where today’s music economy falls short, what that means from the creator’s perspective and why traditional royalty structures may no longer adequately reflect the full value music generates. Scott and Ian will put forward discuss a pioneering new model designed to move beyond royalties alone — and explore how artists, songwriters and rightsholders can participate more fully in the value their work creates.
Join us for a provocative conversation about ownership, participation and building a music economy that finally gives creators a greater stake in the success they make possible.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 11:00 AM