ATLANTA - eTradeWire -- The 13th Annual Unplugged Music Experience & Conference, featuring the 2026 Icon Awards, returns to Atlanta November 12-15, bringing together songwriters, producers, music executives, sync professionals and independent music entrepreneurs for four days of industry access, education, live performance and opportunity, powered by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and FYI.ai.

Guided by the theme "Old School Rules with New School Tools" and the message "Your Power Is Limitless," this year's experience celebrates the industry's creative foundations while exploring the business practices, ownership strategies and tools shaping its future.

"Every songwriter should be an indiepreneur, doing business with industry corporations as their own loan-out corporation. This is at the heart of WSA; business & longevity as a creative doing business," says Kevin Shine, Founder & President of Writing Sessions America.

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The centerpiece is the 13th Annual Icon Awards, Friday, November 13 at Morehouse College's Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. Red carpet 7:00-8:00 p.m., ceremony 8:00-10:30 p.m., formal dress requested. Honorees include Fred "Toxic" Taylor, Demmette Guidry, Keith Thomas, Raheem "Kilo" Pugh, Gongu Roach, Jason Orr, Traci Hale, Rockwilder, Floyd "DanjaHandz" Nathaniel-Hill and Makeba Riddick-Woods.

Saturday brings Hitmaker's Academy: Successful Music Indiepreneur & Hitmakers Forum, November 14, 5:45-7:15 p.m. at Rolling Out Magazine, with panelists Bernard "Focus..." Edwards Jr., Dana "Rockwilder" Stinson, Khari "Needlez" Cain, Mike Will Made-It and Aldrin "DJ Toomp" Davis. Also Saturday: a songwriter workshop, a Quality Control Listening Session moderated by Timothy "Fontainn" Gayles, the SheEO vs. CEO Workshop and a WSA Fireside Chat with Lila Haralson.

Friday's conference at Rolling Out Magazine features the Music Indiepreneur Workshop on loan-out corporations, the "Panel and Pitch" Film & Television Workshop, "Content vs. Copyright: Making Money & Protecting Ownership Rights," and the MLC Workshop "Baby, I Got Your Money" with Dae Bogan. Thursday's kickoff at Atlantucky Brewing brings a keynote from platinum producer Darrell "Delite" Allamby, with more listening sessions and performances there Saturday night.

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It concludes Sunday, November 15, noon-3:00 p.m., free to attend, with special guest Raheem "Kilo" Pugh, producer of Lauryn Hill's landmark The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, followed by the UME 2026 closing event with Kevin Shine. All programming, speakers, venues and times are subject to change.

Press Release Credit: Janet Igah at 347.990.6508 or via email at hellojanetigah@gmail.com

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