A2IM Indie Week
Held annually in New York City, Indie Week is the largest gathering of the independent music community. Drawing labels, distributors, DSPs, agencies and more, participants can expect 3 days of insightful discussions and fruitful networking.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Applications were assessed by A2IM who selected Irish professionals they thought would benefit most from the event.
Selected Applicants
Charles Adejayan
Charles Adejayan, known professionally as Plantain Papi, is a musician and music entrepreneur who has been shaping his sound and building his presence in the industry since 2017.
In 2020, he founded PlantainSound, an artist development company and record label dedicated to nurturing emerging talent and delivering fresh voices to the world.
Beyond his own artistry, Charles has mentored and managed a roster of artists, including F3miii, guiding their creative and professional growth.
Under his leadership, PlantainSound has partnered on deals with industry giants Sony and Universal, cementing its reputation as a serious force in artist development.
Musician, Entrepreneur
Chris Keena
General Manager, Commercial & Digital - Anthem VinylChris leads our commercial and digital functions, with responsibility for driving sales performance and revenue growth across the business. His role centres on commercial strategy, customer engagement, and expanding our presence in key markets.
He oversees the full sales function, spearheads new business development, and strengthens relationships with customers, distributors, and strategic partners. In addition to his commercial remit, Chris also leads our digital, social, and ecommerce initiatives, ensuring our online presence and digital channels support the company’s wider growth ambitions.
Ken Allen is an Irish music executive best known as the founder of Faction Music, an independent label focused on developing emerging artists and innovative music projects. With a background in artist management and music production, Allen has built a reputation for identifying new talent and supporting creative independence within the industry. Through Faction he has represented some of Ireland’s most culturally important artists including James Vincent McMorrow, Martin Hayes and Sorcha Richardson.
Founder of Faction Music,Kenneth Allen
Rebecca Breene McDonnell is an Irish music executive and artist manager working across live promotion, PR, and artist development. She works in PR and marketing at Singular Artists and co-created the viral series “Art to Art,” which has surpassed 1 million views and is expanding into live and international formats.
With over seven years’ experience, including an All-Ireland Marketing Award, she brings a commercially focused, 360° approach to artist management, spanning strategy, releases, and long-term career development.
Artist ManagerRebecca Breene
Partner at Singular Artists, Manager, Festival FounderSimon Merriman
Simon is a partner at Singular Artists, founder of Borderline Festival and an artist manager. With over 15 years’ experience in the music industry, he curates live events and promotes artists including Wunderhorse, berlioz, Fontaines D.C., Khruangbin, Slowdive, Men I Trust, DIIV, Marc Rebillet, Sprints, Dead Calm, Magdalena Bay, Angine de Poitrine and many more.
Nathan Sauramba is the founder of Waverton Corp PR, a 360 PR and marketing agency launched in 2018 to champion POC talent and break emerging artists into mainstream media. He has led major campaigns, including the first Irish rap album to reach #1 with A92, helping reshape the landscape for Irish hip-hop. Starting in artist management, he worked with Offica and A92, building them into globally recognised acts.He later consulted for Universal Music Ireland and Warner Music Ireland, delivering campaigns for major international artists and award-winning events. Alongside Waverton, he has contributed to diversity initiatives through Black and Irish and is currently developing an artist-focused label to support and scale diverse talent in Ireland.
Founder of Waverton CorpNathan Sauramba
Sally O'Connor is an independent music supervisor. Her work spans film and TV projects like Sacramento, Christy, King Frankie, You’re Dating a Narcissist, The Walsh Sisters, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl & Redemption of a Rogue. She previously ran the Irish office of West One Music Group and kicked off her career on the KPM production team, where she fell headfirst into the world of music sync. Alongside her screen work, Sally is co-producer, head of development and co-programmer of Sligo Live Festival, where she curates the Arrivals Trail, a programme supporting emerging and independent artists. Sally studied music at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in composition.
Music SupervisorSally O'Connor
Erin Barker
Venue Booker | Production Executive | Artist Manager | Promotor Rep
Siún Moriarty
Founder and director of blankbar - an artist management, development and white label services agency based in Dublin, Ireland. blankbar specialises in representing forward-thinking artists who are pushing and shaping the boundaries of Irish sound, including Rory Sweeney, Aoife Wolf, Vaticanjail, Shampain, Ian Nyquist and Citrus Fresh. Broad range of experience across live events, marketing, artist management & project management. Ex. MCD Productions, Button Factory (Dublin Live Music Venue of the Year 2025) and Venue Manager in Curveball.
Founder & Director of Blankbar
Edison Waters
Manager Edison Waters is an Irish music executive and founder of Collective Management, recognised for his role in developing Irish artists on an international scale. Beginning his career in music at HMV before progressing to EMI Records, Edison built a strong global network across live, records and publishing. Over the course of his career, he has helped lead numerous successful No.1 album campaigns, international touring and branding, with artists under his management collectively surpassing 3 billion global streams. Known for combining creative vision with strategic industry expertise, Edison has played a key role in bringing Irish talent to audiences around the world.His roster includes acclaimed singer-songwriter Gavin James, alongside Dave Lofts and Croithe, reflecting Collective Management’s focus on long-term artist growth and global reach.
A2IM Indie Week is a four-day international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of Independent music. A2IM Indie Week 2026 takes place June 8th-11th in New York City.
Music From Ireland supported a limited number of Irish delegate flights to attend the event, covering up to €650 per person with funding from Culture Ireland.
A2IM has a registration cost of 500 dollars per person, which was also covered by joint sponsorship from AIM Ireland and Music From Ireland with funding from Culture Ireland.
What is A2IM?
This Opportunity Was Open To:
1) Managers
2) Independent Labels
3) Independent Publishers / Music Supervisors / Sync Companies
4) Independent Promoters
5) Music Producers
6) Music Companies
Industry Panels
Roundtable: International Market Overview 1
The roundtable sessions offer informal networking opportunities where one moderator leads discussions and addresses questions from up to 10 Indie Week participants. Each 60-minute session will be divided into four 15-minute segments, allowing attendees to join multiple conversations within the hour. While conversations can flow organically, the moderator will prepare some initial questions to kick things off, such as providing an industry overview of the market, strategies for engaging with markets beyond DSPs, the necessity of having a physical presence ("boots on the ground"), language considerations, popular genres, and music trends, as well as noteworthy festivals, music events, and touring options.
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Union Square