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 Vinyl

Chris 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 Manager

Rebecca Breene

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.

Partner at Singular Artists, Manager, Festival Founder

Simon Merriman

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 Corp

Nathan 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 Supervisor

Sally O'Connor

Edison Waters

Erin Barker

Siún Moriarty


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