The Ohio University Music Industry Summit is back for its eighth year, and the 2026 edition is the most compelling lineup the conference has assembled. Scheduled for April 14th through 16th in Athens, Ohio, the three-day event brings together keynote artists Blood Orange (Dev Hynes), Grammy-nominated indie-pop band Lucius, and harmony-driven folk-rock band The Crane Wives alongside a roster of music industry professionals that spans label presidents, sync supervisors, journalists, and Grammy executives. Free virtual attendance is available to anyone, and in-person registration starts at $75.
The artist keynotes anchor the Summit with genuine creative range. Dev Hynes operates at the intersection of art, composition, and pop with a singular restlessness that defies easy categorization. Lucius bring a Grammy-nominated pedigree and a live show built around vocal power and bold production. The Crane Wives ground the lineup in the kind of deeply felt, community-rooted folk-rock that resonates well beyond genre boundaries. Conference director Josh Antonuccio puts it plainly: “Our artist keynotes each represent a completely unique path through and within this industry.”
The programming surrounding those keynotes is equally serious. Bob Boilen, creator of Tiny Desk Concerts and All Songs Considered, is among the speakers. Thomas Golubić, the Grammy Award-winning music supervisor behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, will conduct and perform a live score in a joint event with the Athens International Film and Video Festival. Nabil Ayers, President of Beggars Group US, joins panels alongside Marcus J. Moore of The New York Times, Frankie Pine of Whirly Girl Music, and Adam Sensenbrenner, manager of Caamp. A panel with the creative design team behind Twenty One Pilots and a ROAR Records in-store performance by Jake Ewald of Slaughter Beach, Dog round out Tuesday’s programming.
Dolby and Focusrite bring an immersive audio studio experience to Wednesday and Thursday, offering calibrated Dolby Atmos listening sessions on a premium Adam Audio 7.1.4 speaker system, a rare opportunity to experience spatial audio production at its most refined. The Official Music Industry Summit Party, presented by Qobuz and featuring a DJ set by J Rawls, is free and open to the public on Wednesday evening. Lucius close the conference with the Thursday night concert at Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium, followed by an after party at The Union Bar.
Named one of the seven essential music conferences by Soundfly alongside South by Southwest and Canadian Music Week, the Ohio University Music Industry Summit drew more than 4,000 in-person and online attendees last year. Free registration is available to all students, educators, and Ohio University alumni. For the full schedule and to register, visit ohio.edu/music-industry-summit.