Playback Magazine

ASCAP's 2013 General Annual Membership Meeting was held on Thursday, April 18th at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The meeting kicked off the 2013 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO, the annual three-day conference for music creators featuring educational and inspiring panels, networking opportunities and exhibits.

While the afterglow of this year’s eighth annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO still burns, here’s a look back at some of the highlights, from lessons learned to great photo and video moments from the heart of it all in Hollywood.

Josh Ritter has never released songs that are as personal and autobiographical as those that appear on his seventh studio effort, The Beast In Its Tracks. Propelled by a marriage that fell apart, his self-proclaimed "break-up record" is intimate and at times both angry and joyful, expressing hope through the pain of heartbreak.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler joined ASCAP for a Google+ Hangout, during which he was interviewed by entertainment journalist Roger Friedman. Tyler also answered select questions Tweeted to @ASCAPEXPO, using the hashtag #AskSteven.

ASCAP's official showcase at the 21st annual songwriter festival included Chris DeStefano, Katrina Elam, JT Harding and Matt Jenkins, and served as announcement of Elam's recent signing to ASCAP, as well as to Words And Music Administration for worldwide representation of her current catalog.

With this announcement, Drake joins a long list of music titans at ASCAP, including Pharrell Williams, Quincy Jones, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, as well as his longtime OVO partners and producers Boi-1da and Noah "40" Shebib.

David Carbonara is an accomplished film/TV composer who created the score for the hit television series Mad Men, the documentary film Glickman and many more. He writes with a subtlety for creating moods and a flair for larger-than-life characters. Hear Carbonara discuss his creative process in this ASCAP audio profile.

From high-profile performances from ASCAP members Prince, Green Day and Justin Timberlake to a panoply of sponsored showcases, panel appearances and everything in-between, ASCAP music, reps and messages were out in full force at SXSW this year.

A star-studded crowd packed Brazos Hall in Austin, TX on Thursday, March 14th for the third annual BET Music Matters showcase, where a line-up of today's hottest urban acts took the stage.

The ASCAP Presents… showcase took over the Red Eyed Fly in Austin, TX at SXSW on Wednesday, March 13th for an incredible night of performances from some of the world’s hottest new songwriters and artists.

On March 2nd, ASCAP headed to San Francisco for an ASCAP Presents... showcase at the 2013 Noise Pop festival. The lineup was top-to-bottom phenomenal: Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Before the Brave and Kacey Johnasing. Click through for photo coverage.

The ASCAP Film & TV department hosted a composer dinner to celebrate the music in film at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. The festival featured panels, interviews and workshops over the course of nine days, in addition to hundreds of film screenings, many of which were scored by ASCAP composers. Click through for photo coverage.

This south Georgia-based Christian rock band writes songs of religious inspiration and personal transformation, and brings energy, passion and uplifting messages to their fans and listeners. Listen to the record and hear singer Blake NeeSmith discuss the writing process in this ASCAP audio profile.