The MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo SF), San Francisco’s premier event for music creators, has just revealed the first wave of speakers and sessions for its 2026 return. Now entering its second consecutive year at The Midway in San Francisco, MONO will take place on 13–14 November 2026, and will be preceded by an invite-only VIP welcome mixer on 12 November.
Presented by the Focusrite Group in association with Sound On Sound magazine, the event will bring together representatives from companies including Squeak E. Clean, BMG, EMPIRE, Google, BeatLibrary, Liaison Artists, the Recording Academy, The Midway, Halcyon SF and 1015 Folsom along with a whole host of independent artists, producers and engineers.
Programme Highlights
Friday 13 November
- Keynote: Valentino Khan. An intimate conversation with producer and DJ Valentino Khan on building compelling storytelling on social media as a music creator.
- From Release to Career: Building Momentum in Between. DistroKid’s Mike Fink joins artists Adrian Marcel and Mr. Hong, and YouTube Music’s Erica Foss, for a candid discussion on building a sustainable career between releases.
- Inside Sync: a Conversation on Music, Creativity & Building a Career in Sync. Producer Jake Warren, whose song “HAUNT U” appeared in American Horror Stories, shares how he built an independent career writing for film, TV and publishers.
- The Art of Noticing: Turning Everyday Moments Into Songs That Connect. Songwriter and artist LINNEY leads a workshop on turning everyday inspiration into resonant songs.
- How to Turn a Good Song Into a Great Song: Acclaimed songwriting coach Jai Josefs breaks down the techniques that separate good songs from great ones.
- Session-Ready: a Five-Minute Vocal Reset for Artists, Producers and Performers. Whitney Nicole, founder of Songbird Studios, teaches a fast, practical vocal warm-up for singers and producers alike.
Saturday 14 November
- Keynote: Toby Gad Live Podcast with Khris Riddick-Tynes: Hit-making songwriter-producer Toby Gad sits down with Khris Riddick-Tynes for a live podcast conversation.
- Live Vocal Tracking & Production Demo: Engineer Karina “Xarina” Flonnoy and vocal producer Tyler Reese demonstrate real-time comping and harmony-stacking techniques in a high-speed vocal session.
- Explore SLAB: From Production to Performance: Presented by AlphaTheta, DJ and producer Magie Hue and DJ, producer, educator and promoter Gera Akate lead a hands-on look at SLAB's capabilities for beat-making, sampling, remixing and live performance — showing how it bridges production and DJ performance in one workflow.
- Replayability and the Philosophy of Mastering in 2026: Mastering Engineer Nicolas de Porcel, known for his “Million Dollar Snare” approach and Artist & Songwriter Devvon Terrell from HelpMeDevvon explore what makes music built to be replayed billions of times.
- Navigating AI in the Music Industry: Rights, Risks and Opportunities. Presented with California Lawyers for the Arts, attorneys Jessica Fajfar and Justine Levy examine how AI is reshaping copyright, licensing and rights for music creators.
- The Business of Game Audio: a Report From the Trenches. Moderated by Steve Horowitz of the Game Audio Institute, featuring panelists Clay and Chase Bethea, this panel explores career paths and the current state of the game audio industry.
- Built to Last — Breaking In and Creating Longevity in the Music Industry: Presented by Neon Owl, featuring Manager and Songwriter Lorne Padman, Nick Garcia from Insomniac Music Group, Elaine Huang from Neon Owl and Andrew Conde from Thrive Music, this panel explores what it takes to build a lasting career in music — from mindset and habits to meaningful relationships.
- Rising Together — The Power of Community & Collectives: Presented by Neon Owl, featuring Elaine Huang, Goshfather, Jon Sax and B Patt, this session explores the power of community and collectives for artists, talent buyers, promoters, agents, and creatives finding their place in the industry.
A full schedule for the event can be found here.
"For two days, our attendees get direct access to and the chance to learn from some of the most prolific artists, producers and engineers in the country. That kind of access is what inspires the next generation of music creators." — Loïc Maestracci, Founder & CEO, MONO
Presenters & Exhibitors
AlphaTheta will be presenting MONO's official DJ Stage, while DistroKid are sponsoring the opening keynote on the first day of the event. .
MONO 2026 partners and exhibitors include ADAM Audio, AlphaTheta, the Audio Engineering Society, California Lawyers for the Arts, Crescendo Research, DistroKid, Envelop, Focusrite, Game Audio Institute, Gear Space, Granola AI, Neon Owl, Novation, Oberheim, Pioneer DJ, rekordbox, Resin, Sequential, Singstraw, Songbird, Sound On Sound, Steinberg, Studio X and Women's Audio Mission.
Tickets
Early bird tickets are on sale now until 13 September, with prices starting from $69. SOS readers can get an extra 15% off any ticket by using the code SOS15 at checkout.
