Two-time Grammy Producer of the Year Greg Kurstin, who has worked with everyone from Adele and Paul MCartney to Foo Fighters and Beck, will open the 2021 ASCAP Experience conference on Wednesday, May 12 at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT in a virtual conversation with his friend and collaborator, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, about songwriting, inspiration, how he got his “big break” and more.
The conversation will follow the presentation of theASCAPGolden Note Awardto Kurstin byBeckandASCAPChairman of the Board and President Paul Williams, with video congratulations to Kurstin fromPink, Sia, Stevie Nicks, Halsey, Nick Jonas, Maren Morris, Maggie Rogers, Greta Van Fleet, Mozella, Inara George and Sony Music Publishing CEO Jon Platt. TheASCAPGolden Note Award is given to songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones. Previous recipients include Blondie, Lauryn Hill, Trent Reznor, Alicia Keys, Tom Petty and more.
Kurstin has won eight Grammy awards (including back-to-back Producer of the Year honors) and releases he has worked on have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide. Credits include: Adele’s “Hello” and “Water Under the Bridge;” Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” and “Chandelier;” Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger;” P!nk’s “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” and “Try;” and Halsey’s “You Should Be Sad.” In addition to his writing/producing credits, Kurstin is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums on many of the tracks he produces. Kurstin’s relationship with Grohl was forged when he was tapped to produce Foo Fighters’ albums Concrete and Gold (2017); he also produced their latest chart-topping album Medicine at Midnight (2021).
After the May 12 kickoff, the2021ASCAPExperience will continue twice a month on Wednesdays through the end of 2021. Sessions will include “Roadmap to a Release,” “Deconstruction of a Song” and “What They Don’t Teach You in Music School.” OtherASCAPSound Advice sessions will offer practical tips for songwriters and composers on topics such as “Sync 101,” wellness and how to be at your creative best, finding your voice as a non-binary music creator and emerging trends in film and TV composing. Sponsored sessions will introduce new tools and software for music creators.
The virtual sessions are free to attend and will take place on a variety of platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and on theASCAPExperience website.
The 2021ASCAPExperience follows the success of last year’s first-ever virtual version of the event, which reached 10,000 registrants from 120 countries and included over 38 panels, featuring the likes of Finneas O’Connell, Hans Zimmer, T.I., Brandy Clark, Priscilla Renea, mxmtoon, Shaggy, Claudia Brant, Rep. Adam Schiff and more.
To join the 2021ASCAPExperience Community for the Greg Kurstin and Dave Grohl conversation on May 12 and other upcoming events, participants can RSVP atwww.ascapexperience. Additional programming will be announced in the coming weeks for the following dates:
- May 26
- June 16
- June 30
- July 14
- July 28
- August 11
- August 25
- September 15
- September 29
- October 6
- October 20
- November 3
- November 17
- December 1
- December 15
