Artists, labels, presenters, educators, journalists, cultural organizations and technology companies are often facing similar issues in different parts of the world, but those conversations too often happen in silos. Jazz-Con 2026 is about creating a practical, international platform where people can exchange ideas, build relationships and leave with strategies they can actually use.
—Jerald Miller, Executive Director, Jazz-Con
Virtual global music business conference returns September 14–15, 2026, with sessions on AI, global markets, women in jazz leadership, music security, sync licensing and multilingual international programming
Jazz-Con, the global virtual conference and festival at the intersection of jazz, business, culture, technology and innovation, has announced that Jazz-Con 2026 will take place September 14–15, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST / U.S. time.
The two-day event will again be presented as a 100% virtual music business conference, followed each day by a 2-hour virtual Jazz Festival. Designed for artists, educators, labels, presenters, media professionals, nonprofit leaders, technology companies, cultural organizations and music-industry professionals, Jazz-Con continues its mission of creating an accessible international platform for the jazz and non-popular music community.
Following the success of Jazz-Con 2025, which featured more than 75 speakers from 23 countries, with approximately 40 percent of the speakers being women, Jazz-Con 2026 will expand its global focus with sessions addressing international market access, artist ownership, AI, music security, sync licensing, women’s leadership, media visibility, independent labels, nonprofit collaboration and cultural infrastructure.
“Jazz-Con was created to bring people together across borders, disciplines and markets in a way that traditional conferences often cannot,” said Jerald Miller, Executive Director of Jazz-Con. “Artists, labels, presenters, educators, journalists, cultural organizations and technology companies are often facing similar issues in different parts of the world, but those conversations too often happen in silos. Jazz-Con 2026 is about creating a practical, international platform where people can exchange ideas, build relationships and leave with strategies they can actually use.”
Because Jazz-Con is fully virtual, participants can attend from anywhere in the world without the cost of airfare, hotels, transportation, meals or time away from home.
Registered participants are also expected to receive on-demand replay access to most sessions for approximately 60–90 days following the live event. Jazz-Con 2026 will also continue the conference’s multilingual approach.
After presenting sessions in Japanese and Spanish in 2025, the 2026 edition is expected to retain those language tracks while adding a session in French, further reflecting Jazz-Con’s commitment to global participation and cross-cultural exchange.
Jazz-Con 2026 Early Registration
The Yardbird Special gives attendees access to the full Jazz-Con 2026 experience — two days of virtual conference sessions, industry panels, global conversations, virtual networking opportunities, and the virtual Jazz Festival programming following each day’s sessions — for $125 USD.
Designed for artists, educators, entrepreneurs, students, presenters, media professionals, cultural workers, industry leaders and jazz fans, the Yardbird Special allows participants to plan ahead, save on registration, and join the first wave of attendees stepping into Jazz-Con 2026.
The offer will be available from registration launch through July 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST / U.S. time. After that deadline, standard registration pricing will take effect.
“Accessibility has always been central to the purpose of Jazz-Con,” Miller said. “The Yardbird Special gives people an opportunity to join the conference early, save on registration, and be part of a global music-business conversation without the financial burden of airfare, hotels, transportation, meals or traditional conference expenses.”
Yardbird Special 2-Day Pass: $125 USD
Available Through: July 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST / U.S. time
Participants are encouraged to secure their place early and be part of the first wave of Jazz-Con 2026 attendees helping shape the sound, business and future of what comes next.
The initial session highlights include several of the conference’s most timely and globally relevant topics.
The discussion will focus on consent, ownership, compensation, improvisation, artist identity, metadata and the future of creative rights.
Rather than focusing only on women as performers, the session will center women as executives, curators, journalists, radio programmers, publishers, label owners, rights professionals, managers, presenters, educators and business builders.
Potential areas of discussion include international access, media visibility, women-led organizations, publishing and rights, independent labels, radio, touring, gatekeeping, professional networks and the creation of a stronger international women-led jazz infrastructure.
Topics may include one-stop rights, metadata, instrumental versions, stems, edits, cue sheets, pitch materials, sync agents, music libraries, publishers, deal terms and catalog organization.
This session will provide practical steps for protecting recordings, documenting ownership, securing accounts, monitoring platforms, filing takedowns, correcting metadata and responding when music is misused.
Topics may include export strategy, cultural partnerships, market readiness, touring infrastructure, international promotion, and the role of festivals, showcases, embassies and music-export organizations.
The session will explore cultural exchange, language, regional identity, media, festivals, education and the movement of jazz across Francophone communities.
Its sessions are intended not only to discuss challenges, but to identify actionable steps artists, creators, content owners, labels, educators, presenters, media professionals and organizations can use to build stronger careers and healthier cultural systems.
“Jazz has always been global,” Miller added. “But the business conversations around jazz have not always been as global as the music itself. Jazz-Con 2026 is designed to change that by bringing together people from different countries, languages and professional backgrounds to talk about how we build a stronger future for the music.”
Additional speakers, presenting partners, festival artists, registration details and full schedule information will be announced in the coming months.
For more information, visit www.jazz-con.com.
About Jazz-Con Jazz-Con is a global virtual conference and festival at the intersection of jazz, business, culture, technology and innovation.
Created to connect artists, educators, entrepreneurs, executives, media professionals, labels, presenters, nonprofit leaders, technology companies and cultural organizations from around the world, Jazz-Con provides an accessible platform for practical conversations about the future of jazz and non-popular music.
Jazz-Con is designed to be international, action-oriented and accessible.
By removing the cost and limitations of travel, the conference creates a space where participants from different countries, markets, languages and professional backgrounds can connect, learn and build together.
Jazz-Con, the global virtual conference and festival at the intersection of jazz, business, culture, technology and innovation, has announced that Jazz-Con 2026 will take place September 14–15, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST / U.S. time.
The two-day event will again be presented as a 100% virtual music business conference, followed each day by a 2-hour virtual Jazz Festival. Designed for artists, educators, labels, presenters, media professionals, nonprofit leaders, technology companies, cultural organizations and music-industry professionals, Jazz-Con continues its mission of creating an accessible international platform for the jazz and non-popular music community.
Following the success of Jazz-Con 2025, which featured more than 75 speakers from 23 countries, with approximately 40 percent of the speakers being women, Jazz-Con 2026 will expand its global focus with sessions addressing international market access, artist ownership, AI, music security, sync licensing, women’s leadership, media visibility, independent labels, nonprofit collaboration and cultural infrastructure.
“Jazz-Con was created to bring people together across borders, disciplines and markets in a way that traditional conferences often cannot,” said Jerald Miller, Executive Director of Jazz-Con. “Artists, labels, presenters, educators, journalists, cultural organizations and technology companies are often facing similar issues in different parts of the world, but those conversations too often happen in silos. Jazz-Con 2026 is about creating a practical, international platform where people can exchange ideas, build relationships and leave with strategies they can actually use.”
Because Jazz-Con is fully virtual, participants can attend from anywhere in the world without the cost of airfare, hotels, transportation, meals or time away from home.
Registered participants are also expected to receive on-demand replay access to most sessions for approximately 60–90 days following the live event. Jazz-Con 2026 will also continue the conference’s multilingual approach.
After presenting sessions in Japanese and Spanish in 2025, the 2026 edition is expected to retain those language tracks while adding a session in French, further reflecting Jazz-Con’s commitment to global participation and cross-cultural exchange.
Early Bird Registration: The Yardbird Special
Early bird registration for Jazz-Con 2026 will open with the Yardbird Special, a limited-time registration offer created for participants who want to secure their place early at the conference’s lowest available rate.Jazz-Con 2026 Early Registration
The Yardbird Special gives attendees access to the full Jazz-Con 2026 experience — two days of virtual conference sessions, industry panels, global conversations, virtual networking opportunities, and the virtual Jazz Festival programming following each day’s sessions — for $125 USD.
Designed for artists, educators, entrepreneurs, students, presenters, media professionals, cultural workers, industry leaders and jazz fans, the Yardbird Special allows participants to plan ahead, save on registration, and join the first wave of attendees stepping into Jazz-Con 2026.
The offer will be available from registration launch through July 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST / U.S. time. After that deadline, standard registration pricing will take effect.
“Accessibility has always been central to the purpose of Jazz-Con,” Miller said. “The Yardbird Special gives people an opportunity to join the conference early, save on registration, and be part of a global music-business conversation without the financial burden of airfare, hotels, transportation, meals or traditional conference expenses.”
Yardbird Special 2-Day Pass: $125 USD
Available Through: July 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST / U.S. time
Participants are encouraged to secure their place early and be part of the first wave of Jazz-Con 2026 attendees helping shape the sound, business and future of what comes next.
Initial Session Highlights
Jazz-Con 2026 will announce its full schedule in the coming months.The initial session highlights include several of the conference’s most timely and globally relevant topics.
AI, Improvisation & Ownership: Who Gets Paid When Machines Learn from Jazz?
As artificial intelligence reshapes music creation, rights management and creative labor, this session will examine the ethical, legal and economic questions raised when machine-learning systems are trained on human creativity.The discussion will focus on consent, ownership, compensation, improvisation, artist identity, metadata and the future of creative rights.
Women Shaping the Global Jazz Business: An International Perspective
This session will bring together women’s jazz organizations and women leaders working across different parts of the global jazz ecosystem.Rather than focusing only on women as performers, the session will center women as executives, curators, journalists, radio programmers, publishers, label owners, rights professionals, managers, presenters, educators and business builders.
Potential areas of discussion include international access, media visibility, women-led organizations, publishing and rights, independent labels, radio, touring, gatekeeping, professional networks and the creation of a stronger international women-led jazz infrastructure.
Sync-Ready: How Artists, Content Creators & Catalog Owners Can Prepare, Pitch and Place Their Music
This practical session will focus on how artists, composers, labels and catalog owners can prepare their music for sync licensing opportunities in film, television, advertising, documentaries, games, trailers, podcasts and branded media.Topics may include one-stop rights, metadata, instrumental versions, stems, edits, cue sheets, pitch materials, sync agents, music libraries, publishers, deal terms and catalog organization.
Protect Your Music: How Independent Artists, Labels & Catalog Owners Can Prevent Fraud, Misuse and Content Theft
As digital distribution expands, independent artists and labels are increasingly vulnerable to unauthorized uploads, fake artist profiles, metadata errors, fraudulent royalty claims, impersonation and content theft.This session will provide practical steps for protecting recordings, documenting ownership, securing accounts, monitoring platforms, filing takedowns, correcting metadata and responding when music is misused.
The Global Jazz Export Playbook: From Local Scene to International Market
This session will explore how artists, labels, managers, presenters and cultural organizations can move jazz beyond local scenes and into international markets.Topics may include export strategy, cultural partnerships, market readiness, touring infrastructure, international promotion, and the role of festivals, showcases, embassies and music-export organizations.
Jazz in the Francophone World
As part of Jazz-Con’s expanded multilingual programming, this French-language or Francophone-focused session will examine jazz across France, Québec, the Caribbean, Africa and other French-speaking regions.The session will explore cultural exchange, language, regional identity, media, festivals, education and the movement of jazz across Francophone communities.
A Conference Built for Global Access
Jazz-Con 2026 is designed to be practical, international and future-facing.Its sessions are intended not only to discuss challenges, but to identify actionable steps artists, creators, content owners, labels, educators, presenters, media professionals and organizations can use to build stronger careers and healthier cultural systems.
“Jazz has always been global,” Miller added. “But the business conversations around jazz have not always been as global as the music itself. Jazz-Con 2026 is designed to change that by bringing together people from different countries, languages and professional backgrounds to talk about how we build a stronger future for the music.”
Additional speakers, presenting partners, festival artists, registration details and full schedule information will be announced in the coming months.
For more information, visit www.jazz-con.com.
Created to connect artists, educators, entrepreneurs, executives, media professionals, labels, presenters, nonprofit leaders, technology companies and cultural organizations from around the world, Jazz-Con provides an accessible platform for practical conversations about the future of jazz and non-popular music.
Jazz-Con is designed to be international, action-oriented and accessible.
By removing the cost and limitations of travel, the conference creates a space where participants from different countries, markets, languages and professional backgrounds can connect, learn and build together.
For more information contact Nu Jazz Publicity.
