Panelist Bios

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest & largest online community of indie women musicians. Madalyn has spoken on music panels all over the country and moderates many of them as well and has been named one of 10 Powerful Women in Music by Curve magazine and was named one of the 15 People You Should Know In the Biz by Indie-Music.com.

Laura Marrich: Music Editor, Weekly Alibi

Laura Marrich likes to rock. She's enjoyed being the Music and Food Editor at New Mexico's favorite alternative weekly, the Weekly Alibi, for the past three years. (She took up the mantle of Managing Editor this winter.) Laura divides her free time between playing music and eating things. She hopes to one day combine both her passions into something called "snack-core" music.

Les Scott: Director of Catalog Licensing for Film and Television/Source Q Boutique

A vereran of 34 years in the music industry, Les Scott has made his living soley from performing, writing, producing and publishing music. As a publisher, his company "Source Q Boutique" represents over 300 quality songs/masters and over 200 writers at any given time.

Dan Mayfield: Asst Arts Editor, Albuquerque Journal

Dan Mayfield is the entertainment writer and film columnist for the Albuqueque Journal, the state's largest Newspaper. He has 11 years of expereince writing about musicians, artists, entertainers, business and more. As the film columnist for the paper, Mayfield covers New Mexico's growing film industry. Mayfield is also a DJ at Real Oldies 1600 A,M. in Albuquerque where he rock 'n' roll and doo-wop from the golden era of olides music on Albuquerque's only real oldies station.

Ken Abdo: Entertainment Lawyer

Ken Abdo is a Vice President of the Lommen Abdo Law Firm and Co-Chair of the Entertainment Law Department. In over more than 20 years of practice, he has helped build the largest, most visible and successful entertainment law practice in the Midwest. Ken’s practice is limited to entertainment law, and his primary focus is on all music law transactions. He is a known artist advocate and leader within the national entertainment law community. He is a popular author and lecturer. A life-long multi-instrumentalist/songwriter and former disc jockey, Ken has a love and deep knowledge of music, music business and music law.

Kevin Hopper: Publisher Local IQ

With more than 12 years of experience as a music journalist and graphic designer, Kevin Hopper is currently serving as Editor and Art Director of Local iQ Magazine, an Arts & Entertainment bi-weekly print pub based in Albuquerque, NM. Kevin has interviewed artists from all ends of the music spectrum, including Merle Haggard, Tori Amos, Rob Zombie and Little Richard to name a few. He has also interviewed Liz Phair, who very politely turned down his proposal of marriage — can't blame a guy for trying.

Robert Case: Owner, New Pants Publishing

Robert A. Case, President of New Pants Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP) and Old Pants Publishing, Inc. (BMI) has produced and released several CDs through the years that have been on the Grammy Entry List in 30 separate categories including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, Pop Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year. Mr. Case's songwriter's songs have appeared in Film and TV shows placements including Loins Gate Pictures, Fox Sports, NBC Friday Night Lights , CBS/VHI Primetime show Love Monkey, One Life to Live on ABC Daytime, the Soap Network and South Park on Comedy Central in the US and Internationally in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

Ryan Cano: Owner, The Loyalty Firm

The Loyalty Firm is a managemement & publicity company owned and run by Ryan Cano in Austin,TX. The Loyalty Firm was started in 2005 providing publicity for artists while Ryan was touring in his own band playing drums. Early PR clients included Aster (Hyperfest 2), Midnight Assembly and Built by Snow. The Loyalty Firm started taking management clients in 2006 and got started by managing Aster. In 2008, The Loyalty Firm proudly added Austin's psychedelic rockers The Boxing Lesson to the roster and has been managing them and their record label Big Bigness Records.

John Forsythe has been waking up Albuquerque for 18 years on 93.3 KOB FM. The current incarnation of the show is "John & The Pop Tarts". During the 90's, he also served as KOB FM's Program Director. Before returning to his home state in 1990, John did morning shows and programed radio stations in Miami, Dallas and San Diego.

Jenny McPhee: After touring with such artists as Graham Parker and Garland Jeffries/U2, Jenny went on to tour with the notorious rock band The Tubes, whose hits include "She's a Beauty" In addition to singing and mixing sound, for The Tubes, she also managed the band as they toured throughout the United States and Europe. During her years with The Tubes she sang on records for artist's as diverse as Jane Weidlin of The Go-Gos and Allen Ginsburg. And mixed live sound for artists such as Richard Marx and Chris Issac. After her departure from The Tubes, she spent 5 years road managing and sound engineering. Once again working with a variety of genres including: Latin – Cuban salsa orchestra Los Van Van, Performing Arts – Lila Downs, Pop/Rock – The Rentals and Metal - Helmet Having tired of the road, Jenny went to work in the booking department at The Agency Group in 2005 working her way up to International Agent. While there she worked with such bands such as Gogol Bordello, Michael Bolton, Fishbone and INXS. Late in 2007 she left that job and joined long time colleague Dave Kirby at his started up agency TKO, Jenny signed on as an International Agent. At TKO she now works with such notable bands as Blessid Union of Souls and hot, up and coming acts like Midnight to Twelve and Straight Line Stitch.