Sony Lost in Music event: a performer and DJ on a purple-lit stage in front of a packed crowd

Lauren
Blitzer

MUSIC BUSINESS EXECUTIVE · COMMUNITY LEADER · PANELIST AND AUTHOR

I've watched this industry change from the inside. The next version won't come from one company. It comes from the right people working on the right plan. I help with both the strategy and the relationships to make it happen.

STRATEGY AND RELATIONSHIPS.

I help established and startup music and tech companies with strategy and execution. That doesn't mean a deck full of instructions. It means real connections to the partners you need to succeed.

My music career started at Sony 14 years ago. Back when the NY HQ was still at 550 Madison and iTunes was all the rage. My first position was at RED Distribution, working with their incredible label roster on Brand Partnerships and Marketing. I quickly moved on to a role at “big Sony” as Director of Marketing, leading a team that owned and grew what we called One Sony campaigns.

The idea was simple. Take a Sony product or technology, like PlayStation VR or 360 Reality Audio, and showcase it through content, live events and experiences driven by Sony artists. I worked across Sony's business units and directly with the HQ team in Tokyo negotiating artist contracts, music licensing and event production. It was a wild ride, including taking shelter on a strangers porch during a hurricane warning in Virginia Beach at Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival.

After almost 8 years, I moved into a newly created role: VP of Business Development. I worked across all of Sony's labels to bring in new marketing opportunities and non-traditional revenue funnels, while also assessing new strategic investments and first-party data opportunities. I engaged new verticals like Web3, gaming, and D2F/D2C platforms, which included several artist activations on Roblox.

After Sony, I led business development at EVEN, a music tech startup. I've also worked with other startups building strategy and partner pipelines to grow and scale.

MUSIC BUSINESS
CONSULTING.

For labels, music tech founders, brands, artist teams, and VC/PE firms. Hire me for an hour, a specific project, or a panel.

NO RETAINER, NO COMMITMENT

BOOK AN HOUR.

Sometimes you don't need a project, you need an hour of straight answers. A deal read, a pricing gut-check, a partner vetted, a company diligenced, or twenty years of music-business judgment pointed at one problem. For VC and PE teams, that hour is a market read, a diligence question, or a reference check. Bring a single question; leave with a plan of action.

60 minutes, one-on-one, on the phone or video. If it turns into a bigger engagement, the hour comes off the first invoice.

01

Partnership & Deal Strategy

Music-tech platforms, labels, distributors

I find the right partners, get to the right people, and structure agreements that actually close, including first-of-kind deals in categories with no precedent. From target list and outreach narrative through term sheet, negotiation and signature.

  • Partner mapping and warm introductions
  • Deal structure, commercial terms and pricing models
  • Negotiation support alongside your legal team
  • Post-signature onboarding so deals go live, not dormant
02

Go-to-Market for Music Tech

Seed to Series B startups entering the music business

Great product, wrong door is the most common way music-tech companies stall. I translate what you've built into an offer the industry recognizes, price it, and design the route to first revenue.

  • Positioning and commercial narrative for an industry audience
  • ICP definition across majors, indies and distributors
  • Outreach strategy, pipeline design and sales collateral
  • Conference and event strategy that generates real meetings
03

Building the BD Function

Founders hiring their first commercial team

I built infrastructures from scratch. I can help you build yours, then hand it to the team you hire.

  • Partnership frameworks, deal templates and process
  • CRM, pipeline hygiene and forecasting basics
  • Cross-functional workflow across product, legal and ops
  • Hiring profiles, interviewing and onboarding your BD lead
04

Emerging Tech & New Revenue

Labels, rights holders and brands

AI, gaming, creator platforms, Web3. At Sony I worked with the strategy and investment team to assess new partners and with labels and artists on activations like Roblox.

  • White-space analysis and new revenue stream design
  • Category research and partner landscape mapping
  • First-party data partnerships for labels and artists
  • Artist integration, licensing and clearance structures
05

Investor Advisory

VC and PE firms evaluating the music space

An operator's read on the music business. I've spent 20 years inside it, including assessing new partners with Sony's strategy and investment team.

  • Market and category read: where music tech is heading and who gets paid
  • Diligence and thesis validation on a company, team, or deal
  • Reference checks and introductions through my network
  • Advisor support for portfolio companies
06

Advisory, Speaking & Community

Founders, boards and organizations

Ongoing counsel, board and advisor seats, and moderated or keynote appearances on where music, technology and fan economics are heading.

  • Ongoing advisory with direct network access
  • Formal advisor or board roles
  • Panels, keynotes, and podcast appearances
  • Mentorship and leadership coaching for commercial teams

COMMUNITY. PODCAST.
PANELS.

01 / 05

COMMUNITY

Working at a major label I experienced how siloed the industry really was, no common place to connect. So I started Lone Wolves Community ↗, a nonprofit of 1,200+ music, tech, and entertainment professionals in 25+ countries.

02 / 05

PODCAST

I co-host Lone Wolves: The State of Music + Tech ↗ with Drew Thurlow. We break down what's happening in music, technology, and the business behind them. Recent episodes cover AI and royalties, distribution, music financing, and where streaming goes next. Now in season two.

03 / 05

PANELS AND SPEAKING

I'm available for panels, keynotes, and moderating. My topics: AI and music: who gets paid. New revenue beyond streaming. Working with music tech startups. Building community and navigating career change in music.

04 / 05

PAST PANELS

  • SXSW panel Beyond the Gatekeepers with four panelists on stage, Lauren Blitzer on the far right

    SXSW 2026Beyond the Gatekeepers

  • Lauren Blitzer speaking into a microphone while seated on stage at a Lone Wolves Community event

    New York Music Month, June 2026So, you got laid off? Join the Club, literally. (Presented by Lone Wolves Community)

NO PLAYBOOK? GOOD.

01 / 04

Diagnose

A short, honest read on where the commercial opportunity actually is, and where it isn't. Usually two weeks.

02 / 04

Build

Strategy on paper: targets, narrative, deal structures, pricing. Everything your team can run without me.

03 / 04

Open doors

I make the introductions and sit in the rooms. Twenty years of relationships across labels, distributors and platforms.

04 / 04

Close & hand off

Through negotiation to signature, then into onboarding so the partnership produces revenue instead of a press release.

MY ROLES.
MY RESULTS.

Business development at EVEN. Business development and marketing at Sony Music. Corporate fundraising at GLSEN.

2025–2026

Head of Business Development, EVEN

Closed partnerships with Sony, UMG and Warner plus UnitedMasters, Cinq, Amuse, Too Lost, Symphonic and Feature.fm. Built the commercial infrastructure for a platform serving 80,000+ artists across 2,200+ labels in 110 countries.

2021–2024

VP, Business Development at Sony Music

A newly created role working across all Sony labels to bring in non-traditional partners as revenue and first-party data opportunities for labels and artists. Worked with the strategy and investment team to assess new partners across Web3, gaming, and D2F/D2C platforms.

2012–2021

Senior Director, Marketing at Sony Music

Led the team that owned and grew the One Sony annual campaigns, including the Lost in Music series. Worked with Sony's HQ team in Tokyo, negotiated artist contracts, and produced events with Ralph and production agencies.

2007–2011

Corporate Relationships at GLSEN

Raised $750K+ annually from Target, Goldman Sachs, IBM and Sodexo, and produced two national galas generating $2M+ per year.

IN GOOD COMPANY

Sony Music · Universal · Warner · UnitedMasters · Symphonic · Cinq · Amuse · Too Lost · Feature.fm · Roblox · Komi · RapChat · MakersPlace · Maestro · Lil Nas X · Zara Larsson · The Chainsmokers · Camila Cabello · Kane Brown · SXSW · Something in the Water

CONSULTING, SPEAKING
& COLLABORATION.

Tell me who you’re trying to reach. If I’m not the right person, I’ll usually know someone who is.

LET'S TALK