Advance RSVP is available to Primary Entry badge types only. Walk-ups may be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Mentor Sessions offer 15 minutes of one-on-one interaction with industry leaders and professionals from a variety of fields spanning interactive, film, and music.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in songwriting, publishing, distribution, education, and A&R.

Shelby Kennedy passionately helps music creators. He’s credited with finding two new acts for two new labels. He introduced Alan Jackson to Arista Nashville and signed SheDaisy to Lyric Street Records. As a songwriter, his first cut was on Ray Charles and he counts Reba McEntire's "I'm A Survivor" among his favorite triumphs. He is also a rare executive to serve writer and publisher relations at both ASCAP and BMI. Kennedy currently serves as Vice President, Entertainment Relations for TuneCore.

You can see Shelby’s full bio on his speaker page.

Registrants who sign up online must check-in 30 minutes before their mentor time slot to guarantee their spot. Limited on-site sign up is also available for a small number of Mentor Sessions spots and will begin 30 minutes before the first time slot of each session.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.