Music Business Speakers: Leadership, Teams and Performance

Fourteen music business speakers you can book through PepTalk, all of whom use music as a method rather than a claim to fame. The audience does not need to know their name for the session to work, which is what separates this group from a celebrity booking.

Music is a useful teaching device because an orchestra, a band and a business all have the same problem. A group of specialists has to produce one coherent output in real time, with no chance to stop and start again. That maps onto leadership, culture and team performance more precisely than most metaphors. If you want recognisable names instead, see our musician speakers.

Which conductors teach leadership through an orchestra?

The oldest and most durable version of the music keynote. A conductor produces nothing audible themselves, so the entire job is getting a specialist team to perform, which is a direct parallel to senior leadership. Related topics include effective leadership, team building and communication.

» Explore: All music business speakers

Itay Talgam

Orchestral conductor turned leadership consultant, and the definitive version of this keynote. He analyses how six great conductors led their orchestras, and has taken it to TED Global, Google Zeitgeist and the World Economic Forum.

Learn more and book Itay Talgam →

Rainer Hersch

Conductor and comedian who has worked with orchestras including the Philharmonia and played the Edinburgh Festival thirteen times. He uses live musicians to make points about leadership, communication and trust.

Learn more and book Rainer Hersch →

Tom Morley

Founding drummer of Scritti Politti, now working as a team-building specialist. His sessions are rhythm-based and participatory, which makes him a fit when the brief is an activity rather than a talk.

Learn more and book Tom Morley →

Who plays live during the keynote?

Four speakers who perform while they present rather than showing slides about performance. This suits a post-lunch slot, a long agenda that needs an energy change, or any audience that has sat through too many decks. All four are interactive keynote speakers and work well as an opener or closer.

» Explore: All high performance speakers

Mike Rayburn

Virtuoso guitarist and Hall of Fame speaker with over 5,000 presentations across 22 countries. His What If? framework targets resistance to change, and he plays throughout rather than talking about music.

Learn more and book Mike Rayburn →

Clint Pulver

Emmy Award-winning speaker and professional drummer who works on employee retention and mentor management. Clients include NASA and Hewlett Packard. Strong for HR audiences dealing with turnover.

Learn more and book Clint Pulver →

Felipe Gomez

Keynote pianist and business transformation specialist who has delivered over 1,000 presentations across five continents. He builds the talk around virtuoso performance and what it takes to reach that level.

Learn more and book Felipe Gomez →

Brant Menswar

Cornell-certified in leadership psychology, a bestselling author and a top-ranked podcaster. His framework has leaders identify their non-negotiable values. Clients include Netflix, NASA and Microsoft.

Learn more and book Brant Menswar →

Related topics: innovation, employee engagement, company culture and creativity. Also see our high energy speakers.

Who works on sound, listening and wellbeing?

Three specialists for whom sound itself is the subject, covering how people listen, how noise affects performance, and how sound can be used to lower stress in a room. Useful for wellbeing programmes and communication training. See also workplace wellbeing and mental health.

» Explore: All communication speakers

Julian Treasure

Sound specialist whose TED Talk on speaking is the sixth most viewed of all time, with 45 million views. His courses have reached over 150,000 professionals, and his subject is conscious listening.

Learn more and book Julian Treasure →

Valeria Clarke

Award-winning harpist and founder of Sound Healing London, running immersive sonic sessions for stress and team collaboration. Clients include OpenAI, Boston Consulting Group and Arsenal FC.

Learn more and book Valeria Clarke →

Rich Bracken

Emotional intelligence speaker and executive coach who also works as a DJ and emcee. Named a National Top Speaker by Smart Meetings and Real Leaders, and works with Fortune 100 companies.

Learn more and book Rich Bracken →

Who speaks on the music industry as a business?

Four people who built careers inside the industry and can talk about how it actually operates, covering brand-building, community, craft and the long game of a creative career. This group suits creative agencies, entrepreneurial audiences and the events industry itself. Related: entrepreneurship, storytelling and resilience.

» Explore: All business leader speakers

Amani Roberts

DJ, university professor and hospitality specialist. He was MPI Southern California's first African-American president in 44 years, which gives him an unusually direct read on the events industry itself.

Learn more and book Amani Roberts →

Mike Ciprari

Co-founder of SJC Custom Drums, built from a college dorm into a brand used by touring bands worldwide. He speaks on scaling a passion project and building community around a product.

Learn more and book Mike Ciprari →

Rob Shanahan

Thirty years photographing Ringo Starr, the Rolling Stones and others, now teaching what he learned about synchronised teams. Creator of The ICONS Blueprint and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted author.

Learn more and book Rob Shanahan →

Monty Criswell

Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter with three decades of hits, including for George Strait, and music featured on Yellowstone. He speaks on resilience, drawing on his own cancer diagnosis.

Learn more and book Monty Criswell →

Also see our artist speakers, emcee speakers and professional development speakers.

How to choose between music business speakers

Start with the outcome. If the brief is leadership, a conductor gives the audience a model they can picture for years afterwards. If the brief is energy, a performer changes the temperature of a room in a way a slide deck cannot. If the brief is wellbeing, a sound specialist gives people something to try that evening.

Then check the room. Participatory sessions like Tom Morley's need space and a willing audience, and they land badly in fixed theatre seating with a reluctant crowd. A conductor keynote works in any auditorium. Ask about the format before you commit to the venue layout, not after.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a music business speaker?

A music business speaker uses music as a framework for teaching something else, usually leadership, team performance, communication or creativity. A conductor explaining how an orchestra works is teaching management. A musician speaker is a separate category, booked because the audience knows their work.

Do music business speakers perform during the session?

Several music business speakers perform during the session. Mike Rayburn plays guitar throughout, Felipe Gomez performs at the piano, Clint Pulver drums, Rainer Hersch conducts live musicians, and Valeria Clarke plays harp. Others, including Itay Talgam, Julian Treasure and Brant Menswar, deliver a standard keynote. Confirm at enquiry, since live performance affects your sound and staging requirements.

Which music business speakers work for a team-building session?

Tom Morley works best for a team-building session, running participatory rhythm-based sessions built for groups. Rainer Hersch and Valeria Clarke also work in a workshop format. For a longer or more hands-on session, browse our workshop facilitators.

Are these music business speakers based in the UK?

Four of these music business speakers are based in the UK: Rainer Hersch, Tom Morley and Valeria Clarke in London, and Julian Treasure in Glasgow. Itay Talgam is based in Amsterdam. The rest are US-based, in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Nashville. International travel and accommodation sit outside the speaking fee, so factor that in early for a UK date.

Looking for a music business speaker for your next event? Send us a message via the chat and we'll shortlist against your date, format and budget. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!