Cassie Dickson is the HR Director/Project Manager for Audiotree Music which includes Lincoln Hall, Schubas, and Tied House. She also is heavily involved in the Chicago music scene through her involvement with the Chicago Independent Venue League. As a huge proponent of community, she added an additional role in 2025, as she was named Secretary for the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce. Tom and Cassie will discuss her route into the music industry, the success of Audiotree Music, and they will put a focus on why strength in numbers matters for independent music in Chicago.  

Samantha Hunter is a 2017 graduate from Columbia College Chicago, where she majored in Music Business Management. Since 2018, she has been employed with Sweetwater where she is Director of Campus Productions and Artist Relations. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the facility is like no other. The 44-acre complex not only features not only the largest on-site inventory of any music store, but it also welcomes musicians and touring artists to their recording studio, and live performance stage with weekly free performances. Tom and Samantha will discuss her rise in the industry and how her current position gives her the opportunity to utilize many of the skills she learned at Columbia.