It is fitting that on the same day Miami Beach will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a massive concert, the MIA Music Summit, which brings together technology, entrepreneurship and music, will take place just a few blocks away. The event, which began in 2014 and is sponsored by Knight Foundation for the second time, is part of efforts to remake Miami into a place of opportunity for innovative startups. 

The summit, which convenes at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road on March 26, includes panels on topics such as investing in music startups, the state of the digital music industry, music marketing and the use of “big data” for music. There will be also startup showcases, a panel of entrepreneurs discussing how to raise money, and live music performances. Speakers include Liv Buli, from Next Big Sound; Oscar Celma, director of research at Pandora, and Bora Celik, co-founder of the startup Jukely. Participating companies include Qualcomm, Choose Digital  andF# .

The summit also includes a MIA Music HackDay, which this year will take place at Building.co, a collaborative workspace in Miami, on March 21-22, the weekend before the conference. About 50 hackers will compete for the chance to be one of the five finalists selected to make their pitch on the main stage during the summit to compete for cash and other prizes and to reach out to potential investors.

 “We have a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Miami, but we also have this music and media community here that are significant assets,” says Matt Haggman, Knight’s Miami program director.  “As we grow the startup community, the entrepreneurial community and the tech community, finding ways to leverage our really impressive music, entertainment and media community is critical. This conference really helps with that.”

As if to underscore Haggman’s point, that same week, South Florida is hosting two high-profile music events with a global reach: the 30th Winter Music Conference March 24-28, while across the bay, the massive Ultra Music Festival takes place at Miami’s Bayfront Park March 27-29.

Music anyone?

“The big global players are making music a big part of their strategy,” says Demian Bellumio, a founder and organizer of the MIA Music Summit and COO of Senzari, a Miami-based music data company that Knight has invested in through its Entreprise Fund. “Look at Apple. There is no large presentation by Apple that doesn’t have music. Think of Google and YouTube. Music is obviously a big factor for them. Everybody understands that musicians are the most followed people on the Internet and they are influential and they are vocal. “

Harnessing, catering to and profiting from such intense, broad interest are at the center of the summit. “Today, music touches pretty much everything,” says Bellumio.

For this second edition of the summit “one thing I wanted to do different is to put more musical performances,” he says.

But even the choices of performers underscore points to be made.

He notes that “Ryan Leslie is one of those musicians who’s not only an artist but he’s also trying to figure out how to control their careers. I met him at the DLD conference in Munich, where he gave a presentation. He basically started to go directly to his fans and … realized that he was making 10 times more money selling 10 times less. He brings a very interesting perspective — and is a great performer.”

Former backup singer for Juanes, Shakira and Prince Royce, Raquel Sofia, a Miami-based, Puerto Rico-born and -raised singer and songwriter, “is one of the new artists at Sony [Music Latin who] are completely digital,” Bellumio says. “There is no physical anything. She represents the Miami musical scene, and to me it’s interesting to hear the perspective of traditional [music] labels, how are they working with artists in this new environment.” Sofia is also scheduled to appear at the Miami Beach 100th anniversary concert.

Puerto Rico-born Miami resident turntablist Guti Talavera will be the deejay for the day “and we are going to do something interesting to honor Miami’s musical history,” notes Bellumio.

As for MIA Music HackDay, Bellumio says that the creators of iRemix, the application that won last year’s HackDay, have built a company and will be attending the summit. Their story, says Bellumio, “is a testament to what these events might help create.”

Of the expected 50 hackers, working both individually and in teams, five winners will be selected as finalists and Rokk3er Labs, a Miami-based company that focuses on co-building and launching companies, “will help us and, with them, we are going to look into how we can turn these hacks into actual companies. Last year [the hackers] worked Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday they had to present. This year, between the selection and the presentation, they are  going to have time to work with professionals on the process to create a company based on these ideas and how to take what they’ve built and turn it into a successful startup.”

That, of course, would go a long way towards establishing Miami as a hub for technology and entrepreneurship. For Haggman, of Knight Foundation, “all the elements are there. “

“We are seeing companies getting funded and we are seeing entrepreneurs beginning to grow, but it just takes time to see more of that and also see the promising ones find success. But I really think we are on the right path.”

Fernando González is a South Florida-based arts and culture writer.