The Keynote Case Study at the 10th Annual Billboard Touring Conference will examine the lasting impact of the Grateful Dead on contemporary touring across a wide range of genres. The one-of-a-kind session, moderated by Paradigm agent Jonathan Levine, will feature electronic producer Skrillex, rock 'n roll iron man Warren Haynes, AM Only agent Lee Anderson, Windish Agency agent Sam Hunt, Another Planet Entertainment president, Gregg Perloff, and former Grateful Dead manager Rock Scully, co-author of the book "Living With the Dead."

Pioneers in the touring industry, the Grateful Dead's contributions to the business are still being felt today, inspiring a new generation of fan-centric touring in a wide range of genres driven by the opportunities afforded in the digital age. Community, communication, fan accessibility, direct-to-fan ticketing, touring outside of album cycles, creating immersive experiences, moving-target set lists, and live recording of concerts all were first implemented in a broad way by the Dead. Decades later, these tactics have evolved and are now being used by NextGen artists in ways even the Dead could never have imagined. The impact and opportunities of this long, strange trip, and destinations unknown, will be addressed by an informed panel guaranteed to surprise, inform, entertain, and inspire.

"There is a lot to be learned from the Grateful Dead, and this session will feature not only the people who were there as the band blazed the trail, but also artists and touring pros who are taking these practices to a new level in this age of information,” says Ray Waddell, Billboard’s executive director of content and programming, touring and live entertainment. “This is the type of session one could not see anywhere else, and we’re proud to host it at our 10th annual Conference."