The late civil rights leader and US Congressman John Lewis was credited with challenging people to "make good trouble". By that he meant stand up for causes, and do whatever you can to protect the rights of all people. In this episode, we feature two people who have made plenty of good trouble on behalf of defending people's rights in a few important ways.

Dina LaPolt is the founder of LaPolt Law, P.C., one of entertainment's most prominent firms, where she represents artists and executives across music, film, and television. A fierce advocate for creators' rights, she co-founded Songwriters of North America (SONA), helped pass the Music Modernization Act, and is a leading voice on AI protections and legislation shielding artistic expression from criminal prosecution.

Willie "Prophet" Stiggers is the Co-Founder, CEO, and President of the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), where he has built the industry's most prominent organization focused on accountability, equity, and opportunity for the next generation of music professionals. A perennial Billboard Power 100 honoree, he has been recognized across the industry for his advocacy on economic justice, artists' rights, and community-building initiatives.

These are two of the music industry's most fearless advocates for creators' rights, and they have partnered on landmark legislative wins — from the Music Modernization Act to protections against the criminalization of artistic expression — and they're here to share what's next in the fight for artists in the age of AI and beyond.Check it out!

The Smartest People In The Room® is a series of one-on-one conversations between music industry executives and personalities hosted by Tom Truitt, Managing Director of the Music & Live Entertainment practice. These hour long conversations draw an audience of hundreds and feature every type of global music industry executive, including agents, managers, attorneys, business managers, promoters, publishers, working musicians, songwriters. The audience is global, with strong concentration in music business centers like New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Toronto, San Francisco, Austin and more.