SoundExchange Hosts Influencers Series at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and 2016 Inductee Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple

The SoundExchange Influencers Series brings together music legends and rising stars, demonstrating the impact of legacy artists on today's music. It also provides a forum to address issues currently facing our music legends, namely, fair pay and recognition for all sound recordings across all platforms. The series evolved from SoundExchange's commitment to raising awareness around the value of all generations of music – past, present and future.

Jerry Cantrell is most recognized as the lead guitarist, songwriter and vocalist for mega-platinum-selling rock band Alice in Chains. Alice in Chains' most recent release was the GRAMMY^® nominated album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, which entered Billboard's Top 200 at No. 2 and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Albums Chart. Rolling Stone gave the record three stars, as did USA Today, who praised it as an album of "undeniable power." Spin called it "an assured, diverse, heated record with galvanized hooks," Pitchfork said it's "as insistent as [landmark album] Dirt," and the Seattle Times wrote, "Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney continue to defy expectations" and that "Alice in Chains is better than ever."

Over the course of their remarkable career, Alice in Chains has garnered multiple GRAMMY^® nominations, sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and amassed a diehard international fan base who number in the millions. They remain one of the most successful and influential American rock bands of all time.

Glenn Hughes played bass and was a co-lead vocalist with Deep Purple, an early pioneer of the hard rock movement that has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and he continues to play and perform as a solo artist. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced in December 2015 that Deep Purple would be a 2016 inductee because it was part of the Holy Trinity of hard rock and metal bands.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of The SoundExchange Influencers Series. This series is great opportunity to bring musicians together to talk about music, the industry and the issues of the day," Cantrell said.

"I appreciate this chance to participate in The Influencers Series and look forward to having a serious discussion about issues that affect artists every day. Recording artists need to ensure that their voices are heard, and these discussions provide us a forum to achieve that," Hughes said.

"The Influencers Series generates tremendous attention both because of the people who participate as well as the issues they discuss," said SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe. "For this installment, we're honored to have two artists join us and share their thoughts on one of the most pressing issues facing the entire music community -- ensuring that all creators are paid fairly across all platforms."

SoundExchange has also partnered with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to present an exhibit called "Louder Than Words: Rock, Power and Politics." The new exhibit delves into "the power of rock to change attitudes about patriotism, peace, equality and freedom." While the exhibit is currently at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it will move to Washington, D.C.'s Newseum in January 2017.

Watch the live stream of this installment of The SoundExchange Influencers Series on Thursday, June 2 at 7pm ET at http://www.rockhall.com/

About SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the nonprofit organization at the center of digital music, developing solutions to benefit the entire music industry. The organization collects and distributes digital royalties on behalf of more than 130,000 recording artists and master rights owners accounts. To date, SoundExchange has paid out approximately $3.5 billion in royalties. For more information visit www.SoundExchange.com or www.facebook.com/soundexchange.

About the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's mission is to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll. The institution carries out its mission by giving voice to the stories of the people, artifacts and events that shaped rock and roll — through exhibits, materials in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Library and Archives, traveling exhibitions, and a wide array of innovative educational programs and activities. The Rock Hall is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays (and Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day), the Rock Hall is open until 9 p.m. For more information, please call 216.781.ROCK (7625), visit rockhall.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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