Association News
Below, you’ll find the latest Association press releases, updates on our upcoming events, introductions to our newest member companies, links to the latest content from Music Biz and our partners, and more.
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July 15, 2026 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — AI is Making the Industry More Efficient (and More Fragile): Op-Ed from SongShift’s Brandon Kirby
Senior leaders across industries are under growing pressure to build leaner, faster, and more efficient teams and organisations. Advances in AI are accelerating expectations around productivity, automation, and operational scale at the exact moment teams are being asked to deliver more with fewer resources. But many organisations are overlooking a far more consequential risk emerging underneath these changes. As companies compress operational layers and reduce headcount, they also reduce many of the environments where leadership capability was traditionally identified and developed.... Click Here To Read
July 14, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #296 — How Secretly Found Success by Sticking to Their Indie Roots: An Interview with Shelly Worcel!
Secretly has seen the industry go through many changes, and with it so has Shelly Worcel, who went from intern to Director of Global Physical Account Strategy during her 14 years at their distribution arm. Though the company has grown exponentially over the years, they still maintain their independent mindset – remaining flexible and willing to experiment without jumping ship during times of change, like the transition from physical to digital, the shift away from radio,... Click Here To Listen
July 7, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #295 — Rock Paper Scissors, Inc’s Dmitri Vietze on Music Marketing, Tech, and Times of Change
Dmitri Vietze describes working in PR & marketing in the music industry as a rollercoaster on top of another rollercoaster, given the constant transition in both industries. In this podcast episode, we gain insight into this experience from Dmitri, who runs Rock Paper Scissors, Inc., a PR firm representing music tech companies and organizes the Music Tectonics Conference every year. Throughout the interview, he describes his transition from artist PR to tech PR, how AI music compounds an already flawed attribution process,... Click Here To Listen
June 30, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #294 — The Past, Present & Future of Music Legislation: Hear from Fox Rothschild LLP’s Cynthia Katz & Heidy Vaquerano!
Precedent shapes legislation. In our industry’s current era of change – defined by issues ranging from AI usage to increased artist autonomy – these precedents are challenged to pave the way for the potential of new rulings. During Music Biz 2026, Cynthia Katz & Heidy Vaquerano of Fox Rothschild LLP gave us a glimpse beyond the glamorous exterior of music law, starting with how they got into the field and diving deeper into artist protection against cannibalistic AI (while also recognizing its revenue-generating iterations),... Click Here To Listen
June 17, 2026 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — When It Comes to Music, Value Isn’t Defined By the Ticket; It’s Defined By the Memory: Op-Ed from Tradable Bits’ Geoff Robins
For decades, the live music industry has mistaken price for value. Price became the story, amplified by headlines and press cycles, while value — the part that actually endures — left room for improvement. As the market for live concert events matured, the industry moved to close what it saw as a pricing gap. Tickets had long been underpriced relative to what fans were actually willing to pay, and secondary markets made that obvious. So the focus shifted: dynamic pricing,... Click Here To Read
June 16, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #293 — How Roblox Is Shaping Next-Gen Music Discovery: A Conversation with Allison Moore of Splash
Music can be discovered anywhere – and for today’s youth, gamified experiences on platforms like Roblox have opened doors for discovering and engaging with a wide range of new music. Splash Music’s Roblox game draws in 2-3 million monthly users, establishing itself as the biggest Roblox stage. This episode recorded at Music Biz 2026 features Splash’s Allison Moore, who speaks on the power of virtual spaces & connection. Here, she discusses what Splash’s Roblox game offers,... Click Here To Listen
June 3, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #292 — Tech & Music: The Hits and Misses of our Industry with Revelator’s Ahuvah Berger-Burcat!
Before her start at Revelator four years ago, Ahuvah Berger-Burcat spent two decades in the tech & cybersecurity space. With this, she brings a unique perspective to the music industry and how it compares – from her perspective, we foster an interconnected community but lack regulations on the tech front. In this chat recorded at Music Biz 2026, Ahuvah touches on the importance of the MFFA, the evolution of the web that naturally led to the age of AI,... Click Here To Listen
May 19, 2026 – The Future of What Episode #291 — Unequal Justice: Inside the Fight Over Free Speech in Music with Simon Tam & Prof. Erik Nielson
This episode features Simon Tam of The Slants and Prof. Erik Nielson, co-author of “Rap on Trial,” who both have been instrumental in combating First Amendment right violations against minority musicians. Simon’s fight to get his all-Asian band the right to their name saw thousands of pages of evidence denied, along with a footnote stating that – had they been Caucasian – there’d be no issue. Erik has researched how the Rap genre is singled out,... Click Here To Listen
May 14, 2026 – Music Business Association Names 2026 Bizzy Award Winners
10 award winners crowned during 5th Annual Bizzy Awards Dinner on May 13th May 14th, 2026 — The Music Business Association (Music Biz) announces the winners of this year’s Bizzy Awards, who were honored during the fifth annual Bizzy Awards Dinner on Wednesday evening, May 13th during Music Biz 2026 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. The 2026 Bizzy Awards Dinner was hosted by artist & Reach Records founder, Lecrae, and featured performances by 1K PHEW (Reach Records) &... Click Here To Read
May 14, 2026 – Russ Honored with NMPA Gold & Platinum Recognition at Music Biz 2026
Recognition Presented by NMPA President & CEO David Israelite and Sony Music Publishing’s Omar Grant May 14th, 2026 | Atlanta, GA — During Music Biz 2026, the annual conference hosted by the Music Business Association, Atlanta based multi-platinum artist, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author Russ was honored with an NMPA Gold & Platinum Recognition plaque celebrating his extraordinary songwriting achievements and collective Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum certifications. The recognition took place during a special on stage presentation introduced by former TuneCore CEO and AGA founder Andreea Gleeson and presented by National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) President &... Click Here To Read
