The Bizzy Awards is Music Biz’s annual celebration of music industry companies & executives who are advancing the ways we do business and how we treat our workforce.
In honor of our organization’s B2B nature, we ask our member community to nominate themselves, their companies, their clients and their peers to recognize the important work they do. Award categories and nomination criteria & forms for the Bizzy Awards are shared in the lead-up to our Music Biz Conference, and winners are crowned during the annual Bizzy Awards Dinner.
Congratulations to our 2026 Bizzy Award Winners!
Click here to see who was crowned at this year’s awards dinner!
The Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement is one of the Association’s highest and longest-standing honors, presented to individuals or organizations who have contributed greatly to the overall success of the music industry.
2026 Recipient: Sarah Trahern, CMA
2025 Recipient: Cindy Charles, Twitch
2024 Recipient: Cameo Carlson, mtheory
2023 Recipient: Gina Miller, MNRK Music Group
2022 Recipient: Julie Swidler, Sony Music Entertainment
The Digital Innovator Award recognizes a company or individual who is pioneering the effective use of digital technologies to positively impact how the modern music industry does business.
2026 Recipient: Vickie Nauman, CrossBorderWorks
The Impact Award for Technological Excellence recognizes a company or individual that is at the forefront of innovation in the music business, by providing solutions to meet the needs of the modern industry or pioneering the ways it will operate in the future.
2025 Recipient: DDEX
2024 Recipient: The MLC
2023 Recipient: SoundExchange
The Leading Light Award is presented to a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health, wellbeing and work/life balance.
2025 Recipient: Lisa Hresko, A2IM
2025 Recipient: Colleen Theis, The Orchard
2024 Winner: Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore
2023 Winner: Sara Robertson, A to Z Media
2022 Winner: Monstercat
The Agent of Change Award is presented to a company that exemplifies a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their hiring practices, executive development, and promotion structure.
2026 Recipient: Women in Music
2025 Recipient: Equal Access (mtheory)
2024 Winner: Keychange U.S.
2023 Winner: Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD)
2022 Winner: Made In Memphis Entertainment
The #NEXTGEN_NOW One To Watch Award is presented to an executive under 40 whose work (professional and/or volunteer) has been exceptional, innovative, and stands out as a contribution to the industry.
2026 Recipient: Hannah Thompson-Waitt, Virgin Music Group
2025 Recipient: Emily Stephenson, Downtown Music Publishing
2024 Winner: Jorge Brea, Symphonic
2023 Winner: Emilio Morales, Rimas Publishing
2022 Winner: Shauna Alexander, SoundCloud
The Maestro of Metadata Award is presented to a company or executive who has made a significant impact in the area of data processing, credit clarification, streamlining or otherwise promoting clean data and best practices.
2026 Recipient: Andrew Mitchell, The MLC
2025 Recipient: Elysha Miracle, Concord
2024 Winner: Dae Bogan, The MLC
2023 Winner: Jaxsta
2022 Winner: Britnee Foreman, Exceleration Music
The Indie Retailer of the Year Award is given to a retail store who has shown exceptional inventiveness and ingenuity in their practices during the past year in their interactions with consumers.
2026 Recipient: Easy Street Records
2025 Recipient: Grimey’s Music
2024 Winner: Electric Fetus
2023 Winner: D. Tobago Benito, DBS Sounds / F.A.M.S. Coalition
2022 Winner: Darkside Records
The Marketing Superstar Award honors a marketing campaign that was innovative and thought-provoking. Candidates can be from any sector of the industry and campaigns can be physical or virtual.
2026 Recipient: Hayley Williams, “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” | Secretly Distribution/Post Atlantic
2025 Recipient: MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniv.), Rhymesayers Entertainment
2024 Winner: De La Soul, A.O.I. LLC, dist. by Chrysalis Records & Reservoir
2023 Winner: Encanto IRL Meta Reels Activation | Disney Music Group and Meta
2022 Winner: WMX Black History Month Campaign
The Ace Communicator Award recognizes a company or individual who is outstanding in the fields of public relations & corporate communications, shining light on the hard job of raising awareness for non-marketing messages and managing internal/external comms.
2026 Recipient: Dmitri Vietze, Rock Paper Scissors
The Music Business Educator of the Year Award celebrates a music business educator who inspires students to enter the music business. The winner leads by example and teaches across the breadth and depth of the industry to open students’ awareness to the possibilities available in the music industry today. The winning candidate also exposes students to the importance of connection and relationships in this industry while continuing to learn and be a part of the industry themselves.
2026 Recipient: Tonya Butler, Berklee College of Music
2025 Recipient: Jerry Brindisi, Columbia College Chicago
2024 Winner: Larry Miller, NYU
2023 Winner: Serona Elton, Frost School of Music – Univ. of Miami
