Nine Country Artists of Color to Check Out in the Wake of "Cowboy Carter"In light of the message sent by Beyoncé's recent smash "Cowboy Carter", here is a list of musicians of color who are asserting their rightful share in country music's heritage.

Warner Music Group job ad reveals initial details of its ‘superfan app’Warner Music Group is looking for a Senior Product Designer to work specifically on its superfan technology
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HYBE-owned Supertone’s new AI ‘voice changer’ lets artists change their vocals… in real-timeSupertone has launched the beta version of a new tool called  'Supertone Shift'
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Revolutionary Career Platform for Live Event Industry GIGGS Announces Official Public LaunchGIGGS is the premier career platform for the live event industry. In the world of live event production, the right connections determine one’s career. Whether you’re seeking your next gig or hiring top-tier talent, GIGGS is revolutionizing the industry landscape and is becoming the ultimate gateway for industry opportunities and career progression.

Just five months post-beta launch, GIGGS has amassed 10,000 users and over 150 job posts and hires. Backed by significant capital investment and support from leading names in the touring industry, GIGGS has honed a solution for the live event industry’s employment needs, creating an efficient, streamlined process for hiring industry professionals.

Industry vet and Nashville Briefing 30 Under 30 awardee NIKKI SANZ founded GIGGS after witnessing first-hand the industry’s challenges and inefficiencies, most notably working on the road with artists including Eric Church and George Strait, on top of working various other live gigs and staffing tours. GIGGS reimagines the traditional, fragmented gigging landscape into a centralized platform for vetted touring professionals and companies to find jobs, hire, and connect.

"I've experienced the inefficiencies plaguing the hiring processes of the live event industry,” says SANZ. “GIGGS helps save executive time spent on inefficient word-of-mouth hiring methods. Employers can directly connect with a vetted, skilled workforce to find the exact talent they need, when they need it. It's not just about filling positions; it's about optimizing time and resources to focus on what truly matters – load in and out on time, and a flawless show!”

Gone are the days when someone’s next career move depended on who they knew. GIGGS is tearing down these barriers. Qualified live event professionals now have access to a world of opportunities that were once out of reach.

“GIGGS streamlines hiring for production companies, tour management, venues, artist managers, and live event organizers by offering vetted, top-tier professionals,” adds SANZ. “We aim to ensure that only qualified candidates apply to jobs. It's about efficiency, quality, and connecting the right people to bring creative visions to life."

Live Nation faces DoJ antitrust suit as indie festivals, venues struggleA U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation ( (LYV.N) and its Ticketmaster subsidy is just weeks away, sources tell the Wall Street Journal.....
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A test Spotify Showcase nets astoundingly disappointing results [Brian Hazard]Music promotion pro and musician Brain Hazard tested Spotify’s Showcase and Marquee marketing features so you don’t have to. by Brian Hazard of Passive Promotion Last month I wrote about how Spotify. Continue reading
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The Importance of Insurance for MusiciansLots can happen unexpectedly as a traveling musician; from equipment to vehicles to health, there’s plenty of bases to cover. by CHRIS CASTLE of Music Tech Policy Car theft is. Continue reading
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NAMM Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of 'Best Communities for Music Education'The NAMM Foundation celebrates and recognizes over 1,000 school districts and individual schools across 43 states for their support and commitment to music education and their efforts to ensure access to music for all students as part of a well-rounded education.READ MORECelebrate the 2024 Scholarship and Award RecipientsRead MoreJoin the Worldwide Celebration of Music, June 21Learn MoreThree scholarships that offer support to attend The 2025 NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA, are available. They are open to college students exploring careers in music, college faculty creating innovative music curricula, and mid-career music business professionals striving for career advancement. APPLYIMPORTANT DATES & EVENTSApril 15Scholarship Applications OpenApplyJune 21Make Music DayLearn MoreJan. 21-25The 2025 NAMM ShowLearn More

Latin music veteran Gustavo Lopez launches Globalatino Music Partners; acquires majority stake in Cigol MusicLopez was a longtime Universal executive and CEO of Saban Music Latin, which was recently acquired by Virgin Music Group

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Spotify, Apple, Roblox, Meta make Dirty Dozen sexual exploitation listThe National Center on Sexual Exploitation has named Spotify, Apple, Roblox, Meta, Reddit, and Dischord to its annual Dirty Dozen list of mainstream contributors of sexual exploitation.....
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4 most annoying things music PR people doPublic relations (PR) is a very necessary role in the music industry, but there are rights and wrongs to the role that could prevent a lot of frustration all around......
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QUICK HITS: New IFPI CEO • WCM + EA • Believe + Kidding Aside • King Street Sounds is back!IFPI, the recording industry's worldwide trade group, has named Victoria Oakley its new CEO. Oakley will join IFPI in June from Portland, the global strategic communications and advocacy consultancy, where she is currently CEO.....
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On… DistroKid, Trefuego, modified audio, and the potential for a new ‘Napster Nightmare’Should distributors bear any responsibility for the spread of copyright-infringing modified tracks?
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Raye Lights Up Coachella 2024(Raye photo by A Osborn/Coachella)

While the highlights of Friday (Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, Deftones, Chloe, Hatsune Miku) were undeniably joyful, it was clear very early on after the lineup announcement that the Saturday of this year's Coachella Festival is the cherry day. When No Doubt was confirmed to be performing on Saturday, that fact was hammered home.

Arriving in the desert early on Saturday morning, we took a few moments to really admire the landscape. The festival itself is phenomenal but the surrounding area really is stunning. Snow-peaked mountains can be seen in the distance, while we sit in the sun.

Getting there early offered the chance to chill out in shade of the Speaker Stage tent, listening to talks by photographer and author Cory Richards, and many more. There's something fundamentally "Coachella" about listening to talks about mental health and societal change in front of a giant horse statue, while electronic music pulses in the background.

We soaked up the chill beats of Maddy Maia b2b Tottie at the DoLab stage when entering the festival proper; that's a wonderful place to relax early on because there are water spritzers spritzing everyone from the trees. It's like being in some sort of a rave botanical garden -- a vivid trip made real.

L.A. post-punks Militarie Gun shook off everyone's Friday night cobwebs at the Sonoma stage. Heavy and irked, they were the first of many punk (or at least punk-adjacent) bands on Saturday and they made some friends. On a completely different musical spectrum, soul singer and songwriter Erika de Casier charmed the Gobi stage crowd with her sultry tones and sweet tunes, while back at Sonoma Girl Mexican R&B singer and guitarist Girl Ultra overcame some early sound issues to put in a solid set.

Young Fathers (Photo by C Reagan/Coachella)

We caught a little bit of Kenya Grace (lively electro fun), before making a beeline for Scottish progressive hip-hop band the Young Fathers. It's been a decade since their debut album Dead won the Mercury Prize, and their second, White Men are Black Too is another fine slab of socially conscious, rhythmic, brilliant alt-rap. At Coachella, they made every minute count. Inspiring, intense, and magnificent.

Changing the tone completely, the Aquabats saw a line of people stretching across the field to get to their Sonoma set. We were able to catch three songs, including an opening "Pool Party" which saw them bring out the Yo Gabba Gabba characters. A perfect festival band, these superhero punks are goofy, silly, hilarious fun. But they also have a ton of great pop-ska-punk tunes.

The reason we had to leave the Aquabats early was the highly-anticipated set from British chanteuse Raye (who you have recently seen on SNL). Easily one of the highlights of the day, and probably the whole weekend, her nightclub jazz-meets-electropop-meets-R&B has drawn comparisons with Amy Winehouse but Raye is very much her own woman. Her set at the Mojave stage was simply incredible. Powerful, beautiful and devastatingly honest.

"Ice-Cream Man" details her own experience with sexual assault, and it just tears your heart out. Women around us in the crowd openly sobbed as Raye poured out her soul. The fact that this song resonates with so many women is just awful, that this is their shared experience, but Raye's ability to connect with her fans on such an emotional level has to be therapeutic for everyone.

Other songs, such as the nightclub-y ode to illicit substances "Mary Jane" and the pulsing brilliance of "Prada" proved that Raye is set to explode when her new album drops.

Incredible, and there was more to come.

The Aquabats (Photo by J Bajsel/Coachella)

Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicThis week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to use Amazon’s new Hype Deck marketing tool, how to perfect your next pitch, and more…
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