‘When you can’t see the whole picture, you don’t truly understand what’s going on in your business.’Absolute Label Services co-bosses, Henry Semmence and Simon Wills discuss Anthology, a new system they believe is key to the future of their company – and the success of their clients…
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The 2026 NAMM Show Artist Lineup AnnouncedSome big news to kick off the week, as NAMM announces the artist lineup for its 2026 show, and there are some significant names on the list.

Global Media Day, on January 21, will see alt-rockers The Runarounds perform, as well as "critically acclaimed artist Margaret Glaspy and two-time GRAMMY winner and Best New Artist nominee Molly Tuttle."

Smashing Pumpkins frontman and founder Billy Corgan (pictured) will be honored on January 22 with the 2025 TEC Innovation Award at the 41st Annual NAMM TEC Awards.

Also on January 22, the 2026 Bass Magazine Awards takes place at The Observatory in Santa Ana, and that bill will feature performances by "Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Les Claypool of Primus, Marcus Miller (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock), Laura Lee of Khraungbin, and Blu DeTiger. Presenters include Robert Trujillo of Metallica, Justin Chancellor of Tool, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Derrick Hodge, Victor Wooten, and more to be revealed. Additional performances will include Stu Hamm, Vincen Garcia, Scott Mulvahill, and Pops Magellan."

“I’m honored to be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Bass Magazine Awards, but more importantly to be surrounded by the titans of bass and some of my heroes. I will get to jam out with some of my closest friends and it is going to be one hell of night! You DO NOT want to miss this! Let’s go,” said Mike Dirnt of Green Day,

“I’m very honored to be given the Future of Bass Award at the 2026 Bass Magazine Awards," said Laura Lee of Khruangbin. "It’s such an honor to be embraced by the bass community and to be performing alongside some really amazing bass players. I hope to see you there!”  

It has been revealed that Primus will be performing a set too--expect more surprises as the days progress.

January 23 will see the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage host Yamaha All-Star Concert on the Grand. Performers there include The War & Treaty, Alana Springsteen, Sheléa, and Ethan Bortnick.

On that same Friday, the She Rocks Awards will honor Carnie Wilson and Margaret Glaspy.

January 24 is the final day of the event. "Joining NAMM President and CEO John Mlynczak will be Chad Smith, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and longtime advocate for music education, and Victor Wooten, the five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist, educator and author, whose work has inspired generations of players and students," reads a statement. "The Grand Rally reaffirms NAMM’s and The NAMM Foundation’s commitment to expanding access to music education and supporting the next generation of creators."

“We have a deep commitment to making The NAMM Show a global platform for live artist performances and musical appearances," John Mlynczak, NAMM President and CEO, told MC. "The 2026 line-up of award-winning artists and bands is a direct reflection of that commitment.”

For more information about The 2026 NAMM Show, event schedules and registration, please visit www.namm.org.

The post The 2026 NAMM Show Artist Lineup Announced first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Apple Music and Shazam report record growth"Apple Music had its best year ever in 2025, breaking records across both listenership and new subscribers," Apple said in a statement Monday. Strong Apple Music growth is indicative of its increasing popularity and market influence.
The post Apple Music and Shazam report record growth appeared first on Hypebot.

Live Events Industry Calls on EU to Stop Predatory Ticket Resale + Why U.S. is paying attentionEurope’s live events industry is intensifying its push against ticket scalping. They are calling on regulators to take decisive action against what it describes as industrial-scale ticket resale abuse.
The post Live Events Industry Calls on EU to Stop Predatory Ticket Resale + Why U.S. is paying attention appeared first on Hypebot.

Elon Musk’s X sues major music publishers – plus BMG, Kobalt, NMPA and more – alleging industrywide ‘collusion’ to force licensing dealX’s lawsuit points to successful licensing agreements between the NMPA plus Roblox and Twitch as evidence of an alleged ‘extortionate scheme’.
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GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)The 2025 GRAMMY nominations are here and we're going to help you to untangle it all right up until the big event, continuing with the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television) category.

Take a listen to the nominated soundtracks below--who do you think will win?

See the full list of nominees in every category here.

How To Train Your DragonJohn Powell, composer

Severance: Season 2Theodore Shapiro, composer

SinnersLudwig Göransson, composer

WickedJohn Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers

The Wild RobotKris Bowers, composerThe post GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television) first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual MediaThe 2025 GRAMMY nominations are here and we're going to help you to untangle it all right up until the big event, continuing with the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category.

Take a listen to the nominated soundtracks below--who do you think will win?

See the full list of nominees in every category here.

A Complete UnknownTimothée ChalametNick Baxter, Steven Gizicki & James Mangold, compilation producers; Steven Gizicki, music supervisor

F1® The Album(Various Artists)Brandon Davis, Joe Khoury, Kevin Weaver, compilation producers; David Taylor & Jake Voulgarides, music supervisors

KPop Demon Hunters(Various Artists)Spring Aspers & Dana Sano, compilation producers; Ian Eisendrath, music supervisor

Sinners(Various Artists)Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson & Serena Göransson, compilation producers; Niki Sherrod, music supervisor

WickedCynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande (& Wicked Movie Cast)Stephen Oremus, Stephen Schwartz & Greg Wells, compilation producers; Maggie Rodford, music supervisorThe post GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

MusicPro ’26 Brings Artists and Professionals TogetherOn Thursday, January 8, a campaign was launched to "invite independent and emerging artists to attend MusicPro ’26."

"MusicPro ’26 is a unique gathering of independent and emerging artists, music professionals, and the companies and organizations that exist to support them," said Dendy Jarrett, Give A Note CEO. "It’s been created as a fundraiser for music education non-profit Give A Note foundation, which over its 13 years has undertaken a variety of music education initiatives including helping over 800 schools develop and install music technology in their classrooms. Give A Note began with a grant from the producers of the TV Show “Glee.” All attendee and sponsor fees from MusicPro ‘26 go to benefit Give A Note."

"Another unique aspect of MusicPro ’26 is that it’s being held during spring break at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, a particularly compelling location," he continued. "With full use of the campus, the conference presents an interactive learning activity held in a teaching facility that has recording studios, performance spaces, rehearsal rooms and wired classrooms. The place is brimming with backline, streaming capabilities and music technology. MI also has a new and central outdoor Commons area that’s covered and perfect for our sponsors’ booths, our registration kiosk, and networking receptions."

"Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and work with one another as well as interact with members of the music industry in workshops, panel and listening sessions, structured music creation activities, demonstrations and keynotes. Our first 20 sessions were just posted at musicpro26.com."

The post MusicPro ’26 Brings Artists and Professionals Together first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From Salt-N-Pepa’s dismissed UMG case to UK music streaming subscription revenues’ 3.2% growth… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days...
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NAMM 2026 Will Feature First Ever “Music Innovation Hub”Adam McHeffey (Rock Paper Scissors) believes “Innovation is really about seeing and hearing something essential yet overlooked in how we engage with music.”
The post NAMM 2026 Will Feature First Ever “Music Innovation Hub” appeared first on Hypebot.

The Bandsintown Team Shares Their Favorite Concerts of 2025Since the holiday break, the Bandsintown office has been abuzz with conversation around the team's favorite concerts in 2025. We thought we'd share those with you, dear readers. Enjoy!
The post The Bandsintown Team Shares Their Favorite Concerts of 2025 appeared first on Hypebot.

THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring GRAMMY® Winning Guitarist Janet RobinIn this episode of The Jeremiah Show, GRAMMY® Award–winning guitarist and composer Janet Robin sits down with Jeremiah for a wide-ranging conversation about the moments—and mentors—that shaped her life in music.

Janet shares how guitar became her “security blanket” as a kid, and how studying one-on-one with Randy Rhoades (as his youngest student and the only girl in his class) gave her both technique and confidence—especially his insistence that students develop their own sound.

From her early years playing clubs in L.A. with the all-female band Precious Metal (and the whirlwind of being discovered and signed young), to being handpicked by Lindsey Buckingham for a demanding “guitar army” tour that sharpened her discipline and pushed her toward solo work, Janet traces a career built on hustle, professionalism, and creativity.

She also discusses coaching Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight, the unforgettable story behind the film’s famously smashed vintage Martin, and the full-circle Grammy win with The String Revolution for their instrumental “Folsom Prison Blues” recorded at Cash Cabin with John Carter Cash and guest guitarist Tommy Emmanuel—plus what’s next, including new releases, touring, and a blues project drawing from Library of Congress recordings.

Join Grammy®-Winning Guitar Trio, The String Revolution, for a night of unmatched guitar magic at Boulevard Music on January 17 at 8:00 PM.

For tickets and more information, log onto: https://www.boulevardmusic.com

JANET ROBIN’S WEBSITE - https://www.janetrobin.com/

THE STRING REVOLUTION - https://www.thestringrevolution.com/

INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Insel

LISTEN to the INTERVIEW on APPLE PODCASTS Available January 9, 2026

The post THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring GRAMMY® Winning Guitarist Janet Robin first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Troy Carter acquires catalog of influential Pop Art RecordsCarter describes the catalog as 'some of the most important pieces of music in hip-hop history'
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Dim Mak at 30 🎂 Why Steve Aoki Is the King of the Live DJ StageDim Mak is turning 30 this year, and Steve Aoki is taking his brand on tour in 2026. Here's what has made Aoki one of the most influential, exciting live DJ performers on the scene. (Yes, throwing cake is part of it.)
The post Dim Mak at 30 🎂 Why Steve Aoki Is the King of the Live DJ Stage appeared first on Hypebot.

What the Spotify Data Scrape Means for Independent ArtistsA shadow-library called Anna’s Archive has scraped nearly all of Spotify’s music metadata (almost 300TB of data). Here's what that means.
The post What the Spotify Data Scrape Means for Independent Artists appeared first on Hypebot.