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In his first major interview in over two years, MORGAN WALLEN reflects on his turbulent journey to becoming one of the most commercially successful country artists ever--and what he has [...]

BY THE TIME Hootie & The Blowfish released their Atlantic Records debut Cracked Rear View, on July 5,1994, the band had already been together for more than eight years. Singer [...]

LINDA MARTELL's granddaughter Marquia Thompson is running late to launch her 82-year-old grandmother's Zoom interview with Billboard--but for a good reason. In late March, Beyonce featured Martell on two spoken-word [...]

WHEN LAINEY WILSON played Australia for the first time in March, she made sure to meet the country's animal ambassadors: She held a koala; she pet a kangaroo. But it [...]

Straddling country, rock and rap, he has quickly established himself as one of Nashville's great new talents. But for the ex-convict, music is more than a career--it's a mission and [...]

BOLSTERED BY ACTS LIKE Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan and Luke Combs, country music in 2023 experienced its biggest growth spurt in more than 30 years--way back when Garth Brooks soared [...]

IN 2012--FIVE years after moving to Nashville to chase his dream of being a country artist--Jimmie Allen had little to show for his efforts. He was working multiple jobs to [...]

BY THE TIME LAINEY Wilson showcased for BMG Nashville staff in 2018, she was at a crossroads. She had already been in Nashville for over five years after leaving her [...]

EARLIER THIS WINTER, Gabby Barrett and her husband, guitarist Cade Foehner, went skiing for the first time, not far from where she grew up outside of Pittsburgh. 'No bones were [...]

THE ENCANTO soundtrack and breakout smash 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' combine for a respective Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 double domination not achieved in nearly 30 years. The [...]

AT THE INTIMATE, largely outdoor ceremony for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in March, Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist--and paused her emotional acceptance speech to let the sounds [...]

LAST FALL, ERIC Church was standing in his office, perusing the concert photos hanging on the wall, when one caught his eye. It captures the defiant country superstar standing amid [...]

ONE SUMMER night in 2019, Morgan Wallen got his ear pierced. The 27-year-old country singer-songwriter was touring with Florida Georgia Line, along with his fellow opener and close collaborator HARDY. [...]

SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP chairman Jon Singer and his team have a mantra: '250,000 song copyrights and a valuation of $1 billion.' As the company celebrates its 25th anniversary, it is [...]

IN 2013, WHILE ATTENDING AN industry showcase, songwriter Nicolle Galyon invited Ben Vaughn, then-Warner Chappell Music Nashville executive vp, to her car to listen to a rough mix of Keith [...]

ON THE MORNING of March 13, Dolly Parton arrived at her Dollywood theme park, the crown jewel in her multimillion-dollar empire, for an annual preview day for season-pass holders. Located [...]

AT ONE POINT DURING THE making of Gaslighter, the new album from the artists formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, co-writer/producer Jack Antonoff wasn't sure he would survive. Antonoff was [...]

The wallpaper behind Jody Gerson's desk shows a pastoral landscape filled with a menagerie of wildlife--lions, elephants and the creatures Gerson immediately focuses in on, birds. 'I see soaring,' she [...]

In a year when country broke through to the mainstream in a big way, two very different artists followed nontraditional paths that could lead to attention on nomination day COUNTRY [...]

AARON LEWIS, FOUNDING MEMBER AND LEAD VOCALIST OF Staind, bounds onto the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 14--and scores his first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart--with 'Am [...]

IN THE MID-'80s, LESLIE FRAM WAS A FLEDGLING DJ WORKING HER WAY through college at top 40 station WABB-FM in Mobile, Ala., when its program director critiqued her aircheck in [...]

IN 2018, THE RECORDING ACADEMY increased the number of nominees in the Big Four Grammy categories--album, song and record of the year and best new artist--from five to eight. Then, [...]

Louis Messina, the founder and CEO of Messina Touring Group, is a veteran concert promoter known for his focus on artists' entire careers. With an impressive roster including Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and others, Messina's approach emphasizes the connection between artists and audiences. His innovative strategies and dedication to long-term artist development have made him a prominent figure in the live music industry. [Extracted from the article]

DURING THE WEEK OF Dec. 9, Stevie Wonder headlined his annual House Full of Toys benefit concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, while on the opposite coast, Bruce [...]

SHORTLY AFTER THE Academy of Country Music Awards took place last September in Nashville--five months later than in their traditional April slot and 1,800 miles away from their usual Las [...]

HE HAD THE CAR radio on,' Dolly Parton recalls of the day she met Carl Dean, her husband of 57 years. 'I don't remember what it was playing, but it [...]

A&M signed The Police in 1979, and the band's frontman, Sting, reflects on his rewarding decadeslong professional and personal relationship with A&M co-founder Jerry Moss. I first met Jerry Moss [...]

WERE REALLY STORYTELLERS of artists' legacies,' says Iconic Artists Group president Jimmy Edwards. 'We feel we are preserving history.' Launched in 2020 by Irving Azoff and (since departed) Olivier Chastan [...]

In May, a few days after accepting the award for new female artist of the year at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Nashville, Hailey Whitters was onstage [...]

WHEN BEN KLINE and Cris Lacy took over Warner Music Nashville (WMN) as co-presidents in June, they let the staff know that their disagreements would be hashed out in the [...]

TWO YEARS AGO, Gabby Barrett was flying back-and-forth from her hometown of Munhall, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh, to Nashville to try to kick-start her country career. She had been making [...]

SONGS Will 2020 finally be Diane Warren's and Thomas Newman's year? The veterans have earned their 11th and 15th respective Academy Award nominations without a previous win. Warren is vying [...]

On Oct. 13, 2017, Danielle Aguirre, executive vp/general counsel for the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), and Dina LaPolt, who was working alongside her as legal counsel to Songwriters of [...]

LAWYER OF THE YEAR JEFFREY HARLESTON, 57 General counsel/executive vp business and legal affairs, Universal Music Group University of California, Berkeley, School of Law When Jeffrey Harleston joined MCA Records [...]

The CD-peddling, gatekeeper-guarded record industry is dead. But the meme-crafting, data-mining, spon-con-placing, royalty-chasing, wearable-designing, Chipotle-playlist-making industry is thriving, and to get a piece of the action, you'll need a very [...]

Executive Of The Tear JASON OWEN The president/CEO of Sandbox Entertainment and manager of Faith Hill, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini and Little Big Town has emerged as the leader of [...]

JAY-Z MAY HAVE BEEN THE guest of honor at the annual Clive Davis/Recording Academy Pre-Grammy Gala on Jan. 27, but the night belonged to the ladies. Gladys Knight, Alicia Keys [...]

BY MELINDA NEWMAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERIC DBBEN KEN BURNS REACHES INTO HIS FRONT-RIGHT JEANS pocket to retrieve a small, burnished silver heart, then a coin awarded to learning-disabled students who [...]

Music Groups Rob Stringer CHAIRMAN, SONY MUSIC GROUP Under Stringer's leadership of Sony Music Group, the company scored victories on and off the charts. In June, Sony launched Artists Forward, [...]

LAWYER OF THE YEAR JOEL KATZ, 73 Chairman of the global entertainment and media practice, Greenberg Traurig; University of Tennessee College of Law Katz reels off flight times from his [...]

IN JANUARY, the success story of Encanto and its hit single 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' kicked off a banner year for music from movies: Five songs written for films [...]

SINCE THE ACADEMY Awards handed out their first statuettes for best original song in 1935, almost twothirds of the winners have been writing duos, including such legendary twosomes as Richard [...]

WHEN JON LOBA graduated from Central Michigan University in 1996 with a degree in finance, he planned to move to New York for an investment banking training program. Then a [...]

TRANSFORMATION' and 'transparency' are words that Harvey Mason Jr. uses a lot--and for good reason. In the 21 months since Mason became interim and then official CEO of the Recording [...]

The article features 30 executives in the music industry who are working to create a more diverse, more equitable environment for LGBTQ+ music fans. They include Annie Brinn, senior vice president of publishing, licensing and royalties administration at Warner Music Group, Sam Duboff, global executive of Spotify for Artists and David Furnish, chief executive officer of Rocket Entertainment.

The article features several musical artists who are 40 and under 40. These include Mercury Records president Tyler Arnold, Habibi Management head of talent management Raymond Acosta, Interscorp Records executive vice president Ramon Alvarez-Smikle, Messina Touring Group director of digital marketing Nicholas Ayoub, Apple Music director of artist services Glenne Azoff, and Sony Music Publishing senior vice president of creative Nick Bral.

The article features African American country music singer Linda Martell. It highlights the career achievements of Martell that include performance at the Grand Ole Opry and the release of the single "Color Him Father" in 1969, the 1970 album "Color Me Country," and appearance as featured guest on two spoken-word segments on Beyoncé's album "Cowby Carter." It attributes the decision of Martell to leave Nashville, Tennessee to a record label clash, legal battle with her manager and racism.

The article features country singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson. It shows the struggles of Wilson in her music career and highlights the growth of her career that included brand partnerships, an upcoming concert tour, collaborations including with producer Jay Joyce, the release of the albums "Bell Bottom Country," which won the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association of Awards for album of the year and Grammy award for best country album, and "Whirlwind."