The music industry is packed with fake promises but real success requires a completely authentic foundation. At the More In Music conference rising artist Samara Cyn and her manager Armon hit the stage to break down their collaborative dynamic. The keynote panel provided a transparent look into how they balance artistic integrity with sustainable career growth. Audiences received a raw guide on establishing trust and effective communication within a creative team. The convers

The music industry moves faster than ever and securing a viral hit is no longer enough to guarantee a lasting career. During a standout panel at the More In Music conference the executives behind EZMNY Records broke down the true meaning of artist development. Moderator Nile guided an incredibly insightful conversation featuring label cofounder Shawn alongside marketing executive Neice and creative director Jaida. The trio offered a raw look into how they actually build susta

The music industry is unpredictable and finding your exact place in it rarely goes as planned. At the recent More In Music conference a panel of seasoned executives gathered to break down the gritty reality of artist management. Moderator Crystal guided an honest conversation featuring Sammy Seaver from Mutual Friends alongside Michael Bingham of Culture Wave and Kazz Laidlaw from EQT. These industry veterans stripped away the fake glamour to reveal a world built strictly on

The music industry is shifting heavily and independent artists are always trying to figure out how to navigate corporate money without selling out. During a insightful panel discussion at the More In Music Conference moderated by Donovan Shuler we got a look ot how these massive brand partnerships actually work. The panel featured heavyweights across the industry including Kacie Anderson from EMPIRE alongside Gabby Flores and Jordan Ramos from AEG and Nalini Jones from Live

It’s no surprise to see another person stumble into hip hop culture, take advantage of the fans and artists then turn their back on them once they find success. Promo God just crossed a line YN’s don’t even cross and that was attacking artists in instagram comments that included a response to Nate Dogg’s son. Promo God had been being attacked over the last week by people exposing his shady practices and delivering on services that he says he has. Plenty artists have come out

You probably thought the conversation around artificial intelligence in music was just a bunch of legal jargon and empty threats from tech companies. The truth is that the situation just got incredibly real thanks to a massive investigation from The Atlantic. A journalist named Alex Reisner managed to track down four massive datasets that developers have been passing around the internet. These collections contain over twenty one million tracks that were used to train generati

A pretty cool thing happened in the world of music releases earlier this week, and what made it so cool was how completely outside the norm it felt. Thanks to pgLang, we were introduced to a new artist alongside a complete project of music. And it wasn't from Kendrick Lamar or Baby Keem. It was from a new female vocalist who goes by the name Imani Imani. What made the drop so unconventional, and caused a bit of an uproar online, is the programmed fashion in which labels norm

The current music industry is completely unpredictable right now. Artists can go viral overnight on social media or build a massive portfolio over forty years of grinding. Suzie Abdou from Good Life Management perfectly framed this modern chaos during a panel at SXSW with some elite music talent managers this year. She brought together heavy hitters like Mike G from United Talent Agency alongside Rika Tischendorf who manages the legendary Babyface. Jess Tomlins from Neon Coa

The recent SXSW panel focused on how streaming platforms are pushing live events. Fabrice Sergent from BANDSINTOWN moderated a panel with Abbie Riley from Spotify alongside Ali Rivera from YouTube and Jaie Loeb from Nederlander Concerts. Sergent noted that finding tour dates across music apps used to be scattered and complex just three years ago. Now these platforms reach four billion people to push ticket sales. The industry is finally connecting digital streaming directly

The recent HITMKR camp at SXSW 2026 gave independent artists a serious wake up call about the future of music distribution. The platform serves as a complete digital ecosystem that empowers creators to build custom interactive worlds for their fans. Instead of just dropping a basic streaming link the presenters showed off a virtual room where fans can literally explore an artist's creative space. One of the hosts perfectly captured the vibe of these digital rooms by stating

The music game is notoriously hard to crack but a recent industry panel dropped some major gems on how to navigate it properly. Project manager Jess Tomlins from Neon Coast moderated a heavy hitting lineup of executives. The stage featured Anthony Langone from Spotify alongside Faryal Khan Thompson from Empire and Nick Ayoub from Messina Touring Group. They gathered to talk about the real keys to career growth and why communication is absolutely everything in this wild busine

The way people will experience the energy of a concert in the future will be different and where live music is headed next was one of the top discussion at SXSW 2026. The heavy hitting lineup featured Matthew Celia from Light Sail VR and Eric Krueger from Meta. Epic Games representative Heather Fuller and MAGNOPUS innovator Solomon Rogers also joined the stage to drop some serious knowledge. They gathered to break down how virtual reality is changing the way fans connect wit

By now you should have heard of a company called NERO from one of your favorite artists. They are regularly hosting live streams where fans and upcoming musicians can submit their tracks to be reviewed directly by industry heavyweights in real time. Music reviews are in no shape a new concept for the culture. However, NERO was able to build and distribute the technology in a way that simply has not been done before. We think they are truly onto something massive for the indep

Create Music Group has announced a joint venture with Jonny Shipes and his GoodTalk label. The partnership operates on a co release model that integrates the operational strengths of both companies. Create Music Group will supply the global infrastructure and digital distribution network. GoodTalk will handle the creative direction and talent scouting for the roster. The agreement allows both entities to share resources while maintaining their specific operational roles. This

A federal jury has ruled that live entertainment behemoth Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, operate as an illegal monopoly, a landmark decision that could permanently reshape the multibillion-dollar live music industry. The sweeping April 15 verdict caps off a dramatic legal saga that fractured a unified government front and pushed a coalition of states to take the entertainment giant to trial on their own. The jury’s decision formally vali

At SXSW 2026, a conversation centered on independence in music took a more practical approach during The State of the DIY Artist panel. The session brought together Curtiss King, a Los Angeles rapper, producer and media creator, alongside BeatStars founder and CEO Abe Batshon. Rather than framing independence as a final destination, the discussion focused on what it actually takes to sustain a career without relying on traditional systems. Throughout the session, both speaker

At SXSW 2026, one of the more forward looking conversations around music and technology came through a panel titled The Future of Music Is Participatory. The session brought together 310Babii, BandLab Technologies head of communications and creator insights Dani Deahl, Billboard co chief content officer Jason Lipshutz and Hook Music founder and CEO Gaurav Sharma for a discussion about how fans, artists and platforms are reshaping the way music is created and consumed. Rather

At SXSW 2026, a standing room only crowd gathered for a panel that reflected one of the most urgent conversations shaping today’s music industry: how artificial intelligence is being built, used and monetized. The session, titled Ethical and Unethical AI in Music, brought together producer voices and tech leaders, including Kato On The Track, KXVI, BeatStars chief technology officer Michael "MJ" Jacob and Neutune chief industry and rights officer Virginie Berger. Across the

The music world is still buzzing after the massive news that Universal Music Group has officially cleared the final hurdle to acquire Downtown Music Holdings. This is not just some small boardroom shuffle because we are talking about a 775 million dollar deal that effectively brings several massive indie pillars under the same roof as the world’s largest record company. For anyone who has spent time in the indie trenches, you know the name Downtown because they are the muscle

Suno, the AI music powerhouse currently sweating under the legal heat of the RIAA, just made a move that looks a lot like an olive branch. The company officially announced the hiring of Sam Berger as their new Senior Director of Artist Partnerships. If you don't know the name, you definitely know the resume. Berger is a heavy hitter in the music tech space who cut his teeth on Spotify’s global artist and label partnerships team before founding the livestreaming platform Momen