\n\t+ Grammys on the Hill celebrated its 25 th year of service honoring the champions of the music and creator community on Capitol Hll this week, culminating in a celebration paying tribute to Sen. Chris Coons (D-De.) and Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar (R-Fl.) for their bipartisan work to protect musicians as artificial intelligence continues to affect the music industry, including as champions of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act, landmark legislation that would establish federal protections against unauthorized AI-generated replicas of a person\u2019s voice and likeness.<\/p>\n
\n\t(Pictured above, L-R: Harvey Mason jr., Recording Academy, Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar, Sen. Chris Coons, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Michael McCaul, and Todd Dupler, Recording Academy.)<\/p>\n
\n\tThis evening was followed by Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, which brought artists, songwriters, producers, and other music advocates to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the music community. The day also featured a reception on hosted by the Academy\u2019s Black Music Collective, in cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus, with a performance by Durand Bernarr, as well as a special presentation from Amazon Music and the co-chairs of the Black Music Collective, who presented a $10,000 donation to Howard University as recipients of the 2026 \u201cYour Future Is Now\u201d music equipment grant.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cGrammys on the Hill represents the core of the Recording Academy\u2019s year-round work to advocate for music people and ensure their rights are safeguarded in our culture,\u201d said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. \u201cAs we mark 25 years of Grammys on the Hill, we are reminded that music creators must remain at the center of every conversation shaping the future of the industry, especially as AI and other emerging technologies continue to transform it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t+ Bella Figura Music has announced it has acquired the publishing catalogue of Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe-winning producer and songwriter Paul Epworth, best known for his hits with Adele, Florence + the Machine, Rihanna, Paul McCartney and others. <\/p>\n
\n\tTerms of the deal, which includes Epworth\u2019s co-writes and productions on Adele\u2019s landmark album \u201c21,\u201d including \u201cRolling in the Deep\u201d as well as the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning \u201cSkyfall,\u201d were not disclosed. <\/p>\n
\n\tEpworth has won seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an Ivor Novello Award, three BRIT Awards for British Producer of the Year, four MPG Producer of the Year Awards, and an MPG Icon Award. Epworth\u2019s catalogue is administered by Sony, his and Bella Figura Music\u2019s global administration partner.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBella Figura\u2019s approach to catalogue stewardship is exactly what I was looking for,\u201d said Paul Epworth. \u201cThey are first and foremost a music company run by people who know and love music, and they appreciate that these songs and recordings are not just \u2018assets\u2019. Knowing that this music will be in the hands of a team that values both the commercial opportunity and the cultural legacy gives me confidence in handing my catalogue over to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t+ New York University\u2019s Clive Davis Institute has announced its \u201cOffice Hours with Industry Leaders\u201d class of 2026. Launched by former Atlantic Music Group CEO Julie Greenwald (who recently co-founded the 26.2 label) and Clive Davis Institute\u2019s Executive-In-Residence, the program sees executives, artists, producers, and songwriters volunteering to offer Clive Davis Institute graduating seniors a rare opportunity to ask them anything career-related and receive feedback.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis year\u2019s class includes Greenwald; Guy Moot, Co-Chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music; Pete Ganbarg, Founder of Pure Tone Music;\u00a0 Philip Lawrence, Grammy-Award Winning Songwriter, Producer & Performer; Riggs Morales, Music Executive; Mike Boyd Jr., Head of Music Strategy, VaynerX; Eli Janney, Producer, Engineer & Music Director; David McTiernan, Head of Global Artist & Label Relations, Vevo; Molly Neumann, President, CDBaby;\u00a0 Paul Sinclair, Chief Music Officer, Suno & Grace James, Music Marketing, Suno; Mimi Vald\u00e9s, Chief Creative Officer, Co-Founder of Fly Green Socks; and Emily Warren, Grammy-Winning Songwriter.<\/p>\n
\n\t+ Michael Bryan, former global head of country music for Apple Music and previously an executive at CAA and iHeartMedia, has announced the formation of his new entertainment venture, Southern Drift. The company\u2019s initial ventures include management for Musician and Storyteller Charlie Worsham, a two-time ACM and CMA award winner, and the chart-topping podcast God\u2019s Country, hosted by hit songwriters The Brothers Hunt (Reid and Dan Isbell).<\/p>\n
\n\tJoining Bryan on the company\u2019s executive team will be Taryn Anderson, Chief Operating Officer \/ General Manager, and Jordon Isbell, Vice President, Marketing and Executive Producer of the God\u2019s Country Podcast. Anderson\u2019s experience includes serving as CFO \/ COO of Sandbox Entertainment and Account Executive at FBMM, Inc. Isbell joins from her role as Senior Marketing Director at Virgin Music Group, where she oversaw the Nashville roster, following her time as founder of 270 Media & Co.<\/p>\n
\n\tBryan says, \u201cI\u2019ve spent my career watching how music moves, and it\u2019s never been more fluid. Artists aren\u2019t staying in one lane, and fans aren\u2019t either. What pushed me to start Southern Drift was seeing the gap between how artists are building today and how the industry is still structured. We built Southern Drift to move with it, not control it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t+ AEG Presents has added two new vice presidents to its marketing division. Katie Mae Miller has been named VP of integrated marketing at AEG Regions, and Chelsea Cloud has been named VP of integrated marketing at Goldenvoice.<\/p>\n
\n\tMiller previously served as senior director of integrated marketing at Zero Mile, a subsidiary of AEG Presents, and Cloud joins the company from Universal Music Group, where she was VP of global brand partnerships. Miller will be based in Atlanta and Cloud in Los Angeles, both reporting to Victoria Torchia, SVP, Marketing & Digital Strategy, AEG Presents.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cKatie Mae and Chelsea are both highly respected marketing leaders with a deep understanding of how to connect artists, brands, and fans in meaningful ways,\u201d said Torchia. \u201cTheir experience and perspective will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our integrated marketing capabilities and support the growth of our global business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t+ Black Music Action Coalition and the Rolling Loud music festival will continue their five-year partnership at Rolling Loud, taking place May 8-10 in Orlando, Florida, \u201cfurthering a shared commitment to creating access and long-term opportunity within the live music business,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs part of the collaboration, BMAC and Rolling Loud will present BMAC Live x Rolling Loud Edition, an extension of BMAC Live, the workforce development initiative created in partnership with Live Nation. Building on previous activations at Rolling Loud festivals in Miami, FL, and Inglewood, CA, the program will recruit, hire, and train 10 young people from the Orlando community for paid internships in the Rolling Loud press and artist relations departments. Participants will be embedded within the festival, gaining paid, hands-on experience across live production and festival operations, offering a direct entry point into careers in live music.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFive years in, this partnership continues to prove what it looks like when you move from intention to action,\u201d said Willie \u201cProphet\u201d Stiggers, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of BMAC. \u201cThrough BMAC Live, we\u2019re not just opening doors, we\u2019re building pathways into the live music business. Ten young people from Orlando will step inside this festival and gain real experience, real access, and real opportunity. Live music is one of the most powerful engines in our industry, and if we\u2019re serious about equity, we have to be just as intentional about who gets access to it. This is how you build the future, by putting the next generation inside the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tApplications open Tuesday, April 21, 2026, through Wednesday April 29, 2026. For more information and to apply, please visit https:\/\/www.bmacoalition.org\/rollingloudorlando<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tMonday, April 20<\/p>\n \n\tMCA Records<\/a> has announced that three-time Grammy winner Miranda Lambert<\/a> will release future music with the label, which was formerly known as Universal Music Nashville<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThroughout my life and career, I have found that the common thread in every chapter is finding the right people \u2014 songwriters, musicians, collaborators, and team members \u2014 to match the moment,\u201d says Lambert. \u201cI am honored to join a roster and a team with such a rich history of championing artistry. I look forward to sharing this new music with the world under their banner.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMCA President-CEO Mike Harris says, \u201cMiranda is a generational artist whose influence and artistry continue to shape modern music. We are honored to work alongside her as she enters this next chapter and we look forward to building something truly special together.\u201d (Pictured above, L-R: MCA\u2019s Stephanie Wright and Mike Harris, Lambert, MCA\u2019s Katie McCartney, Rob Femia and Damon Moberly.)<\/p>\n \n\tAmong many other accolades, Lambert is the most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history, and is among the most-nominated at this year\u2019s ceremony, with eight nods as an artist, songwriter and producer.<\/p>\n