Women’s Audio Mission, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women and gender-expansive individuals in music production and the recording arts, is hosting WAMCon Nashville, a one-day conference designed to give attendees an inside look at the world of professional audio and music production.

Set for Oct. 30 at Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios, WAMCon offers a lineup of hands-on workshops, studio experiences, demos and mentorship opportunities. Programming this year will include vocal production, vintage Neve console training, instrument recording workshops, mixing demos, Dolby Atmos and immersive audio demonstrations, and mentorship with experienced studio professionals. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn new skills, explore professional recording environments, and connect with working audio industry experts.

Featured speakers and mentors include: Gena Johnson – 2x Grammy winning Producer and Engineer (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton); Shani Gandhi – Grammy winning Producer and Engineer (Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Sierra Hull); Leslie Richter – Nashville-based Producer, Recording Engineer, and Educator (Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Kacey Musgraves); Kazuri Arai – Producer, Engineer, and Keyboardist (Alicia Keys, Jack White); Alex Hope – Australian Producer and Songwriter based in Nashville (Troye Sivan, Selena Gomez); Dr. Leslie Gaston-Bird – Audio Engineer, Educator, and Dolby Atmos Expert based in the UK; Maddie Harmon – Engineer, Producer, and Atmos mixer (Noah Kahan, Suki Waterhouse, Yelawolf); Jen Watman – Audio Engineer, Creative Producer, and Musician (SSL, Redbull, Spotify); Rachael Moser – Audio Systems Engineer at Clair Global (Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road); and Anika Heywood – Staff Engineer at Ocean Way Studios (Sony, Amazon).

“We are thrilled to be back at the iconic Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios with this incredible line up of trailblazing engineers, producers, and songwriters, ” says Terri Winston, Founder & Executive Director. “WAMCon is an unparalleled, action-packed day of learning with the world’s leading industrypros on everything from live concert sound, to vocal production, to tracking and mixing in a world-renowned recording studio.”

Tickets and more information are available here.

Neal Spielberg and Diane Pearson. Photo: Courtesy of Leadership Music

Diane Pearson has been elected as President of Leadership Music Board for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Pearson, a member of the LM Class of 2007, is Senior Vice President, Entertainment & Sports Division at City National Bank Nashville.

“Leadership Music is an organization I care deeply about, and it is an honor to serve as Board President once again,” Pearson says. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact this organization has on the people who shape our creative community, and I’m continually inspired by the passion, talent, and generosity of our alumni. I’m excited to work alongside this outstanding board and our incredible staff as we continue to strengthen Leadership Music and its mission for the future.”

Officers joining Pearson include President-Elect Steve Eggart of Ground Control Business Management, Past President Neal Spielberg of Spielberg Entertainment, Treasurer Catherine Moore of Farris, Self and Moore, and Jackie Patillo of the Gospel Music Association as Secretary. Other members of the Executive Committee include Veteran Agent Brad Bissell, Andrew Kautz of Kautz & Associates, Manuel Delgado of Delgado Guitars, Scott Gerow of Battery Lane Music, Tera Healy of The Recording Academy and Rondal Richardson of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Leadership Music has appointed four new board members, including Mitch Glazier of Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Scott Jungmichel of SESAC, Stacy Blythe of Big Loud Records, and Kris Ahrend of The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC).

Will Cheek and Lynn Morrow of Adams & Reese LLP serve as legal counsel.

To date, Leadership Music has graduated 1,400 leaders from across the country in virtually every segment of the entertainment industry, as well as community leaders, including two Nashville mayors, the deputy chief of police, and a Tennessee Congressman.

Leadership Music Board Members:
Kris Ahrend, The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC)
Brad Bissell, Veteran Agent
Stacy Blythe, Big Loud Records
Manuel Delgado, Delgado Guitars
Nic Dugger, MultyCam/TNDV: Television LLC
Beville Dunkerley, Maverick Nashville
Craig Dunn, One Spark Entertainment
Steve Eggart, Ground Control Business Management
Randall Foster, Symphonic
Joe Galante, Galante Entertainment
Scott Gerow, Battery Lane Music
Mitch Glazier, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Tera Healy, The Recording Academy
Phil Hughley, Musician/Songwriter
Scott Jungmichel, SESAC
Michelle Tigard Kammerer, Amazon Music
Andrew Kautz, Kautz & Associates
Victoria Mason, Warner Music Nashville
Gina Waters Miller, Waters Edge Entertainment
Catherine Moore, Farris, Self and Moore
Jason Oschwald, Big Spring Entertainment
Jackie Patillo, Gospel Music Association
Diane Pearson, City National Bank
Rondal Richardson, Music Community Foundation
Leslie Richter, Belmont University
Colin Rushing, Digital Media Association (DiMA)
Neal Spielberg, Spielberg Entertainment

Brandon Wisham.

Brandon Wisham made his Grand Ole Opry debut last night (Aug. 26).

Introduced by fellow artist Mae Estes, Wisham performed “Other Side of Lonely,” “Back Together” and “Growin’ Up.” He dedicated his set to the late Dolly Parton before marking the career-defining night with a deeply personal tribute to his late father, who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, by carrying his father’s boots into the circle and placing them beside him as he performed.

The South Carolina native has amassed more than 14 million streams and 23 million social media views, and shared stages with Tyler Hubbard, Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith, Priscilla Block, Lakeview, Austin Snell and more. His debut EP, Ain’t What It Looks Like, is available now. He has upcoming shows in Illinois, North Carolina and Georgia.

Photo: Courtesy of Wisham

WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM, an NPR affiliate and public radio station operated by Middle Tennessee State University, is gearing up to celebrate 10 years as one of the country’s leading voices in Americana music.

Since flipping its format to Americana on Sept. 2, 2016, the 100,000-watt station has been an early supporter of artists including Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell, The War And Treaty, Allison Russell, and more. WMOT has grown during the decade from a regional radio station into a national and international destination for Americana and roots music, with an online and app-based audience now reaching roughly one million and growing.

“At WMOT we’re celebrating 10 years as THE Americana music station in Middle Tennessee,” says WMOT Executive Director Val Hoeppner. “I think our success is because we are a public radio station, charged with following the interests of our listeners, not stockholders. At a time when algorithms and computers drive songs on streaming platforms, WMOT plays artists’ careers. With authenticity as the core of our brand we employ human hosts that handcraft playlists for exploration and music discovery.”

WMOT is inviting listeners to celebrate the anniversary alongside station staff at two longtime Nashville institutions on Sept. 2. The festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. at Brown’s Diner, where listeners can join the WMOT team for lunch and performances from Roderick August at 11:30 a.m. and Lucciana Costa at 12:15 p.m. From 4:30-6:30 p.m., the celebration moves to Robert’s Western World for happy hour and live performances from Paul Kramer and Kelley’s Heroes.

WMOT first went on the air in 1969 and became a charter member of NPR in 1970. After three decades as a jazz station and a later period of mixed programming, the station underwent a dramatic reinvention in 2016. Then-MTSU media and entertainment dean Ken Paulson proposed an all-Americana format built around the music being written, recorded and performed throughout Nashville. Hoeppner backed the vision, and WMOT partnered with the nationally syndicated Music City Roots to develop Roots Radio. Veteran programmer and DJ Jessie Scott joined as program director, and the new format launched September 2, 2016, with a live broadcast from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum featuring Jim Lauderdale, Suzy Bogguss, Mike Farris, Will Hoge and a cast of bluegrass artists.

In the decade since, WMOT has developed an ecosystem that includes Finally Friday, which presents three artists live each week from Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley; Wired In brings leading Americana artists into intimate performances for sustaining members; and The Local Brew provides a dedicated platform for emerging Nashville artists. Its specialty programming explores bluegrass, old-time, gospel and the outer reaches of roots music.

WMOT also produces the official AmericanaFest Day Stage in collaboration with NPR Music and World Cafe, an annual partnership that began in 2017 and has become a centerpiece of the festival. The station has expanded its live video production through performances at its East Nashville studio and the 30A Songwriters Festival, while its YouTube channel has surpassed one million cumulative views.