Scott Borchetta will receive the 2024 CRB President’s Award from the Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.

Given to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and played a vital role in shaping the success of the Country Radio Seminar and its mission to advance the country radio format, Borchetta joins past recipients such as John Esposito, Beverlee Brannigan, Sarah Trahern, Mike Dungan, Charlie Morgan, Bob Kingsley, Joe Galante and Erica Farber, among others.

“Scott is one of those you can count on one hand. Music Row visionary and trailblazer, race car driver, television celebrity, entrepreneur, maverick,” says CRB/CRS Board President Kurt Johnson. “From his first days in promotion in Nashville to his iconic status today, he continues to be a true original. I hope you’ll be in the room as we celebrate one of the best ever in the business.”

Borchetta is the Chairman and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, the independent label home to artists such as Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Thomas Rhett, Carly Pearce, Sheryl Crow, and Lady A. He also serves as the HYBE America Chairman of Record Labels. Under his leadership, Big Machine has achieved monumental success over nearly 20 years, garnering a multitude of industry awards and selling over 220 million albums, with more than 200 singles reaching No. 1 on the country, pop, and rock charts.

Borchetta has been recognized as part of Billboard’s Power 100 list and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, along with the Music Business Association’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive. He made history in 2012 with a groundbreaking deal with iHeart Radio, securing sound-recording performance royalties for Big Machine and its artists, marking the first time artists and labels would be paid for their sound recordings on terrestrial radio stations in the U.S.

As a philanthropist, Borchetta has significantly contributed to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. In 2020, he and his wife Sandi created The Big Machine Neighborhood, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit wing. They also co-founded the Music Has Value fund to support music in schools and music therapy.

The presentation of the CRB President’s Award will take place during the 2024 Country Radio Hall of Fame event, scheduled to be held on June 19 at the Virgin Hotel Nashville. More information, including the time and ticket information, will be released closer to the event.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has elevated Erin D. D. Burr to Senior Vice President, Media Relations | Gold & Platinum Program and Matthew Bass to Vice President, Research and Gold & Platinum Operations, effective immediately.

“Erin and Matt are stars who have already shined so brightly at RIAA and, in their new roles, will be even more visible and effective,” says Mitch Glazier, RIAA Chairman & CEO. “As the music community works together to address unprecedented new opportunities and challenges from the meteoric rise of streaming to the current effort to chart a path towards responsible and pro-artist AI, we are all lucky to have Erin and Matt embracing greater responsibilities.”

Burr will continue to lead RIAA’s press outreach while serving as a communications strategist for RIAA initiatives such as celebrating Gold and Platinum certifications, advancing C-suite profiles and supporting the Human Artistry CampAIgn—a growing global coalition whose mission is to keep irreplaceable human expression at the core of technological innovation. To help others understand the challenges and opportunities within the music industry, Burr aims to make policy that effects creators more digestible—recently with the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act press conference to modernize the Tennessee right of publicity law. She also currently sits on the Musicians On Call (MOC) Music Industry Advisory Board. Prior to joining RIAA, Burr spent over a decade at Big Machine Label Group executing high-profile releases for Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce and The Mavericks, among others.

“Connection through people, stories and music has always been instinctual to me–and has also served as the basis for my entire career. I’m grateful for this amplified role, RIAA’s culture of community and passion advocating for the creative talents across the entire industry,” shares Burr. “As we navigate ever-evolving opportunities where artistry intersects with policy and technology, I’m excited to explore more ways to support human creators and our member labels while nurturing a vital relationship with media.”

Bass’ passion for music led him to RIAA, where he has spent more than a decade developing annual reports that seek to set the table for policy discussions and support efforts to protect copyright in the United States. Bass explores findings in these research efforts with industry panels, universities, reporters, legislators and other stakeholders. He also manages the association’s authoritative data holdings, and has played a key part in modernization efforts across its Gold & Platinum Program. Bass began his career working with federal agencies in the renewable energy field, managing federal funds for the research and development of projects within the Department of Energy’s Geothermal and Solar Energy offices. He also worked on technology projects for the General Services Administration (GSA) in addition to serving as an analyst under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

“I feel privileged to have spent the last 11 years at RIAA, where I’m able to combine two of my passions—music and data—and call it work,” says Bass. “I’m proud to produce our annual revenue reports, work with esteemed researchers and economists as well as uncover trends in the industry or new milestones in our Gold & Platinum Program that celebrate artist and label successes.”

Burr can be reached at eburr@riaa.com, and Bass is available at mbass@riaa.com.

The Music Business Association kicked off its annual Music Biz conference yesterday (May 13) at the JW Marriott Nashville.

Conference attendees were immersed into a full day of programing with the Music Biz Roadshow, a collection of panels with artists and industry executives, as well as different track programs.

In the “Arrested Development? Demystifying the Pathway to Artist Success” panel, attendees heard from artist Hitkidd, Kadeem Phillips of Power Entertainment and Drew De Leon of The Digilogue through a conversation led by Delante Murphy of Beatroot. The group broke down the myth of an “overnight success” and talked about the modern artist development process.

Elizabeth Brooks of Better Angels Ventures led a discussion with Jeremy Gruber of Friends at Work, Jeff Rosenfeld of MAX, Maddy Sunquist of Madkat Management and artist Stephen Day on how artists can embrace the power of AI to look into fan engagement data and create sustainable success in the “How AI & Tech Are Shaping the Business of Music” panel.

Attendees also got to hear about the importance of an advisor’s advice when creating relationships between startups and rightsholders, and the roadblocks to avoid when bringing your startup to market in the “Building a Healthy Relationship Between Startups & Rightholders” panel. Aileen Crowley of Lark42 led the conversation with Cliff Fluent of Lewis Silken, Elizabeth Moody of Granderson Des Rochers, LLP and Michael Pelczynski of Forms + Shapes.

In the “Sustainability – Longevity or Environmentally Friendly? BOTH? ” panel, attendees heard from Patrick Amory from Matador Records, Brandon Seavers from Memphis Record Pressing and Dustin Blocker from the Vinyl Records Manufacturing Association through a conversation led by Sarah Robertson of A to Z Media. The group discussed how long the industry can sustain the comeback of the vinyl format while offsetting the carbon footprint of vinyl production.

Tracks for day one included “#NEXTGEN_NOW,” “Let’s Talk Physical” and “Startup Lab: A Bootcamp for New Music Ventures.”

Day two of Music Biz 2024 continued today (May 14) with keynote event “The Enduring Value of Songs — Leveraging Technology to Drive Growth for Songwriters and Publishers” featuring Lauren Hubert of Kobalt. Other industry executives from Peermusic, The MLC, Downtown, Paramount, Venice Music and more are also participating in the day’s panels. Tracks for day two include “Sync Symposiu,” “Music and Money: Managing Today’s Financial Climate for Tomorrow’s Artist,” “Howdy Neighbor: Understanding Neighboring Rights Opportunities” and the “Indie Label Summit.” Music Business Association President Portia Sabin will also bring her annual President’s Address.