MUSIC BIZ TO HONOR CARLSON, MLC

Cameo Carlson of mtheory will receive the Music Business Association’s 2024 Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement and The Mechanical Licensing Collective will receive the MBA's Impact Award for Technological Excellence.

Recipients will be honored at the organization’s third annual Bizzy Awards dinner being held 5/15 at the JW Marriott Nashville as part of the Music Biz 2024 conference that runs 5/13-16. The association also announced the finalists for the seven crowd-nominated award categories to be presented at the dinner.

Carlson is the CEO of manager and artist services company mtheory, which provides global marketing and strategic support for artists and artist managers. In April 2022, Carlson spearheaded mtheory’s Equal Access Development initiative; she also co-created the Nashville Music Equality group and Digital Divas mentoring group.

The MLC was founded in 2019 after the passing of the Music Modernization Act to be an essential part of the U.S. music industry’s royalty payments structure.

“My heartfelt congratulations to everyone up for Bizzy Awards this year, especially my friend Cameo and the team at The MLC,” said Music Biz President Portia Sabin. “This year’s class of finalists has given us a lot to be excited about for the future of our industry—from their hard work promoting their artists’ latest releases to actively making this industry a better place to work—and I can’t wait to celebrate them for it.”

Here are nominees for the award categories.

Leading Light Award
For a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health & wellbeing and work/life balance.

Tiffanie DeBartolo, Chief Executive Super Goddess, Bright Antenna Record
Leah Ducey, Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Universal Music Group Nashville
Andreea Gleeson, Chief Executive Officer, TuneCore
Joel T. Jordan, Founder & President, Synchtank

Agent of Change Award
For a company that exemplifies a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in their hiring practices, executive development, and promotion structure.

ATL Collective
The Beatport Group
Keychange U.S.
The Right Productions

#NEXTGEN_NOW One To Watch Award
For an executive under 40 whose work (professional and/or volunteer) has been exceptional, innovative, and stands out as a contribution to the industry.

Andrew Batey, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Beatdapp
Jorge Brea, Founder & CEO, Symphonic
Alex Mas Cepero, Marketing Director, TIDAL
Morgan McKnight, Executive Director, Production Music Association

Maestro of Metadata Award
For a company or executive who has made a significant impact in the area of data processing, credit clarification, streamlining or otherwise promoting clean data and best practices.

BMAT Music Innovators
Dae Bogan, Head of Third Party Partnerships, Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC)
Arthur Fitzgibbon, Brazil Director, ONErpm
OpenPlay

Frontline Innovator Award
For a retail store that showed exceptional inventiveness and ingenuity in its practices during the past year in its interactions with consumers.

Grimey's Music, Nashville
Electric Fetus, Minneapolis
Rough Trade, New York
The Sound Garden, Baltimore

Marketing Superstar Award
For a marketing campaign that was innovative and thought provoking. Candidates can be from any sector of the industry, and campaigns can be physical or virtual.

Elsewhere’s Club Membership Program
Barbie The Album Early Listening Events, WMX & Atlantic Records
De La Soul, A.O.I. LLC, distributed by Chrysalis Records & Reservoir
Eric Nam - House on a Hill, The Orchard

Music Business Educator of the Year Award
Celebrates a music business educator who inspires students to enter the music business.

Larry Miller, Clinical Professor & Director, NYU Steinhardt Music Business Program, New York University
Jessica Muñiz-Collado, Assistant Professor of Music Business, University of North Texas
Joe Rapolla, Chair, Music & Theatre Department & Director, Music Industry Program, Monmouth University
Patricia Rivera MacMurray, Lecturer, Escuela de Derecho Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico