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Billboard’s highly anticipated Live Music Summit presented by VENU made its return this year, marking its second gathering and celebration since its hiatus in 2019. The summit’s comeback is in response to high demand to refocus on the thriving touring industry.
Attendees experienced a dynamic mix of panel discussions, live performances, workshops, and industry mixers, all culminating in the Touring Awards Ceremony. Among the star-studded panel lineups were Usher, Rauw Alejandro, and top industry executives. It was an invaluable opportunity for those in the music business to gain insights from industry leaders while celebrating the milestones many touring artists have achieved this year.
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The Live Music Summit made its highly anticipated return with exciting new awards and recognitions including the Disruptor Award, presented to Khalid by visionary entrepreneur, J.W. Roth, Founder and CEO of premium live entertainment company, VENU. Over the past 9 years, Khalid has taken the industry by storm, embodying the very definition of a “disruptor.” His bold approach has challenged both fans and music executives to see artists through a new lens.
Accepting the award, Khalid said, “I can remember doing my first venue and there was 125 people at a coffee shop and to be able to see the things that I’ve seen in my career is just such a blessing.” adding, “It wouldn’t have been able to be done without support. So, I just want to thank everyone for supporting me. Especially, me coming into myself as an individual in the public but I’ve seen nothing but love and I hold it with grace and humility.”
Khalid Donnel Robinson in the Green Room during the Billboard Live Music Summit at 1 Hotel West Hollywood on November 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Christopher Polk/Billboard
Also disrupting the live-music world is Venu Holding Corporation (“VENU”). It isn’t your typical live entertainment company. Rising fast throughout the live entertainment space, the company has built its brand around delivering premium experiences, opening multiple venues nationwide and redefining not only how audiences experience concerts, but how they can own a piece of live entertainment. They’re more than destinations to see your favorite artists. VENU is a fan-founded, fan-owned, artist-inspired movement creating unparallelled, immersive spaces, designed to elevate every part of the concert journey for fans and artists alike. Their mission is to create nationwide, top-tier live music destinations that change how the world experiences and connects with music, shaping the future of live entertainment.
Rashida Zagon for Billboard
After the Billboard Live Music Summit, some of the industry’s top executives gathered at the Sun Rose in West Hollywood for a Music & Money Dinner to reflect on the conversations of the day and engage in insights for the future of live entertainment. During which, VENU Founder, CEO, and Chairman J.W. Roth and industry veteran Tommy Ginoza engaged in a thought-provoking fireside chat, moderated by Billboard’s Editorial Director, Hannah Karp, about the state of the music industry, the evolution of live entertainment, and VENU’s continued expansion of its destination network across the United States. With over three decades of experience as a talent buyer, Ginoza spoke candidly about the future of artist development and the critical role of fan engagement in shaping the live music experience. Roth, meanwhile, highlighted that while recent investment trends have heavily favored music publishing catalogs and master recordings, the live music sector has seen comparatively less attention from investors in recent years.
Rashida Zagon for Billboard
Acknowledging this shift, Roth emphasized that the current landscape presents a unique opportunity to redirect investment toward live entertainment, such as VENU’s unique ownership opportunities in Luxe FireSuites, Aikman Clubs built in partnership with NFL Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman, or common shares, stating, “If you’re going to be innovative in this space, not only do you have to have a concept that is going to be attractive to our customer but you’ve got to figure out a way to finance it… So, we’re not just building amphitheaters. We’re building venues that are multiseasonal, multiconfigurational, and more importantly they are multisensory.”
The event was a true celebration for accomplishments in the live music world and the heights to which this community intends on taking the art of live entertainment in the near and distant future. The prospects of live music are looking bright and Billboard and VENU plan to be a part of every step of the way.
This article was created in partnership with BetterHelp.
Noah Cyrus has always been open and vulnerable when it comes to her mental health. It’s a through line in her art. Billboard and BetterHelp teamed up to bring viewers an exclusive interview with Cyrus at one of the best moments of her life, personally and professionally. We chatted with Noah, before the Brooklyn stop of her I Want My Loved Ones to Come with Me Tour, about her feelings around her new album, this stage of her life, and the importance of therapy.
When describing her latest album, Noah said “This album is much more about transitioning and moving forward and it being more of a comforting release, rather than something painful that you’re walking away from.” Which is completely fitting for this stage of her life. She released a critically acclaimed album with “I Want My Loved Ones to Come with Me,” toured North America, played the Grand Ole Opry, and announced she’ll be performing at StageCoach 2026. On top of that, she’s found the love of her life in fiancé, Pinkus.
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Getting to this point had its ups and downs but through therapy, she’s wound up on top. Noah described her lowest point at around 20 years old, when she was addicted to downers. “I had recently lost my grandmother at the time, and it just felt like I had pushed myself so far away from my family and my mom, who I’m so close with and I had really just gotten myself in such a dark place and I felt so alone.” That is when she reached out to her therapist and said she started to be honest with them.
After coming up with a plan to treat her addiction and unpack all the layers of trauma that she had accumulated, Noah said the first six months were really difficult but after a year she really started to see a change in herself. But to this day she says she’ll still get triggered by things. “Living with somebody, opened my eyes up to a lot more that I wanted to work on with myself.” Noah says moving in with her fiancé opened her eyes to what else she could achieve through therapy. It made her think “How do I coexist with this person and how do I not let my past traumas get in and hurt this person or fracture this relationship? Because that was the last thing I wanted.”
Cate Groubert for Billboard
While thinking about her journey with therapy, Cyrus believes it isn’t something you work on for a few weeks or months, but a long process that takes time. With time, it made her day-to-day life better. “It helped me just enjoy life more. When I really started to take therapy seriously, after my addiction, I did not want to be alive. I did not have any feelings or connection to life and what it feels like to live.” During our interview, she got emotional saying “When I look back on it, I think about how I didn’t know at the time that I would be at a place where I am standing here now in an interview like this being able to talk about my success in getting healthier.”
In this moment, Noah says she can enjoy the success of her new album, her tour, her engagement, and looks forward to the future where she can start a family and become a mother. “I feel so lucky to have the resources of therapy and recovery treatment and being able to discover this side of myself that actually does love myself and does want myself to live and be happy and have a life to feels fulfilled.”
Cate Groubert for Billboard
By sharing her story, Noah is helping her fans see the opportunities that come from therapy. “My one hope for anyone that’s feeling lost with that is that therapy can bring that to them. And that therapy really did, it like completely saved my life.” Cyrus ended our interview with a message to viewers who may be afraid to start therapy, saying “Just giving it that one try and getting your foot in the door even if it doesn’t work for you, I encourage it because of how much I can just sit here and say from my personal experience how much it helped, and changed, and saved my life in so many ways.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, BetterHelp can help you take that first step. Learn more at betterhelp.com/tunedin
If you bring together six hot Country artists and add in some ice-cold beer, you get one memorable evening of live music. That’s exactly what fans experienced at Category 10 in Nashville on the first day of CMA Fest thanks to Billboard Country Live presented by Bud Light. Each artist gave fans 20 minutes of some of their top songs with a sprinkle – or three – of unexpected covers to spice things up.
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The Thursday (June 5) event welcomed attendees into the multi-story music venue to kick off an unforgettable weekend of country music. The packed first floor made room for line dancing between acts while DJ Grant Fisher provided country, hip-hop, and EDM beats. On the second and third floors, fans lined up against the railings while sipping on Bud Light to get a glimpse of the Billboard-curated evening.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Bud Light not only provided the draft pours and tall boys, but they also decked out the venue in vibrant neon decorations, gave fans stylish snap-back hats and bandanas, and created a custom photo moment for attendees to capture a snapshot to remember the epic evening.
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CMT host Carissa Culiner emceed the evening, welcoming everyone in for several hours of entertainment before kicking off the festivities.
Reyna Roberts
Reyna Roberts at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Many first heard Roberts’ name when she appeared on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. But this evening’s performance showed she can stand by herself just fine. She rocked her signature red mane under a white cowboy hat, which perfectly matched her bustier, chaps and boots. Possibly taking a note from Queen Bey, her hair flowed as she worked the stage.
Roberts performed tunes including”Lawless”, “Louisiana”, “Raised Right” and treated fans to a performance of an upcoming song “Mustangs Over Bentleys.” She also told a heart-warming story before performing Gretchen Wilson’s “Here For The Party” about how she sang that song for her first on-stage performance at the age of 9 while in elementary school. She brought the party on stage with a Bud Light in hand to share a toast with fans, thanking them for their support at another CMA Fest. She spread the love saying, “I love God, I love Billboard, and I love Bud Light!”
Alexandra Kay
Alexandra Kay at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
A shining light of the evening, Alexandra Kay had the audience singing along to her hits, along with an unexpected pop cover song. You could be distracted by her pink, bedazzled mic stand if it weren’t for Kay’s strong vocals and effervescent personality. From turning her songs into sing-a-longs to taking a singing selfie video on a fan’s phone, the energy in the room reached another level.
She had one of the biggest surprises of the evening when she launched into a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” a song about leaving Tennessee for Los Angeles where you find yourself dancing on stage at a gay bar. She sang fan-favorites like “Backroad Therapy” and “Everleave” but paused to take a moment to thank her fans for helping her get to this moment. She also gave Jelly Roll, her tour partner and oftentimes collaborator, a shout out for helping further her career. After years of being an independent artist, she recently signed to BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
Drew Baldridge
Drew Baldridge at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Drew Baldridge’s set was a celebration of hard work and a victory lap for the past year’s accomplishments. He started the show off by shouting out all the country girls and country boys and warming up the crowd. Baldridge quickly raised a Bud Light to give a cheers to ’90s Country music and proceeded to give fans a medley of hits from Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” to the late Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “Brand New Man” by Brooks & Dunn.
Baldridge brought the emotion, performing “Can She Have This Dance” which he wrote for his wife to dance to on their wedding day. After leaving Nashville and performing more than 400 backyard parties during the pandemic, he began to gain the recognition he deserved with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,” a song he took to No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as an independent artist (he’s since signed with BBR Music Group). He told fans “I’m not making music for Nashville. I’m not making music for country radio. I’m making music for y’all,” before closing his set with the inspirational “Tough People.”
Max McNown
Max McNown at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Max McNown kept the show going, bringing energy to the stage and making connections with the audience. He started his set off with last year’s hit “Love Me Back.” Mid-song, he grabbed a fan’s phone to take a selfie with the crowd, then told the audience about having to run a mile through downtown Nashville to get to the show on time, adding that he’d then have to sprint to Nissan Stadium after the performance to make his set and stadium debut on the Platform Stage. He balanced his Billboard/Bud Light set with his own hits and covers of fan-favorite, including leveling up his song “Marley” by injecting it with Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” He also performed his version of “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell. Max finished on a high note, performing his hits “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes) and “A Lot More Free” flexing his musicality by whistling into the microphone and whipping out a harmonica.
Ashley Cooke
Ashley Cooke at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
The energy in the room became electric as Ashley Cooke took the stage. The audience fed off her spirited set, as she told fans she has registered some of the biggest accomplishments of her career over the past year, from getting her first tour bus to her first award, breakthrough female video of the year at the 2024 CMT Awards for “Your Place.” This year also had some of her lowest lows including the loss of family members and health scares in her circle. The emotional moment teed up her hit “It’s Been A Year.”
For those just getting to know her, she offered to show them who she was through a medley of some of her favorite songs. The audience sang along while Ashley belted out Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”, Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” and “Life Is A Highway” by Tom Cochrane (and Rascal Flatts’ popular remake) . She ended her set asking who in the room had the craziest ex before performing her break-up tune, “Your Place.”
Mitchell Tenpenny
Mitchell Tenpenny at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Closing out an epic evening of country music is not an easy task, but Mitchell Tenpenny attacked the opportunity armed with an acoustic guitar, giving fans a solo set that had everyone in the house singing along. He commanded the stage with hits like “Bucketlist” and “We Got History” which he said was his version of Rascal Flatt’s “Bless The Broken Road.” He kicked off his set by telling the backstory to “Alcohol You Later” – inspired by a drunken phone call he overheard in a bar – then launched into the song, changing some lyrics in verse two to “need someone to drink Bud Light with,” paying homage to the evening’s presenting sponsor.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
He thanked the audience for the sing-a-long, adding, “Hearing someone sing your song back to you is the greatest feeling in the world.” They even became an integral part of a fan-requested impromptu performance of “Bitches” where they had to sing the title during the chorus because Tenpenny claimed, “I don’t think I can sing that one here.” But the final song of the night was the perfect crescendo to an evening of amazing performances as he launched into an unexpected cover of “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls. The audience was so engrossed in the performance, he did an encore which had everyone swaying with the lights from their phones over their heads. He then spent several minutes signing hats and greeting the adoring fans.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Tanner Adell was proud to attend this year’s Billboard Women in Music at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California on Saturday, March 29. She walked the blue carpet in a gorgeous, corseted look with long blonde hair and a matching purse covered in blonde locks. Her gold jewelry and bedazzled nails shown in the sunlight as she posed for photographers.
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Tanner Adell Blue Carpet at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
Tanner stopped to talk to Billboard’s Rania Aniftos on the carpet about tour life, working on new music, and how she would give this year’s Woman of The Year, Doechii a crown for being a queen in her own right. She also talked about presenting Megan Moroney with this year’s Rule Breaker Award presented by Crown Royal. Tanner spoke about the importance of going against the grain, saying “I think it’s important for artists to do what they want in general. Being kept to a box is not good for your creativity.”
Tanner Adell Blue Carpet, Interview at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
After stunning on the carpet, Tanner headed inside to the exclusive VIP cocktail reception where she stopped by the Crown Royal bar to give a toast. “We have so many amazing and talented women in the building and I’m so proud to be one of them,” Tanner began while holding her signature cocktail, the Crown Blackberry Buckle Bunny. She thanked Billboard and Crown Royal for always supporting her and her music, finishing with “Tonight we raise a glass to celebrate all the women in music. Cheers!”
Crown Royal Crown Royal at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
As the official Whisky partner for Billboard Women in Music, honorees were treated to a range of custom craft cocktails featuring Crown Royal. Tanner’s Crown Blackberry Buckle Bunny is a refreshing mix of Crown Royal Blackberry and lemonade. They also served the classic Royal Whisky Sour which uses Crown Royal Deluxe. Many chose a Royal 18, which is Crown Royal 18Y on the rocks. The most versatile cocktail of the evening was In The Name of Whisky, featuring either Crown Royal Deluxe, Blackberry, Peach, or Apple with fresh lemon juice, cane sugar and club soda.
Crown Royal at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
As the program began inside the YouTube Theater, Tanner took the stage to present the first award of the evening. She helped present Megan Moroney with the Rule Breaker Award presented by Crown Royal. After letting the audience know that Megan originally thought she was going to be an accountant like her mother, Tanner listed off some of the most impressive accomplishments she has made in the first few years of her career including the charts success of her latest album Am I Okay? Tanner ended her speech with “Megan Moroney, I think it’s safe to say you are more than okay, girl.”
Tanner Adell Crown Royal at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
It was Megan’s turn on stage to start the evenings performances off with a high energy rendition of “Am I Okay?” She entertained the audience and fellow honorees singing and shaking in silver fringe. She then accepted her award from Tanner Adell saying, “When I found out I was getting the Rule Breaker Award I thought it was kind of funny because, if you know me in real life, you know I’m an avid rule follower… But I’m just so grateful for it. I’m grateful to be here, in a room with such talented, confident, amazing women in music.”
Tanner Adell, Megan Moroney Crown Royal at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brandon Todd
You can rewatch Billboard Women in Music 2025 and catch the highlights on Billlboard.com and Billboard’s YouTube channel.
Billboard’s iconic live music series The Stage at SXSW returned to Austin, March 13 to 15, 2025. This year they highlighted some of the biggest movers and shakers in Country, Latin and EDM. Billboard and Bulleit teamed up to elevate the experience and extend the celebration with an exclusive after party featuring the hottest music and the coolest cocktails.
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Bulleit and KSHMR during the Billboard THE STAGE After Hours on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
As the Official Whiskey Partner of The Stage at SXSW, Bulleit curated a vibe that uplifted artists that not only push the boundaries of music but broaden their respective genres. Koe Wetzel and Grupo Frontera showed how they do it in Texas, repping their home state with electrifying headlining performances for Country and Latin nights. While John Summit, fresh off a globe-trotting series of shows, amped up the energy in the amphitheater with infectious beats and mind-blowing pyrotechnics.
The Bulleit bar during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW held at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Gilbert Flores
Billboard and SXSW deepened their connection this year thanks to Austin-native mixologist, Ryan Smith, who created custom cocktails with Bulleit to celebrate the creativity and innovation that can only be found at the festival. The Bulleit Bourbon Austin Calling enticed with notes of elderberry, while the Bulleit Rye Wildcard had the perfect balance of basil and strawberry. They perfectly captured the energy of the city and the culture it creates.
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Bulleit during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW held at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
At The Stage, guests cooled down in the Bulleit Lounge with whiskey drinks while basking in the beautiful orange neon lights. On the other side of the venue, Bulleit set up a stylish bar where you could sample Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye on the rocks or mixed in a Whiskey Sour or a Mule. Whether attendees were there to kick up their cowboy boots, celebrate Latin cultures, or dance to melodic beats, there was libation for every occasion.
Bulleit during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW held at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on March 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
John Summit may have closed out the stage, but the party continued downtown at the After Hours presented by Billboard and Bulleit. KSHMR, the producer and songwriter behind some of the biggest industry shifting hits, brought his one-of-a-kind sound to SXSW when he took to the stage, spinning high-energy tracks and pulse-pounding classics. Those lucky enough to make it to the after party before the venue reached capacity were treated to a performance from KSHMR and Izzy Bizu who performed an upcoming single live for the first time.
Izzy Bizu, KSHMR Bulleit during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW After Hours on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
KSHMR took a second to share a toast with everyone. With a Bulleit Cocktail in hand, he said “Thanks to Bulleit and Billboard for putting on this amazing party! I wanna put on a little toast… Austin, are we having a good time?” Which was met with thunderous cheers from the audience.
KSHMR Bulleit during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW After Hours on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
The evening offered the perfect amount of style and edge with genre blending tunes and classic cocktails like Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey Sours and Bulleit Rye Mules. Whether you’re into the tried and true or trying something new, Billboard and Bulleit created an intersection of music and spirits that could only by accomplished by this pairing.
Bulleit during the Billboard THE STAGE at SXSW held at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on March 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Julian Bajsel
For even more coverage of Billboard The Stage at SXSW and Billboard and Bulleit Present The Stage After Hours, including exclusive photos and video coverage, check out Billboard.com and Billboard’s social channels.
BULLEIT BOURBON Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 45% Alc/Vol. The Bulleit Distilling Co., Louisville, KY. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
Billboard returned to Austin for THE STAGE at SXSW from March 13 to 15, 2025. Each night brought together fans of Country, Latin and EDM to the Moody Amphitheater. Heavy-hitters in each genre made every evening unforgettable. This year, headliners included Koe Wetzel, Grupo Frontera and John Summit. Artists were gifted Azzaro Parfums’ new Forever […]
Luxury and glamour met cutting-edge style at Keys in West Hollywood for Billboard’s No. 1’s Party celebrating the road to the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. The club was an emerald oasis with gold accents and plenty of Tres Generaciones cocktails to level up the vibe of the exclusive soiree. Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
Olivia Rodrigo and John Summit easily had two of the biggest tours in 2024. They will both appear on November 14 at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards in partnership with AEG Presents to talk about their experiences on the road and how they’ve grown as touring artists. AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industry. From the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to global tour promotion for superstars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and many more, they are a part of every step of creating a live music experience, which will all be covered at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards. There will be panels featuring top agents, leaders in sound design, and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour producer, Louis Messina.
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Olivia Rodrigo will take part in a superstar Q&A where she will talk about upgrading from theaters to arenas for her GUTS World Tour, selecting opening acts like Gracie Abrams and Chappell Roan, and integrating her Fund 4 Good initiative into her massively successful shows. She will also receive the Touring Artist of the Year award.
John Summit will sit down with his longtime manager Holt Harmon for a conversation moderated by Billboard’s Katie Bain. Inside the Rise of John Summit will explore how he went from playing small bars and clubs to selling out Madison Square Garden. They’ll share insights into his creative process and how he created his chart-topping hits.
Louis Messina will receive the Touring Titan Award and be recognized as the Executive of the Year for his work on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. He will also sit down with Billboard’s Melinda Newman for The Power Players Conversation to talk about his past experiences working with artists like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, and Tim McGraw, and plans for the future, shaping the next generation of touring superstars.
This year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards will also feature the Festival of the Future panel where top executives will discuss how innovations in sound, video, and immersive media are transforming the festival experience. The Agents Power panel will bring together top agents from WME, CAA, UTA, AGI, and Arrival Artists to cover all things related to artist development and representation.
Billboard Live Music Summit 2024 returns on November 14 in Los Angeles. Click here for more information, the programming schedule, and to buy tickets.
For artists like Danny Ocean and María Becerra, who have left their homelands to pursue global music careers, staying connected to their roots is vital. As they navigate the music scene in Miami, both find that food—whether through a favorite restaurant or home-cooked meals—helps bridge the distance between where they are and where they come from. In their stories, DoorDash plays an unexpected role, providing a way to access the comforting flavors of home, even in a new city.
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Danny Ocean’s deep love for Venezuela is woven into his music, even as his career has taken him to Miami. Born in Caracas, Danny’s sound reflects the vibrant culture he grew up with, blending reggaeton, tropical rhythms, and pop. Although Miami offers him exciting new opportunities, his connection to Venezuela remains strong. His music carries the essence of his homeland, serving as a reminder of the warmth and energy of his roots, even as he continues to evolve as an international artist.
In Miami, Danny finds comfort through the familiar tastes that bring him back to Venezuela. Thanks to the variety of options on DoorDash, he often orders from arepa.bar, indulging in arepas and other traditional dishes. For Danny, it’s not just about satisfying his hunger—it’s a way to stay connected to the culture and flavors he grew up with, offering him a sense of home in the midst of a bustling city.
Similarly, María Becerra, one of Argentina’s rising stars, carries her love for her homeland wherever she goes. Hailing from Buenos Aires, her music blends urban pop with Latin rhythms, reflecting the culture and energy of Argentina. Even though she’s made Miami her new home to advance her music career, Argentina remains close to her heart. The colors, flavors, and spirit of her country influence her work, reminding her of the vibrant streets and rich traditions of Buenos Aires.
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In Miami, María often seeks comfort in recreating the dishes she grew up with, keeping a piece of Argentina with her through food. Thanks to DoorDash’s wide variety of vendor options, she orders groceries to cook her favorite meals, like vegetarian guiso, a hearty stew she loves to prepare. Cooking these meals allows her to bring the flavors of home into her kitchen, turning the experience into a way to stay connected to Argentina. Each dish serves as a reminder of her roots, offering her a sense of nostalgia and comfort while navigating the fast-paced world of the music industry.
For both Danny Ocean and María Becerra, DoorDash provides more than just convenience—it offers a way to stay connected to the flavors of home. Whether it’s a traditional arepa from or ingredients for a comforting guiso, these meals are a reminder of the places and cultures that continue to shape their lives and music, even from afar. Through food, they find small moments of nostalgia and comfort, all made a little easier to access in their new lives abroad.
Hip-hop changed the course of Tim Hinshaw’s life in more ways than one as explained in the music executive’s new profile in partnership with Billboard and INFINITI.
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As an honoree of the 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list and our 2022 Executive of the Year, the Compton native opened up about his family, humble beginnings, and relationship with hip-hop. “One of my best memories as a kid was my first road trip. My dad had the INFINITI Q45. He loved that car. It had gold BBS’s. It was like my first introduction to a luxury vehicle.” Hinshaw admitted in his interview in front of the all-new 2025 INFINITI QX80.“I grew up on the west side of Compton. I could find a CD and what they were saying on the songs was stuff I was going through in my everyday life. It was almost like a therapy session.” Hinshaw, the former Head of Hip-Hop & R&B for Amazon Music, has experienced his share of professional hurdles. In fact, some of his earliest memories of the music industry involved multiple accounts of rejection. “I just don’t accept ‘no’ and I think that’s just about how I came up,” he recalled. “I’ve seen my mom make her way around so many different ‘no’ situations, so you can’t tell me ‘no.’” Fast forward to 2023 and Hinshaw launched his own creative agency, Free Lunch. “I’ve always had a unique way of bridging culture and corporate. That is my superpower,” he admitted.
As a tastemaker in the industry, the exec admitted the car is his ideal setting to press play and turn the volume up. “The car test is the most important test, I think. I can’t really give an opinion until I hear it in the car,” he said.
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While the INFINITI QX80 boasts a range of features perfect for a road trip for eight, Hinshaw has his own relationship with the concept of luxury. “I’m a simple person. Being able to wake up with my kids, take them to school and having premium sound while driving, that’s luxury,” he told us.
Regarding his advice to folks hoping to make a mark on the industry, Hinshaw said it all boils down to redefining yourself. “You gotta tinker with yourself every day from a personal standpoint, from a career development standpoint, from a money management standpoint. You really have to take the time and effort to pick yourself apart and put yourself back together,” he explained.
Click here for the latest announcements on Hinshaw’s Free Lunch agency.
Photo: Rashida Zagon
Photo: Rashida Zagon
