Business
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The newest upsurge in artificial intelligence technology is streamlining the tedious tasks that run beneath the glamor of the industry, from simplifying marketing strategies to easing direct fan engagement to handling financial intricacies. And as this ecosystem matures, companies are discovering unprecedented methods to not only navigate but thrive within these new paradigms.
In our previous guest column, we explored how the wave of music tech startups is empowering musicians, artists and the creative process. Now, we shift our focus to the technologies revolutionizing the business side of the industry, including artist services, ticketing, fan engagement and more.
Music marketing has continued to evolve and become increasingly data-driven. A natural next step after creation and distribution, marketing involves creating assets for a campaign to effectively engage with the right audience. Traditionally, this has been a resource-intensive task, but now, AI-driven startups are providing efficiencies by automating much of this process.
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Startups like Symphony and un:hurd are now providing automated campaign management services, handling everything from social media ads to DSP and playlist pitching from a single automated hub. Some of these platforms even incorporate financial management tools into their offerings.
“Having financial management tools integrated into one platform allows for better revenue management and planning,” says Rameen Satar, founder/CEO of the financial management platform BANDS. “Overall, a unified platform simplifies the complexities of managing a music career, empowering musicians to focus more on their creative work and succeed in the industry.”
One hot topic as of late has been superfan monetization, with multiple startups creating platforms for artists to engage with and monetize their fan bases directly. From fan-designed merchandise on Softside to artist-to-fan streaming platform Vault.fm, which recently partnered with James Blake, these platforms provide personalized fan experiences including exclusive content, NFTs, merchandise, early access to tickets and bespoke offerings.
Drew Thurlow and Rufy Anam Ghazi
Courtesy Photo
“The future of fan engagement will be community-driven. No two fan communities are alike, so engagement will be bespoke to each artist,” says Andy Apple, co-founder/CEO of superfan platform Mellomanic. “Artists will each have their own unique culture, but share one commonality: Every community will align, organize and innovate to support the goals of the artist.”
Managing metadata and accounting royalties through the global web of streaming services is another area seeing innovation. With nearly 220 million tracks now registered at DSPs, according to content ID company Audible Magic, startups are stepping in to offer solutions across the music distribution and monetization chain. New tools are being developed to organize and search catalogs, manage track credits and splits, handle incomes, find unclaimed royalties, and clean up metadata errors.
”While we have well-publicized challenges still around artist remuneration, there are innovation opportunities across the value chain, driving growth through improved operations and new models,” says Gareth Deakin of Sonorous Global Consulting, a London-based consultancy that works with labels and music creators to best use emerging technologies.
Another issue that some AI companies have stepped in help solve is preventing fraud — a significant concern stemming from the ease of music distribution and the sheer volume of new music being released every day. Startups are helping labels and digital service providers address this problem with anti-piracy, content detection and audio fingerprinting technology. Beatdapp, for instance, which developed groundbreaking AI technology to detect fake streams, has partnered with Universal Music Group, SoundExchange and Napster. Elsewhere, MatchTune has patented an algorithm that detects AI-generated and manipulated audio, and a few others are developing tech to ensure the ethical use of copyrighted material by connecting rights holders and AI developers for fair compensation. Music recognition technology (MRT), which also utilizes audio fingerprinting technology, is becoming a prominent way to identify, track and monetize music plays across various platforms, including on-ground venues and other commercial spaces.
In the live music industry, there has been minimal innovation in ticketing, especially at the club level. That’s starting to turn around, however, as new technologies are emerging to automate the tracking of ticket sales and counts, thereby helping agents and promoters reduce manual workloads.
RealCount is one such startup that helps artists, agencies and promoters make sense of ticketing data. “We see RealCount as a second brain for promoters, agents and venues, automating the tracking of ticket counts and sales data from any point of sale,” says Diane Gremore, the company’s founder/CEO. Other exciting developments are taking place in how live events are experienced virtually, with platforms like Condense delivering immersive 3D content in real time.
Drew Thurlow is the founder of Opening Ceremony Media where he advises music and music tech companies. Previously he was senior vp of A&R at Sony Music, and director of artists partnerships & industry relations at Pandora. His first book, about music & AI, will be released by Routledge in early 2026.
Rufy Anam Ghazi is a seasoned music business professional with over eight years of experience in product development, data analysis, research, business strategy, and partnerships. Known for her data-driven decision-making and innovative approach, she has successfully led product development, market analysis, and strategic growth initiatives, fostering strong industry relationships.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is facing a lawsuit over allegations that it illegally displayed a copyrighted image of Van Halen, the latest of more than 50 such cases filed by veteran rock photographer Neil Zlozower over the past decade.
In a complaint filed Friday in Ohio federal court, attorneys for the litigious photog say the Rock Hall never paid to license Zlozower’s image – a black-and-white photo of late-70’s Van Halen in the recording studio — before blowing it up into an eight-foot-tall display in the Cleveland museum.
In his lawsuit, Zlozower says that an operation like the Hall, which is full of copyrighted images and sound recordings, ought to have known better.
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“Defendant is a sophisticated company which owns a comprehensive portfolio of physical and digital platforms and has advanced operational and strategic expertise in an industry where copyright is prevalent,” his lawyers write. “Defendant’s staff have significant experience in copyright matters and are familiar with specific practices including the need to ensure that all of the works used in their exhibits have been properly licensed.”
A spokesman for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Rock Hall is just the latest company to face a lawsuit from Zlozower, who also snapped images of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen over a decades-long career. Since 2016, court records show he’s filed more than 57 copyright lawsuits against a wide range of defendants, demanding monetary damages over the alleged unauthorized use of his photographs.
He’s twice sued Universal Music Group, once over an image of Elvis Costello and another time over a photo of Guns N’ Roses, and sued Warner Music Group this summer over an image of Tom Petty. A different case targeted Ticketmaster, accusing the Live Nation unit of using an image of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. In 2016, Zlozower sued Mötley Crüe itself for using images he had snapped of Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and other band members during their 1980s heyday.
In his new case against the Rock Hall, Zlozower’s attorneys say the museum made an “exact copy of a critical portion of plaintiff’s original image” for the exhibit, which they say “did not include any photo credit or mentions as to the source of the image.”
“The photograph was willfully and volitionally copied and displayed by defendant without license or permission, thereby infringing on plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the photograph,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit is seeking an award of so-called statutory damages – which can potentially reach as high as $150,000 per work infringed if Zlozower can prove that the museum intentionally infringed his copyrights.
LONDON — Jeff Jones will step down as the CEO of The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd after 17 years in the role, the company has announced (Oct. 21). Apple Corps Ltd was founded in 1968 by the Fab Four to control the band’s interests across music, film, publishing and more. The role of CEO was […]
Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with another wave of six civil abuse lawsuits late Sunday, including several cases alleging attacks as late as 2022 and one claiming he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl.
Filed by anonymous Jane Doe and John Doe plaintiffs, the lawsuits are the latest from attorneys Andrew Van Arsdale and Tony Buzbee, who filed six other cases against Combs last week and warned earlier this month that they represent at least 120 such alleged victims.
In one case, a Los Angeles businessman says Combs exposed himself and groped him during a 2022 promotional event for his Ciroc vodka brand. In another, a musical artist says the rapper drugged and raped her at a 2022 party in New York City. In yet another, a personal trainer says the star similarly dosed him and forced him to engage in repeated sex acts during a 2022 awards after party.
“While in and out of consciousness, individuals at the party forced plaintiff into sexual acts with both men and woman,” the lawsuit reads. “Plaintiff’s physical disposition made it impossible for him to reject their advances or otherwise control his body. These individuals, including Combs, essentially passed Plaintiff’s drugged body around like a party favor for their sexual enjoyment.”
In the most shocking allegation, one case alleges that Combs “drugged and raped a thirteen year-old girl at a house party,” an incident that allegedly followed the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and took place in the presence of other unnamed celebrities who also participated in the assault.
A representative for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment on the new cases. In a previous statement on Buzbee’s earlier suits, his legal team said he has “never sexually assaulted anyone” and that he has “full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process.”
Once one of the most powerful men in the music industry, Combs has faced a flood of abuse accusations over the past year, starting with a bombshell civil case from his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and then followed by a dozen additional lawsuits. Last month, he was indicted by federal prosecutors over allegations that he ran a sprawling criminal operation for years aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” If convicted on the charges, which include sex trafficking and racketeering, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Many of the previous lawsuits deal with allegations stretching back years, some dating to the early 1990s. Some of Sunday’s new cases include similar claims, including one from an Arizona woman who claims Combs drugged and raped her following a party at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood hotel.
But the new cases also include accusations that reach up until December 2022, less than a year before Combs began facing public abuse allegations. In that case, filed by the unnamed musical artist, the plaintiff claims she attended a New York City party hosted by Combs that month; after having a single glass of wine, she says she soon began “slipping in and out of consciousness.”
“Due to the effects of her drugged drink, Combs raped and sexually assaulted plaintiff,” her lawyers say. “Plaintiff could not stop him from doing so, as if she was trapped inside her body not participating but not able to resist.”
Three of the cases on Sunday were filed by men and three by women; five of them were filed in New York federal court, as were Buzbee’s previous lawsuits. But one was filed in Manhattan’s state court, where an unnamed security guard says that Combs drugged him at a 2005 party and “reached into plaintiff’s pants and grabbed plaintiff’s penis and genitals.”
Also on Sunday night, Combs’ lawyers filed a motion asking the judge overseeing the criminal case for a gag order that would bar alleged victims and their attorneys from issuing “extrajudicial statements” about Combs to the press. They argued such victims are potential witnesses in the upcoming criminal trial and that media statements “threaten Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial.”
Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, the convicted drug trafficker and money-laundering kingpin who was involved in the early careers of rappers Jeezy and T.I. in the 2000s via his label BMF Entertainment, has been released from prison, Billboard has confirmed. Flenory, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2008 after being convicted on several […]
James Leach, vp of creative services and West Coast operations for SESAC, passed away on Thursday (Oct. 17) in Los Angeles. The well-respected music industry executive died following a battle with cancer.
Beginning his tenure at SESAC in 2001 as director of writer/publisher relations, Leach covered pop, R&B and rock. During his 23 years with the performing rights organization, Leach signed funk legend George Clinton, Lalah Hathaway and Ab-Soul as well as songwriter/producers such as Nate “Danja” Hills, Harvey Mason Jr. (The Underdogs) and John “Jaylien” Wesley. He also established the company’s Los Angeles office.
Paying tribute to Leach, SESAC commented in part on its website, “Emanating from his warmth, kindness and enthusiasm for life, James will continue to shine light on those he knew … James was not just a leader for the Los Angeles-based creative services team but a constant wellspring of support and inspiration for SESAC-affiliated songwriters and publishers. In addition to his deep love of music and unwavering dedication to nurturing talent was his advocation of culture and DEI. He continuously promoted awareness and understanding. His ethos of service and making things better was the keystone of his work.”
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Hailing from Montclair, N.J., before relocating as a teen with his family to L.A., Leach graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in broadcast management. His lifelong love affair with music and the arts laid the foundation for a multi-faceted career that included stints in TV and radio sales, as a recording studio owner and as the head of his own music placement firm, Leach Entertainment. Internships at Famous Music and Michael Jackson’s ATV Music (prior to its merger with Sony) led to his being appointed director of creative affairs at ATV. During his seven years there, Leach signed writer/producers like Keith Crouch and Derek Allen and also worked with the catalogs of Jackson, The Beatles and Sly & the Family Stone.
Returning to Famous Music as director of creative affairs/urban music, Leach signed then-unknown songwriter/artist Akon. After leaving Famous, Leach worked as a music supervisor and consultant. His credits in that arena include the popular ‘90s series New York Undercover and Magic Johnson’s The Magic Hour.
A Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players honoree in 2019, Leach was presented with the Entertainment Advocate Award by the Living Legends Foundation in 2015. He also served on the foundation’s advisory board.
Calling Leach “the consummate professional,” Living Legends Foundation chairman David C. Linton tells Billboard, “He brought such value to enhance our mission of ‘service, scholarship and preserving the legacy of Black music executives.’ His presence will be missed both professionally and personally. Our prayers go out to his family and all who know and love him.”
Leach is survived by his mother, Claudia Leach, in addition to his siblings and other family members. The family is asking that donations in his honor be made to The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
Twitch’s head of music, Cindy Charles, has died after being involved in a traffic accident last week in The Netherlands.
Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy confirmed Charles’ death Friday (Oct. 18) on LinkedIn. Clancy remarked that “anyone that uses music on Twitch owes a debt of gratitude to Cindy’s work. She always had a bright smile on her face even as she negotiated unprecedented music licensing agreements for Twitch including the recent DJ agreement.”
That deal, which specifically covers DJs who live-stream on the platform, was announced in June and involved Twitch signing music licensing deals with all three major labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment — as well as many indie labels represented by Merlin.
Charles was meant to speak on a panel Thursday (Oct. 17) at the Amsterdam Dance Event, an annual dance music industry conference in the Dutch capital, offering expertise for DJs using Twitch.
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Before her six years at Twitch, Charles worked as an independent digital media consultant and also spent three years at Amazon, where she worked as the head of business development in the music department of Amazon Ticketing, along with working in the Video Shorts department. Earlier in her career, she spent seven years at Viacom, where she managed digital legal and business affairs for entities within MTV Networks.
Beyond those positions, Charles served as an advisor to the board of governors at the Recording Academy, was a co-founder of Women in Digital, which has more than 1,500 members, and co-founded the San Francisco chapter of She is the Music.
Charles was based in Berkeley, Calif., and grew up in Queens, N.Y., majoring in political science at SUNY Buffalo. She is survived by her husband, Ricky Fishman, and her two sons.
“Every success, every setback, every moment of working toward our shared mission felt deeply personal,” Twitch’s Kira Karlstrom wrote in a remembrance of Charles, “because Cindy made it that way. She cared about her team with all her heart, and our work was an extension of that care.”
Ricky Montgomery began rehearsing for his tour in late January. The singer/songwriter played shows across America before heading to Europe, Asia and Australia, returning to the U.S. in June. “It had been a long year, and I was also sick,” he says. That’s when he found out his label had dropped him.
“There was a disconnect as far as creative direction,” he explains. “The label didn’t really know what to do with me, and instead of listening to my ideas, they just tried to apply standard pop templates. Ed Sheeran was the one they thought would work.”
That “disconnect” is the subject of Montgomery’s upcoming single, a downcast acoustic ballad out October 24 called “Superfan.” He sings with a deflated quaver: “Team just got the numbers in/Said try it more like Ed Sheeran/But he’s not me, and I’m not him.”
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Being dropped hasn’t hurt Montgomery’s career, though. In fact, he’s now earning more streams — around 2 million streams a day across his catalog — than he was previously. “For better or worse, it’s a social media content game now,” says the 31-year-old singer, who has close to 2 million TikTok followers. “So if you’ve been investing your time into that, the odds are that you’re going to be totally fine if a label decides to drop you.”
Getting dropped is in vogue this year: Two of the biggest breakout artists of 2024, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey, were both cut by major labels before their recent explosive success. And more acts could soon join their ranks, because the major labels have been cutting costs by slashing staff — and dropping artists.
“Each time there have been major staff layoffs across the label systems, concurrently there were artists released from rosters,” says Leon Morabia, a partner at Mark Music & Media Law. “Some artists are really happy about it and relieved, and some artists are very upset. Their reaction ultimately depends on how much they depend on the record company to do what they do.”
Dropped acts lose access to an extended support team; plans for upcoming releases must be jettisoned or heavily reworked; tours can be scrapped. That said, Lulu Pantin, founder of loop legal, is adamant that “being dropped has no bearing on long-term success.” And this is probably more true than ever.
During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer pointed out that when he joined the music industry in 1985, labels had a lock on manufacturing, distribution and radio. “We had a lot more power,” he said. Today, in contrast, “the artists have at the very least equal power to us.”
That’s because they can make music cheaply, and promote it internationally, without ever leaving the house. “Artists have to be as good, if not better, at marketing as any professional marketer now,” Montgomery says. “They are, by default, the most experienced person in the room in marketing meetings.”
At the same time, the buttons that labels can push — to get radio play, appearances on award shows and late-night television, and prominent press placements — no longer guarantee real fans. As a result, Montgomery says, “Labels only want to focus on Tiktok or Reels or YouTube Shorts right now. I had three times as many meetings about TikTok strategy as I did about music. There’s no reason you can’t do that stuff on your own.”
Still, getting dropped can be jarring, a corporate version of a breakup. And like a breakup, disentangling takes a while, as it requires additional negotiation between the artist’s team and the label. “It’s not just, someone waves a magic wand and then you’re dropped,” says an A&R who left a major label job earlier this year.
This legal wrangling can be crucial for the next phase of an artist’s career. In a typical record deal, the label enjoys exclusive rights to any songs delivered during the contract period — even if they haven’t come out yet. For artists who are being shown the door, then, “the key point is who gets ownership of the unreleased music,” Pantin says.
Record companies are reluctant to give these rights up, since they helped fund the songs’ creation. To secure the return of unreleased music, artists may have to give the label a concession, either in the form of “an ‘override’ payment or a royalty on sales and streams,” Pantin adds.
If the label refuses to give up the rights to unreleased songs, artists have one other option. “I’ve called labels and asked them to waive the re-recording restriction,” says Tiffany Almy, founder of PKA Law. The re-recording restriction is in place to prevent an artist from putting out a competing version of a song the label already released, a tactic made famous by Taylor Swift with her Taylor’s Version album re-recordings. But the restriction serves no purpose if the label never put out the track in the first place. And if the artist succeeds in convincing the record company to nix that provision, they can then re-cut their music — on their own dime this time — for release.
Another point of negotiation when artists and labels are uncoupling: The act may be able to obtain some additional money, depending on the structure of their contract. “The deal could be worth $500,000, and $150,000 is given to the artist on signing and the rest is for recording,” the former A&R executive explains. “Then when you deliver the album, whatever’s left from the fund is supposed to go into the artist’s pocket.”
Attorneys try to prepare for these situations long before the label is even thinking about trimming rosters by including what’s known as “a pay-or-play provision” in the artist’s initial contract. (The initial deal negotiation period is when lawyers push for other protections as well: “I always try to build in caveats that the re-recording restriction doesn’t apply if the track doesn’t get released within a certain period of time,” Almy says.)
The pay-or-play clause ensures that, “If you get dropped in the middle of the contract period, you will be entitled to at least a portion of the remainder of the fund,” explains Oren Agman, an entertainment attorney. “Labels are now capping that, so they’ll give you maybe 30% or 40% of the balance. [But] if you have no pay-or-play provision, then you’re not getting anything other than the advance.” Jodie Shihadeh, a music lawyer, calls this provision “one of the last key points” when negotiating a record deal.
While the lawyers for both sides go back and forth after an act is dropped, the artist may be stuck twiddling their thumbs. “I’ve seen labels delay responses for months, extending the process and keeping artists in limbo,” Pantin says.
That limbo period matters because an artist technically can’t sign a new deal before getting out of the old agreement. Some do so anyway, figuring a label that dropped them isn’t likely to spend money suing them for breach of contract. “It can be a game of chicken,” the former A&R notes.
For an artist’s collaborators, it may be more than that — they don’t have the potential cushion of a pay-or-play clause. Many labels give a producer half their fee for a track up front, and fork over the rest only when that track comes out, Almy says. A dropped artist may mean a shelved track; for a producer, a shelved track represents lost income. “I’ve called the A&R at the label that dropped the artist and asked them to consider paying the producer for the work that they already did,” Almy says. Mixers are often in the same predicament.
Artists have it easier, because they can just start recording and releasing as they see fit. “I’ve seen some artists where it really helped that they got dropped, even though they didn’t want to be,” Shihadeh says.
Another recent post-drop success story is Gigi Perez, who parted ways with Interscope earlier this year. “I was stuck inside of a machine that didn’t work or make sense for me and I was unhappy,” she wrote in a lengthy message on Instagram on March 8. “I think a ton of artists were/are in this position as this new model of the music industry changes.”
She ended her post on an upbeat note: “Let’s go, bitches.” And in July, she released “Sailor Song,” a muscular folk track that works as well in an arena as it does around a campfire. It proved to be effective on TikTok as well: Users were soon soundtracking tens of thousands of videos with at least three different snippets of the single.
Streams of “Sailor Song” shot up. And on October 8th, Perez announced a new label home: Island Records.
Instagram announced a new feature on Thursday (Oct. 18) that makes it easier for users to save songs they discover while perusing the app.
The social app aims to make the music-saving process as frictionless as possible — and users don’t have to leave Instagram to do it. If they find a song they like, they can simply click on the track to reach its audio page and then tap the “add” button. Saved tracks show up in their “Liked Songs” playlist on Spotify. Currently, no other streaming services are integrated with Instagram.
The Spotify-Instagram integration comes roughly a year after TikTok launched its “Add to Music App,” a very similar feature that allows users to save music they find on the platform. TikTok had more partners for its feature — not just Spotify initially, but also Amazon Music and Apple Music.
“TikTok is already the world’s most powerful platform for music discovery and promotion, which helps artists connect with our global community to drive engagement with their music,” Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, said in a statement last year. The new feature “takes this process a step further, creating a direct link between discovery on TikTok and consumption on a music streaming service, making it easier than ever for music fans to enjoy the full length song on the music streaming service of their choice, thereby generating even greater value for artists and rights holders.”
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The “Add to Music App” has become even more of a priority for TikTok recently. In September, the company announced that it was shutting down its subscription streaming service, TikTok Music, to focus more on integrating with existing streamers. “Our Add to Music App feature has already enabled hundreds of millions of track saves to playlists on partner music streaming services,” Obermann said.
On Wednesday (Oct. 16), TikTok announced that another streaming service would join the “Add to Music App”: Melon, which is popular in South Korea.
“Since the launch of Add to Music App, we have seen the TikTok community fully embrace the opportunity to save the songs they discover to the music streaming service of their choice,” Michael Kümmerle, global head of music partnership development, said in a statement. “Our new partnership with Melon means that millions more music fans in Korea will be able to save, share and listen again to music they fell in love with on TikTok.”
Dorothy “Dottie” Leonard Miller, an entrepreneurial executive who founded several influential gospel and Christian music companies during a career spanning decades, died Friday (Oct. 11) at age 79.
After launching her own distribution company, New Day Christian Distributors, in 1981, Miller went on to create a veritable empire in the faith-based music business, with subsequent ventures including DayWind Soundtracks, DayWind Records, DayWind Music Publishing, two recording studios, and a cassette and CD manufacturing facility. More recently, she expanded her businesses to encompass DayWind Worship (choral music), Spiritus Distribution (Catholic products), Billy Blue Records (bluegrass), Billy Jam Records (country and Americana), Billy Blue Publishing and the DayWind Music Foundation, which provides an internet radio station focused on Southern Gospel.
“Dottie was a visionary, a pioneer, she was determined, humble, and generous,” said Rick Shelton, vp of DayWind Publishing, in a statement. “Serving her vision, her artists, her songwriters and the industry she loved has been a tremendous honor. What she did with her life touched the lives of so many.”
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Across her various music ventures, Miller worked with a laundry list of gospel and Christian artists including the Cumberland Boys, Greater Vision, the Crabb Family, Karen Peck and New River, Brian Free and Assurance, The Isaacs, Triumphant Quartet, Down East Boys, the Perrys, the Hoppers, Jonathan Wilburn, the Steeles, the Nelons, Lefevre Quartet, Michael English, Appalachian Road Show, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Carolina Blue, Kristy Cox and Grasstime, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, and Bob Minner.
Miller’s success garnered her a slew of awards over the years, including lifetime achievement awards from the Gospel Music Association, BMI and the Southern Gospel Music Guild. She was also inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
“Dottie Leonard’s story is a woman with vision, faith, and courage to make a difference,” said Jackie Patillo, president of the Gospel Music Association, in a statement. “Her work and tenacity will be forever remembered as will her legacy as a single mother, founder of Daywind Records, and New Day Distribution, and member of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. On behalf of the GMA Board of Directors and the entire gospel music community, we say farewell to Dottie and offer our deepest condolences to her family as she has now received her greatest reward.”
Born Aug. 10, 1945, in Wilmington, Del., Miller’s early jobs included clerical work at an accounting firm and a law firm, selling Jhirmack hair products, and working for the Democratic Party of Tennessee on campaigns for Senator Jim Sasser, President Jimmy Carter and more. As a single mother raising two children in Hendersonville, Tenn., she made ends meet throughout this early period by working a second job in ER admissions at a local hospital.
Miller’s first music industry job came when she was hired as a receptionist at Calvary Records in Nashville. She went on to work with radio stations and Christian bookstores promoting artists including the Hinsons and the Telestials. She later took a job at Windchime Records, where she worked with artists including the Paynes and Heavenbound before founding New Day with funding from her father, brother Bill Golt and family friend Ray Lorrig.
In addition to her family, co-workers, friends and artists, Miller enjoyed spending time in Florida and at her cabin in Lafayette, Tenn., where she had alpacas, donkeys and goats. Her travels took her throughout the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
Miller is survived by her daughter, Susan Leonard Sovine, and grandchildren Taylor McKellar and Kennedy Sovine; her son, Ed Leonard, his wife Kathleen, and their children Eddie Leonard, Mary Leonard, Evan Leonard, Aidan Leonard (Caroline Leonard), Rachael Zuckett (Joey Zuckett), Caroline Leonard, Ian Leonard, Liam Leonard, and Emily Leonard; her great-grandchildren Leo Zuckett and Eloise Joyce; her sister, Cynthia Paranczak; and her longtime companion, Jere Miller. She was preceded in death by her brother, Bill Golt, and her parents, William and Dorothy Golt.
A celebration of Miller’s life will be held at a later date.
You can read more tributes to Miller below.
“For the more than forty years of our friendship, Dottie was a champion for our genre’s Music. She was a pioneer in her field, and she was passionate about her mission to get The Gospel to as many people as possible. I will miss her enthusiasm and our conversations, which always included lots of laughter. My friend is with The Lord, but we WILL meet again, soon!” – Gerald Wolfe, Greater Vision
“Dottie was one of my greatest heroes and influences. She blazed the trail for many of us in Southern Gospel Music. I love that she always trusted the Lord in fulfilling her dreams of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world. Those dreams became realities. Now she is reaping the harvest of the many souls she touched for the cause of Christ. I love and appreciate Dottie more than words can express. She will be greatly missed. Her legacy will live on forever.” – Karen Peck-Gooch, Karen Peck & New River
“Almost 30 years ago I met a wonderful, smart, classy lady named Dottie. She had the ability to make you smile even when you didn’t necessarily feel like it. She lit up a room the moment she walked in no matter who else was there. She also showed the world she was a savvy businesswoman by starting the best record company in the world. I’ll miss you Dottie and so will many other people but I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore. I’ll never forget your smile.” – Brian Free, Brian Free & Assurance
“I’ve been with Daywind Records for over 20 years. I’ll never forget Dottie taking a chance on signing me after I got out of rehab and I was only six months clean and sober. She will be truly be missed” – Joseph Habedank
“She was a front runner in a world where businesses were run by men. She was an incredibly strong woman. She gave a lot of families hope and jobs. Nothing got in the way of her vision. On a personal side, our family has been a part of Daywind for over 25 years. We love Dottie. When Shellye and I first got married, we were doing everything we could to make ends meet. Dottie would give us her condo to have a vacation. Dottie was special to all of us. She is forever going to be miss. BUT can you imagine what she’s doing right now? She’s having a time. We wouldn’t bring her back for nothing. Dottie, enjoy it. You told everybody about. You helped everybody tell others about it. Welcome into the kingdom.” – Jason Crabb
“We can only imagine the reunion our beloved friend Dottie is having with so many artists she helped and loved along the way. She is home and at perfect peace with her Savior who is no doubt smiling with her because of the incredible heavenly choir she helped ensure with her earthly faithfulness. We will join them one day and we will all finally feel complete. Dottie, you are so loved and will be missed so much.” – The Isaacs
“Our beautiful Dottie Leonard has taken her flight like a mighty eagle. What an exceptional woman of faith, wisdom, foresight, courage and excellence; she paved the way for so many of us! She was a true fan of Gospel Music and believed it was her lifelong calling to ensure that great gifts in us are to be celebrated & given worldwide platforms. On a personal note…. she was/is a dear friend whose legacy will live forever. She was the treasure of encouragement. We didn’t ‘lose’ her… we know exactly where she is! Please give Mama Dottie Rambo a hug from me. Love you so much… see you at The House.” – Reba Rambo
“Dottie was one of the most respected and admired people in Southern Gospel music and beyond! Her work ethic was what one should strive to emulate. Awarded here, rewarded on Heaven’s shore!” – Doyle Lawson
“We will always remember Dottie as a sweet, dedicated, woman of God, who changed the world with her love of gospel music, and we will be forever grateful for the gift of her encouragement in our lives.” – Jim and Melissa Brady
“I met Dottie over 30 years ago, and I knew then I had met a “life friend”. She was a friend, business partner, and great counselor. Life was made sweeter because of her love for me. I will meet her again because of our belief in the savior, Jesus Christ.” – Jonathan Wilburn
“Had it not been for Dottie Leonard Miller, you would have never heard a song I’d written, a track I’d produced, or an orchestration I’d created. She believed in me when others didn’t. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. She gave us the truest example of how faith in motion works. And now her faith has become sight. I am heartbroken, but I know I will find her again.” – Wayne Haun
“Dottie Leonard Miller wasn’t just a pioneer; she was a trailblazer with a heart full of faith and a vision that reshaped the landscape of Southern Gospel music and the Christian bookstore industry. Through Daywind Records and New Day Christian Distribution, she brought light, and hope to so many, empowering artists, songwriters, bookstores, publishers, record labels and touching countless lives. Her legacy is one of unwavering dedication and belief in the power of the gospel to change hearts. We have lost a true giant and a treasured friend, but her spirit will continue to inspire us every day.” — Dusty Wells, Director of A&R and Label Relations, Daywind Music Group
“Dottie Leonard Miller was a true inspiration and encourager to many across this country and around the world. Her love for others and leadership through Gospel Music will continue to impact lives for decades to come.” – Gary Casto, Tribute Quartet
“Dottie was a visionary and a pioneer. People with that gift and calling are a breed apart, often questioned and sometimes misunderstood, but fiercely dedicated to allowing the dream inside them to manifest itself in the physical realm. Dottie’s dedication to that dream and its’ subsequent value will only fully be recognized in eternity. The music she championed reverberates not only on earth but in heaven as well, and countless lives have been changed, hearts have been encouraged, and burdens lightened by the message of the resources provided by New Day Distribution and Daywind Records. Thank you, Dottie, for being true to the call God had on your life. We are all blessed by the fruit you bore and your faithfulness to never give up.” – Billy Blackwood, Blackwood Brothers Quartet
“Dottie Leonard Miller’s passion for music was unmatched. And, her vision and God-given ability to use the power of that music to reach people in a positive way through the companies she has built, has literally impacted millions of lives over her long and illustrious career. She was easily one of the strongest women and most faithful servants of God I have ever known. She was so proud of our Daywind, New Day, and Billy Blue family, and she loved and appreciated each and every artist and member of our family. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will be honored by continuing to spread the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ through the music and products we create.” – Jerry Salley, A&R/Creative Director, Billy Blue Records