Nettwerk Music Group co-founders Terry McBride and Mark Jowett will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Libera Awards, to be held on Monday, June 8, at the historic Gotham Hall in New York City. The recognition celebrates their four-decade commitment to artist development, innovation and leadership within the global independent music sector.

The 15th annual Libera Awards (officially, The Libera Awards Presented By Merlin) are presented by the Foundation for Independent Music (FIM), with support from the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).

“Terry and Mark have been true mavericks and innovators in the independent music sector the past 40 years,” Ian Harrison, CEO of A2IM, said in a statement. “Their tireless work supporting a diverse array of artists through their label, management, publishing and various non-profits has been an inspiration to generations of independent musicians and industry members. We are honored to recognize their extraordinary work with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Now in its 40th year, Nettwerk Music Group has become one of the world’s most influential independent music companies. As CEO, McBride has long been a champion of artist empowerment and digital innovation. Beyond Nettwerk, he co-founded the groundbreaking Lilith Fair, which raised more than $10 million for women’s charities, and has continued to expand his impact through ventures in wellness and industry advocacy.

Jowett, a founding partner of Nettwerk, has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s evolution into a global, multi-faceted organization spanning recorded music, artist management and publishing. His work has helped support artists including Sarah McLachlan, Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, Dido and Sum 41, while also contributing to the broader industry through leadership roles with organizations such as FACTOR, SOCAN and the Canadian Music Publishers Association.

The organizers also announced four performers for the show, three of whom are 2026 Libera Awards nominees. The announced performers are Nigerian Tuareg guitar innovator Mdou Moctax, nominated for best global record for Tears of Injustice (Matador Records); singer-songwriter Valerie June, nominated for best American roots record for Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord Records); Dawn Richard, a previous Libera Award winner, nominated for best R&B record for “A Flex” (Merge Records); and eclectic synth-pop artist PORCHES.

This year’s ceremony will feature 38 categories highlighting the best in independent music, including, for the first time, independent record store of the year. This year’s top artist nominees are Oklou, Geese, Clipse, Hayley Williams and Wednesday.

The event will once again be hosted by Delisa Shannon, Billboard’s short form content director. Tickets, which begin at $369.70, are on sale at the A2IM site.

The Libera Awards will once again kick off the Indie Week conference, which begins the following morning, Tuesday, June 9, and runs through Thursday, June 11, at the InterContinental New York Times Square.

The Los Angeles Press Club announced finalists for the 2026 Southern California Journalism Awards and Billboard has received seven nominations.

For more than we 60 years, the L.A. Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards has been “calling attention to LA’s fine journalists while promoting excellence in new and emerging media.” Every year, the press club honors journalists across print, audio, television and online platforms in categories spanning everything from faith reporting to hard news, cultural criticism to photography and graphic design. This year, Billboard is nominated across two photography, three feature and one entertainment news categories.

In the category of Portrait Photo, Entertainment Heather Hazzan, Grayson Khos, Jenny Sargent and Samantha Xu received a nod for their portraits of Gracie Abrams for the April 19, 2025 issue of Billboard‘s print magazine. Joe Pugliese, Jenny Sargent and Samantha Xu are up for Entertainment Photo, Single Image for a photograph of June 2025 Billboard “Indie Power Players” cover star ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.

Billboard snagged two nominations in the Feature, Entertainment (Over 1,000 Words) category. Billboard’s executive editor, features Rebecca Milzoff is up for her story “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic on His Unexpected Longevity, Biggest Tour Ever & Creative Freedom: ‘Nobody Owns Any Piece of Me’” from the same “Indie Power Players” issue as the nominated photograph of Weird Al. Meanwhile, executive editor, West Coast/country Melinda Newman is nominated for “Welcome to Koe Country,” her March 2025 cover story on country singer Koe Wetzel ahead of last year’s SXSW.

Staff writer Michael Saponara is nominated for his story “Country Power Players Innovator: BigXThaPlug” in the Feature (Under 1,000) category. Closing out the nominations in feature categories, staff writer Hannah Dailey is up in Entertainment Feature, Theater/Performing Arts Related for “Meet the College Marching Bands Who Play Hits By Chappell Roan, Tyler, the Creator & More.” Finally, Billboard contributor Sophie Dunne received a nod in the Culture News, Events category for her Coachella report “Coachella 2025 Expands ‘Soberchella’ With More Non-Alcoholic Options Than Ever.”

The winners of the 68th annual Southern California Journalism Awards will be announced on Sunday June 28. See the full list of this year’s finalists here.

The Gold Gala returned to Los Angeles for its fifth edition on Saturday (May 9).

Held at downtown L.A.’s The Music Center, the annual event brought together celebrities and leaders from across industries to honor impactful Asian Pacific and multicultural changemakers.

Among the attendees were EJAE, Bowen Yang, Hayley Kiyoko, H.E.R., GIRLSET, Halsey, Simu Liu, Charles Melton, Eileen Gu, Jet Li, Chloé Zhao, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. The gala celebrated Gold House’s 2026 Gold100 List, recognizing the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific leaders of the past year.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas received the inaugural Global vanguard honor, while Beef season two star Charles Melton was presented with the Gold artistic achievement honor. Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu earned the Gold impact award, and Avengers: Doomsday star Simu Liu received the Gold mogul award. Martial arts icon, actor and philanthropist Jet Li was honored with the Gold legend award.

During the event, Hayley Kiyoko performed “Girls Like Girls” alongside ARKAI and Lindsey Stirling ahead of the release of her directorial debut. H.E.R. and actress Liza Soberano also shared an exclusive first look at their upcoming movie, Forgotten Island.

The Gold Gala was followed by the Billboard x Gold House Founders Party, which featured performances by RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Nymphia Wind and Plastique Tiara, along with a DJ set from Mortal Kombat II star Joe Taslim.

The afterparty also included a Maybelline New York-sponsored celebrity karaoke room, where KPop Demon Hunters filmmaker Maggie Kang teamed up with actors Ross Butler and Saagar Shaikh to belt out Linkin Park’s “In the End.”

Ahead of the 2026 Gold Gala, Billboard caught up with several stars to hear about their favorite cultural foods. Hayley Kiyoko recommended trying the Japanese hot pot dish sukiyaki, while H.E.R. shouted out the popular Filipino dessert halo-halo. Priyanka Chopra Jonas suggested Indian chutney, and Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and husband Mark Hoying recommended traditional Filipino rice cake.

See more stars in attendance at the 2026 Gold Gala below.

Bryan Adams makes his second trip to YouTube Music’s Billion Views Club, this time with “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.”

The Canadian singer-songwriter passes the billion views milestone with performance video for “I Do It For You,” the 1991 ballad that soundtracked Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

“I Do It For You” was an unstoppable hit following its release, much like the film it was connected to. It’s one of Adams’ four titles to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for seven weeks — by some margin the longest reign by Adams on the national singles survey.

Across the Atlantic, “I Do It For You” enjoyed a fairytale run on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, which included an historic 16-week reign, all of it consecutive. No other song in OCC history has enjoyed a longer stretch at No. 1.

The song led-off Adams’s Waking Up the Neighbours, which topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart, the ARIA Chart, and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. 

The action-adventure film from which “I Do It For You” was synced was a box office success, coming in at No. 2 among the year’s highest-grossing films with $390 million, behind the sci-fi masterpiece Terminator 2: Judgment Day with $520 million, and comprehensively trounced, at the box office at least, the critically-acclaimed, Patrick Bergin-starring Robin Hood, also released in 1991.

Adams first entered YouTube’s Billion Views Club with another ballad, 1993’s “Please Forgive Me.”

“(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” was written by Adams, Robert “Mutt” Lange and Michael Kamen. Its official black and white video was filmed in Miami, Florida 1992, directed by Andy Morahan, and can be seen in full below.

Brandi Carlile is the newest inductee into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.

The 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, producer and performer will be elevated during the ACL Hall of Fame induction and taping on July 1, with Bonnie Raitt on hand to induct Carlile. Raitt, who was inducted in 2016, will also perform a tribute on the night.

“Being inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame by one of my absolute heroes — Bonnie Raitt — means everything to me,” comments Carlile in a statement. “I’m so grateful to have had such a deep and powerful connection to the city of Austin and Austin City Limits all these years — and I cannot wait to hit the Moody stage in July to celebrate this immense honor.”

Adds Raitt: “I’m thrilled to induct my friend Brandi into the ACL Hall of Fame. She is truly one of our most respected and impactful artists. I admire her not only for her incredible music, but for standing up for the causes and artists she’s passionate about, all while balancing her wonderful family life. I can’t wait to get to perform together for this show that has meant so much to us both.”

The 12th Annual ACL Hall of Fame will be presented at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas.  Highlights, including performances and speeches, will be packaged for an hour-long broadcast during Season 52 of Austin City Limits, premiering this September on PBS, and available to stream online and via the PBS App.

Established in 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame recognizes artists who’ve played a defining role in the series’ half-century legacy. Honorees have included Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lucinda Williams, Roy Orbison, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, and last year’s inductee Garth Brooks.

Carlile has “deep roots at ACL” and is a frequent presence at the ACL Hall of Fame, reads a statement announcing her special night. Also, Carlile handed induction honors for Sheryl Crow in 2022 and has delivered three standout appearances: in 2010 (Season 36), 2018 (Season 44) and 2022 (Season 48).

Across a two-decade-plus career, Carlile has landed 10 titles on the Billboard 200 chart, including five top 10s.  At the back end of 2025, Carlile broke the record for most No. 1’s by a woman on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, as her latest album Returning to Myself debuts atop the Nov. 8-dated tally. Earlier this year, Carlile performed “America the Beautiful” during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, and presented the Innovator Award to Laufey at Billboard Women In Music 2026.

“When Brandi Carlile first stepped onto the ACL stage more than 15 years ago, it was immediately clear she possessed a rare and singular talent,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “The moment you hear her voice, you know exactly who it is. She will always have a home here at ACL, and now she takes her well-deserved place in the ACL Hall of Fame. Having Bonnie Raitt there to welcome her into the fold makes the occasion all the more special.”

Austin City Limits and the ACL Hall of Fame are produced by Austin PBS.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers revealed its 2026 ASCAP Latin Music Awards winners during an invite-only ceremony hosted Tuesday night (May 5) in Miami.

For a third time, Colombian hitmaker Keityn was named songwriter of the year after co-penning hits such as Karol G and Marco Antonio Solís‘ “Coleccionando Heridas,” Maluma‘s “Cosas Pendientes,” Feid‘s “Doblexxó” and Nicky Jam and Beéle‘ “Hiekka.”

New York Dominican superstar — and self-proclaimed King of Bachata — Romeo Santos won the ASCAP Latin songwriter-artist of the year award backed by his recent smashes “Ángel” (also starring Grupo Frontera), “Desde Hoy” (performed by Natti Natasha) and “Khé” (with Rauw Alejandro).

The 2026 ASCAP Latin Song of the Year award was given to “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” performed by Karol G and written by ASCAP songwriter Rios. The tune, which dropped last June, was published by Capital Music Puerto Rico LLC and Kobalt Music Publishing. The track ruled Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart at No. 1 for 14 weeks and recently climbed back to No. 6 following Karol G’s headlining performance at this year’s Coachella.

Meanwhile, Daddy Yankee extends his reign as the most decorated Latin ASCAP songwriter in history, adding his 63rd and 64th award for the uplifting anthem “Sonríele” and “Latina Foreva,” the sultry tune performed by Karol G. The reggaetón legend has been recognized at every ASCAP Latin Awards ceremony since 2005.

On the industry side, Universal Music Publishing Group was recognized as Latin music publisher of the year for the fourth consecutive year, thanks to its representation of several latest hits by Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro and more.

Additional ASCAP Latin honorees include Julito Gastón, who earns his first recognition for cowriting Bad Bunny’s global hit “Baile Inolvidable” alongside Antonio Caraballo. Other winners include Feid (“Doblexxó,” “Háblame Claro,” “Verano Rosa”), Xavi (“En Privado,” “Flores”), Natanael Cano (“PRESIDENTE”), Tito El Bambino (“EoO”), Danny Ocean (“Imagínate”) and more.

See the full list of ASCAP Latin music winners on the ASCAP website.

The Australian Recording Industry Association has announced the six artists set to be inducted into the 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame, with the ceremony scheduled for June 11 at Carriageworks in Sydney as part of the ARIA Awards’ landmark 40th anniversary celebrations, in partnership with Spotify.

Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End and Vika & Linda will join a distinguished group of previous inductees that includes AC/DC, INXS, Kylie Minogue, Crowded House, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, Archie Roach, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Olivia Newton-John and Yothu Yindi.

The late Gurrumul — born Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu of the Gumatj clan of Elcho Island in Arnhem Land — remains one of Australia’s most culturally significant artists. Blind from birth, the Indigenous singer-songwriter rose to international acclaim with his 2008 self-titled debut album, which drove more than 500,000 worldwide sales. During his lifetime he performed for Queen Elizabeth II, U.S. President Barack Obama, and was one of only two Australian performers at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. He received 22 ARIA Award nominations and 10 wins alongside 16 National Indigenous Music Award wins before his passing in 2017 at age 46.

Jenny Morris rose to prominence in the 1980s and ’90s, first with QED and INXS before launching a successful solo career that produced multiple platinum albums including Body and Soul (1987), Shiver (1989) and Honeychild (1991). She won back-to-back ARIA Awards for Best Female Artist in 1987 and 1988, and toured internationally alongside Prince, INXS and Paul McCartney. Beyond performing, Morris has been a significant industry advocate, serving as chair of the APRA board and founding Art of Music, a charity fundraiser for music therapy organization NORO, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Kate Ceberano first broke through in 1984 as the lead vocalist of I’m Talking, before achieving her first Platinum solo album, Brave, in 1989. Across more than four decades she has released 31 albums and 57 singles, holding the rare distinction of being one of only four Australian artists — alongside AC/DC, Midnight Oil and Kylie Minogue — to achieve top 10 albums across five consecutive decades. She holds 22 ARIA nominations and five wins.

Spiderbait — Janet English, Kram Maher and Damian Whitty — formed in the NSW Riverina town of Finley in 1989 before relocating to Melbourne’s punk underground. Their 1996 album Ivy & The Big Apples debuted in the ARIA Top 3 and went Double Platinum, featuring “Buy Me a Pony,” the first Australian song to top the triple j Hottest 100. The band’s “Black Betty” later reached No. 1 on the ARIA singles chart. Today, the band generates more than 100 million streams annually, with over 70% of their listenership based outside Australia.

The Living End — Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan — have been one of Australia’s most significant rock acts since their 1998 self-titled debut, which went four-times Platinum, debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA chart and charted for 83 weeks. Their single “Second Solution / Prisoner of Society” became the biggest Australian single of the 1990s, and the band holds the record for most consecutive entries in the triple j Hottest 100 from 1997 to 2006. They have collected five ARIA Awards from 29 nominations, and most recently debuted in the ARIA Top 5 with I Only Trust Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Sisters Vika Bull and Linda Bull rose to prominence as key members of The Black Sorrows before forging a successful career as a duo spanning four decades. Their 1994 self-titled debut reached the ARIA Top 10 and went Platinum, and their greatest hits compilation Akilota (Anthology 1993–2006) reached No. 1 in 2020. They have collaborated with Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, Archie Roach and Renée Geyer, received the Order of Australia Medal in 2022, and release their ninth studio album, Where Do You Come From?, on June 5.

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement that the inductees “represent the depth, diversity and enduring influence of Australian music across generations,” adding: “As we mark 40 years of the ARIA Awards, it feels especially meaningful to honour these artists whose work has defined moments in time and continues to resonate with audiences today.”

The 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame Special Event takes place June 11 at Carriageworks in Sydney, in partnership with Spotify and supported by the NSW Government through Sound NSW. The 2026 ARIA Awards will be held Nov. 18 at Sydney’s Horden Pavilion, streaming live on Paramount+ and broadcasting on Network 10.