2023 Gamechangers Who Made Waves in Music and More

In 2023, BMAC started several game-changing initiatives and continued others. They hosted their third annual Gala in Los Angeles in September, welcoming honorees like Jermaine Dupri, Keke Palmer, and more, and continued their commitment to inclusion and music education with its Maymester Music Business Accelerator at HCBU Tennessee State University.

BMAC partnered with industry institutions to spread awareness of salient political issues and draw attention to systemic bias. In July, BMAC hosted a rally at Rolling Loud Festival, bringing congressmen Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and Hank Johnson (GA-04) to advocate for the RAP Act, a congressional act that protects free speech by prohibiting the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court. Later in the year, BMAC and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame partnered to create the BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income and Mentorship Program, providing a fund for essential creative and life expenses for qualifying musicians, as well as mentorship from some of the biggest names in music.

Since Black Music Action Coalition’s inception in 2020, the organization has been instrumental in addressing systemic racism within the music business and advocating on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, lawyers and other impassioned industry professionals. The Coalition will only continue to change the game in 2024 and the years ahead.

In recent years, Sueños and Baja Beach Fest have welcomed artists from the ascendant regional Mexican scene, recruiting singers of corridos tumbados like Natanael Cano and Junior H, as well as norteño practitioners like Banda MS to bring a more traditional sound. La Familia’s two festivals were the only 2023 festival dates for Grupo Firme, the wildly popular norteño group from Tijuana, who performed massive closing performances at each event, leading the tens of thousands of fans in an inspiring sing-along.

Next year, La Familia will keep growing their two festival brands–and keep booking artists like Rauw Alejandro and Tego Calderon in shows across Mexico–and provide the biggest North American stage for artists from Mexico and all over the Latin music world.

The 2023 Edition of FEQ started to turn heads from music lovers across the continent, thrilled by the expertly-curated lineup, professionalism of the organizing team (BLEUFEU), and the high-wattage headliners. 2023 brought a stunning array of artists, including Foo Fighters, Lana Del Rey, Zach Bryan, Pitbull, Green Day, and more, alongside a bevy of talented Canadian and Québecois artists. Remarkably, when weather threatened to derail a night of the festival, the organizers worked quickly to add a twelfth day to the festival (for the first time in 55 years!), bringing local heroes Les Cowboys Fringnants and Robert Charlebois back to the Plains of Abraham for a festival-closing celebration.

FEQ earned raves from across the spectrum, for its nimble handling of the weather, breadth of programming, passionate crowds, and smooth integration with the city of Québec. Pollstar led the charge, calling FEQ, “The Best Festival You’ve Probably Never Heard Of,” while outlets like NME, Clash, Paste, The Line of Best Fit, and many more heaped on the plaudits. With another group of all-world headliners in the works for next year, FEQ might not be a secret for much longer.

In 2023, Afro Nation made their debut in the United States, hosting festivals in Miami and Detroit. Hosted at loanDepot Park over Memorial Day Weekend, Afro Nation Miami welcomed Burna Boy and WizKid, selling out its opening day. In August, Afro Nation hit a historic Black music city with Afro Nation Detroit, bringing Davido and Burna Boy to the Motor City, along with American stars like Latto, Ari Lennox, and Dej Loaf. Both festivals featured the Piano People stage, a showcase for the ascendant South African genre of Amapiano, welcoming the genre’s stars like Major League Djz, Uncle Waffles, and more.

As Afrobeats continues to grow into a dominant genre worldwide, Afro Nation will provide a showcase for the genre and its extremely talented stars. Afro Nation plans to return to the U.S. next year–keep your eyes peeled for many more announcements.