Hybe America's Big Machine Music wins publisher of the year at AIMP Nashville Awards
Big Machine Music, a label under Hybe America, was named publisher of the year at the 10th AIMP Nashville Awards, the company announced Thursday.
The awards, hosted annually by the Association of Independent Music Publishers, recognize outstanding achievements by independent publishers and songwriters in the American country and pop music scene. Big Machine Music earned the honor for a second time, following its previous win in 2021.
'This is an amazing honor, but being part of Nashville's vibrant, independent publishing community is the reward in itself,' Big Machine Music President Mike Molinar said in a statement. 'Thank you to our incredible writers and staff. This is a reflection of all of their talent and work.'
Jessie Jo Dillon, a songwriter affiliated with Big Machine Music, was named songwriter of the year, marking her second win at the event. Dillon is a highly acclaimed songwriter who also won songwriter of the year at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards and was nominated for the 'songwriter of the year — non-classical' category at both the 66th (2024) and 67th (2025) Grammy Awards.
Big Machine Music represents a roster of acclaimed songwriters including Dillon, Laura Veltz and Ryan Hurd. Their works have been featured in releases by global artists such as Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Carin Leon, The Kid Laroi, Diplo, Demi Lovato and Jessie Murph.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Kim Seong-kon] Metamorphosis: Painful but worthwhile](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F07%2F29%2Fnews-p.v1.20250729.7cfdc75070f04e3ea8f76ec9f49bed19_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Kim Seong-kon] Metamorphosis: Painful but worthwhile](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
[Kim Seong-kon] Metamorphosis: Painful but worthwhile
Children are fascinated by the metamorphosis of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. They are also amazed by the sight of a cute baby bird hatching from an egg. Watching these marvelous processes, children dream about their own metamorphoses that could turn them into an enchanting prince- or princess-like figure someday. The transformations that take place inside a cocoon or an eggshell occur over a prolonged waiting period. When the time comes, the gorgeous butterfly or cute baby bird comes out and eventually soars into the sky. Though a newborn chick cannot fly, it still brings the utmost pleasure and awe to those who watch its birth. However, some human beings choose to stay inside their cocoon or shell for good, and thus never experience a metamorphosis in their lifetime. Some are stuck in a hard shell of self-centeredness, inflexibility and dogmatic ideology. Others feel so snug and comfortable inside their shell that they do not want to come out. Metaphorically speaking, such people are hypnotized, drugged or paralyzed in their cocoons or hard shells. They just don't realize it. In her insightful poem, 'Life in an Egg,' Poet Kim Seung-hee compares the predicament of modern man to that of eggs in the refrigerator. Inside the fridge is a nice, cool environment, just as we might feel in an air-conditioned room. But eggs in the fridge have lost all hope of hatching and bringing forth new life. So have those of us who are helplessly trapped in the cool, refrigerator-like present reality, losing our original fresh vision of metamorphosis. The poet's profound insight into and powerful criticism of contemporary society primarily centers on those who choose to live inside the hard shell of egotism and isolation, rapidly losing contact with others. For example, many Koreans live in inhumane apartment complexes resembling chicken coops, completely cut off from their neighbors. Appropriately, they say that eggs laid in a chicken coop cannot hatch. Comfortable in an air-conditioned apartment, people become self-centered and do not care about what happens outside anymore. In his short story, 'Entropy,' Thomas Pynchon reminds us that we are now living in a hothouse where we are so warm and comfortable that we do not care what happens in the street outside. For Pynchon, the hothouse could be inhumane and even deadly because it is a closed place where entropy reaches its peak. When Henry Miller, another American novelist, returned from his long exile in Europe, he made a journey across America to search for the meaning of his country. Returning from his trip of discovery, he called America "an air-conditioned nightmare" and "a cancer of sameness." One might ask, "What does he mean by a cancer of sameness? America is a country of diversity and multiplicity." However, no matter where you go in America, you encounter the same shopping malls, department stores, chain stores, supermarkets, gas stations, convenience stores and motels. This was precisely what Japanese novelist Murakami Haruki discovered after his trip to California. He wrote, "It was scary to find the same thing everywhere in America." In Antonia Susan Byatt's intriguing novel, 'Angels and Insects,' she compares the behaviors of insects to those of human beings. The author tells us that some people remain like insects for the rest of their lives, unable to break out of their cocoon, while others succeed in transforming themselves into a lovely butterfly. Metamorphosis is not an easy thing to do. Anyone who has watched the process of metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly knows how painful and difficult it is; it takes patience, endurance and perseverance. Poet Kim Seung-Hee is aware of the pain of metamorphosis. But through her poems, she urges us to keep dreaming of a successful hatching and eventual transformation. It is precisely in this sense that she presents a pearl as a metaphor for painful metamorphosis. She tells us that only a wounded shellfish can produce an astonishingly pretty pearl. Breaking the shell of our ego can be painful, but that is the only way to transform ourselves into a butterfly or a bird soaring towards a bright future. In the author's preface to her collection of poems, 'Life in an Egg,' Kim writes the following. It sounds like a poem itself: 'Situated between these two horizons, / what have I waited for, for such a long time? / Crouching inside an egg, / what kind of dream have I dreamed? / Neighbors, you and I may be the eggs / trapped inside the refrigerator, / still dreaming of hatching out, / still dreaming of love. / Are we, then, not the nameless heroes / in a melancholic epic?' Metamorphosis is a painful process, during which one can easily be hurt or wounded. And yet, we need to transform ourselves into a winged Pegasus soaring into the sky, transcending the gravity of the hideous Chimera-like reality. Kim Seong-kon
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
Seventeen to tour US in October
Pledis Entertainment announced on Tuesday plans for Seventeen's US tour. Nine of the group's 13 members will travel to five cities in the country — Tacoma, Los Angeles, Austin, Sunrise and Washington D.C. — for 10 live shows from Oct. 11 to 30. The five-city trip will be part of its 'New_' international tour that will kick off in Incheon on Sept. 13. Following the American stages, the group will begin the Japan leg of the tour, with 10 performances across 4 major domes. In May, Seventeen celebrated its decade-long career with its fifth full album 'Happy Burstday,' which entered Billboard 200 at No. 2, its seventh back-to-back entry among the top ten on the main albums chart. The LP sold over 2.5 million copies and swept all major music charts at home as well as Oricon's Daily, Weekly and Weekly Combined Album Rankings.
Korea Herald
25-07-2025
- Korea Herald
When K-pop stays abroad: The rise of export-oriented idol groups
Idol groups turn to overseas markets as saturation in Korea makes domestic success harder to achieve, say critics In the age of global K-pop, not all idol groups shine equally at home and abroad. Fans and insiders are describing a growing number of acts as 'export-oriented idols' — groups who debut in Korea but quickly shift focus to international activities due to lackluster local reception. While some idols still enjoy popularity across the board — such as BTS and Blackpink, who command massive fan bases both in Korea and worldwide — others are far more prominent overseas than they are domestically. Groups like Dreamcatcher, ARTMS, Kep1er and Enhypen have built their careers largely through global tours and overseas fandoms, with limited exposure or fanfare within Korea. Even Stray Kids and Ateez — among the most visible K-pop groups in the US and Europe — perform primarily in overseas stadiums while maintaining a relatively smaller presence locally. The disconnect has sparked questions about why some idol groups appear to "skip" Korea entirely, despite being products of its music system. According to music critic Lim Hee-yun, the divide is rooted in how the industry has evolved. 'The overseas K-pop market has grown dramatically, while the domestic one is shrinking,' Lim said, Friday. 'In Korea, competition is too fierce. New idol groups debut constantly and general interest in idols has declined.' Lim points to shifts in listening habits as part of the problem. 'Unless you're in the top five, it's hard to chart or create buzz. Fans are more likely to stick with artists they already follow or stream songs recommended by algorithms. The days when a new idol group could instantly become a public sensation are gone.' This saturation has made the Korean market harder to penetrate, particularly for mid-tier or rookie groups. 'Some major agencies have idols whose overseas revenue accounts for 70 percent of their total,' Lim said. 'Naturally, those groups prioritize international tours and promotions.' An executive at an indie K-pop agency who spoke on condition of anonymity echoed this view, adding that the marketing strategy varies by company size. 'For major K-pop agencies (like SM, JYP and YG Entertainment), the model is to build a strong local fan base, then expand to Asia and beyond,' he said. 'But for smaller agencies, it's often more effective to aim directly at overseas audiences.' The executive cited Ateez of KQ Entertainment as a clear example. 'They're not from a major company, but by targeting global fans from the start, they built a sustainable fandom abroad. Now they're doing world tours with far more impact than their domestic engagements.' Girl group Fifty Fifty's breakout hit 'Cupid' wasn't initially designed for the Korean market, the insider said. 'We saw that overseas fans responded well to a track from its first EP ... So we used that as a reference and deliberately created a song targeting American teens. That's how 'Cupid' came about — with support from Warner Music to push it globally.' Still, the divide between domestic and overseas success raises questions about the long-term sustainability of this model. 'The K-pop industry is in an oversupply crisis,' Lim said. 'Too many acts, too few consumers. If the bubble bursts, and it might, only groups with solid backing or loyal fan bases will endure.'
