Welcome back to the MMBC Newsletter!

As the semester kicks off, MMBC is excited to share everything we’ve been building over the past month and what’s ahead this fall. August was filled with creativity and momentum: our team researched and published an Artist Spotlight on rising UK singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro, diving into her journey from TikTok covers to her debut EP. We also released a joint podcast episode with Bravado, featuring an insightful conversation with President Matt Young on global artist strategy, merchandising, and his personal path through the industry.

Now, we’re turning the page to recruitment season. If you’re looking to get involved, we have plenty of opportunities coming up:

9/2 – Meet the Clubs at Ross School of Business (5:30–7:30 PM, Table 14) + Applications Open
9/5 – Mass Info Session
9/8 – Recruitment Barbecue (611 Roof, 6:30–8:30 PM)
9/14 – Applications Close at 11:59 PM

We’re excited to welcome new members into the community and continue building the bridge between Michigan students and the music industry.

Go Blue!

Booking Manager @ Outback Presents

📍NYC

Ticketing Account Manager @ The Master Pass

📍Sacramento

A&R @ Bourne Creatives

📍LA

Paid Media Specialist @ Noise New Media

📍Nashville

Here are some of the most notable drops from this past month — albums you definitely don’t want to miss:

Fresh off Baby, Dijon turns his intimate style into a chaotic, soulful ode to fatherhood.

Dijon’s highly anticipated sophomore album Baby arrived on August 15, 2025, and has already been hailed as one of the year’s most daring and emotionally raw records. Where his 2021 debut, Absolutely, evoked an intimate, almost campfire-like setting, Baby explodes into a sprawling, maximalist world. It blends glitchy textures, soulful wails, and psychedelic R&B flourishes into an overwhelming sonic experience that feels equal parts chaotic and cathartic.

At its heart, Baby is an ode to fatherhood and the messy beauty of domestic life. Dijon wrote and recorded much of the album at home while adjusting to new parenthood, an atmosphere that permeates every note. Tracks like “Another Baby!” swirl with Prince-like eccentricity, stacking shouted vocals and jittery rhythms into a surreal celebration of love and anxiety. “Yamaha” begins with shimmering 80s-style keys before detonating into a piercing howl, while “HIGHER!” stretches funk and psychedelia into a euphoric hymn. Even in quieter moments, like the dusty, loop-driven “Kindalove,” the record hums with intimacy and devotion.

Critics have responded with near-unanimous acclaim. Northern Transmissions gave the album a glowing 9.5/10, praising its “glitchy, fraying textures” and relentless energy. Pitchfork echoed the sentiment with a rare 9.0 rating, while Metacritic aggregates the consensus at a remarkable 93. The New Yorker described Baby as a “total art work,” one that pushes the boundaries of pop and R&B through collaged production and emotional vulnerability.

To bring the record’s sprawling soundscapes to life, Dijon has assembled a North American tour that kicks off October 25 in San Diego and will stop in major cities like Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Seattle, and Chicago before wrapping December 12 in Minneapolis. A European leg is already confirmed for early 2026, starting in London on January 23.

Baby, represents more than just an impressive follow-up — it’s a statement of artistic evolution. Dijon has taken the intimacy of his debut and blown it wide open, crafting an album that is as unruly as it is deeply personal, as glitch-scarred as it is full of love. It’s an electrifying testament to an artist embracing chaos in order to capture life’s most meaningful transformations.

On September 27th, after 98 years, the University of Michigan stadium, “The Big House,” will host its first ever concert, with Zach Bryan and John Mayer headlining. Dubbed “the seventh gameday,” Bryan and Mayer will perform to over 107,000 attendees for a historic night in one of the largest stadiums in the United States.

Denver’s folk-rock giants The Lumineers are bringing their anthemic sing-alongs and stadium-ready energy to Detroit’s Comerica Park on September 13th. Expect crowd favorites like “Ho Hey” and “Ophelia” alongside newer tracks that channel their signature rustic charm. With the city skyline as a backdrop and tens of thousands of voices harmonizing, this promises to be one of Detroit’s most uplifting live shows of the fall.

The VMAs return with a bang on September 7th, live from UBS Arena in Elmont. This year’s show features a high-profile performance from Lady Gaga, plus tributes honoring Mariah Carey with the Video Vanguard Award. Fans can also look forward to appearances and sets from Busta Rhymes, J Balvin, Ricky Martin, and Sabrina Carpenter. Known for its viral moments and cultural buzz, the VMAs continue to be a defining snapshot of where global pop music is headed.

All’s fair in love and war… and apparently music too. For years, Apple’s hardware obsession let Spotify all but monopolize digital streaming. But with fights over engagement time and growing backlash around artist pay, everyone’s rethinking their playbook.

Apple’s new move? A bold partnership with live-audio platform TuneIn, giving Apple Music users free access to its content. TuneIn’s business model is split into tiers:

It’s those last two tiers that really change the game. Apple now gets access to TuneIn’s catalog across 200+ devices—cars, speakers, earbuds—often as pre-installed apps. TuneIn’s partners already include Tesla, Xbox, Roku, Sonos, and Bose. Classic Apple: buy one thing, and suddenly your whole life syncs into their ecosystem (terminator mode engaged).

Spotify, meanwhile, is leaning in a different direction: social. On its “For The Record” blog, the company unveiled Spotify Messages, a personalized song-sharing feature. It’s limited to users 16+ but free-tier friendly—something few expected. Like Instagram, you’ll still need to accept requests, so hopefully no flood of spam texts.

Contextualize that with Jams, AI DJ radio, and Collab Playlists, and you see Spotify’s bigger bet: turning every listener into a mini-curator/DJ while making music discovery more personal.

So who wins? Apple with seamless integration baked into every device, or Spotify with hyper-personalized social sharing? Hard to say. What’s certain is this battle will be long, expensive, and likely hit our wallets too—new features almost always come with price bumps. For now, we’ll have to follow both our hearts and our budgets to the best listening experience.

Donations to the Michigan Music Business Club are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

All monetary gifts fund our wide range of events, including concerts, speakers, and other professional and creative development events.

MMBC has brought an accomplished lineup of musicians, agents, producers, publicists, lawyers, and composers to speak and perform for the club and the greater Michigan community. To pay the generosity of others forward, many of our events have raised money for charity and local Ann Arbor businesses. Regardless of the amount, all donations help our organization bring authentic and memorable experiences to fans and aspiring industry professionals here at the University of Michigan.