RAYE, Rubén Blades, Partisan’s Zena White & More Honored at Billboard’s 2026 Indie Power Players Event
Categoria: Musica
RAYE received the Indie Spirit Award, while Rubén Blades took home the Icon Artist award.
Por Billboard | 10/06/2026
On Tuesday (June 9), Billboard honored this year’s Indie Power Players during an event held at the Cutting Room in midtown Manhattan, celebrating many of the independent music industry’s top artists and music executives. Billboard co-chief content officers Jason Lipshutz and Leila Cobo kicked off the evening, highlighting how indie music’s market sector has continued to expand over recent years. Related Billboard’s 2026 Indie Power Players Revealed How Partisan Records’ Tim Putnam and Zena White Built the Indie Powerhouse Home to Geese, Cigarettes After Sex and More The Orchard Co-Founder Richard Gottehrer On His Long, Winding, Legendary Indie Music Business Career “Many of the world’s biggest artists are signed to indie labels,” Cobo said. “Some of them are here in the house. And, more importantly, what you do is really fueling creativity and musicianship at a very essential and existential time for music.” Zena White , COO of Partisan Records, accepted the award for Executive of the Year , which was presented to her by Femi Koleoso , the drummer and leader of British jazz group Ezra Collective . The group has had two top 10 hits on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart with 2019’s You Can’t Steal My Joy and 2024’s Dance No Ones Watching . Partisan is also the label home to Geese, Cigarettes After Sex, Blondshell and Interpol, among many others. “Your belief and support is allowing us to scale and genuinely compete with established players with much bigger pockets than us,” White said in her acceptance speech. “Art is not a luxury. It’s necessary for us to connect with and understand one another, as well as ourselves. It can be a balm, an escape and in some cases, even a lifesaver.” Cobo presented Rubén Blades with the Icon Artist award. Related How Partisan Records’ Tim Putnam and Zena White Built the Indie Powerhouse Home to Geese, Cigarettes After Sex and More “My decision to come to New York was a product of desperation, not careful planning,” Blades said in his acceptance speech. “My first job was as the only employee in the mailroom finding records at the No. 1 salsa recording label in the world. One of my chores was to label and carry a hefty load of LPs and cassettes to the nearest post office while trying to avoid being run over by a bus, taxi or messenger bicycle. To explain how from there I have ended up here tonight will take a while. So instead, my intention is to let everyone understand that my success also belongs to many other people’s talents.” Richard Gottehrer , co-founder of The Orchard, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by current Orchard CEO Brad Navin . Gottehrer detailed his early career as a songwriter, creating “My Boyfriend’s Back” along with Jerry Goldstein , who was also in the room. Gottehrer recalled that, during a downturn in his career where his songs weren’t charting, “if you’re not making hits, no one wants to hire you anymore.” He sa