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Australia just drew a line in the sand when it comes to artificial intelligence and music.

The Australian Recording Industry Association, better known as ARIA, has announced that wholly AI-generated music will no longer be eligible for its official music charts.

Music that uses AI as a tool can still qualify.

But if AI generates the primary creative elements of the recording?

You're out.

And that raises a much bigger question for independent artists:

Chance the Rapper is officially a Hall of Famer.

SoundExchange announced Wednesday that the Chicago rapper has received its Hall of Fame Award, recognizing him as one of the most-streamed artists in the organization's more than 20-year history of administering digital performance royalties.

At first glance, that might raise a question:

Chance the Rapper? Already?

Not because Chance hasn't had an important career.

But consider the company.

The murder case surrounding Dallas rappers Yella Beezy and MO3 is putting an old debate back in the spotlight: When does a rap lyric become evidence?

Jury selection began Monday in the capital murder trial of Kewon White, who prosecutors allege was the gunman in the November 2020 killing of MO3, whose real name was Melvin Noble.

Prosecutors allege Dallas rapper Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, hired White to kill MO3 following a long-running rivalry between the two artists.

When an artist as successful as Cardi B starts discussing the cost of producing her own visuals, independent artists should pay attention.

In remarks circulating from a recent X Spaces conversation, Cardi suggested that record labels have become increasingly reluctant to finance expensive music videos. She characterized the pullback as an industry-wide issue—not merely a disagreement between her and Atlantic Records—and said she has continued releasing visuals by contributing her own money.

Everytime I personally attend a music conferences or speak on a panel I get a flood of independent artists telling me why we "need" to put them on the cover of Makin' It Magazine. While press coverage is a crucial ingredient for a successful career, how you approach media outlets will often be the differnce between your EPK turning into a front page story or ending up in the recycle bin. Here are 7 great tips every independent artist should implement for more successful media requests courtesy of @MsRivercity.