Some of Australia’s biggest musical exports are up for high-profile honors at this year’s AIR Awards, set to be handed out on July 31 at the Adelaide Town Hall in South Australia.

Leading the charge in this year’s event are the likes of Royel Otis, who are up for four awards, just one year after being named breakthrough independent artist of the year at the 2024 edition. This year sees them up for the likes of best independent rock album or EP, independent album of the year, and independent marketing team of the year.

Royel Otis will be in fine company, sharing the former two categories with both Amyl and the Sniffers and King Stingray. Amyl, meanwhile, are also up for independent song of the year for “U Should Not Be Doing That,” which recently took out song of the year at the APRA Music Awards last month.

Other well-represented artists at this year’s ceremony are Emily Wurramara, Confidence Man and Alice Ivy, who are up for four awards each, with the latter pair in contention for best independent dance, electronica or club single and Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP. Acts such as Indigenous hip-hop supergroup 3%, Gut Health, and others are also hoping to take home multiples at the event.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work the independent music industry does in providing talented and emerging artists and music businesses with a platform to share their art with a wider audience,” commented South Australian minister for arts, Andrea Michaels MP.

Officially known as the Australian Independent Record Awards, the awards were first established in 2006 as an effort to “recognise, promote, and celebrate the success of Australia’s Independent Music sector.” This year also features a new category, with independent mix, studio or mastering engineer of the year set to be handed out at the July ceremony for the first time.

Some of Australia’s biggest musical exports have been recognized by the AIRs in recent years, including RVG, who took home last year’s best independent album for Brain Worms, and Jem Cassar-Daley, whose “King of Disappointment” was named best independent single/EP.

2025 AIR Awards Nominations

Best Independent Blues And Roots Album or EP
Emma Donovan – Til My Song Is Done
Little Quirks – Little Quirks
Mia Dyson – Tender Heart
Queenie – New Moult
Steph Strings – Cradle Mountain

Best Independent Hip Hop Album or EP
3% – Kill The Dead
Dobby – Warrangu; River Story
Lithe – What Would You Do?
Miss Kaninna – Kaninna
Ziggy Ramo – Human?

Best Independent Country Album or EP
Henry Wagons – The Four Seasons
Kasey Chambers – Backbone
Lane Pittman – Lane Pittman
Michael Waugh – Beauty & Truth
The Whitlams Black Stump – Kookaburra

Best Independent Jazz Album or EP
Claire Cross – Sleep Cycle
Lucy Clifford – Between Spaces Of Knowing
Molly Lewis – On The Lips
Parvyn – Maujuda
Sam Anning – Earthen

Best Independent Classical Album or EP
Australian Chamber Orchestra – Memoir Of A Snail
Electric Fields X Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Live In Concert
Katie Noonan & Karin Schaupp – Songs Of The Southern Skies Vol 2
Nat Bartsch – Forever Changed
Simon Mavin – Some Days EP

Best Independent Children’s Album or EP
Bunny Racket – Power
Emma Memma – Twirly Tunes
Teeny Tiny Stevies – The Green Album
The Quokkas – Songs For Silly Billies
The Wiggles – The Wiggles Sound System: Rave Of Innocence

Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single
Alice Ivy – Do I Need To Know What Love Is? Feat. Josh Teskey
Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You
Haiku Hands – Kicks
Moktar – Haraka ’حركة’
Odd Mob – Vertigo Feat. Ed Graves

Best Independent Punk Album or EP
Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me! – Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me!
Dune Rats – If It Sucks, Turn It Up
Gut Health – Stiletto
Radio Free Alice – Polyester
Regurgitator – Invader

Best Independent Heavy Album or EP
Northlane – Mirror’s Edge
Ocean Grove – Oddworld
Redhook – Mutation
The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux)
The Southern River Band – D.I.Y

Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP
1tbsp – Megacity1000
Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You Happy
Confidence Man – 3am (La La La)
Ninajirachi – Girl Edm
Pnau – Hyperbolic

Best Independent Rock Album or EP
Amyl And The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness
King Stingray – For The Dreams
Party Dozen – Crime In Australia
Royel Otis – Pratts & Pain
The Rions – Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be

Best Independent Soul/Rnb Album or EP
Beckah Amani – This Is How I Remember It.
Don West – Don West
Ella Thompson – Ripple On The Wing
Milan Ring – Mangos
Radical Son – Bilambiyal

Best Independent Pop Album or EP
Annie Hamilton – Stop And Smell The Lightning
Asha Jefferies – Ego Ride
Emma Russack – About The Girl
Good Morning – Good Morning Seven
Sheppard – Zora

Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year – Presented By PPCA
3%
Gut Health
Miss Kaninna
Queenie
The Dreggs

Independent Song of the Year
Alice Ivy – Do I Need To Know What Love Is? Feat. Josh Teskey
Amyl And The Sniffers – U Should Not Be Doing That
Jem Cassar-Daley – Big Container
Ocean Alley – Tangerine
Sycco – Meant To Be

Independent Album of the Year
Amyl And The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness
Emily Wurramara – Nara
King Stingray – For The Dreams
Royel Otis – Pratts & Pain
The Dreggs – Caught In A Reverie

Best Independent Label
ABC Music
Dinosaur City
Etcetc.
I Oh You
Impressed Recordings

Independent Marketing Team of the Year
ABC Music, The Annex – Emily Wurramara, Nara
Future Classic, The Annex – Sycco, Zorb
Gyrostream – Lithe, Fall Back
I Oh You, Mushroom Music – Confidence Man, 3am (La La La)
Ourness, The Annex – Royel Otis, Pratts & Pain

Independent Publicity Team of the Year
I Oh You, Mushroom Music – Confidence Man, 3am (La La La)
Liz Ansley – Emily Wurramara, Nara
Super Duper – Radio Free Alice, Polyester
Thinking Loud – Royel Otis, Pratts & Pain
Twnty Three Pr – The Rions, Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be

Independent Music Video of the Year
Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore – Emily Wurramara, Lordy Lordy Ft. Tasman Keith
Nick Rae, Jordan Ruyi Blanch – 3%, Won’t Stop Feat. Jessica Mauboy
Pond – Pond, (I’m) Stung!
Rosemary Whatmuff – Kasey Chambers, Backbone (The Desert Child)
Stephanie Jane Day – Emma Russack, Everything Is Big

Independent Producer of the Year
Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You Happy
Bonnie Knight – Coldwave, The Ants/Italia ’06
Dave Hammer – Lime Cordiale, Enough Of The Sweet Talk
Nick Didia – Ocean Alley, Tangerine
Nina Wilson – Ninajirachi, Girl Edm

Independent Mix, Studio or Mastering Engineer of the Year
Nick Herrera – Miss Kaninna, Kaninna
Robert Muinos – Rowena Wise, Senseless Acts Of Beauty
Rohan Sforcina, Lachlan Carrick – Emma Donovan, Til My Song Is Done
Steven Schram – Crowded House, Gravity Stairs
Tom Iansek – Tom Snowdon, Lonely Tree

Author Jillian Lauren, the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, has been officially charged with two felony counts following a bizarre shootout with police at her Los Angeles home in April.

Lauren, whose full name is Jillian Lauren Shriner, pled not guilty during a Tuesday (May 13) court hearing to the charges: discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The criminal complaint from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office also lists violence and gun usage as aggravating factors, which could lead to an enhanced sentence if Lauren is ultimately convicted.

While significant, the felony charges are less severe than those Lauren initially faced when she was booked on suspicion of attempted murder following the April 8 altercation with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

The alleged incident occurred when the LAPD responded to the city’s Eagle Rock neighborhood after the California Highway Patrol requested backup for a hit-and-run. Following the LAPD officers’ arrival, Lauren, who was uninvolved in the hit-and-run, allegedly emerged from her home with a gun and encountered police.

The LAPD said the 51-year-old Lauren refused to put down her weapon and aimed it at the officers, leading to a shootout in which she sustained a non-life-threatening wound. No officers were injured during the incident, according to police.

The strange altercation was memorialized in body camera recordings, surveillance video and 911 dispatch recordings later released by the LAPD.

Lauren’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

Lauren is the author of the bestselling memoirs Everything You Ever Wanted, and Some Girls: My Life in a Harem. Shriner played Coachella with Weezer last month, shortly after the incident occurred.

A wide range of guest performers will hit the American Idol stage Sunday alongside this year’s top 14 contestants ahead of the live crowning of the 2025 winner during the three-hour finale, Ryan Seacrest announced on Monday’s (May 12) live episode.

Sunday’s performers include: Brandon Lake, Goo Goo Dolls, Good Charlotte, Jennifer Holliday, Jessica Simpson, Josh Groban, Kirk Franklin, Myles Smith, Patti LaBelle and Salt-N-Pepa. In addition, Idol judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie will perform together, while artist in residence Jelly Roll will also hit the stage for a performance.

There’s no word yet on what songs the guests will perform or with which of the season 23 finalists. The list of guest performers truly ranges genres and generations, including pop (Simpson and Smith), rock (Good Charlotte and Goo Goo Dolls), Christian and gospel (Lake and Franklin), adult contemporary (Groban), R&B (LaBelle), rap (Salt-N-Pepa) and Broadway (original Dreamgirls star Holliday). And of course country is well-represented on the judging panel by Underwood and Bryan, not to mention artist-in-residence Jelly Roll.

Five contestants remain this season — Thunderstorm Artis, John Foster, Slater Nalley, Breanna Nix and Jamal Roberts — with two set to be eliminated on Monday’s episode, leaving only a top three to compete for Sunday’s crown. They’ll give their final performances during Sunday’s jam-packed finale.

The three-hour American Idol finale will air live Sunday coast-to-coast, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show is available to stream the next day on Hulu.

Veteran music journalist Gerry Wood died on Saturday (May 3) in Inverness, Fla. He was 87.

Wood was Billboard’s Nashville bureau chief and country editor in 1980 when he was promoted to editor-in-chief of the magazine, resulting in a transfer to the publication’s New York headquarters. He served in that capacity through 1983, when he left Billboard, only to return in 1986 as general manager/Nashville, a position he held into 1991.

Wood’s elevation to editor-in-chief coincided with the explosion of country music in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, when Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Alabama were among the top-selling acts in any genre and the film Urban Cowboy became a pop-culture phenomenon. Wood was there before, during and after the explosion, charting every bit of it. He could probably relate to the lyrics of a Barbara Mandrell hit in 1981: “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.”

Ken Schlager, former Billboard managing editor, paid tribute to Wood on Facebook: “When I joined Billboard as managing editor in November 1985 one of the first tasks was finding a new Nashville bureau chief. Our publisher, Sam Holdsworth (R.I.P.), had asked Gerry, who was no longer associated with Billboard, to check out the candidates that had emerged and scout for others. After several weeks, Gerry reported back that he, in fact, was the best candidate. It seemed like a whole lotta hubris, but it turned out he was right. That’s how Gerry ended up back at Billboard.

“Some weeks later, when I made my first trip to Nashville, Gerry, now bureau chief, greeted me with a gift basket in my hotel room filled with GooGoo Clusters, Moon Pies, and airplane bottles of Jack Daniel’s.

“Gerry was a sweet guy. Smart, hard-working, knowledgeable and well-connected. I’m sorry to hear of his passing.”

Born Gerald Edmund Wood in Lewiston, Maine, on April 7, 1938, Wood began his career in radio. He was a news and sports reporter and DJ at WSON in Henderson, Ky., and at WVJS in Owensboro, Ky. He also served as news reporter and DJ at WAKY in Louisville, Ky.

Wood graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1960 and went on to earn a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 1965. He later worked in public relations at Vanderbilt (1966-69).

While attending Vanderbilt and after, Wood served as news reporter and DJ at WKDA in Nashville (1964-66). After working in public relations at Vanderbilt (1966-69), he shifted to working on Music Row, where he worked in public relations at ASCAP (1969-75), rising to associate director. Wood began his first stint at Billboard in 1975.

Wood left Billboard in 1983 when the editorial leadership was reorganized under group publisher Jerry Hobbs. He moved back to Music City to become editor-in-chief at Nashville magazine (1983-84) and a special correspondent for People magazine (1984). Like many others before and since, Wood returned to Billboard for a second tour of duty, rejoining the staff in 1986 as general manager/Nashville. In that capacity, he directed and coordinated editorial, chart and sales activities in the country sector. He held that position through 1990.

On local TV, Wood became known as “The Gamboling Gourmet” on WTVF-TV. He also worked under that identity for Nashville magazine. As a freelance journalist, Wood wrote for Country Weekly and many other publications. He was also a regular reviewer on the TNN cable channel in the mid-1980s.

Wood won a Journalistic Achievement Award from SESAC in 1981. He was a board member of the Nashville Entertainment Association and a member of the Country Music Association, the Gospel Music Association, the Recording Academy, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and Sigma Delta Chi.

Wood was also a published author. Ain’t God Good (1975) and Let the Hammer Down (1978) were collaborations with country comedian Jerry Clower. Other titles included The Grand Ole Opry Presents the Year in Country Music (1997) and Tales From Country Music (2003).

Outside of his career, Wood was a travel enthusiast. Late in life, he moved to Florida and wrote books and articles for local publications on the Gulf Coast.

“I was just laughing with Ed [Morris] yesterday as we were reminiscing about our days at Billboard with Gerry at the helm of the Nashville bureau,” says Debbie Holley, who worked under Wood in the country department at Billboard in the 1980s.

“Ed and I never knew where he would be calling in his column from, to whichever one of us was willing to take it over the phone by dictation. If he wasn’t on a plane or boat, he was calling from a train making his way across the country!

“Ed and I truly loved Gerry Wood! If free-flowing, imaginative, intuitive, and emotional thought are characteristics associated with the right brain, his right hemisphere must have been double in size. Gerry Wood definitely encompassed and underscored ‘creative.’ He was full of original ideas, artistic works and new possibilities. He was unconventional and impractical at times, but that always led to even more interesting projects. He was more than willing to share the spotlight and pushed everyone around him to ‘be your best self,’ ‘try things without fear of judgment,’ and ‘go for it, or you’ll always wonder!’

“I’m sad that he has left us, but I bet there are a couple of one-way streets called ‘Music Row’ just inside ‘Heaven’s Gates!’ And, I bet Gerry Wood is right there with all of the songwriters, music publishers and record label execs on ’16th (and 17th) Avenue!’”

Ed Morris, who was Billboard’s country music editor from 1990-95, tells Billboard, “Gerry hired me in 1981 as he was leaving Nashville for New York to take the chief editor job. Having heard I was an atheist, he found it enormously amusing to name me gospel editor, thereby making me hostage to the Righteous for the next two years. Gerry lived to be entertained—by both by personalities and circumstances—and I never once saw him less than buoyant.”

Wood also had a good sense of humor about himself. At one Billboard staff conference, a staff member, Jean Williams, wasn’t able to be present, but sent in taped remarks. At one point she said, “Gerry Wood had a good idea. I think it was about a year ago.”

William paused just a little too long between those two sentences, creating the impression that good ideas from Wood were a rarity. Everyone in the room laughed at the unintended slight. No one laughed harder than Gerry.