Amazing Radio USA welcomes new presenters

Amazing Radio USA welcomes new presenters comprised of fifteen trusted tastemakers from across the country. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Amazing Radio has given artists their first break since 2007. Founded by Paul Campbell, the British new music radio station was the first to spin Alt-J, Haim, The 1975, Dua Lipa, and many more. With a continued commitment to new and emerging artists, it is free for musicians to sign up and upload a song for airplay consideration. Fans can also sign up for an account for free and can like their favorite artists, create their own playlists, and pledge money to musicians, with 100% of proceeds going straight to the artist. In May 2020, the company launched their North American counterpart Amazing USA, along with the acquisition of beloved radio festival CMJ. (Amazing Radio, 2021)

Since day one, their mission has been to turn listeners on to great music and to support the musicians who are making it and with new slogan “Reject The Algorithm,” the online radio station is making their commitment to independent artists clear. Amazing Radio is proudly curated by trusted tastemakers, aka presenters, who have the power in what they play. Think: your favorite DJ, but one who can play whatever they feel like. Free of the traditional radio format and the confinement of outside forces regulating spins, presenters play what they are listening to and the bands that they personally want to champion—the stopgap between revenue-based radio and anonymous Spotify curators.

In just over a year, Amazing USA has welcomed diverse presenters from across the country, who have each paved their way in the music industry. The current group of 15 bring unique music from all genres, inspired by their influences and underground finds, as well as local selections from their respective communities: Austin, Chicago, Harlem, Queens, Indianapolis, London, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Taos, New Mexico. View the current show lineup here and learn more about each presenter below. Listeners can sign up for an account and artists can upload their music directly at Amazing Radio USA

Dominick Martinez – Austin, TX: Dominick Martinez spent years as a touring musician, working in music venues and festivals, as well as documenting live music through photography, all while maintaining a passion for discovering new sounds near and far from home. Since joining Amazing Radio USA in the spring of 2021, Dominick has found a new way to discover and share emerging artists from across the globe. 

Marc Fort – Austin, TX: Marc Fort is the presenter for Amazing Radio show The Ear Candy Mixtape where he DJs delicious sounding music from all over the world in addition to “Texas Music and Music that Texans love.” Fort is the marketing and communications specialist at the Texas Music Office, within the Office of the Governor. Fort has more than 30 years of music experience performing and recording on electric bass guitar, violin, drums, and singing. Fort has performed in multiple bands which have toured with and opened for various musical acts across North America and around the world. 

Derrick “Lottery” Hardy – Chicago, IL: Derrick “Lottery” Hardy is the respected founder of the 3 Feet No Pressure agency and co-president of ArtClub International, working closely with some of today’s top artists and athletes, including gold-selling artist tobi lou. A powerful presence in music and sports, Derrick Hardy is a team player destined to win.

Linton Smith – Harlem, NY: Linton Smith II is a producer/artist from New Orleans who currently resides in Harlem, NY. He has been in the music industry for over 15 years and it is his greatest passion. You can find more information and music from Linton Smith II online.

Kevin Cornell – Queens, NY: Kevin Cornell is an Amazing Radio presenter based in Ridgewood, Queens. He got bit by the indie bug early: starting garage bands that would go nowhere, and obsessing over local Boston-area punk and indie groups in the age of burned CDs and MySpace. He has professional experience in PR, marketing and digital distribution. In his free time, Kevin also co-runs the small but scrappy Living Waters Records.

Tobi Lynn– Indianapolis, IN: Tobi Lynn started her career hosting a talk show called Tobi Talks in DeKalb, IL. This was followed by a five year stint in Los Angeles at various SoCal stations like Y107 and Soundbreak.com. She then went to DC to build the first coast-to-coast college indie channel (from scratch) called XMU. After the satellite radio merger, Tobi moved back to Los Angeles, and curated new music for ALT 98.7fm at iHeart Radio for a decade. She currently curates and hosts a new music show for Amazing Radio US. 

Charlie Ashcroft – London, ENG: Charlie is based in London, England and has been on air in the UK at Amazing Radio since joining the station in 2009. Away from his radio work with Amazing, he oversees BT TV’s SVOD content, curates playlists, runs an indie club night called ‘Somebody Told Me’ and writes a monthly column for Record Collector Magazine. 

Tyke T – Memphis, TN: Tyke T combined honest lyrics, bold production, and insight from his graduate education to climb the charts without the help of a major-label. The indie artist—who graduated with an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University—studied the charts and organized his fanbase, storming the Top 50 of four Billboard charts with his sophomore EP The Prelude. 

Mimi & Muziqueen – Nashville, TN: Jamilia McCarley and Thalia Ewing, better and more affectionately known as Mimi & Muziqueen, are two names buzzing around the Nashville music industry and are synonymous with the words passion, ambition, and progress. Mimi & Muziqueen are, respectively, partner and Founder of the organization Nashville Is Not Just Country Music, which aims to cultivate Nashville’s diverse music scene. They have become a deep-rooted resource of knowledge, support and encouragement to the Urban/Hip-Hop/R&B music community in Nashville that has long been overlooked, until now. 

Justin Hammel – Nashville, TN: Working in radio since 2003, Justin Hammel has wandered through the music business running Radio Bonnaroo for over 10 years, supporting local Nashville music and running a radio station called Acme Radio Live. 

Erin Frankenheimer – New Orleans, LA: Erin Frankenheimer is a graduate of Tulane University with dual degrees in English and Communications. She worked for Entercom New Orleans after graduating and co-created and launched a late night show, “The Conduit,” focusing on new music discovery. In 2017, Frankenheimer joined the Artist and Partner Relations team at TuneCore, running their New Orleans office. She is now the Vice President of Amazing Radio North America.

Marty Minor – New Orleans, LA: Louisiana native Marty Minor has a reputation: a fashionista, botanist, spiritual advisor, gris gris enthusiast, recording artist, and all-around flaneur. He compliments 100% of the planetary denizens he meets and has been known to give the tattoos off his back. Flash photography is encouraged.

Katie Pearlman – Taos, NM: A fourth generation Los Angelian, Katie Pearlman is a singer-songwriter who prefers wanderlust to the confines of the angel city. Making a habit of traveling alone, Katie’s attachment to the places that spark magic in her are the loves of her life. Carving out an authentic life for herself, she finds home within, exploring her femininity, defiance, sexuality, and intuition through the meditative sound of her seven-track EP. 

Joe Sumner – Los Angeles, CA: Joe Sumner brings his eclectic passions into focus through music. As lead singer of Fiction Plane, he rocked audiences from Tokyo to Paris and as part of A Bowie Celebration, he has spent the last few years channeling the spirit of the Thin White Duke. Currently in the process of releasing his first solo album Sunshine in the Night, Joe has found huge inspiration from the treasure trove of as-yet-undiscovered talent in the Amazing Radio vaults. 

José Galván – Los Angeles, CA: José Galván started DJing in 2008, when his job as an on-air personality at the now defunct Indie 103.1fm demanded it. José has held down lengthy residencies at downtown LA bars like Caña Rum Bar, Las Perlas & R-bar; he has made the rounds on the Westside with the likes of Bar Lubitsch, The Pikey, Circle Bar, Parlour Room, and The Standard WeHo. In 2017, he was booked to DJ at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival’s Sonora Stage. In 2018, he was named Host and On-Air DJ of his own weekly two-hour radio program at acclaimed LA radio station KCRW. His focus is promoting new music in all genres in both English and Spanish. 

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

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