Leila Cobo, executive editor for Latin content and programming for Billboard magazine, and Jay Frank, owner and CEO of new music company DigSin, will visit MTSU next week for free public discussions in the university’s Department of Recording Industry.

Leila Cobo

Cobo will discuss “Latin Music Crossover and Women in Music Journalism” with department chair Beverly Keel at 6 p.m. Monday, March 24, in MTSU’s State Farm Lecture Hall, Room S102 in the university’s Business and Aerospace Building.

On Tuesday, March 25, Frank will discuss “Hit Songs for the Digital Era” in a special 6 p.m. session in Room 103 of the Bragg Communication Building.

You can find a searchable campus map with parking details at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.

Cobo is considered one of the country’s leading experts in Latin music, and under her tenure, Billboard has expanded its coverage of Latin music to unprecedented levels, both on its print and digital platforms.

Jay Frank

She programs the yearly Billboard Latin Music Conference, the largest gathering of the Latin music industry in the United States, and is the author of a best-selling biography of the late singer Jenni Rivera and an upcoming book on the Latin music industry, as well as two novels.

Frank’s company, DigSin, allows subscribing fans to obtain music for free. It also signs new artists to deals that leverage new platforms, social networks and analytics that expose music to a wider audience and build popularity outside traditional methods.

Frank is also the author of two books: “Futurehit.DNA,” which explores how digital technology has changed the way people discover music, and “Hack Your Hit,” a how-to musicians’ marketing guide.

Cobo’s visit is part of the College of Mass Communication’s popular Brian Williams SunTrust Lecture Series. The annual lecture series draws professionals from all venues of and connections to the communications industry and is named for the late charter member of the College’s Board of Visitors, who was known as Music Row’s respected “banker to the stars.”

For more information on these special events or on MTSU’s recording industry program, visit http://recordingindustry.mtsu.edu or contact Keel at beverly.keel@mtsu.edu.