Newman hired as Billboard’s West Coast editor

Billboard announced Friday that Melinda Newman has been hired as its West Coast editor, bringing more than 25 years of experience covering the music industry.

She had been a contributor to Forbes.com most recently, writing about the music industry.

Newman will be based out of the Los Angeles office. She has been a freelance writer for the past decade, contributing stories to Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Christian Science Monitor, forbes.com, Parade, Entrepreneur and many other outlets.

She was previously Billboard’s West Coast bureau chief from 1998 to 2006.

In her new role, she will work closely with Billboard news director, Hannah Karp, in developing and breaking news and trend stories, as well as serve as Billboard’s West Coast liaison with the music community.

“I am thrilled to return to Billboard full time,” said Newman in a statement. “Whether as a staffer or a freelancer, I have spent the vast majority of my career working with Billboard and now feels like the perfect time to come back home as both the music industry and Billboard are undergoing a resurgence.”