Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week, on the New Music Business Podcast, Ari sits down with Louis Marks and Fabian Brown of Ropeadope Records, a label that’s been around in the jazz world for 25 years and has worked with Snarky Puppy, Christian Scott, Greg Spero, Terrace Martin, Questlove, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Taj Majal, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Sister Gertrude Morgan, and so many more. In this episode, Louis and Fabian talk about how most of their artists cannot make a living just from streaming revenue. They share the ways they’ve been evolving, as a label, to elevate and lift their artists in the ever changing landscape of the new music industry. This conversation discusses the ins and outs of streaming, social media, physical sales, downloads, bandcamp, touring, patronage, community, and so much more. 

00:00 - Introduction

04:55 - The Mission of Ropeadope Records

18:43 - Rethinking the Value of Music

24:22 - Preserving Contemporary Music

31:32 - Re-Educating Fans and Focusing on the Connection

44:44 - The Limitations of Streaming Platforms

53:29 - Exploring Alternative Models for Artist Support 

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Ropeadope Records:

Website: https://ropeadope.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ropeadope/

Bandcamp: https://ropeadope.bandcamp.com/

X: https://x.com/ropeadope

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ropeadope99

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week, Ari sits down with Jaylon Ashaun, a talented R&B artist currently based in LA via Atlanta and Houston. Jaylon found success by regularly releasing music and building a direct artist-to-fans community online. His song “Strawberries and Wine” took the digital music world by storm, with over 25 million streams of its various versions. Last year, Jaylon toured the US with major R&B acts Xavier Omar and Hojean. Ari and Jaylon discuss the importance of connecting with fans directly, how to capitalize on and move past viral moments to build a sustainable career, and how Jaylon has built his superfan community, Global Nomads, online.

Chapters:

00:00 Taking Risks and Putting Out Music

14:24 The Power of Regularly Releasing Music

19:37 Developing a Super Fan Community

27:52 Perseverance, Collaboration, and Artistic Identity

28:22 Building a Community and World Around Your Music

31:16 Engaging with Fans and Nurturing Your Community

33:06 The Power of Physical Merchandise

40:18 The Evolving Music Industry and the Importance of Adaptability

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

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Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

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Connect with Jaylon Ashaun:

Website: https://www.jaylonashaun.me/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylonashaun

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaylonashaun

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dhseP7KiICmkxT5waM1Md

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids-Ergas

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week, Ari is joined by David Rishty, the President of Palm Tree Records. They discuss Palm Tree’s partnership with Sony, the value of radio and satellite platforms like SiriusXM, and the many ways labels can help with artist development. Palm Tree Records is a joint venture with Sony Music, co-founded by Kygo and his manager, Miles. It operates as an indie label with major label resources, providing a small, tight-knit team and the support of a major label when needed.

David Rishty's journey in the music industry began as a writer, penning features for a variety of publications including Billboard. During his tenure there, he launched the Billboard Dance 100 artist ranking and partnered with top brands including SiriusXM and Apple Music. His passion for building a brand crossed over to artist development early on in his rise with the founding of Exchange Management. In the seven years since its inception, Rishty’s artist roster has collectively earned more than 600 million streams and performed at over 400 shows. He has since brought this management mindset to Palm Tree Records, providing a holistic approach to artist development and creating a boutique label experience. Palm Tree’s roster remains select at less than a dozen artists, yet has amassed over 750 million total streams to date.

Chapters

00:00 The Evolution of Dance Music and DJ Culture

05:14 The Role of Major Label Resources in Artist Development

09:04 The Importance of Radio Promotion and Other Revenue Verticals

11:24 Building a Brand and Fan Base with Palm Tree Records

24:00 Releasing Music and Establishing a Presence During the Pandemic

28:49 The Impact of SiriusXM and the Different Radio Landscape

35:18 The Power of Short-Form Video Content

47:21 The Importance of Trust in Label-Artist Relationships

55:28 Defining Success in the Music Industry

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with David Rishty:

Website: https://www.palmtreerecords.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rishty/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daverishty/

X: https://twitter.com/DaveRishty

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In honor of Black History Month, we’re re-airing one of our favorite NMB episodes with Brian Vickers. He is a music supervisor at Disney. He works in the in-house trailer department where he developed a number of trailers including The Avengers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi & The Rise of Skywalker, Black Panther, Soul, Hamilton, Frozen II, Black is King, and many, many more.

Ari and Brian dig into all things sync licensing. They spend a significant amount of time on how to become a music supervisor. And they touch on how independent artists can get their music synced in trailers.

3:11 - Working as a music supervisor for Disney since COVID-19 hit and quarantine started

12:38 - "Custom spots" and what the conversations look like between music supervisors and musicians

17:41 - How to find reputable trailer music production companies

20:13 - Do these trailer houses have in-house composers or producers that they work with? 

23:10 - Clearing tracks / staying away from samples and making supervisors' jobs easier

25:35 - Placing a song because it is perfect and then it doesn't work out when it 'goes up the chain'

28:39 - Breaking down the song placement process

33:59 - Brian's musical background

42:28 - Music supervisor and sync licensing community

45:40 - How to reach out to music supervisors

50:30 - How to become a music supervisor

58:00 - What it means to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Brian Vickers:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvickers318/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadTheCoolcat

IMDb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvickers318/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hilary Gleason is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Backline, a non-profit that provides free mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals and their families. In this episode, Hilary breaks down Backline’s positive impact within the industry, and the various programs they offer such as weekly support groups over Zoom as well as therapy through their Case Management Program. Learn more about Backline: http://backline.care

3:55 What is Backline?

6:25 Programs offered by Backline

7:11 Music industry culture

13:23 Other mental health initiatives and programs in the industry

15:04 Touring resources

15:36 Practical advice for artists

20:46 Social media comparison

24:33 Black Mental Health Alliance, Asian and LGBTQ+ communities

32:04 Therapy within Backline’s Case Management Program

36:54 How Backline is funded

39:09 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

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YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Hilary Gleason (Backline):

Website: http://www.backline.care/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/backline.care

Twitter: https://twitter.com/backline_care

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backline.care

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Griffin Haddrill is the co-founder and CEO of the leading viral marketing agency, VRTCL. Alongside business partner Sean Young, VRTCL was founded in 2019 providing marketing services for some of today’s most popular artists and record labels such as Universal Music, Warner Records, Sony Music, showing them how to best utilize TikTok and execute campaigns to optimize records performance and brand activity among its global user base.

Prior to VRTCL, Haddrill was a talent manager, signing songwriters and producers who worked with the likes of Karol G, Kevinho, Travis Porter, Riff Raff, among others. Haddrill also represented world-class DJs such as ATLiens and Tisoki who perform at major global music festivals, including Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Bonnaroo.

In this episode, Griffin breaks down how Glass Animals, Adele, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, and The Weeknd leveraged TikTok to crack the Billboard 100 with their new songs.

He also discusses the importance of indie musicians embracing TikTok, VRTCL’s approach to getting TikTok trends to catch, and how to get your music to go viral on the platform.

02:43 VRTCL's charting songs on Billboard

06:27 Influencers and viral marketing

09:23 Where VRTCL comes in

10:27 Working with Glass Animals

12:28 Business relationship with influencers

16:37 Influencers within VRTCL's network and rates 

20:09 Micro vs. macro influencers

21:51 User generated content (UGC)

23:18 TikTok's hook

25:49 Choreographic trends

29:10 Working with Labels vs. Management vs. Artists

31:00 How to inspire artists to embrace TikTok

35:11 How to get your music to go viral

38:23 Audio recognition, unauthorized "original sound" remixes and DSPs

44:32 Tech vs. music's intellectual property

46:41 Marketing investment and bridging success

48:59 Booking agents and touring artists

52:36 Geo-targeting vs. Ads

53:26 Tips for artist getting started on TikTok

55:45 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Griffin Haddrill:

Website: http://vrtcl.video/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-haddrill-a2a3a6101

Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-music-marketers-explain-pay-rates-for-influencer-campaigns-2020-12

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Vibes is a multi-platinum songwriter, producer, vocalist, and vibraphonist. Over recent years, the Baltimore born and Trinidadian musician found success in Los Angeles writing songs for Eminem, Chris Brown, Tyga, and Kodak Black. With the alternative pop duo, Capital Cities, he has performed at festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza, as well as different world tours under his belt.

In this episode, Vibes discusses how he went viral on TikTok, the uniqueness of incorporating the vibraphone into mainstream music, his career as both a solo artist and collaborator, and much more. Welcome to season 3!

05:25 Justin’s Story

08:04 Taking Song Requests

13:18 Going Viral on TikTok (Nickelodeon and ESPN)

19:52 The Result of Going Viral

26:45 Brand Deals and Partnerships

30:09 How Much Justin Makes

35:05 Writing Jingles

36:43 Brand Deals and Partnerships (Continued)

40:53 If a Brand Video Flops

44:57 Ari’s Acting Career

46:42 Advice for Musicians on TikTok

1:00:46 Justin’s Career As a Songwriter and Producer

1:10:00 Ghost Writing and Publishing Deals

1:15:32 What’s Next for Justin

1:18:58 Final Question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Justin Vibes:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjustinvibe

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamjustinvibes

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7G9Ui8xI41mpqgDajLAdA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamjustinvibes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marty is Head of Sync at Primary Wave, overseeing licensing activity for Primary Wave’s music publishing and management clients. With staff in Los Angeles and New York, the dynamic Primary Wave Sync team is a key part of Primary Wave’s proactive marketing approach, constantly creating new opportunities and driving big ideas for music in film/TV, advertising, video games, and other visual media.

In 17 years in music publishing, Marty has worked with and secured placements in film, TV and advertising campaigns for artists such as Kurt Cobain, Smokey Robinson, Def Leppard, Hall & Oates, Aerosmith, Collective Soul, Bruce Hornsby, Kenny Loggins, L.P. and Foy Vance.He was recognized as one of Billboard Magazine’s Top Branding Power Players in both 2018 and 2019.

Ari and Marty discuss how cover songs work in sync licensing along with how legacy acts get their music licensed. They also touch on what kinds of music brands are looking for at the moment. The two are joined by Ari’s Take Academy students for a Q&A at the end.

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

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Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Primary Wave

Website: https://primarywave.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ifiok Effanga, professionally known as Fiokee, dubbed as Africa’s No1 sensational Guitarist is a Nigerian talent who hails from Akwa Ibom. He is known for his treble guitar solos infused with highlife steeped guitar lines. Fiokee is associated with acts such as Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Patoranking, Reekado Banks, Adekunle Gold, Flavour, Simi, and Kiss Daniel, among others.

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Fiokee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiokee/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-produced British composer and recording artist for over 20 years, Imogen Heap has released five solo albums, another as one half of Frou Frou and collaborated with countless and varied artists including Taylor Swift, Nitin Sawhney, Deadmau5, Eric Whitacre, Jeff Beck and Jon Hopkins. Her compositions and songs pop up in blockbuster and indie films as well as countless TV shows, are featured in underground rap and dance music and covered by the likes of Ariana Grande. As composer and arranger for one of the biggest hits in theatrical history, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Imogen won the Drama Desk Outstanding Music in a Play award. As a sought-after speaker and performer, Heap hosted 2020’s Grammys Premiere Ceremony. Heap’s collaborative and multi-dimensional workflow attracts companies for commissioned works, leading to songs such as Tiny Human, the first song to distribute payments via a Smart Contract, and The Happy Song, a highly successful song for children in their early-years. Heap, recognized as an artist's artist, has won two Grammys and an Ivor Novello award. In recognition of her pioneering work at the intersection of music and tech, Heap has a hat trick of three honorary doctorates for the gestural music-ware 'MI.MU gloves' system and recently for ’The Creative Passport’, an integrated digital ID solution, empowering music makers to be the change toward a fair and flourishing music ecosystem.

In this episode, Ari and Imogen discuss NFTs, metadata and payment transparency and how to properly credit (and pay) creators using the blockchain. Overall, how to make the future of music more equitable for musicians.

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Imogen Heap

Website: http://www.imogenheap.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This interview with Andy Grammer was recorded live during Ari's book signing event at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on January 16, 2020. Andy dropped gem after gem after gem for artists, songwriters, and managers on how to approach songwriting, a music career, and just life in general.

Multi-platinum selling pop artist Andy Grammer is all about inspiring and empowering the world by communicating his truths through his music. Grammer is the first male pop star in a decade since John Mayer to reach the Top 10 at adult pop radio on his first two singles. His discography includes a succession of anthemic pop hits, including "Keep Your Head Up," "Fine By Me," "Honey, I'm Good.," "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)," and "Fresh Eyes." His most recent album Naive is home to his latest single, "Don't Give Up On Me," which quickly reached the Top 10 on iTunes and is already certified gold.

4:34 - Andy's journey from before his first album came out

7:27 - How long Andy was performing on the Promenade

11:17 - The importance of giving; it's about the audience

12:10 - What kept Andy going through the soul-crushing gigs 

14:57 - Was there a shift in perception that enabled Andy to leap to the next stage in his career

19:12 - How Andy transitioned from playing the Promenade to doing radio tours

20:52 - Manager as a partner

24:00 - How to know when you've reached your threshold

26:57 - Andy's routine that enables him to crush fear regularly; has the fear ever gotten to be so much that he can't handle it?

30:27 - Does Andy's fear ever prevent him from writing new tracks, especially since he's already written so many hits

32:07 - How Andy knows if he's written a good song after a session

35:05 - Andy's co-writing process

41:29 - When he first went into a top-level writing session; what was that like?

42:42 - How he remains humble with all of his success

47:45 - What is branding?

53:47 - Andy's way of processing songs that he's written

55:33 - How Andy makes it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Andy Grammer:

Website: https://andygrammer.com/

Facebook:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a re-run episode from last year with music supervisor Jen Malone. She has placed music and worked on Euphoria, Atlanta, Creed 2, The Resident, Boomerang, Baskets, Shelter, Lady Dynamite, and Step Up. That's just scratching the surface. She has worked in sync licensing now for over a decade and is so well established respected.

We dug in deep on sync licensing. We talk about what a music supervisor does. She also gave advice and tips on how independent artists can get their music synced and things to look out for in the contracts, quote requests, and things you should strike from the deals. We also discussed how to setup your music to pitch to supervisors effectively and have the best chance of having your music synced.

11:43 - What is a music coordinator?

13:06 - How pitching music has changed over the years

17:03 - How do you like to be contacted when?

19:03 - Are there any tools that you use for audio clearance and recognition?

23:19 - How do you find new music?

24:43 - What's your process like when coming into a new project?

25:45 - Who created the sonic vibe of Euphoria?

26:40 - What is the process on working with the director?

30:20 - When did you come into Creed 2?

34:05 - Can you work on multiple shows at once?

35:25 - How much does your personal taste influence your selections for the projects you're working on?

37:55 - How do you pick music for scenes that are difficult? How do you create such a juxtaposition?

42:30 - Are there any standout independent musicians that you've seen get a "break" from one of their placements?

45:55 - What are the music discovery trends you've seen over the past years?

49:20 - Do you curate any playlists?

50:25 - How do you stay organized when you're working on so many projects at once?

52:00 - What are the differences working with the different platforms? Is there a standard placement rate?

53:55 - The Discovery channel devaluing music and screwing over musicians

59:35 - Jen Malone sides with musicians and helps them negotiate licenses

1:02:55 - How much negotiation is allowed with the contracts you're working with? What advice would you give to someone who wants to have their music synced?

1:09:55 - How do you define making it in the new music business?

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

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Connect with Ari Herstand:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ritt Momney (real name Jack Rutter) is a 21-year-old musician who went viral on TikTok at the end of 2020 for his song "Put The Records On." This virality propelled him into a favorable deal with Disruptor Records under Columbia Records.

Jack talks about how he distributed "Put The Records On" via TuneCore and why he signed it over to Disruptor Records. We also discuss perspective, numbers, approaching social media.

3:55 - Living in Los Angeles and how Ritt Momney met his manager

8:00 - Prior to getting a manager, was there traction with Ritt Momney?

9:45 - Perspective when achieving your goals

12:50 - Not having human connection after releasing "Put The Records On" and getting the reactions on social media

19:05 - How "Put The Records On" went viral on TikTok

22:17 - When Disruptor Records approached Ritt Momney and why he signed with them

36:10 - What the next phase of Ritt Momney looks like

44:17 - Tour and festival plans for Ritt Momney

49:58 - What it means to Ritt Momney to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Ritt Momney:

Website: https://www.rittmom.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7OtTy4s4swX4891VbF3Hg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rittmomney/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rittmomney

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Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week, Ari is joined by Laura Jones, a producer manager and founder of Little Underground Management. They discuss negotiating contracts, signing up and coming producers, and navigating royalty splits. Little Underground Management represents producers and helps connect them with artists, with her role being 50% creative and 50% business administration. On the creative side, she acts as a musical matchmaker, connecting producers with artists, songwriters, and engineers. On the business side, she negotiates fees, contracts, and schedules, and oversees the entire recording process. In this conversation, Ari and Laura discuss the complexities of songwriting and publishing splits in the music industry. They explore how songwriting credits are determined, the challenges of splitting royalties, and the politics involved in negotiating publishing deals. Laura shares insights into how deals are structured, the importance of contracts, and the challenges of getting paid in a timely manner. 

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Contracts for Producers

02:23 Understanding Master Royalties and Publishing

09:39 The Role of Producer Managers in Connecting Producers with Artists

23:33 How Producer Deals Work: Fees and Royalties

34:01 Navigating Different Genres and Deal Structures

36:28 The Complexities of Publishing Rights

49:40 Challenges of Getting Paid in the Music Industry

53:49 The Importance of Contracts for Producers and Songwriters

01:02:19 Finding a Manager as a Producer

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

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Connect with Laura Jones:

Website: https://www.littleundergroundmanagement.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little_underground_mgmt/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-jones-876240a

X: https://twitter.com/LittleUmgmt

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

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Today my guest is David Potter of the band Stand Atlantic out of Sydney, Australia. This is the first guest on the show from the pop punk music scene. The band typically does 200 shows a year, and we talk about what it's been like going from 200 shows to 0 shows.

We dig into how they got started, found their manager, and booking agents. We discuss tour buy-ons and what he thinks of the whole pay-to-play system.

3:22 - How Australia's been during the pandemic

9:38 - Touring and the pop punk scene in Australia

13:59 - Music being cyclical and Stand Atlantic becoming accepted in the Australian music scene

17:30 - How most of Stand Atlantic's fans discovered them

21:06 - Using social media to build a following and splitting up band members' responsibilities

25:30 - Reckoning with streaming numbers

30:28 - David switching from the bassist to guitarist

38:04 - Stand Atlantic's sponsorship with Fender

39:44 - Don't fall for scams or pay-to-play situations

47:02 - Experimenting with livestream shows

51:48 - The process in creating "deathwish"

57:09 - How David defines success

1:00:49 - What it means to David to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Stand Atlantic:

Website: https://www.standatlantic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standatlantic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StandAtlantic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StandAtlantic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1W2Fv4YUnjC8hx2qQd6fGh?si=WNqYxGhQT1i4kbAPRsj4mw&dl_branch=1

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Most know this week's guest, Cory Wong, as the guitar player for Vulfpeck, but he's also played in Jon Batiste's band for Stephen Colbert's late night show as well as Blake Shelton and others. He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

I encourage you to spend time with this episode, especially if you're a session player, band leader, or studio cat. We talk about payment models, ethics, and etiquette when you're in the studio. He also shares some interesting stories about playing with Vulfpeck.

7:35 - What it's been like for Cory not being able to tour or play live

21:37 - Real world value vs. vanity metrics

28:07 - Cory and the Wongnotes

56:10 - What is the etiquette when working with other musicians in the studio or on set?

1:03:52 - How Cory dictates what sessions he takes

1:09:00 - Pay structure for Cory's hired musicians and Vulfpeck

1:25:00 - What it means to Cory to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Cory Wong: 

Website: https://www.corywongmusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryjwong/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/corywong

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corywongmusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqC08JWnJGJIgw43XJ0GXw

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Daniel McCarthy is the CEO of FM, which includes the music platform Musicbed. It's one of the more popular sync hybrid platforms. It includes the typical sync agency but also acts as a music library. Musicbed works with indie filmmakers, wedding video filmmakers, and photographers. Their clients go all the way up to brands that place commercials in the Super Bowl and everyone in between.

We talk about how all of the smaller placements work and how artists get paid. We discuss how big sync licensing placements work and how artists are making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of their artists have made millions of dollars.

5:54 - How Musicbed got started and Daniel's story

13:12 - Musicbed's business model and definition of one stop

23:25 - What is micro licensing and content ID?

31:23 - How Musicbed subscriptions and the various levels of clearance work

35:45 - Getting screwed on a licensing deal and how to prevent it

43:21 - Fees for TV, film, and ad campaigns

49:09 - What Musicbed's artists are making annually

53:17 - Musicbed user interface

59:21 - How does an artist work with Musicbed?

1:01:36 - What it means to Daniel McCarthy to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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My guests today are Noble, a production duo originally from South Africa now residing in Los Angeles. They recently signed a publishing deal with Campfire Songs. 

They talk about their story and are most known for their cut of Beyoncé's Lion King soundtrack. They have tons of other cuts with artists from all over the world, but they're just getting started. We nerd out a little bit on gear, analog and digital plugins, and they give some really good advice on how to get a publishing deal.

3:35 - How Noble met

7:30 - Noble's production process and how they work a session

15:09 - MIDI vs. acoustic instruments vs. plugins

23:18 - How Noble went from kids hustling to working with Beyoncé

31:18 - Attending a writing camp for Lion King and why it was such a humbling experience 

35:00 - How Noble met their manager Seth Kallen

38:51 - How Noble's publishing deal is structured 

45:00 - The difference between record deals and publishing deals

49:00 - Advice to upcoming songwriters and producers looking to get a publishing deal

55:26 - Next steps for Noble

58:45 - Why Los Angeles

1:04:00 - What it means to Noble to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Connect with Noble: 

Website: https://www.noblemakesongs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noblemakesongs/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/noblemakesongs

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My guest is Alexandre Williams, the co-founder and COO of Create Music Group. They're a distribution, publisher, YouTube royalty collection, rights management, influencer, and TikTok (through Flighthouse) marketing company. Inc Magazine named them the second fastest growing company in America in 2020.

Create Music Group has over 25,000 artists and 5,000 label clients. They distributed Tekashi 6ix9ine's track "Trollz" with Nicki Minaj, and it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's the first time that a completely independent, distributed single has ever reached the No. 1 slot in the Billboard Hot 100.

We discuss playlist pitching, release strategy, and how Create Music Group approaches working with their artists. 

6:20 - What is the core mission of Create Music Group?

10:53 - Create Music Group's business model

12:27 - How CMG allocates their resources for their 25,000 artists

18:15 - Advances and CMG's proprietary algorithm to determine them

19:59 - Devoting time and resources into the 'middle class musicians'

24:52 - How CMG decides which artists to work with

28:18 - Building strategies for and with artists

31:55 - The secret to pitching to official Spotify playlists

38:18 - How much goes into the release plan before and after a track comes out

41:07 - How important is release day?

45:35 - How relevant is press today? Is it worth it?

48:36 - Breakdown of a marketing budget

54:16 - Advice to artists who don't get the response they're hoping for after their release

59:16 - What it means to Alexandre to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Michael Walker is a keyboardist for the band Paradise Fears, who made headlines years ago for a thing they called "tour hacking." What they did was sold 24,000 CDs at around $10 in just a few months to fans standing in line for concerts. Not their concerts. This is the DIY method of DIY'ers.

Obviously this tactic doesn't really work anymore, so we talk about the evolution and what that turned into, what his ideas are now, and how you can turn those tour hacking ideas into something that works today. We went deep into marketing concepts, tactics, and human psychology.

4:15 - Selling CDs to people in line at other bands' shows and making more than $100k

13:12 - Going on tour with All Time Low

18:12 - Selling merchandise and building fans through social media

33:24 - Making money and just to make money + the super fan concept

39:10 - What has Michael learned by working with this grassroots band over the past few years? 

47:55 - Facebook Messenger and paid traffic and goals

56:40 - Building effective funnels

1:07:45 - What it means to Michael Walker to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Michael Walker:

Website: https://www.modern-musician.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themodernmusician/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjwalker0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelmodernmusician/

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Today's guest is Austin Georgas. He is the senior account manager at Flighthouse Media. They are a full on influencer and media agency that help break songs on TikTok. They've worked on previous campaigns like Doja Cat's "Say So," Internet Money's "Lemonade," Surfaces' "Sunday Best," and Arizona Zervas' "Roxanne." They are one of the best at what they do.

Austin breaks down exactly how going viral on TikTok works and what the process is behind it and how micro and macro influencer campaigns are run at this moment. The influencer campaigns change all of the time, so he talks about how they change. If you're new to influencer marketing and TikTok, you're going to get a ton of valuable information out of this conversation. 

6:00 - Background on Flighthouse and Austin Georgas

9:52 - The "Roxanne" campaign on TikTok

12:24 - Who is considered a "micro influencer"? 

14:27 - TikTok's algorithm works much differently than Instagram's

18:45 - What it's like engaging micro influencers for a campaign

20:55 - Macro influencers and running campaigns with them

25:44 - What does viral and "number of videos" mean on TikTok?

29:29 - Using sounds on TikTok

39:36 - Does Flighthouse give creative guidance to influencers they're working with?

42:03 - How Flighthouse decides on influencers' compensation

48:10 - Working with labels' artists

51:19 - How many influencers does Flighthouse have in their roster?

52:17 - Why doesn't money go as far anymore on TikTok?

54:11 - How does an independent artist find micro influencers on TikTok?

1:00:42 - What it means to Austin to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Joe Conyers III is the EVP and Global Head of NFTs at Crypto.com. He's also the co-founder of Songtrust, the largest admin music publisher. Songtrust is owned by Downtown Music Holdings, and when Joe was the chief strategy officer at Downtown they purchased CD Baby. 

He was named a digital power-player four years in a row by Billboard magazine. The real headline of this episode is that Crypto.com hosts their NFTs on a much more environmentally friendly blockchain. It is not on the Ethereum blockchain, which has a massive impact on the environment.

4:48 - Joe Conyers III being the co-founder of Songtrust and explaining what an NFT is

9:35 - How NFTs relate to music right now

10:50 - The most popular NFTs, why people are spending so much money on them, and authenticity

18:46 - Tracking resells of an NFT

21:47 - The difference between a sale and an auction

28:15 - Blockchain technology and how a transaction works

31:25 - What happens if a place you purchase an NFT goes down or gets hacked?

35:03 - Buying and reselling on different platforms

36:50 - How does Crypto.com work?

45:17 - Environmental impact of NFTs and the blockchain

55:09 - What it means to Joe to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Kris Ahrend is the CEO of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). This is the organization that was set up and appointed by Congress by the Copyright Office after the Music Modernization Act was signed into law. They officially went into effect in January of 2021. What the MLC does is collect mechanical royalties from streaming services in the United States. These are just royalties for songwriters. The DSPs pay the MLC and the MLC pays the rights holders. 

Article: https://aristake.com/songwriters-claim-mlc-money/

MLC's website: https://www.themlc.com/

4:35 - What is the MLC and what do they do?

8:00 - Mechanical royalties and PROs, and where does the Harry Fox Agency play into everything?

14:50 - What is the statutory rate? 

17:03 - How to find how much you've earned in mechanical royalties through the MLC

18:50 - Why you don't need the MLC if you have an admin publisher

21:08 - Why BMI, SESAC, ASCAP, or GMR is not enough to collect all of your royalties

24:30 - International mechanical royalties

26:47 - How much money is being lost to ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC's commissions? 

32:30 - The MLC and admin publishers

34:58 - Where does the data in the public search feature come from?

39:20 - The MLC has $430 million in unpaid royalties

46:47 - Additional sources where the MLC gets its data

50:10 - How much it costs to register with the MLC

51:43 - Who calculates the data and royalty amounts? 

54:30 - Historical royalties from the DSPs

57:58 - Different types of publishers the MLC lists in their database

1:03:45 - How to search MLC's database by song title

1:07:11 - How long you have to collect your royalties from the MLC

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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VÉRITÉ is an incredible artist who has had over 350 million streams all independently. She has never signed to a label. She discusses why she stayed independent her entire career. 

We also dig into NFTs. She's, to date, dropped 3 NFTs and made 10s of thousands of dollars on them. She explained what they are, how she got started, what the future of them is, why they're important, and their challenges. If this is your first introduction into NFTs, get ready. We go deep. But she also breaks it down really well. 

She's also the host of the podcast, Anatomy of an Artist, which I was a guest on: https://spoti.fi/3npAAMH

Quick links: 

3:00 - Discussing "voice social" and how it's changed

6:15 - VÉRITÉ's Anatomy of an Artist podcast and her episode with 3LAU

9:58 - The process and approach of "by now"

14:26 - How VÉRITÉ feels before and after releases

17:07 - Setting expectations for releasing music and getting feedback from fans

21:15 - NFTs and fans investing in VÉRITÉ's sound recordings

24:32 - Explaining NFTs as if we were five-year-olds

32:20 - How the blockchain can revolutionize metadata in music

35:15 - VÉRITÉ being an independent artist

38:34 - Was it a conscious decision to remain an independent artist? 

42:30 - HypeMachine and being covered by blogs to propel VÉRITÉ's career

45:30 - VÉRITÉ's five strategies for every release

51:28 - What is next for VÉRITÉ? 

54:22 - Taking into account the environmental impact of NFTs

59:00 - What it means to VÉRITÉ to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Connect with VÉRITÉ:

Website: https://www.veriteofficial.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veritemusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Verite

Instagram:

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Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Serona Elton serves as Head of Educational Partnerships for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Elton directs The MLC’s efforts to engage future members of the music industry currently studying music business and related subjects at colleges and universities across the country and around the world. 

With extensive experience as a music industry professional and educator, Elton is also a professor and Director of the Music Industry Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. In 2023, she was named Music Business Educator of the Year by the Music Business Association. She is also a Yamaha Master Educator.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

07:30 Changes in Mechanical Licensing

21:21 Releasing Co-Written Songs

25:06 Introduction to the MLC

29:33 Calculating Royalties for Streams

40:40 Relationship Between the MLC and PROs

49:32 International Mechanical Royalties

54:21 The Role of Legislation in the Music Industry

01:00:41 Calculating Mechanical Royalties

01:07:38 Defining Success in the Music Business

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with The MLC and Serona Elton:

Website: https://www.themlc.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMLC

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlc_us/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serona

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is the CEO and co-founder of Audiosocket, Jenn Miller. Audiosocket is a sync licensing company. They have an agency side, ASX, and a micro licensing section, which we get all into the nitty gritty and depths of what that actually means. They're the inventors of mass music as a service, which deals with the micro licenses that we talk about. They invented the platform. So if you need a song for a wedding, mom and pop local shop, ad for your YouTube, then you can use Audiosocket for that at very affordable rates. 

We talk about what it's like running a sync agency and the kinds of briefs Jenn is seeing these days, the price ranges, and what Audiosocket is doing specifically. She also gives great advice on how to be successful in sync licensing.  

Quick links: 

3:50 - Background on Audiosocket and what they do

7:07 - What is ASX? What is micro licensing and how does it work? 

9:23 - How do you clear a micro license?

14:06 - How does an artist make money on a company licensing an entire catalog for $500/year subscription?

19:27 - Leaving the retitling era and how exclusive/non-exclusive tracks work

23:33 - How does Audiosocket ensure that artists in their catalog are not devalued? 

25:51 - Does Audiosocket have artists that do micro licensing and in ASX? 

27:27 - About the placements Audiosocket has placed 

29:27 - How do deals with composers work?  

30:20 - Jenn's tips to artists for getting more sync placements

35:14 - Should artists spend time building relationships with music supervisors or work with a sync agent/agency? 

39:18 - How Audiosocket negotiates credits for artists

41:11 - Ari's Take Academy student questions

51:58 - How to get your music into Audiosocket's catalog 

53:39 - What it means to Jenn Miller to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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Connect with Audiosocket: 

Website: https://www.audiosocket.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audiosocket/

Facebook:

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You may know Ricky Montgomery from his Vine days. You may know him from his band The Honey Sticks. Or you may know him because a few of his songs went viral on TikTok in 2020. This led to a massive bidding war amongst 50 major labels. He ended up signing a deal with Warner Records. 

This is a very interesting deal he signed. We get all into the weeds of this, so I encourage you to listen to the very end if you want to hear what major label deals look like for artists these days. He shares some really interesting anecdotes on how the bidding wars went down. 

Quick links: 

2:45 - Ricky Montgomery's Los Angeles space and where he calls home

7:51 - About The Honey Sticks' tour before the pandemic cancelled

11:15 - Ricky Montgomery's success on TikTok and how it happened

17:14 - What inspired Ricky's love for the digital world

22:27 - What it looks like running an indie career for The Honey Sticks

26:27 - How Ricky figured out and navigated the digital world

30:46 - How did Ricky convert his Vine fans over to other platforms when Vine died?

39:00 - Social media platforms have no regard for the creators that make their platforms thrive

41:44 - Why Ricky signed a major record deal and the details of his deal

54:20 - What's the difference between a licensing deal and master ownership? 

57:02 - The stories behind the re-releases of "Line Without a Hook" and "Mr. Loverman"

1:03:28 - What's the next step for Ricky now that he's signed a record deal? 

1:09:50 - How are remote writing sessions working for Ricky? Does he like them? 

1:14:48 - What it means to Ricky Montgomery to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Ricky Montgomery: 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rickymontgomery

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZUvK7zGdXLd78mQr3t1Tw?si=R9jUhEZ2TuuCp9RY087jrA

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My guests today are Livia Tortella and Brian Popowitz of Blackbox, a marketing agency that has worked with artists like JP Saxe, Christina Perri, Jesse McCartney, and many others. Before Livia started this marketing agency, she was the co-president and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Warner Brothers Records. Before that, she was the SVP of Marketing at Atlantic Records. And before Atlantic Records she worked at Island/Def Jam. And before Island/Def Jam, she was at PolyGram. She's been in the major label system for many years, but just under a decade ago she broke out and started Blackbox. 

Blackbox is a marketing agency that has worked with Andra Day, JP Saxe, Best Coast, Christina Perri, Dirty Honey, Jesse McCartney. They even worked on Kid Rock's faux Senate run. With JP Saxe specifically, they worked with him before his record and publishing deal and when he was completely independent. They helped take one of his first songs, "The Few Things," to over 20 million streams. They also helped Andra Day to acquire more than 250,000 social media fans. 

Brian and Livia break down their process, what they do, and how they help an artist tell their story effectively. They also give some really great strategies on how to tell that story. 

Quick links: 

5:08 - What is Blackbox?

10:38 - What is a narrative? Why is it important?

12:15 - Does Blackbox function as a manager for artists? 

15:40 - How Blackbox developed JP Saxe and helped him tell his story

21:22 - What does the onboarding process look like? How does an artist tell their story?

35:36 - How do you get an artist to communicate their story visually?

39:38 - When does paid media advertising come into play in a marketing strategy?

43:38 - Where are we at with paid media? What platforms is Blackbox using for its clients?

46:40 - What is influencer marketing? How is it working in the space today?

48:05 - How's TikTok marketing functioning right now? Is it effective? 

51:15 - Ari's Take Academy student questions

1:05:11 - How Brian and Livia define making it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Blackbox:

Website:

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Today's guest is Jessica Severn. She, for 7 years, worked at Scooter Braun's company, SB Projects, doing creative direction. She spearheaded the campaigns for Justin Bieber's stuff over the past decade. She also worked with Yungblud and Ariana Grande. If you look at Scooter Braun's roster you will see the kinds of campaigns she's worked on.

Don't worry! We didn't talk about how to run a superstar campaign. We talk about artist branding. What does that mean? What is a design aesthetic, the importance of it, and why you should think about branding. How do you put together album, single, and music video campaigns? I think you're going to enjoy this conversation.

--

Quick links: 

3:31 - When and how an artist should think about branding

9:29 - The next steps after an artist fills out Jessica's "brand therapy" form and how to create a mood board

13:20 - Why does someone do a mood board? What's the point? 

17:39 - Why does anybody need to care about the brand aesthetic from a philosophical view? 

20:54 - The importance of visuals and sonic branding remaining similar

23:05 - How Jessica's packages have changed since marketing has become less "glossy"

24:54 - It seems like the more money that is spent on social media campaigns, the worse it's going to do

27:14 - Is it necessary for someone like Jessica to be involved in a project? 

30:32 - Which platforms are catching and doing well for artists and brands? 

33:18 - Does Jessica and her team help with TikTok strategy? 

36:24 - How do you refocus an artist or brand that doesn't think a project is "on brand" for them (TikTok, for example) 

38:22 - What platform is the artist "hub" or "calling card" these days? The website? Instagram? 

45:03 - The "why" is the most important question when working on projects

47:00 - Should you waste money on a high priced photo from a shoot or save them for a high profile press outlet that wants exclusive photos? 

53:11 - Jessica's company Deadhappy and how the creative direction business works

1:00:31 - What does a licensing agreement look like for the work that Jessica's company creates? 

1:04:42 - What it means to Jessica Severn to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Winslow Bright is a music supervisor and music producer at Search Party Music. They primarily put music in commercials. They do really big campaigns like Sephora, Beyond Burger, Calvin Klein (the one that featured Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X), Mini Cooper, and many more. 

We talk about what that job is all about and how they decide what songs are going to get placed. Winslow shares information on what goes on behind the scenes when a song is placed. She also talks about how cover songs get placed. We also talk about how original music gets composed and scored for commercials, who those people are, and where they come from. 

Winslow has an interesting background. She's an actress and musician. She's currently working as both. She's in a Shonda Rhimes show called Inventing Anna. She discusses all of the hats she's wearing as a music professional and what it's like. 

--

Quick links:

4:45 - What Winslow Bright does at Search Party Music

7:27 - When does Search Party Music get involved in a project?

10:33 - What does a budget for original music look like?

19:30 - Is a 50/50 split between master and publishing common these days? 

22:08 - Are most favored nations clauses (MFNs) common? 

24:23 - What's the process for placing cover songs? 

31:29 - Is an existing cover used? 

34:33 - How does Search Party Music approach lesser known artists? What's the process like? 

41:22 - How Winslow Bright got into music supervision

58:44 - How does Winslow balance and bounce between everything she does? 

1:03:52 - What it means to Winslow to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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I'm so excited to have Lindsay Wolfington on the show today! She is a music supervisor and initially broke into the music supervisor world when supervising for One Tree Hill. I feel very closely connected to this show because it was one of my first massive, massive placements. It changed the trajectory of my career once my song got placed. I tell the story of how it all went down and what came from that placement. 

She also works on Virgin River, Fear Street, and Warrior Nun on Netflix. She won awards for the music she placed in To All the Boys I've Loved Before and To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Her music supervision list is long, and she is a superstar in the music supervision world. We had such a great conversation.

At the end of this episode we brought in students from the Ari's Take Academy course Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games to ask their questions. 

Learn more about Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games: https://aristakeacademy.teachable.com/p/advanced-sync-strategies-film-tv-video-games

--

Quick links:

3:45 - Music supervision being recognized in mainstream media and what the Guild of Music Supervisors is

7:30 - What music supervision is according to Lindsay Wolfington

11:00 - When and how Lindsay was brought into working on Virgin River

13:12 - The process of clearing the sound recording and publishing

16:43 - Lindsay's advice to independent artists when pitching music to make music supervisors' jobs easier 

21:34 - How Lindsay prefers to listen and receive music

23:08 - Ari's story of getting placed in One Tree Hill

25:45 - How Lindsay works with budgets for independent artists and major label artists

34:14 - Netflix's sleazy contracts on artists giving up their publishing rights

41:23 - How Lindsay keeps her music library organized

44:02 - What're the differences between a sync agent and a music library? 

48:23 - Advice from Lindsay for people who want to become music supervisors

54:13 - Questions from Ari's Take Academy students

1:04:03 - What it means to Lindsay to make it in the New Music Business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Today my guest is DJ Swivel. He is a producer, engineer, songwriter, most notably for BTS, Beyonce, The Chainsmokers, Mary J Blige, Kanye West, Fabolous, Bow Wow, Redman, Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, Mariah Carey. The list goes on.

We talked a lot about getting started in the industry as a producer and engineer, and what it takes and what it means. He discusses diversifying your business and what it means to make it in the new music business, of course the final question I ask everybody. His answer was really interesting.

We also go deep into the LA vs. New York vs. Atlanta vs. Nashville vs. Miami discussion. He gave some really great insight as to what the scenes are shaping up to look like and why he moved from New York to LA. I really enjoyed our conversation. I learned a lot. I think you're going to dig this conversation. 

DJ Swivel's Story Time on The Chainsmokers: https://youtu.be/XcYtTuHzv6Q

-- 

Quick links: 

3:16 - Working remotely and how DJ Swivel has accommodated

9:26 - Co-founding SKIO Music and where his entrepreneurial spirit came from

16:55 - Winning a Grammy does not mean you're set for life: advice for making sacrifices in your music career

23:00 - Getting started as a producer in 2021 and being raised to treat money with respect

34:20 - The ethics of unpaid internships

46:18 - DJ Swivel's plugin business

54:32 - How DJ Swivel has sought out feedback and criticism over the years

57:35 - Why DJ Swivel left New York and what his thoughts are on the various music hubs around the US

1:06:17 - What it means to DJ Swivel to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Connect with DJ Swivel: 

Website: https://djswivel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djswivel/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuhOAJMCXD7BviDIWkPWHHw

Apple Music playlist:

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Today my guest is Felicia Bennett. She is an artist manager and formerly a tour manager. She now manages Tanerélle, the breakout R&B artist. This last year they've had an incredible year. Tanerélle toured with Ari Lennox over Europe. She had a massive sync in Insecure, which propelled her song to No. 1 on the Shazam charts. She was the December 2020 playmate of Playboy. She's also an actress and starred in Victoria Monet's latest music video. 

At the start of the pandemic, they did an amazing virtual live concert for Trillerfest. Tanerélle was also part Rihanna's Savage X Fenty lingerie line as a model. She has a very diverse career with many different facets, and I dig in with Felicia on how all of that happened, how they're making it work, and how they're planning out the trajectory for this interesting and diverse career. 

--

Quick links:

3:43 - How Felicia and Tanerélle's relationship started and what they've accomplished in the last year

9:48 - Felicia's jump from a tour manager to an artist manager

12:40 - Were Felicia and Tanerélle aligned when they first started working together?

15:40 - What was Felicia's first things to do when she was brought on as the manager? 

17:22 - Discussing the various headline moments that Tanerélle has had recently

19:46 - Felicia's experience in what is 'moving the needle' - is it social media presence or music?

23:04 - How women are reclaiming the Playboy brand and how Tanerélle landed the December 2020 playmate

27:58 - How Tanerélle got a sync placement in Insecure and how it changed her career

35:02 - Getting funding without a label (or giving up ownership)

38:48 - Savage X Fenty and how the relationship came to be

42:24 - Trillerfest and Galactica livestreams

51:52 - What it means to Felicia Bennett to 'make it' in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Today's guest is Ari Nisman. He is the founder and president of Degy Entertainment. They are one of the largest booking agencies for colleges and military. They have hundreds of artists on their roster and book thousands and thousands of shows every year. 

But in today's conversation we talk about how the college entertainment market works; how the military booking market works; how much they pay for all of that; and how much each booking earns. Surprisingly they're paying guarantees. You're not having to worry about promoting those shows. So we break all of that down. 

We also talk about how Degy Entertainment pivoted once live music was shut down and what the virtual space looks like, even ticketed ones they've been executing within the Degy market. We discuss Degy World, which is an avatar-based, virtual, interactive world that they've built. It's proprietary. This is how they're able to host festivals, conferences, concerts, and dating events.

Ari also talks about the live entertainment world and what it's going to look like when it returns.

-- 

Quick links:

4:32 - What has attracted Ari Nisman to social media app Clubhouse

5:58 - When is live entertainment going to return? What is it going to look like?

11:30 - What is a middle man?

13:54 - Why will college buying come back before anything else?

16:55 - How does the college market work? 

19:54 - Talking about the music and artists that work in the college market

23:16 - Why do campuses push back against hip-hop music? 

27:18 - Is Degy Entertainment booking more independent artists or bigger artists these days?

29:09 - What can an independent artist expect for a guarantee on a military base? 

30:30 - What are the buying opportunities for independent artists in the college market?

32:49 - What are NAPCA and APCA?

39:18 - How Degy Entertainment pivoted into the digital realm and what they're doing with Degy World

44:58 - Working with FanFX to create a unique livestreaming experience and proprietary system

48:45 - Has there been any work for artists livestreaming recently? 

50:52 - Is the college market spending what they were spending pre-COVID?

53:17 - What is Degy World? Where did the idea come from?

1:05:38 - What it means to Ari Nisman to make it in the new music business 

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Today we are re-running an episode. This is the first time we've ever done this. It's an episode that initially premiered last July with artist manager Jonathan Azu. This is in honor of Black History Month this month because Jonathan and I had a really illuminating conversation about how to repair racial inequities in the music business. We also discuss how our industry, at the executive level, is so white. Specifically in Billboard Power 100, there's only one black person in the top 50. Jonathan has some ideas as to why and how we can help repair those disparities.

Jonathan Azu is also a member of the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), which I spoke about last week with Dina LaPolt who is one of the founding members. Jonathan also recently launched the Diversity in Music. It is the first ever employment talent directory for underrepresented women and minorities in music.

Jonathan Azu is an artist manager for artists like Cory Henry, Luke James, Emily King, and Michelle Williams among others. He used to be the executive vice president and general manager of Red Light Management. He is also a two-time Billboard magazine 40 Under 40 power player. Over a year ago, he launched his own management company called Culture Collective.

A Forbes 2017 article outlined that hip-hop and R&B genres are responsible for 25% of all music consumption and over 29% of all on-demand streams across the United States. However, executives of color are still relatively scarce atop major music companies. The top 10 out of 10 on the Billboard Power 100 list are all white, and there's only two people of color in the top 50. Azu breaks this down on why he thinks this is and how to fix it because it's a problem.

--

Diversity in Music: https://diversityinmusic.org

--

Quick links:

3:14 - How Jonathan Azu and his artists have been doing since touring has been shut down

11:44 - What Azu's artists are doing in quarantine - how they are staying busy

14:59 - Artists doing live streaming events

17:47 - About Culture Collective and Azu's journey to get to where he's at today

28:01 - Advice to white colleagues asking for advice on curbing systemic racism in the music industry

34:27 - About The Black Music Coalition

38:09 - Lack of racial diversification in the Billboard Power 100 list

40:29 - Shifting internships to paid internships and going outside typical recruiting tactics - should there be mentorship programs?

42:12 - Would reparations be the correct route to approach racial injustices in the music industry?

53:02 - Are people losing interest in the black lives matter movement?

58:04 - Was having an all black roster for Culture Collective intentional?

1:03:59 - Azu's artist Emily King two Grammy nominations

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Ari...

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Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Beginning his tenth year in the music industry today, Will Runzel is co-founder of Prodigy Artists. He got his start throwing Hip-Hop concerts (Big Sean, Jeremih, Mike Posner, Twista) in college towns in the midwest, Steve Aoki brought him to LA to head up Dim Mak Live for a year before heading up React Presents West Coast division and another year with LED Presents / Goldenvoice (booking Jamie XX, M83, Calvin Harris). Around that time he started what is now known as Collectiv Presents with Chris Den Uijl, as well as his management company Prodigy Artists alongside Steven Haddad. Today, Runzel is the CEO of Prodigy Artists who represent SLANDER, Deorro, NGHTMRE, Guy Gerber, Audien as well as Grammy-nominated producers Bekon & The Donuts.

This week, Ari and Will discuss various aspects of the dance music industry, including revenue streams, remixes, and the role of managers. He emphasizes the importance of touring for bass music artists and the unique nature of their merchandise sales. Will also explains the business model of remixes and additionally highlights the need for data collection and retargeting in the new music business.

Chapters

00:00 Remixes and Original Music

10:12 SLANDER, NGHTMRE, and Deorro

29:07 Revenue and Profitability of Shows

36:16 Revenue Breakdown for Bass Music Artists

41:53 Reselling Records

50:21 Managing Record Producers

57:43 The Challenges of Playing at the Sphere

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Threads: https://www.threads.net/@aristake_

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Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

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X: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

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Connect with Will Runzel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-runzel-884456112

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willrunzel/

X: https://www.prodigyartists.com/

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

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Wow! Today my guest is superstar music attorney Dina LaPolt. If you don't know who she is, she is one of the most well respected, well known music attorneys in the world. The amount of awards she has is unfathomable: Hollywood Reporter, Billboard's Power 100, Variety, MIDEM, Recording Academy, GRAMMYs. She's also been the attorney for 2Pac's estate, deadmau5, 21 Savage, Britney Spears, and Steven Tyler. 

She co-founded Songwriters of North America (SONA) in 2015. They're an advocacy organization representing songwriters. She was also instrumental in getting the Music Modernization Act passed in 2018, which has done wonders for songwriters and artists across the board. The Music Modernization Act was the first major update to copyright law in decades. She regularly advocates for artists, musicians, and songwriters on Capitol Hill. 

This conversation was fiery. We got into it. I told the challenges that independent artists and songwriters are dealing with and how we rarely get a seat at the table. When drafting new laws, independent musicians need a seat at the table. Dina also talked about what she did with the CARES Act. She made sure musicians and songwriters were included in the CARES Act and HEROES Act. Additionally, she made sure that a mixed earners stipulation was added in the follow-up bill. She described what she's working on right now with the new Administration to make sure that musicians and songwriters don't get left behind.

Dina is an absolute rockstar on the business and overall. It was such a pleasure and honor to have her on the show. I know you're gonna love this conversation. She does not hold back! 

--

Quick links:

4:57 - About the CARES Act

10:55 - Dina breaks down the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and where it's at now

21:35 - Major music publishers like UMPG always get the best deal while smaller independent artists get screwed

26:58 - What is the solution from the Copyright Office? What is the ask from the music industry? 

39:45 - About the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) and how it functions

43:56 - How politics gets involved in music activism (and how to communicate with Republicans and Democrats)

49:06 - What it means to Dina LaPolt to make it in the new music business 

--

Get involved: 

Songwriters of North America (SONA): https://www.wearesona.com/

Music Artists Coalition (MAC): https://www.musicartistscoalition.com/

Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC): https://www.bmacoalition.org/

American Association of Independent Music (A2IM): https://a2im.org/

--

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My guest today is Brian Vickers. He is a music supervisor at Disney. Yes, thee Disney; Walt Disney Studios. He works on the in-house trailer department, which they call "The Hive." He's going to talk more about that. He's worked on a number of Disney films, including The Avengers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi & The Rise of Skywalker, Black Panther, Soul, Hamilton, Frozen II, Black is King, and many, many more.

He has worked at other trailer house and music supervision companies. He actually got a start as a performer. He performed on The Sing Off, believe it or not.

We dig into all things sync licensing, specifically in the trailer department because that is Brian's current specialty. But we talk about getting the sync licensing on both sides, so as an artist of course (always my angle). We spend a significant amount of time on how to become a music supervisor yourself. Brian gives some great tips for how to do that.

--

Quick links:

3:11 - Working as a music supervisor for Disney since COVID-19 hit and quarantine started

12:38 - "Custom spots" and what the conversations look like between music supervisors and musicians

17:41 - How to find reputable trailer music production companies

20:13 - Do these trailer houses have in-house composers or producers that they work with? 

23:10 - Clearing tracks / staying away from samples and making supervisors' jobs easier

25:35 - Placing a song because it is perfect and then it doesn't work out when it 'goes up the chain'

28:39 - Breaking down the song placement process

33:59 - Brian's musical background

42:28 - Music supervisor and sync licensing community

45:40 - How to reach out to music supervisors

50:30 - How to become a music supervisor

58:00 - What it means to make it in the new music business

--

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Connect with Brian Vickers:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvickers318/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadTheCoolcat

IMDb:

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My guest today is Tracy Patrick Chan. He is currently the Head of Music at Twitch. He is the top honcho; the dude; he's the guy in charge of the direction of all things music at Twitch. He started at Twitch at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. 

He has a very impressive resume. He was the guy that created Spotify for Artists. Before that, he was at YouTube and created the artist tools like YouTube analytics. And depending on when you're listening to this episode, things may have changed and evolved quite a bit because we talk about specific programs and features, but the bulk of what we discuss is how to be successful on Twitch. 

Should you start Twitch? Who's Twitch for? Is it good for everyone or just a select few? Do you need millions of followers to make a living on Twitch (you don't)? He talks about a really interesting stat about making a living on the platform. It's astounding on what you actually need to make a living on the platform.

Today's a special episode. It's a live podcast episode in the spirit of what we're talking about, which is livestreaming on Twitch. We invited Ari's Take Academy students to be a part of the conversation, and you'll hear a few of their questions at the end.

--

Twitch for Artists: https://www.twitch.tv/p/en/artists/

-- 

Quick links:

4:50 - About Tracy Patrick Chan

10:23 - Challenges with musicians streaming on Twitch

13:12 - Subsidizing lost income from touring with livestreaming on Twitch

21:55 - Making a living on Twitch takes fewer fans than you think - here's how to do it

41:42 - What are musicians allowed to stream on Twitch? Can they stream cover songs? 

44:15 - How much of Twitch is live and how much is replays? 

46:40 - What is Soundtrack?

49:07 - How to get your music on Soundtrack

52:00 - Ari's Take Academy student questions

1:03:40 - What it means to Tracy Patrick Chan to 'make it' in the New Music Business

--

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Welcome to season two of the New Music Business podcast! This first episode of the new season is with Mothica. She is an incredible artist in the pop realm. She kind of blew up in 2020 from TikTok and is one of those crazy TikTok success stories. After her song went viral on TikTok, she gained a lot of traction on streaming platforms. Just in 2020 alone she garnered more than 25 million streams on Spotify.

Mothica has been releasing music for about six years now and released her debut album in 2020. We talk all about that. The pandemic and quarantining got her to try out TikTok, and she exploded from there. I'll let her tell you how that all happened. 

We recorded this outside in-person in December socially distanced. We were very careful. We were wearing masks as we were setting up and tearing down. We only took them off during the interview. We sat probably 10-15 feet away from each other. We made sure we were being very safe. 

-- 

Articles/Links mentioned: 

Teespring vs. Printify vs. Gooten vs. Printful vs. Teelaunch: Best Print On-Demand Merch Companies for Musicians: https://aristake.com/print-on-demand-comparison/

--

Quick links:

3:52 - How quarantine has been for Mothica

7:10 - Advising musicians to join TikTok and what to do on the platform

10:03 - Going viral on TikTok and other factors that attribute to Mothica's success

13:50 - Getting sober and releasing a debut album

17:58 - How the Mothica brand and world was created

25:11 - Mothica's music video "Blackout" and how it came to be and funding the video from merch sales

31:55 - Has Mothica been approached by major labels and will she remain independent?

35:03 - Working with AWAL for music distribution

39:15 - Being open with her suicide attempt, drugs/alcohol, and being sexually assaulted 

45:25 - Writing "VICES" and the process behind it

50:03 - The release strategy for Mothica's album 'Blue Hour'

59:10 - How to build a TikTok strategy into your release strategy

1:04:31 - What it means to Mothica to make it in the new music business

--

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Today's guest is Anwar Sawyer. He started as (and still is) a songwriter and producer. He's based in New York and is a classically trained pianist. He studied classical piano and composition at Westminster Choir College and New York Institute of Technology. He's signed to Roc Nation Publishing and has now started a management company, SMG Entertainment, where his breakout artist is Audrey Nuna. She's currently signed to Sony Arista Records.

Anwar and I talk about being a producer/songwriter and writing thousands of songs and even how he got his publishing deal. We also talk about developing this young artist and what the process is behind that. She has millions and millions of streams and has collaborated with DJ Snake and Jack Harlow. And by the time you're listening to this episode, she might be taking over the world because she's a pop star on the rise. 

This was a live podcast in front of Ari's Take Academy students. They were able to ask questions at the end. We included a few of their questions at the end, and I know you're not going to want to miss them.

If you want to check out Ari's Take Academy head over to the website: https://www.aristakeacademy.com/

--

Quick links:

3:35 - About Anwar Sawyer

8:35 - How Anwar landed his Roc Nation Publishing deal

17:44 - What's it like being a songwriter/producer signed to a publishing deal?

19:25 - How Anwar and Audrey Nuna started working together

24:00 - How do you promote an artist with 0 fans? What's the release strategy look like?

28:33 - Once Audrey's following and stream counts begin growing, what were your next steps?

33:18 - When "Soufflé" was released, where was Audrey Nuna at in her career? What were her numbers like?

35:22 - A simple compliment can be your 'in' with a music professional

41:42 - What made Anwar and Audrey Nuna sign with Sony Arista Records over other labels? 

45:53 - Ari's Take Academy student questions

52:31 - What it means to Anwar Sawyer to 'make it' in the New Music Business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Anwar Sawyer:

Website: https://www.smgent.com/

Instagram:

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Today's guests are Sam Hyken and Jacomo Bairos of the Nu Deco Ensemble based in Miami, Florida. This episode is for all of you orchestra nerds out there. I'm guilty of that. I played in an orchestra for most of my life. For those of you who don't know, I'm a trumpet player. I love going to the LA Phil and love orchestra music. 

The Nu Deco Ensemble does something quite different. They were formed in 2015 and are an eclectic orchestra with members from all over the country. They're known for doing collaborations with pretty big artists like Ben Folds, Jacob Collier, Wyclef Jean, and Emily King to name a few. Their upcoming season starts October 29th, 2020, and this year is going to be quite different due to COVID-19. They're going to be livestreaming all of their performances.

Nu Deco Ensemble's manager is Andrew Leib from Red Light Management. He was on a previous episode of the show: https://aristake.com/red-light-manager-andrew-leib/

--

Quick links: 

4:10 - About Nu Deco Ensemble & how they uniquely collaborate with artists

8:30 - Every instrument is mic'd in the Nu Deco Ensemble

10:10 - The drummer's pocket is so deep; building a good repertoire with ensemble members

13:55 - Have all of the members been with the ensemble since the beginning? 

17:20 - How far in advance does Nu Deco Ensemble prepare before they collaborate with a guest? 

25:04 - What other things does Sam factor into his arrangement of a piece? 

28:33 - What is the identity for Nu Deco Ensemble?

31:07 - Why Miami? 

37:16 - How do you go about starting an orchestra in Miami? 

45:05 - What is the future of Nu Deco Ensemble? Have they always featured artists? 

51:10 - How much of Miami's cultural influence is integrated within the Nu Deco Ensemble arrangements? 

1:00:07 - Nu Deco Ensemble's community involvement

1:06:40 - What it means to Sam and Jacamo to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Nu Deco Ensemble:

Website: https://nu-deco.org/

Facebook:

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Today's guest is Clare Means. She's a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. She got her start performing on the Santa Monica Pier. Now she's known for her success on the livestreaming platforms, specifically Twitch, Facebook, YouTube Live, and Periscope. She's actually one of the most watched musicians on Periscope. Since quarantine started, she went all in on livestreaming. 

Clare talks all about her journey livestreaming, how she built up to be the most successful livestreamer on Periscope, and what it's looked like since she started livestreaming on all of the other platforms. She breaks each of them down and explains how you can make money on them. She makes her full living exclusively livestreaming. 

I've been so intrigued by her journey livestreaming, which is why I asked her to be an instructor for an Ari's Take Academy course to teach it. Use code NMB for 10% off: https://aristakeacademy.teachable.com/p/livestreaming-for-musicians

--

Quick links: 

2:55 - About Clare Means and her setup

7:14 - Clare's livestreaming story and how she got started

11:23 - Stories from Clare street performing

17:07 - How Clare got people to stop and listen to her street performing

22:25 - What about street performing has made Clare a better livestreamer? 

27:20 - The platforms Clare livestreams to and why

31:24 - Monetization possibilities on each livestreaming platform

39:07 - Which platform Clare makes the most money on and where her engagement is the best

47:58 - Clare's advice to musicians who want to get started livestreaming

55:12 - What it means to Clare Means to 'make it' in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Clare Means:

Website: https://www.claremeansmusic.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5gc2EPzFCpY9xxn1BGqjET?si=3UdTcG_-TsS1bu0-9Zprtw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareMeans

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Today on the show is Marshall Betts. He is an agent formerly of Paradigm, but after Paradigm dissolved its entire music division and laid off hundreds of employees Marshall Betts along with a few of his co-workers at Paradigm launched a new agency... TBA Agency. Get it?

They got a lot of press when they came out of the gates, but they launched on September 1st of 2020. They took their roster with them, and it currently includes Courtney Barnett, CHVRCHES, Madame Gandhi (who was previously on the show), The War On Drugs, Hot Chip, and many more.

Marshall and I talk about everything in the live concert market, from when he thinks it's going to come back in the traditional sense to everything that's happening right now and what agents' jobs are. He talks about ticketed livestreams and drive-in concerts. He also talks about what he looks for when he's signing artists, and I was encouraged to hear what he said when he signs new artists.

--

Oprah’s Drummer Madame Gandhi on Feminism, Activism, Music Video Budgets as an Indie Artist: https://aristake.com/madame-gandhi/

--

Quick links:

5:10 - Is New York still a music industry hub?

7:44 - Shifting out of Paradigm and starting TBA

18:38 - How many people work at TBA? Is it expanding? How are you funding TBA?

22:58 - How are ticketing livestreams working for TBA's artists? 

24:50 - What are some of the deals for the ticketed livestreams? Is there a favorite platform?

27:20 - What are the production costs for the livestreams? How big are the crews?

29:32 - How do you keep the livestreams interesting and fun? What are the interesting tactics artists are doing to justify the ticket price?

32:33 - What is the range for ticket prices? What are the attendance numbers? Can you anticipate the livestream attendees based on the tickets they sell when performing live? 

37:25 - How is the livestreaming space evolving? Is it going to go away?

39:25 - Has TBA done any drive-in concerts?

42:48 - What's TBA's day to day look like now?

45:45 - Recommendations on what artists can do while they wait for live music to return

49:15 - What does Marshall look for when signing a new artist?

55:38 - What it means to Marshall to make it in the new music business

-- 

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Today's guest is Nick Gatfield. He has been in the music industry for decades. He was a major label executive for 25 years, most recently Sony Music UK, which he left in 2014. He's worked at various majors over the years, including Universal and EMI. He was there when they signed Radiohead and was also part of Amy Winehouse's team. 

But now he's out of the major label game and runs an investment company called Twin Music. They invest in artists, recordings, and various artists' assets. I will let Nick explain how it all works because he is so knowledgeable on this due to his decades worth of experience in the industry. It's clear that he cares about artists and this new model. One of the first artists he signed to this new deal was Allie X, who was on the show about a month ago. I encourage you to check out her episode to learn how this deal works from an artist's perspective.

--

Allie X on Creating Her Artist Package, Breaking Into LA and Staying Independent: https://aristake.com/allie-x/

--

Quick links:

3:53 - How London is doing amidst the pandemic and how the industry is shifting

10:55 - What is Twin Music and what's the business model? 

22:22 - What does the exit strategy look like for Twin Music / the artist? 

25:03 - Does Twin Music just put up the money or is there a team that helps the artists? 

27:18 - Who are Twin Music's distribution and publishing partners? 

29:54 - Is Nick's business model scalable or is it just a wave that will eventually pass?

35:42 - Will major labels always have their place in being the driving force behind popular culture or is the industry shifting away from them? 

37:50 - What percentage of artists that Nick signed when working at the major labels made their advance back on their first album?

46:38 - What does an investment look like? How does someone invest in an artist? 

53:42 - What can an artist expect from an investment deal? Does it work like an advance?

56:25 - What does it mean to Nick to make it in the new music business? 

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Website:

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My guest today is a my good friend Victoria Canal. She is a 22-year-old artist, singer, songwriter, and now producer based all over the world. She was based in Los Angeles, but when the coronavirus shutdown hit, she moved to Amsterdam where her parents live.

Victoria and I discuss how she's been handling the last six months. This was supposed to be her breakout year. She had two massive tours scheduled. She had just finished one supporting the band Tall Heights. Then she leveled up to an even bigger tour supporting Leslie Odom Jr. She also just came out with her EP, 'Victoria,' and as you can imagine, the release strategy changed quite a bit. So we talked about that. 

I had Victoria's manager, Andrew Leib, on the show a few months back. You can get the other side of Victoria's career. He talks about why he wanted to sign Victoria and what it has been like working her so far. Listen to Andrew's episode here: https://aristake.com/red-light-manager-andrew-leib/

--

Victoria's interview on The Third Story Podcast with Leo Sidran: https://aristake.com/victoria-canal-instagram-engagement/

--

Quick links: 

3:23 - About Victoria and what it's like living in Amsterdam during the pandemic

8:40 - Victoria's manager discovering her and her journey as an evolving artist

15:28 - What was it like working with a different producer than the one that helped write the songs?

23:05 - Learning production and potentially producing for other artists

24:38 - Victoria's daily routine

26:30 - Victoria's creative and songwriting phases and mental health

31:30 - How Victoria is handling not being able to perform and having her life shut off

39:35 - What's it like releasing a body of work during this time? What are the expectations? 

49:41 - Do find yourself being more pressured to create and release content?

52:32 - The relationship between artist/fans/humans is important

55:50 - What it means to Victoria to make it in the new music business

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Connect with Victoria Canal:

Website:

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Enrollment closes soon for Ari's Take Academy! Save 10% with code NMB and enroll: https://aristakeacademy.com/

Moody Jones is an entrepreneurial entertainment executive and artist who thrives on creating new rules and executing unique concepts. Currently, he’s the GM of Dance at EMPIRE – an independent distribution company and record label pioneering the future generation of the music business.

This week, Ari is joined by GM of Dance at EMPIRE, Moody Jones, to discuss Empire's business model, the dance music industry, and the role of an executive in supporting artists. They discuss various aspects of the music industry, including consumer behavior on social media, the impact of UMG on artists, advice for aspiring producers and DJs, the importance of art in everything you do, discovering and signing new artists, release frequency, and what it means to make it in the new music business.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview of Empire

05:09 The Dance Division and the Dance Market

15:02 Measuring Success and Revenue Streams

23:02 Consumer Behavior on Social Media

26:00 Advice for Aspiring Producers and DJs

30:23 Building Relationships with Artists

37:38 Release Frequency and Removing Songs from DSPs

44:30 What It Means to Make It in the New Music Business

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

Ari's Take Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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X: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

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Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

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X: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

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Connect with Moody Jones:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moodyjones/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodyjones/

X: https://twitter.com/moodyjones

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moodyjones

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

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I don't have a guest today, but I'm going to talk about the new law that was signed, AB2257, in California that amended AB5. AB5 is a California law but has implications all over the states. If you haven't heard about AB5 I'm going to talk all about it. 

--

Referenced articles: 

California's Music Economy is About to Crash: https://aristake.com/ab5/

I Met with AB5 Author Assemblywoman Gonzalez. Here's How It Went: https://aristake.com/gonzalez-meeting/

I Met with Senate Majority Leader of CA About AB5. Here's How It Went: https://aristake.com/senator-hertzberg-ab5/

Finally, The California Music Industry Gets Relief Under AB5: https://aristake.com/ab5-musician-relief/

--

Quick links:

1:30 - What are AB5 and AB2257?

7:49 - What was AB5's purpose?

9:20 - AB5 is very pro-union

11:42 - Implications of AB5 and meeting with Lorena Gonzalez for "clean up" bill language

18:42 - Putting public pressure on lawmakers

23:55 - Coming to an agreement with language with AFM for Assemblywoman Gonzalez 

--

Connect with Ari’s Take:

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Today's episode was a live podcast episode for Ari's Take Academy students with guests Rogét Chahayed and his manager Greg Katz. Rogét is a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter whose songs have sold over 30 million copies. He's worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Halsey, Travis Scott, Drake, Miguel, G-Eazy, Ke$ha, Calvin Harris, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more.

We got into both the production and business sides. We discussed producer points, splits, songwriter credits, publishing, and how to get a publishing deal. Rogét also gives great advice to aspiring songwriters and producers on how to get started.

This podcast was live for Ari's Take Academy students. At the end of the conversation, they were able to ask Rogét and Greg questions.

--

Quick links:

2:45 - How Rogét went from studying classical music to working with Dr Dre

8:04 - About Rogét's first production

11:00 - How Greg started managing Rogét

13:45 - Being under credited and what that was like

16:35 - Advice to artists and producers on how to protect themselves from being under credited and screwed

21:25 - What's the difference between a songwriter and producer? 

24:04 - When do you discuss splits?

27:50 - Breaking down the producer point system

30:08 - Is it more common to get an upfront producer fee or a backend royalty at Rogét's level? 

35:20 - Breaking down Rogét's publishing deal with Kobalt

40:11 - Pointers to songwriters when looking for a publisher/publishing deal

44:30 - Student questions

58:28 - What it means to Rogét and Greg to make it in the new music business

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Today my guests are Malaysian singer Yuna, Ben Willis, and Carlo Fox, the founders of indie-pop!, a management company based out of Los Angeles. This is the first time I've had a conversation with three people at once for the show. Yuna was coming to us from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Ben and Carlo tuned in from Los Angeles.

Yuna is an incredibly talented artist. She's done collaborations with Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell, Usher, G-Eazy, and the list goes on. We dig into how she got her start on Myspace to now being an independent artist in 2020, what it looks like, release strategy, and who the new gatekeepers are. Ben and Carlo have been in the industry for decades, and they talk about what radio looked like and what it looks like now. Yuna was signed to a major label and now she's independent. We also discuss how they approach music videos, playlist promotion, and who handles what.

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Quick links:

2:50 - Being in Malaysia during quarantine and what it's like

10:25 - How Ben and Carlo connected and discovered Yuna

15:25 - indie-pop!'s first client Dev and The Cataracs

18:30 - What was the focus when setting up songwriting sessions and getting a label deal?

21:02 - Transitioning away from the Verve Records label and working with Tyler, the Creator and G-Eazy

27:53 - Setting up writing sessions when Yuna first moved to Los Angeles

32:05 - What Yuna thought of the writing sessions when she first moved to Los Angeles

34:36 - Who's handling what the label typically handles (promotion, release strategy, etc) now that Yuna's independent? 

44:20 - How important is radio nowadays?

44:25 - What does the release strategy look like in 2020? 

54:00 - Who are the gatekeepers in 2020?

59:40 - When you're releasing a new single, what are the conversations about the story like? How do you tell the story? 

1:00:41 - The story behind "Stay Where You Are"

1:05:45 - What does it mean to make it in the new music business? 

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Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

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Connect with Yuna: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yunamusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yunamusic

Instagram:

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