The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Jaclyn O’Connell, a digital marketer, creative strategist, artist manager, and founder of Bittersweet Media and Good Grief Management. Jaclyn has provided creative marketing solutions and hands-on artist management for artists and labels of all scales and sizes—from emerging artists to well-established acts and both indie and major labels. They have supported gold and platinum records and worked with artists including Wild Rivers, Cavetown, Julian Baker, and Cold War Kids. Drawing on experience in both marketing and artist management, Jaclyn offers a sharp, insider perspective on what it truly takes to build a sustainable career in today’s music industry. In this episode, Ari and Jaclyn dive deep into the realities of modern music marketing — from navigating ever-shifting social media algorithms to building effective fan funnels that turn casual listeners into ticket buyers and lifelong fans. They also unpack the current touring landscape, direct support deals, and the hot-button issue of tour buy-ons. Whether you're an artist, manager, or just curious about how fan engagement really works, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. http://instagram.com/jaclyn_oconnell [http://instagram.com/jaclyn_oconnell] Chapters 00:00 Building Direct Relationships with Fans 03:09 Navigating the Social Media Landscape 05:49 The Importance of Mental Health in Artist Management 09:05 Innovative Monetization Strategies for Artists 11:55 The Role of Community in Artist Growth 14:58 Understanding the Fan Journey 18:05 Challenges in Touring for Emerging Artists 21:03 The Evolution of the Live Music Industry 36:21 The Ethics of Tour Buy-Ons 39:09 Navigating the Challenges of Touring 43:05 Building Artist Relationships and Mental Health 46:04 Defining Success in Artist Campaigns 48:02 The Role of Social Media in Driving Streams 51:01 The Nuances of Going Viral 55:29 The Fragmentation of Viral Success 57:23 Conversations with Labels and Ownership 01:01:23 Balancing Management and Business 01:10:25 Setting Boundaries in Artist Management Edited and mixed by Ari Davids Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com [https://book.aristake.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Danny Ross, a producer/songwriter, columnist at Forbes, professor at Berklee NYC, and the founder of the largest songwriting camp in the world, Anti Social Camp. Now in its 5th year, Anti Social Camp brings together over 250 songwriters, producers, and artists, including Cigarettes After Sex, Beach Bunny, Bryce Vine, Walk the Moon, Taja Kumari, Evan Giia, and Louis Cato, for 200 recording sessions across 40 studios in 5 days. If you are a songwriter or producer who’s ever wondered what goes down at songwriting camps or how to get involved, you’re going to learn all about that and more in this episode with Danny Ross. Get $100 your Anti Social Camp Badge by using the code: ARIANTISOCIALVIP at antisocialcamp.com [http://antisocialcamp.com] Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Reputation in the Music Industry 03:02 Understanding Songwriting Camps 05:48 The Structure and Dynamics of Songwriting Sessions 08:47 The Evolution of the Anti Social Camp 12:01 Building Community in New York's Music Scene 14:54 The Anti Social Camp Experience 17:54 Diverse Genres and Collaboration 20:54 The Future of Songwriting Camps 31:11 Creative Collaborations in Music Production 32:26 Success Stories from the Camp 33:44 Understanding Major vs. Indie vs. Self-Releasing Artists 38:33 The Financial Landscape of Music Production 44:53 Navigating Splits and Royalties in Music 47:01 The Ethics of Publishing in the Music Industry 52:39 Teaching the Next Generation of Music Creators 56:40 The Importance of Community in Music Creation 59:01 Defining Success in the New Music Business Edited and mixed by Ari Davids Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com [https://book.aristake.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Dan Melnick, the General Manager of Bandcamp. One of the earliest direct-to-fan platforms, Bandcamp empowers listeners to support artists they love directly. They have enabled fans to pay over 1.49 billion dollars and 193 million dollars directly to artists last year. Over 75k records get sold on this superfan platform every day and over half a million fans buy at least one thing on Bandcamp each month.  In this episode, Dan explains to Ari how and why Bandcamp is still growing after 17 years. He shares where the company’s headed, and why its download model has continued to thrive, despite the fall of downloads on platforms like iTunes. Dan also highlights how artists can use Bandcamp to bolster their release strategies, and Ari shares some of his favorite, lesser-known features of the site. Take a listen to find out how Bandcamp’s direct-to-fan platform can help you connect with fans and monetize your fan relationships. https://bandcamp.com/ [https://bandcamp.com/]  Chapters 00:00 Building a Sustainable Music Career 05:00 The Power of Bandcamp 09:59 Understanding Bandcamp's Growth 15:06 Direct-to-Fan Relationships 19:53 Innovations in Bandcamp 24:45 Community and Engagement on Bandcamp 30:03 Best Practices for Artists on Bandcamp 36:25 Merchandising Beyond Music: The Power of T-Shirts 39:28 Navigating the Streaming Landscape: Bandcamp vs. Spotify 48:25 Building a Sustainable Career: Strategies for Artists 56:11 Understanding Bandcamp's Business Model: Fair Trade Music 01:02:36 The Evolution of Curation: Bandcamp's Editorial Approach 01:05:20 The Future of Bandcamp: Building Sustainable Careers Edited and mixed by Ari Davids Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com [https://book.aristake.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

In this solo episode of the New Music Business podcast, Ari untangles the complexities of royalties, registration, and publishing. After his social media video with the same message (“Don’t cut your drummer into publishing”) went viral for the wrong reasons, Ari wanted to come on the show and break down the nuances of this advice. Tune in to get clear on the differences between publishing royalties and master royalties, which royalties session musicians are legally due, the importance of one-stop agreements, and how to fairly (or, more so, generously) compensate your session musicians. Read the article on Ari’s Take: https://aristake.com/publishing-royalties/ [https://aristake.com/publishing-royalties/] Chapters 00:00 Understanding Music Publishing and Royalties 02:55 The Role of Session Musicians in Music Creation 05:55 Differentiating Between Master Royalties and Publishing 09:09 The Importance of One-Stop Agreements 11:59 Fair Compensation for Session Musicians 15:12 Changing Industry Standards 17:46 How Publishing Royalties Work Within Bands 20:13 Why Session Musicians Are Not Considered Co-Writers 22:20 Legally Entitled Radio Royalties for Session Musicians Edited and mixed by Ari Davids Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com [https://book.aristake.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Jacob Paul, the VP of Platform Growth & Brand Strategy at Kobalt and KOSIGN. Jacob has been one of the leaders behind Kobalt’s new admin publishing platform, KOSIGN, since its public launch in February 2025. Kobalt has been disrupting the traditional publishing model for years. Now their application-based platform, KOSIGN, is doing the same in the admin publishing space. In this episode, Jacob explains how Kobalt and KOSIGN approach publishing differently than traditional publishers and admin publishers. Along the way, he and Ari completely break down how music publishing works. They touch on: how songwriters get paid, the difference between “artists” and “songwriters,” the difference between publishers and admin publishers, and how creators can be sure they’re not leaving any money on the table. Jacob also shares why it’s advantageous to have a publisher or an admin publisher instead of just working with a PRO or MRO. If you have questions about music publishing (and let’s be real, who doesn’t?), this episode’s got you covered.  https://www.kosignmusic.com/ [https://www.kosignmusic.com/] Chapters 00:00 Understanding Music Publishing and Royalties 05:07 The Role of Kobalt in Music Publishing 10:10 Distinguishing Between Artists and Songwriters 14:51 The Importance of Publishing for Songwriters 19:53 Kobalt's Innovative Approach to Publishing 25:03 Exploring Traditional vs. Admin Publishing Deals 29:56 The Launch of KOSIGN and Its Impact on Indie Songwriters 35:43 The Rise of Independent Artists 40:23 Understanding Publishing and Royalties 45:35 Navigating the Complexities of Publishing Administration 51:10 The Role of KOSIGN in Empowering Songwriters 56:25 The Future of Music Publishing and Artist Ownership Edited and mixed by Ari Davids Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com [https://book.aristake.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.