The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

This month, for Women's History Month, we are replaying some of our favorite New Music Business episodes featuring incredible women of the industry. This episode highlights award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer, Imogen Heap. Imogen Heap has released five solo albums, an album as one half of Frou Frou, and has collaborated with countless other stars including Taylor Swift, Nitin Sawhney, Deadmau5, Eric Whitacre, Jeff Beck and Jon Hopkins. Heap, recognized as an artist’s artist, has won two Grammys and an Ivor Novello award. She holds three honorary doctorates for her work on ‘MI.MU gloves’ and ’The Creative Passport’—two prominent music tech companies that work to empower creatives.  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. Chapters 00:00 The Fragmented Music Industry 02:52 Imogen Heap: A Pioneer in Music and Technology 05:55 The Creative Passport: Empowering Artists 09:11 Data Transparency and Royalty Distribution 12:04 The Role of DSPs and Data Integrity 14:52 The Future of Music Royalties 17:55 Building a Better Music Ecosystem 21:02 Blockchain and the Future of Music 23:46 Interoperability and Charitable Contributions 29:06 Navigating NFTs and Environmental Concerns 34:23 The Future of NFTs in Art 37:12 Building a Community Through Technology 46:58 AI as a Creative Partner 54:36 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.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are replaying some of our favorite episodes featuring incredible women of the industry. This episode spotlights Grammy-nominated, hit singer and songwriter Bonnie McKee. Since the early 2000s, McKee has written 10 singles that have reached #1 in the US and UK, which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide combined. McKee is particularly known for collaborating with Katy Perry, co-writing hits such as “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream”, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)“, “Part of Me,” “Wide Awake” and “Roar” together. She also co-wrote “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz, which became the second-best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era. Additional artists who she has worked with include Britney Spears, Kesha, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and Mike Tompkins. Last year, she released her album Hot City featuring the hit single “American Girl.” Chapters 00:00 The Art of Songwriting: Balancing Familiarity and Creativity 03:02 Bonnie McKee: A Journey Through Songwriting and Independence 06:06 Exploring the World of Film: From Music to Directing 08:59 The Dynamics of Songwriting Sessions: Collaboration and Creativity 11:52 Navigating the Music Industry: The Role of Songwriters 14:47 Contrasting Nashville and LA: Different Approaches to Songwriting 17:47 The Challenges of Being a Female Songwriter and Producer 21:31 Gender Dynamics in Music Production 24:44 Navigating Songwriting and Royalties 27:46 The Art of Songwriting: Balancing Authenticity and Popularity 30:48 Song Doctoring: The Business Side of Refining Songs 32:57 The Controversy of Song Credits 34:05 Creating 'Roar': A Triumph Over Misogyny 37:42 Shifts in the Music Industry: A Personal Perspective 40:32 Advice for Aspiring Songwriters 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 Ari sits down with Simon Tikhman, the co-founder of The Core Entertainment and The Core Records. The Core Entertainment first made waves as an artist management company, guiding the careers of major country stars like Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith. After demonstrated success in management, The Core Entertainment partnered with Universal Music Group to launch The Core Records. During this episode, Simon and Ari discuss the careers of The Core Entertainment’s breakout artists, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith. Simon explains how both artists achieved success in drastically different ways—Nate landed his record deal at age 36 after grinding for many years in Nashville, while Bailey broke out on TikTok in his early 20s. Simon outlines the value in each of these paths and explains how Nashville treats artists differently if they have found success the traditional way versus through social media. This episode also goes into detail about what the Nashville country music scene looks like today, the nuances between Nashville labels and coastal labels, and the ins and outs of artist management. If you’re curious about how to break as a country artist in 2025, this episode is for you. https://www.instagram.com/thecoreent/ Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Country Radio 04:58 Simon Tikhman's Journey to Artist Management 16:19 Building The Core Entertainment and Nashville Connections 24:12 Nate Smith's Breakthrough in Country Music 33:53 Bailey Zimmerman's Rise as a New Artist 35:21 The Rise of Bailey Zimmerman 41:10 Navigating the Music Industry 44:47 The Importance of Labels in Country Music 52:08 The New Paradigm for Country Artists 56:51 Social Media's Role in Artist Development 01:06:42 Defining Success in the 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 Ari sits down with Marc Caruso, the CEO and co-founder of Angry Mob Music, an independent music publisher based in LA. Aside from being an advocate for independent artists in the publishing world, Marc is a composer, producer, and Emmy-nominated music editor himself. He is also a board member and former President of the LA chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a member of The Recording Academy, and a member of The Motion Picture Editors Guild. In this episode, Marc describes the evolving landscape of music publishing, particularly in the context of our streaming economy. He breaks down essential terms, like ‘music publishing’ itself, ‘copyright’, and ‘royalties’, before diving into the deeper complexities of the publishing world. Marc is incredibly transparent about how the money gets made at his publishing company—giving detailed accounts of how much sync licenses pay these days and what royalties look like for microsyncs on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Rounding out a more global view, Marc and Ari discuss Universal’s deal with Spotify, the MLC’s failed lawsuit against Spotify and what all this means for independent publishers and independent songwriters.  https://www.instagram.com/angrymobmusic/ [https://www.instagram.com/angrymobmusic/] Chapters 00:00 The Shift from Sales to Streaming Economy 04:07 Understanding Music Publishing 12:50 The Role of Angry Mob Music 16:55 Revenue Streams in Music Publishing 21:30 The Importance of Sync Licensing 22:00 Sync Fees and Their Variability 29:44 Sync in Film and Advertising 34:34 Micro Sync and Social Media Platforms 39:41 Navigating Music Licensing for Creators 45:24 The Complexities of Music Rights on Social Media 49:11 The Role of Music Publishers and Advocacy 57:02 Inequities in the Music Industry 01:10:30 Empowering Independent Artists and Publishers 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 Ari sits down with Liz Pelly, a prominent music journalist and author of the new book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. Liz’s journalism has appeared in NPR, The Guardian, and Pitchfork among other prestigious publications. Preceded by an exposé in Harper’s Magazine, Pelly’s latest work, Mood Machine, pulls back the curtain on Spotify’s exploitative practices and uncovers how those practices impact artists and listeners.  In this episode, Liz gives the low down on research she conducted for the book and explains how Spotify has unfairly conspired with major labels since its launch. As she does in Mood Machine, Liz calls out Spotify’s Perfect Fit Content (PFC) program and explains how its use of ghost artists degrades the integrity of their model for all. Ari and Liz discuss the value of music and how that can differ in the eyes of major corporations and individuals. Whether you’re an artist, label, or listener who uses Spotify, this episode will help you understand the impact Spotify’s model has on your relationship to music. https://www.instagram.com/lizpelly [https://www.instagram.com/lizpelly]  Harper’s article: https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/ [https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/] Chapters 00:00 The Inner Workings of Spotify 12:48 Ghost Artists and the PFC Program 37:50 Spotify's Launch and Major Label Relationships 41:26 The Evolution of Streaming Contracts 44:14 Valuing Music: A Cultural Perspective 49:43 The Impact of Streaming on Music Value 56:10 Algorithms and the Personalization of Music 01:01:20 The Role of Music in Society 01:07:23 Future Solutions for Musicians 01:19:38 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.