Music Tectonics

Music Ally just released Stuart Dredge's "The 42 Trends of 2019," a comprehensive end-of-year report for the music biz. With the digital ink barely dry on the virtual page, Stuart sits down with host Dmitri Vietze to explore 5 overarching megatrends that emerged from his report—and his predictions for 2020. Stuart is uniquely placed to reflect back on the year in music: he writes Music Ally's dail...

What does the music tech landscape look like from the investor's point of view—and what are start-ups getting wrong? Listen to the Music Tech Investor Panel, recorded at the 2019 Music Tectonics Conference, to find out. Moderated by writer Cherie Hu (who has her own podcast/newsletter Water & Music), the panel brought together decisionmakers from across the emerging landscape of music tech investm...

Take a deep dive into the rapid growth of the indie sector, one of the seismic shifts that gained the most attention at the Music Tectonics Conference. Our guide to this shifting terrain is Tracy Maddux, CEO of AVL Digital Group, the parent company of CD Baby, AdRev and DashGo, which all provide DIY Musicians with trusted tools for distribution, marketing, and monetization. Being independent doesn...

Explore fault lines in the recorded music industry from Teddy Boys to TikTok with Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research. When Mark opened the first annual Music Tectonics Conference in October in Los Angeles, he lobbed visions from the future into the audience. We captured the audio of his unique mix of trendspotting, economic analysis, and prediction so you can hear what you missed. What does "peak att...

What if payments in the music industry could be as seamless as paying for your rideshare or food delivery? In this bonus episode, host Dmitri Vietze is joined by Justin Butler, L.A.-based Director of Global Sales at Hyperwallet. Hyperwallet provides payment solutions for many companies to manage payouts for 200 plus companies and teratorries.    Hyperwallet was recently acquired by PayPal and func...

Independent music isn't on the margins any more: It makes up 40 percent of the industry. This week on the podcast, Kevin Breuner joins host Dmitri Vietze to talk about how Independent self empowered artists are changing the game. Kevin knows independent music: He's VP of Marketing at CD Baby, host of the DIY Musician Podcast (going strong at 241 episodes!), and an indie musician himself. The rise...

Data Everywhere? Music In Slices? Hands of the Masses? WTF are all these Seismic Shifts we keep talking about? Podcast host Dmitri Vietze explains it all in this episode recorded live in Los Angeles at General Assembly. Dmitri revealed 18 of the biggest seismic shifts shaking up the music biz as a result of technology and innovation, all distilled into the fun visual medium of trading cards. If yo...

What music fan hasn't dreamed of playing a solo with their favorite band, or immersing themselves in every detail of their favorite song? In a Music Tectonics first, this podcast episode spans five cities (on two continents) to explore the emerging interactive music market. Leaders of three start-ups explain how their apps invite fans into the music in unique ways: Sarah Janiszewski (Jammer),  Fra...

When you stream music, how much are you actually hearing? What happens to audio quality as a track makes its way from the studio to your earbuds? Find out from Dan Mackta, Managing Director at Qobuz USA. Qobuz lets audiophiles stream studio-quality music from any device, not just the lossy mp3s offered by the streaming giants. Dan dares music lovers—especially jazz and classical fans—to try better...

Why are cover songs so popular? And it's not just with fans but with Hollywood too. Jeff Van Driel knows: he's CEO of mVibe, a platform for sync licensing cover songs. This week on the podcast, Jeff gives host Dmitri Vietze a micro-to-macro view of the music biz starting from mVibe's B2B niche. Jeff explains how mVibe's platform offers tech solutions that are unique to connecting music supervisors...

We talk a lot about seismic shifts in the music industry, and Mark Mulligan is a true music tech seismologist. If you've read his Music Industry Blog, followed his work with MIDiA Research, or seen him speak, you know that his data-powered approach is unparalleled for understanding, explaining, and predicting upheavals in the music tech landscape. This week Mark takes Dmitri and Tristra on a whirl...

Put it on the blockchain! That was the cry at music industry conferences over the past couple of years, while industry veterans stood at the back of the room snickering. At Music Tectonics we are facing the tension straight on with a Blockchain Cage Match at our October 29 conference in L.A. Enthusiasts and skeptics will face off on stage. We announce the event on this episode featuring Vezt CEO S...

In the music streaming era, how do fans find out who's playing on their favorite tracks? What happened to all the credits that used to fill album liner notes with fine print? Finally, there's an IMDB for music: Jaxsta. CEO and co-founder Jacqui Louez Schoorl sat down with podcast host Dmitri Vietze in a quiet corner at DIY Musician Conference to tell how she went from working on Star Wars to build...

There was a time when album sales, ticket sales and radio airplay were the only numbers that mattered in the music industry. Now, streaming generates extremely granular data about who is listening, when, where, and how. Greg Delaney and Erik Gilbert of the data management company Entertainment Intelligence sat down with hosts Dmitri Vietze and Tristra Newyear Yeager to dig into how this data explo...

Bob Boilen has a job many of us dream of: listening to and talking about music at NPR. A concert at his tiny desk is a dream gig for up and coming performers, and his long-running All Songs Considered show is the cornerstone of NPR Music. Bob sat down with his friend Dmitri Vietze to give his perspective on the technology of listening to, curating, and creating music. How does Bob manage the lifet...

Dani Deahl and host Dmitri Vietze look at all the cans of worms that Artificial Intelligence has opened for the music biz, and how AI contributes to the seismic shifts we've been tracking in the industry. Listen in on a lively back and forth as they take sides on a multitude of issues: Will AI ever be able to create a pop hit all on its own? Where is the line between useful AI tools and replacemen...

Is transparency in the music industry a cause to fight for... or an inevitability? Noah Becker says it is both! Noah chats with host Dmitri Vietze about how multiple claims on music usage keeps all parties from getting paid and how transparency can help unlock those revenues. He argues that everyone benefits when the "black box" thinking and market-share payouts of the past are replaced by transpa...

Music is being used in so many new ways, from V.R. and video games to shortform user-generated videos and remixes, that it's hard to keep up with new license types. Are the systems and laws keeping up or is the industry struggling to adapt to the rapid pace of change? Host Dmitri Vietze chats with guest Seth Schachner of Strat Americas about how the music industry responds to rapid change and the...

Music for picture, also known as synch, is a growing slice of the music industry pie, and it's experiencing seismic shifts just like the rest of the biz. Today on Music Tectonics, irregular host Tristra Newyear Yeager explores the synch terrain with Tanvi Patel, CEO and owner of indie catalog company Crucial Music. Tanvi digs in to how synch works and how the shifting media landscape is causing tr...

Music is igniting activities and experiences that used to be siloed, spreading like wildfire and transforming other industries. Host Dmitri Vietze chats with Tristra Newyear Yeager, resident music tech expert, about where the music spark is catching fire, from the sublime to the ridiculous. How is music changing TV, movies, and games, and vice versa? Going beyond media, what role does music have t...

For Bandsintown CEO Fabrice Sergent, marketing concerts isn't about hype. It's about supporting artists, connecting people through the experience of live music, and preserving a bastion of free speech. That's why Bandsintown built a platform to help fans discover live concerts and to let artists promote their shows. Now, Bandsintown drives 500,000 ticket clicks every day and provides solutions for...

Just like the old nursery rhyme character Humpty Dumpty, the music industry had a great fall and shattered. Vickie Nauman witnessed the fall when the Napster-driven shift from physical to digital hit in 2000, and is one of the digital music pioneers who put the industry back together again. Listen in as she explores the aftermath with host Dmitri Vietze. How successfully have the music biz egg bee...

Music Tectonics is targeting the seismic shifts that have created the music landscape of today and tomorrow. These are climate changes, tectonic shifts beneath the surface, unexpected flash floods, or meteor collisions. Today we tackle "Music is More Global Than Ever," a look at the many ways that the shift from physical to digital music has made the world smaller. What do Mongolian cab drivers pl...

Jambl founder Gad Hinkis met up with podcast host Dmitri Vietze on the beach at Cannes to share his Midemlab-winning rap pitch! What happens when two crazy pants music tech guys sit down together? Listen in on their conversation about democratizing music creation and removing the barriers between beginners and electronic music making. Find out how the idea for Jambl came out of Gad's experiments m...

Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Imogen Heap imagined controlling effects and loops with just her gestures, not an array of buttons, knobs and pedals. Now the Mi. Mu gloves she dreamed up are a reality, and they're available to buy. Mi. Mu Managing Director Adam Stark chatted with host Dmitri Vietze at Midem about taking the idea from an art project to a business while staying focused on ar...