Music Tectonics

This week as we have just wrapped up the Music Tectonics Conference in person in Santa Monica, I thought I'd do something a little bit different and release a clip from our pre-conference a couple of months ago by Mark Mulligan of MIDiA research called "Crossroads: Streaming's Time to Choose."    In this keynote, Mark talks about the pressures facing streaming from AI generated content flooding pl...

Our guest this week is Neil Sheehan, the president of Vocana, a streaming platform built for independent artists and fans using a user-centric payment model. We talk about how that's different from other streaming platforms, why social features haven't worked on streaming platforms since the days of MySpace, and whether there's room for indie-focused platforms in what feels like a Spotify-dominate...

Pack your bags, we're going to Tectonics! On this week's episode, our marketing director, Eleanor Rust, turns the tables on Dmitri to talk about the upcoming Music Tectonics conference next week from November 4th through 6th in Santa Monica. We talk about how the conference started, what to expect this year, and more. Whether you're on the fence about going or are planning on going and want the fu...

This week, we're exploring the future of direct-to-fan commerce with Joshua Stone, the CEO and Co-Founder of Stuff.io and book.io . Josh has some serious backing, including names like Mark Cuban, Snoop Dogg, and Charles Hoskinson, the co-founder of Ethereum just to name a few, and has been working on building Web3 infrastructure that lets artists sell media directly to fans that fans can own and n...

This week, Darryl Ballantyne, CEO and Co-founder of LyricFind, discusses the complexities of the music business model and how LyricFind has managed to create new revenue streams by licensing lyrics and developing products like Lyric IQ. We also discuss how they've overcome challenges such as price competition and maintaining product market fit.  This is a great conversation for Startups!   The New...

This week we dive deep into all things music publishing with Monica Corton of Go to Eleven Entertainment . With over 30 years of experience in music publishing, Monica lays a great foundation of how exactly music publishing works, and then we talk about what it looks like today with AI, streaming, legislation, and in some cases, suing major platforms. Whether you're in music publishing or know not...

On this week's episode, Dmitri sits down with Dot Bustelo, a former Apple Logic Pro team member and the innovative mind behind Loupe Art . We talk about everything from a post-it from another innovator that changed everything to the age of creative abundance. It's a blast.    News! Gen Z social habits spell trouble for music discovery   Is Music's Mainstream Getting Smaller? A Streaming Analysis  ...

Today, a conversation with Tristra and Mansoor Rahimat Khan, the founder and CEO of Beatoven.ai . an ethically trained music generator that was built in partnership with hundreds of artists. They talk about the inspiration behind Beatoven and dive into the nitty gritty of how and why Beatoven works in collaboration with musicians to secure fully licensed content.   News! How Visa Issues Are Threat...

Today, I chat with Drew Thurlow, a strategist focused on how AI might be democratizing the music industry, rather than destroying it. We talk about how AI is changing everything from the creative process to copyright law, whether or not we should be worried about AI-generated music like the Velvet Sundown, and how AI is being used to surface the most popular songs made by whales in the sea. We als...

AI models can truly capture the essence of musical creativity. (Wait. Really?). Join us as Tristra interviews Dr. Christopher White from UMass Amherst about his new book The AI Music Problem: Why Machine Learning Conflicts with Musical Creativity . The two of them get into a really interesting question – Is AI redefining music, or is music reshaping AI? It's a great conversion about the future of...

What makes an artist-brand partnership meaningful, beyond a simple shoutout on social media? Today I talk with Dave Godowsky, a musician who's also worked the other side of the street – in Artist Relations, A&R and with brands that musicians know and love. We talk about how brands can foster authentic artist relationships, the value of word-of-mouth marketing, and how artist feedback can be best u...

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August and today we have our own Chief Creative Officer from way back when he was the creative force at Artiphon. Adam McHeffey , CMO of Artiphon , joins us to talk about the state of musical instrument innovation. Instruments like the Orba put music creation at the fingertips of hobbyists, allowing them to focus on...

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Join Dmitri and Tracy Maddux the former CEO, of AVL Digital and CD Baby as they talk through the fundamentals of what it takes to really start up. We promise that by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear understanding of the critical decisions that shape the future of your business. Whether you intend...

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Today we have a great conversation with the CEO and co-founder of LyricFind. Listen in to find out how Darryl got his first investor, and what Microsoft, childhood bedrooms, outdated websites, and roller coasters have to do with anything. The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music indus...

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Starting with…. The great debate! It's been five years since Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research gave the keynote at the first Music Tectonics Conference. This year we had him, along with Tatiana Cirisano, back to Music Tectonics. Instead of the standard conference keynote (because why would we do standard?) we h...

Join the Music Tectonics team for the June Seismic Activity with special guest Andrew Kahn, Managing Partner of Yamaha Music Innovation Fund. Hear Andrews best practices for pitching him (or not) at a conference, and what he feels is the most important aspect of any pitch deck. Hint: It's not a great power point. We also hear queries specific to founders in attendance. Among them are questions abo...

Remember when Michael Bublé was an abominable snowman and chased people with snowballs? Well, maybe you don't, but a lot of people do. Or what about when NLE Choppa showed up in FPS Ops? In this episode Dmitri talks with Mike Gubman of Chartis about the creative collaborations between musicians and game developers and what sort of opportunities those collabs create. Also, the News!    SiriusXM is...

Today we have a fascinating conversation with Randy Nichols, artist manager and CEO of Force Media Management. Randy's been at the forefront of attempting to figure out the ticketing strategy math, especially the scalper side of the equation. We hear about his dive into the cold hard data, scalper chat rooms, and that time he sent someone undercover to the Ticket Scalpers Convention. We also talk...

Today we talk with Cullen Hendrix, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, about the impact of tariffs on musical instruments. A trained political scientist as well as having a background as a touring musician, Hendrix has a really distinctive lens in which to view the tariff news. We talk about how tariffs on Chinese imports could stifle the next generation of musicia...

Join us today as we talk with Jessica Sobhraj, the co-founder and CEO of Cosynd; a platform that helps creators protect their copyrights. We start by talking about the complex legal maneuvers involving the US Copyright Office; we then head into the ongoing impact of AI and the proactive steps you should take to safeguard your intellectual property.    But first, the news!  Anthropic Scores Major F...

On today's episode we talk with Bomo Piri, Chief Brand Officer at Native Instruments. Our conversation begins with the techno Berlin roots of the brand and dives into what's happening today with their strategic partnerships -- like the London based Young Urban Artist Foundation, and a very cool sounding recent collab with Mustard at Coachella. We chat about Bomo's unique marketing approach as well...

On today's podcast we have a truly amazing talk with Damien Riehl, a musician and technology lawyer who is one of the masterminds behind All the Music Project; an algorithmically generated catalogue of 471 billion melodies, which was then put into the public domain in an attempt to protect musicians from being sued for copyright claims. It is a fascinating conversation. Damien's Ted Talk here   Ne...

"Create a flurry of content.   But do not put $10,000 aside for a celebrity to come in and talk about your brand. I want you to go after thirty smaller creators with followings between ten and thirty thousand." Today we hear from Adam McHeffey, the former CMO of Artiphon and current Chief Creative Officer at Rock Paper Scissors to discuss effective strategies for marketing musical instruments. Key...

Today we bring you the recording from our latest on-line Seismic Event, "Artist Careers in a Parallel Universe." It was an exploration into the livelihood of three working artists; Clara Venice, Vivek Agrawal, and The Phronetic. RPS Chief Creative Officer, Adam McHeffey talks with them about how they are using new technology to fuel their creative visions, how they've built brand relationships, an...

On today's news roundup show Dmitri and Eleanor tackle the week's music tech news. They discuss Spotify's app store changes, Apple Music's new transfer tool, and so many AI music industry developments, including the $10 million AI music fraud case.    News you might want to read: Spotify says App Store changes have boosted its subscriptions   Apple Music's new transfer tool simplifies switching fr...