This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Jess Furman—a creative executive, Emmy-nominated composer, and music industry leader whose work spans TV, film, Web3, and beyond. Named one of Billboard’s Top 40 Industry-Shaping Executives, Jess blends creative vision with business savvy. She founded Sound Revolver (now part of Big Noise Music Group), where she led award-winning music campaigns and earned Tellys, Clios, and RIAA Gold certifications. Her credits include Moonlight, Westworld, My Little Pony: Pony Life, Littlest Pet Shop, and campaigns for brands like Ralph Lauren. As a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Jess’s music has been featured on Sesame Street, MTV, Drop Dead Diva, Sundance, and SXSW.
In this episode, we follow Jess’s journey from New York singer-songwriter to a leading force in the world of sync licensing in Los Angeles. She shares what it takes to write custom music for film, TV, and branded content—and breaks down the creative and business challenges that come with it. In the second half, things get lively as she and Ari debate the future of AI in music. Jess previews her next project: an AI-generated artist built to test a blockchain-driven brand model. The music is created by AI, refined by humans, and designed to support real artists through tech. Jess sees promise in it. Ari isn’t so sure—and questions the ethics and long-term effects of AI-generated content on platforms already flooded with music.
https://www.instagram.com/jessfurmanmuse
05:45 Introduction and History
11:16 Journey to Sync Licensing
21:31 Founding Sound Revolver
31:06 Custom Music for TV and Film
45:56 AI in Music Creation
1:01:16 Debating The Future of the Music Industry
1:15:46 Final Thoughts and Making It in Music
Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp
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
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