The New Music Business with Ari Herstand Finding Accidental Streaming Success in a Niche Market
Oct 22, 2025
Sol Rising, a Vancouver-born producer and DJ, has made waves in the electronic and wellness music scenes with over 225 million streams. In this conversation, he shares his journey from turntablist to prolific creator, highlighting how a niche market can drive streaming success. Sol discusses his weekly release strategy that plays the algorithm game, the looming impact of AI on music quality, and the significance of staying authentic. He also explores future projects, including collaborations, and the balance between independence and industry support.
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Finding A Yoga Audience
- Sol Rising started DJing at yoga festivals and realized he should make music specifically for yoga classes.
- He crafted simple, non-distracting electronic tracks that instructors could teach over and that grew organically via repeated class plays.
Repeat Usage Creates Quiet Scale
- Functional music (wellness/yoga) gains streams via repeated usage by teachers, not typical fan journeys.
- That repeat-play model creates a different lifecycle than pop singles and can scale quietly across classes.
Use High Release Frequency
- Release volume consistently to trigger DSP algorithms and playlist features like Release Radar.
- Sol Rising says putting out a song every week helped build followers and algorithmic reach.
