UNLIMITED SUPPLY with Digital Music News Foundational pieces, old friends in new gigs, and a quick victory lap.
Nov 10, 2025
Old friends are landing exciting new gigs, like Leda Chang at Warner and Dan Weiner at Rolling Stone. A deep dive into the changing dynamics between labels and management reflects the shifting power in the industry. The podcast also questions what 'indie' truly means in 2025. Recent Grammy nominations spark debate over label performances, while there's a discussion on Spotify's stock status. Lastly, Meta’s recent AI layoffs raise eyebrows about the future of tech jobs.
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Independent Rights Builder Matters
- Jeff Price is a key independent-rights founder who built TuneCore, Audiam, and Word Collections to get creators paid.
- His activism against the royalty "black box" and focus on independents makes him essential to understand the modern indie ecosystem.
Management Vs Labels Power Shift
- Hits' deep dive shows management and labels now share complex power dynamics around big artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
- Understanding who makes decisions and who benefits is essential for anyone operating at the top-tier artist level.
Indie Is More Complex Than Labels
- Sonia Chen's piece asks what "indie" means in 2025 and shows the term no longer maps cleanly to label size or origin.
- The example of Radiohead (an EMI launch) highlights how cultural identity and corporate history complicate the label/indie distinction.