SBP 141: Music's Marketing Revolution. With Alan Cross.

What can marketers learn from 70 years of disruption in the music industry? Legendary broadcaster and musicologist Alan Cross joins Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros to unpack the parallels between rock ’n’ roll, technology, and the future of marketing.

From the Beatles and Michael Jackson to Radiohead, Billie Eilish, and AI-generated artists, Alan takes us on a journey through the biggest shifts in music history—and reveals what marketers everywhere can apply to stay relevant, resilient, and innovative.

If you want to sharpen your perspective on disruption, audience behavior, and adapting to change, this episode is essential listening.

Our Guest:

Alan Cross is an internationally known broadcaster, writer, and music historian. With more than 1,050 episodes of The Ongoing History of New Music and 30M+ downloads, Alan has documented the evolution of music, technology, and culture for over 45 years. He is also the host of Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, a consultant, and a sought-after speaker on the intersection of media, technology, and culture.

www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com

https://alancross.ca/

Follow our updates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/

https://www.sleepingbarber.ca

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/

Takeaways

• Adapt or fade away: How musicians and marketers alike face a “best before date” unless they evolve with technology and culture.
• The album effect: Why Sgt. Pepper’s changed not just music, but how products are packaged, positioned, and promoted.
• The monoculture era: How Michael Jackson’s Thriller and big-budget videos became a global marketing playbook.
• The pricing revolution: Radiohead’s In Rainbows and what it teaches us about business model innovation.
• From Napster to TikTok: Lessons in distribution, disruption, and discoverability.
• AI’s double edge: The opportunity and threat of AI-generated music—and what every marketer needs to know.
• Universal lesson: Don’t fight technology. Use it as a tool, or risk becoming obsolete.

Chapters

00:00 The Evolution of Music and Technology

03:09 Adapting to Change in the Music Industry

05:28 The Impact of Albums on Music Culture

09:34 The Role of Retail in Music Discovery

11:34 The Significance of Music Videos

14:53 Marketing Strategies in the Music Industry

16:38 The Shift to Digital and Streaming

18:51 The Experimentation of Pricing Models

19:58 The Rise of Digital Music Consumption

25:56 The Transformation of Music Discovery

26:37 The Challenge of Music Discovery

30:11 The Impact of Social Media on Music

34:49 The Fragmentation of Media Consumption

39:49 The Future of Music Rights and AI

50:39 Embracing Technology in Music Marketing

Links:

The History of the Record Store https://open.spotify.com/episode/0KmTBhbHvFMg3cgiPwoRdO?si=5b244e1d4c8b4422

The Rise & Fall of the MP3 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-mp3/id1201968027?i=1000703061824

People Still Go to Concerts LiveNation Q2 Report https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/people-not-going-to-concerts-hah-live-nation-just-reported-a-massive-q2/

The changing economics of the Music Industry https://app.lumiqlearn.com/episodes/jlDKnRnb3UcXsgc4jvJ9

Ticketmaster - The Origins of an industry Giant https://app.lumiqlearn.com/episodes/RH0w5jP1rZs1U0ZDuTbL

Terry O’Reilly Marketing Hit Songs https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/marketing-hit-songs-1.2947741

How much music is release each year? https://nikkimiller.space/2025/02/09/how-much-music-is-released-every-year/

Streaming Stats https://www.gearnews.com/spotify-streaming-report-2024-tech/