The Manager’s Playbook 050: Mike Biggane - Spotify, Personalization, Artist Development & The New Music Business

10 snips

Jan 13, 2026

In this discussion, Mike Biggane, former Global Head of Curation at Spotify and Universal Music Group executive, dives into the radical changes reshaping the music industry. He highlights how personalized algorithms and platforms like TikTok have transformed artist development and audience growth. Mike reflects on the decline of traditional release models and the emergence of superfans as key players. He also predicts that songwriters may benefit from upcoming shifts, while stressing the importance of evolving marketing strategies in this new landscape.

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ANECDOTE

Origin Of New Music Friday

Mike Biggane created New Music Friday (originally New Music Tuesday) by curating weekly releases and waking up at 3am to assemble the playlist.
Early success led to using artist images on covers after a Demi Lovato cover spike pushed engagement.

INSIGHT

Personalization Broke The New-Release Window

Spotify shifted from regional one-to-many programming to personalized one-to-one homepage recommendations.
Personalization reduced the effectiveness of a single new-release window and changed how new music finds listeners.

INSIGHT

Why TikTok Finds Hits Faster

TikTok distributes sounds via videos and derivatives, so a sound can find audience fast without needing to be 'liked'.
That distribution model explains why short-form platforms surface hits more quickly than DSPs.

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The music industry didn’t slowly evolve. It structurally changed.
And most people are still trying to operate inside a version of the business that no longer exists.

In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, I sit down with Mike Biggane, creator of New Music Friday, former Global Head of Curation at Spotify, and former EVP of Music Strategy at Universal Music Group, for a grounded, honest conversation about where the music business really is right now.

Mike was in the rooms where modern music discovery was built. From shaping playlist culture and algorithmic curation to navigating the shift toward personalization, he explains why traditional artist development, marketing strategies, and release cycles stopped working the way they used to.

We talk about how Spotify algorithms, TikTok and user-generated content, and AI-driven music tools rewired how artists grow audiences, how labels allocate marketing spend, and why playlisting alone no longer builds sustainable careers. We unpack why the album model broke, why new music doesn’t monetize the same, and why labels quietly pulled back on development.

Looking ahead to 2026, Mike shares why derivatives, remixes, superfans, and artist-centric thinking will define the next phase of the music industry and why songwriters may be positioned to benefit more than they have in years.

This episode is for:

Independent artists trying to grow streams and real fans
Managers building teams, systems, and long-term strategies
Songwriters navigating royalties, attribution, and derivatives
Music executives adapting to AI, data, and personalization
Anyone serious about building a sustainable career in music

This isn’t about chasing virality.
It’s about understanding how the music business actually works now and building with intention inside the new reality.

Simply put a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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