This interview with Andy Grammer was recorded live during Ari's book signing event at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on January 16, 2020. Andy dropped gem after gem after gem for artists, songwriters, and managers on how to approach songwriting, a music career, and just life in general. Multi-platinum selling pop artist Andy Grammer is all about inspiring and empowering the world by communicating his truths through his music. Grammer is the first male pop star in a decade since John Mayer to reach the Top 10 at adult pop radio on his first two singles. His discography includes a succession of anthemic pop hits, including "Keep Your Head Up," "Fine By Me," "Honey, I'm Good.," "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)," and "Fresh Eyes." His most recent album Naive is home to his latest single, "Don't Give Up On Me," which quickly reached the Top 10 on iTunes and is already certified gold. 4:34 - Andy's journey from before his first album came out7:27 - How long Andy was performing on the Promenade11:17 - The importance of giving; it's about the audience12:10 - What kept Andy going through the soul-crushing gigs 14:57 - Was there a shift in perception that enabled Andy to leap to the next stage in his career19:12 - How Andy transitioned from playing the Promenade to doing radio tours20:52 - Manager as a partner24:00 - How to know when you've reached your threshold26:57 - Andy's routine that enables him to crush fear regularly; has the fear ever gotten to be so much that he can't handle it?30:27 - Does Andy's fear ever prevent him from writing new tracks, especially since he's already written so many hits32:07 - How Andy knows if he's written a good song after a session35:05 - Andy's co-writing process41:29 - When he first went into a top-level writing session; what was that like?42:42 - How he remains humble with all of his success47:45 - What is branding?53:47 - Andy's way of processing songs that he's written55:33 - How Andy makes it in the new music business Connect with Ari’s Take: Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Andy Grammer:Website: https://andygrammer.com/Facebook: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a re-run episode from last year with music supervisor Jen Malone. She has placed music and worked on Euphoria, Atlanta, Creed 2, The Resident, Boomerang, Baskets, Shelter, Lady Dynamite, and Step Up. That's just scratching the surface. She has worked in sync licensing now for over a decade and is so well established respected.We dug in deep on sync licensing. We talk about what a music supervisor does. She also gave advice and tips on how independent artists can get their music synced and things to look out for in the contracts, quote requests, and things you should strike from the deals. We also discussed how to setup your music to pitch to supervisors effectively and have the best chance of having your music synced.11:43 - What is a music coordinator? 13:06 - How pitching music has changed over the years17:03 - How do you like to be contacted when? 19:03 - Are there any tools that you use for audio clearance and recognition?23:19 - How do you find new music?24:43 - What's your process like when coming into a new project?25:45 - Who created the sonic vibe of Euphoria?26:40 - What is the process on working with the director? 30:20 - When did you come into Creed 2? 34:05 - Can you work on multiple shows at once?35:25 - How much does your personal taste influence your selections for the projects you're working on?37:55 - How do you pick music for scenes that are difficult? How do you create such a juxtaposition?42:30 - Are there any standout independent musicians that you've seen get a "break" from one of their placements?45:55 - What are the music discovery trends you've seen over the past years? 49:20 - Do you curate any playlists? 50:25 - How do you stay organized when you're working on so many projects at once?52:00 - What are the differences working with the different platforms? Is there a standard placement rate?53:55 - The Discovery channel devaluing music and screwing over musicians59:35 - Jen Malone sides with musicians and helps them negotiate licenses1:02:55 - How much negotiation is allowed with the contracts you're working with? What advice would you give to someone who wants to have their music synced? 1:09:55 - How do you define making it in the new music business?Connect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ritt Momney (real name Jack Rutter) is a 21-year-old musician who went viral on TikTok at the end of 2020 for his song "Put The Records On." This virality propelled him into a favorable deal with Disruptor Records under Columbia Records.Jack talks about how he distributed "Put The Records On" via TuneCore and why he signed it over to Disruptor Records. We also discuss perspective, numbers, approaching social media.3:55 - Living in Los Angeles and how Ritt Momney met his manager8:00 - Prior to getting a manager, was there traction with Ritt Momney?9:45 - Perspective when achieving your goals12:50 - Not having human connection after releasing "Put The Records On" and getting the reactions on social media19:05 - How "Put The Records On" went viral on TikTok22:17 - When Disruptor Records approached Ritt Momney and why he signed with them36:10 - What the next phase of Ritt Momney looks like44:17 - Tour and festival plans for Ritt Momney49:58 - What it means to Ritt Momney to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Ritt Momney:Website: https://www.rittmom.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rittmomney/Twitter: https://twitter.com/rittmomneyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7OtTy4s4swX4891VbF3HgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rittmomney/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rittmomney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today my guest is David Potter of the band Stand Atlantic out of Sydney, Australia. This is the first guest on the show from the pop punk music scene. The band typically does 200 shows a year, and we talk about what it's been like going from 200 shows to 0 shows.We dig into how they got started, found their manager, and booking agents. We discuss tour buy-ons and what he thinks of the whole pay-to-play system.3:22 - How Australia's been during the pandemic9:38 - Touring and the pop punk scene in Australia13:59 - Music being cyclical and Stand Atlantic becoming accepted in the Australian music scene17:30 - How most of Stand Atlantic's fans discovered them21:06 - Using social media to build a following and splitting up band members' responsibilities25:30 - Reckoning with streaming numbers30:28 - David switching from the bassist to guitarist38:04 - Stand Atlantic's sponsorship with Fender39:44 - Don't fall for scams or pay-to-play situations47:02 - Experimenting with livestream shows51:48 - The process in creating "deathwish"57:09 - How David defines success1:00:49 - What it means to David to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Stand Atlantic:Website: https://www.standatlantic.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standatlantic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StandAtlantic/Twitter: https://twitter.com/StandAtlanticSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1W2Fv4YUnjC8hx2qQd6fGh?si=WNqYxGhQT1i4kbAPRsj4mw&dl_branch=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most know this week's guest, Cory Wong, as the guitar player for Vulfpeck, but he's also played in Jon Batiste's band for Stephen Colbert's late night show as well as Blake Shelton and others. He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I encourage you to spend time with this episode, especially if you're a session player, band leader, or studio cat. We talk about payment models, ethics, and etiquette when you're in the studio. He also shares some interesting stories about playing with Vulfpeck.7:35 - What it's been like for Cory not being able to tour or play live21:37 - Real world value vs. vanity metrics28:07 - Cory and the Wongnotes56:10 - What is the etiquette when working with other musicians in the studio or on set?1:03:52 - How Cory dictates what sessions he takes1:09:00 - Pay structure for Cory's hired musicians and Vulfpeck1:25:00 - What it means to Cory to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Cory Wong: Website: https://www.corywongmusic.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryjwong/Twitter: https://twitter.com/corywongFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/corywongmusicYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqC08JWnJGJIgw43XJ0GXw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel McCarthy is the CEO of FM, which includes the music platform Musicbed. It's one of the more popular sync hybrid platforms. It includes the typical sync agency but also acts as a music library. Musicbed works with indie filmmakers, wedding video filmmakers, and photographers. Their clients go all the way up to brands that place commercials in the Super Bowl and everyone in between.We talk about how all of the smaller placements work and how artists get paid. We discuss how big sync licensing placements work and how artists are making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of their artists have made millions of dollars.5:54 - How Musicbed got started and Daniel's story13:12 - Musicbed's business model and definition of one stop23:25 - What is micro licensing and content ID?31:23 - How Musicbed subscriptions and the various levels of clearance work35:45 - Getting screwed on a licensing deal and how to prevent it43:21 - Fees for TV, film, and ad campaigns49:09 - What Musicbed's artists are making annually53:17 - Musicbed user interface59:21 - How does an artist work with Musicbed?1:01:36 - What it means to Daniel McCarthy to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/ Connect with Ari Herstand: Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guests today are Noble, a production duo originally from South Africa now residing in Los Angeles. They recently signed a publishing deal with Campfire Songs. They talk about their story and are most known for their cut of Beyoncé's Lion King soundtrack. They have tons of other cuts with artists from all over the world, but they're just getting started. We nerd out a little bit on gear, analog and digital plugins, and they give some really good advice on how to get a publishing deal.3:35 - How Noble met7:30 - Noble's production process and how they work a session15:09 - MIDI vs. acoustic instruments vs. plugins23:18 - How Noble went from kids hustling to working with Beyoncé31:18 - Attending a writing camp for Lion King and why it was such a humbling experience 35:00 - How Noble met their manager Seth Kallen38:51 - How Noble's publishing deal is structured 45:00 - The difference between record deals and publishing deals49:00 - Advice to upcoming songwriters and producers looking to get a publishing deal55:26 - Next steps for Noble58:45 - Why Los Angeles1:04:00 - What it means to Noble to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Noble: Website: https://www.noblemakesongs.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noblemakesongs/Twitter: https://twitter.com/noblemakesongs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest is Alexandre Williams, the co-founder and COO of Create Music Group. They're a distribution, publisher, YouTube royalty collection, rights management, influencer, and TikTok (through Flighthouse) marketing company. Inc Magazine named them the second fastest growing company in America in 2020.Create Music Group has over 25,000 artists and 5,000 label clients. They distributed Tekashi 6ix9ine's track "Trollz" with Nicki Minaj, and it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's the first time that a completely independent, distributed single has ever reached the No. 1 slot in the Billboard Hot 100.We discuss playlist pitching, release strategy, and how Create Music Group approaches working with their artists. 6:20 - What is the core mission of Create Music Group?10:53 - Create Music Group's business model12:27 - How CMG allocates their resources for their 25,000 artists18:15 - Advances and CMG's proprietary algorithm to determine them19:59 - Devoting time and resources into the 'middle class musicians'24:52 - How CMG decides which artists to work with28:18 - Building strategies for and with artists31:55 - The secret to pitching to official Spotify playlists38:18 - How much goes into the release plan before and after a track comes out41:07 - How important is release day?45:35 - How relevant is press today? Is it worth it?48:36 - Breakdown of a marketing budget54:16 - Advice to artists who don't get the response they're hoping for after their release59:16 - What it means to Alexandre to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Walker is a keyboardist for the band Paradise Fears, who made headlines years ago for a thing they called "tour hacking." What they did was sold 24,000 CDs at around $10 in just a few months to fans standing in line for concerts. Not their concerts. This is the DIY method of DIY'ers.Obviously this tactic doesn't really work anymore, so we talk about the evolution and what that turned into, what his ideas are now, and how you can turn those tour hacking ideas into something that works today. We went deep into marketing concepts, tactics, and human psychology.4:15 - Selling CDs to people in line at other bands' shows and making more than $100k13:12 - Going on tour with All Time Low18:12 - Selling merchandise and building fans through social media33:24 - Making money and just to make money + the super fan concept39:10 - What has Michael learned by working with this grassroots band over the past few years? 47:55 - Facebook Messenger and paid traffic and goals56:40 - Building effective funnels1:07:45 - What it means to Michael Walker to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Michael Walker:Website: https://www.modern-musician.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themodernmusician/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjwalker0Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelmodernmusician/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Austin Georgas. He is the senior account manager at Flighthouse Media. They are a full on influencer and media agency that help break songs on TikTok. They've worked on previous campaigns like Doja Cat's "Say So," Internet Money's "Lemonade," Surfaces' "Sunday Best," and Arizona Zervas' "Roxanne." They are one of the best at what they do.Austin breaks down exactly how going viral on TikTok works and what the process is behind it and how micro and macro influencer campaigns are run at this moment. The influencer campaigns change all of the time, so he talks about how they change. If you're new to influencer marketing and TikTok, you're going to get a ton of valuable information out of this conversation. 6:00 - Background on Flighthouse and Austin Georgas9:52 - The "Roxanne" campaign on TikTok12:24 - Who is considered a "micro influencer"? 14:27 - TikTok's algorithm works much differently than Instagram's18:45 - What it's like engaging micro influencers for a campaign20:55 - Macro influencers and running campaigns with them25:44 - What does viral and "number of videos" mean on TikTok?29:29 - Using sounds on TikTok39:36 - Does Flighthouse give creative guidance to influencers they're working with?42:03 - How Flighthouse decides on influencers' compensation48:10 - Working with labels' artists51:19 - How many influencers does Flighthouse have in their roster?52:17 - Why doesn't money go as far anymore on TikTok?54:11 - How does an independent artist find micro influencers on TikTok?1:00:42 - What it means to Austin to make it in the new music businessConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.