The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

This week on the New Music Business, I spoke with Pink Noise’s business manager Khloe Churko, alongside tax preparer and fellow podcaster Stephanie Belcher. We dive deep into the weeds of music industry finances including bookkeeping, 1099s, LLCs versus S Corps, DBAs, how PROs pay artists, and so much more!4:00 Welcome7:30 What does a business manager do?9:00 Sirius XM and Sound Exchange13:30 Bookkeeping process17:45 Taxes22:00 What is a tax return?32:30 LLC Vs. S Corp45:45 Payroll49:00 AB5 Law53:30 LLC Vs. S Corp (Continued)1:02:30 Doing business as (DBA)1:04:00 Working with your Performing Rights Organization (PRO)1:06:30 What’s wrong with Legal Zoom1:08:00 Alternative to Legal Zoom1:11:20 Statewide tax rates1:14:45 Thank yous and final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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/aristake1Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandConnect with Khloe:Pink Noise Management: https://www.pinknoisemgmt.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khloechurko/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinknoisemgmt/?hl=enConnect with Stephanie:Website: https://stephbelcher.com/Podcast: https://anchor.fm/wsmbLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegbelcher/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness/Edited and mixed by Maxton HunterMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s Take Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trousdale is a pop-folk trio born out of the USC's popular music program, consisting of band members Quinn D'Andrea, Georgia Greene and Lauren Jones. In this episode of the New Music Business, we discussed what their creation process entails, self-producing their last releases, as well as how they stayed productive during the pandemic and successfully embraced TikTok.4:00 Welcome5:00 The story behind their single “Do Re Mi”10:00 Self-producing their music11:40 The creation process for arranging vocals17:44 Engaging responses from listeners20:35 Why no music was released before 202021:43 Overcoming the pandemic28:39 The importance of self-care32:29 Release strategy as independent artists36:04 Creative partnership with their entire team42:38 Navigating TikTok56:45 TikTok trends1:03:00 Content batching days1:05:46 What’s next for Trousdale in 2022?1:08:08 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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 Trousdale:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trousdalemusicTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trousdalemusicLinkTree: https://linktr.ee/trousdalemusicbandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/trousdalemusicYoutube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSDILgezaZWbAIyf2zqcnaQVoyageLA Interview: http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-trousdale/Twitter: https://twitter.com/trousdalemusicEdited and mixed by Maxton HunterMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s Take Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David McTiernan is the Head of Artist & Label Relations at Vevo. We discussed everything about how Vevo is generating higher revenues for artists than on YouTube, their emerging artist performance series Discover, other music-related content they allow on the platform and much more. Learn more about Vevo: https://www.hq.vevo.com/2:51 Welcome4:29 What Vevo is and how it is different from YouTube6:46 Official music videos and linear programming8:11 How do indie artists get their music videos on Vevo’s platform?13:24 Merging official YouTube channel with Vevo17:50 Vevo’s monetization and how they pay more than YouTube23:44 Does Vevo pay the same amount to every distributor?25:46 What other music-related content Vevo allows26:47 Where else Vevo exists29:54 Vevo and YouTube’s shared sales environment30:41 Promotional editorial support behind the content32:30 What is pre-roll social media?35:22 Indie artist success stories within Vevo’s Discover series43:43 How do artists become a part of Discover?47:16 What’s the ideal artist pitch?49:41 Do artists need to be present on TikTok?52:27 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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 David McTiernan (Vevo):Website: https://www.hq.vevo.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmctiernan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmctiernan/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/davidmctiernanSpotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RWXpStyUbqJer6lmvXmBA?si=MiByvKM9Rh69JPJbwREnjA&dl_branch=1&nd=1Edited and mixed by Maxton HunterMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s Take Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Fatter is an indie-funk pop band from San Francisco, California, currently based in Los Angeles. During the summer of 2021, they embarked on a fully-independent statewide tour performing primarily in backyards. On this episode, half of the band members Tommy and Théo join Ari to discuss exactly how they successfully pulled this off, and share some very insightful tour stories throughout. Find out where they're performing next: https://morefatter.live2:36 Welcome5:13 Backyard tour conception story10:06 The challenge of pitching to the hosts13:47 Eventbrite ticketing process and free donation-based shows23:28 Who’s Big Booty Bertha?24:25 Donation-based shows (continued) 27:38 Keeping merchandise separate32:08 How the tour reintroduced people to society33:10 Burning custom CDs of their new album40:07 Last minute booking stories48:36 Sleeping arrangements on tour51:00 Take home gross revenue55:11 Deciding what cities to tour59:20 Advice on running your own PA system1:05:13 How playlists can save the vibe1:07:09 Different roles within the band1:10:19 The growth of real fans 1:16:53 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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/aristakeConnect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandFacebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with More Fatter:Website: https://morefatter.liveInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/morefatterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/morefatterbandPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/morefatter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talya Elitzer is the co-founder of Godmode, a GRAMMY-nominated artist development company whose label and management clients include genre-breaking artists like Channel Tres, JPEGMAFIA, and Yaeji. Prior to Godmode, Elitzer was a Senior A&R at Capitol Records (Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Beck), and a previous booking agent for WME (Britney Spears, Grace Jones) and Mick Management (John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan). At Godmode, Elitzer takes an unorthodox approach to artist development and marketing, with an unusually high track record for breaking artists who don't quite fit into pre-existing formats. She focuses on building sustainable operations for her artists, so they can maintain an uncompromising approach to their work. Learn more about Godmode: http://www.godmodemusic.com/03:44 Welcome04:43 Godmode’s inception story08:47 The harsh reality of getting a record deal11:17 How Godmode operates15:42 Are 360 deals still common?17:24 Licensing deal with a major label20:54 Channel Trace’s artist development23:54 Creating an artist world28:08 Evolution of Godmode’s release strategy33:21 Godmode’s marketing budget35:15 Social media and online campaigns41:39 Self-funding as an independent company43:30 The Godmode team44:26 Advice for independent artists46:50 Is there still a place for major labels?48:04 Godmode’s fanbase development53:38 The most effective communication avenue55:05 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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 Tayla Elitzer (Godmode):Website: http://www.godmodemusic.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godmode_musicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/talyagodmodeTwitter: https://twitter.com/GODMODE_MUSICTwitter: https://twitter.com/talyagodmode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Mangan is a two-time JUNO award winning and two-time Polaris Music Prize listed musician and songwriter, based out of Vancouver, Canada. Mangan has released 5 studio LPs and has embarked on various worldwide tours, most notably performing at Glastonbury, Jimmy Kimmel Live and selling out Massey Hall. Additionally, Mangan has scored for feature film, as well as television for Netflix and AMC. As of 2017, Mangan co-founded the Side Door alongside Laura Simpson. The “any space is a venue” marketplace platform ultimately matches creatives with spaces to host shows anytime and anywhere they choose. To learn more visit: https://sidedooraccess.com04:56 Welcome06:26 How Side Door started15:05 Connecting with your audience17:45 How Side Door benefits artists24:58 Tier ticketing integration28:08 How artists are using Side Door38:10 The state of performance venues post-pandemic42:36 Protecting artists with an automatic pro-remittance46:34 Average ticket prices and artist earnings50:46 The future of Side Door: in-person or online?57:07 Building artist communities by becoming hosts themselves1:00:09 Dan Mangan’s music career1:04:24 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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 Dan Mangan (Side Door):Website: https://sidedooraccess.com/homeTwitter: https://twitter.com/sidedooraccessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidedoor.accessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/danmanganmusic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we continue to honor Black History Month, we are re-airing one of our favorite NMB episodes with Vo Williams, an incredibly talented hip-hop artist based in Los Angeles. Vo is originally from Sarasota, Florida, and has been extremely successful in getting his music synced in film, commercials, TV shows, and video games. He has thousands of sync placements and makes a lot of money from them. He is also the beloved instructor for 'Ari's Take Academy's Advanced Sync Strategies' course. We go in deep to discuss practical, tangible, actionable steps you can take to get your music synced. Break out your notepad because you’re going to learn a lot.Quick links: 2:00 - About Vo Williams7:40 - When Vo thought he could pursue music professionally11:41 - Vo’s focuses at his performing arts high school14:27 - Vo’s next steps after he won a number of rap battles23:47 - Vo’s ghost writing and first time seeing music get synced28:15 - When Vo moved out of Florida and to Los Angeles30:55 - When Vo started getting into sync licensing35:06 - Vo’s first sync38:24 - Breaking down Vo’s first sync deal, payment, and royalties44:43 - The difference between a sync licensing company and a music library49:54 - There’s a lot of money in the backend royalties for sync licensing57:47 - How Vo went direct to various brands independently1:02:10 - Thinking about emotions when writing music and how they can be placed in sync1:03:43 - The production techniques that work really well in picture and why it works so well1:11:53 - More on how Vo got syncs independently1:14:14 - How to contact music supervisors and get started in sync licensing--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 Vo Williams: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/18KIg6ST1nUjVUvAlEB6ak?si=Uw72k5GzRKGrLYQx07mJ5wInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisvo/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Ari breaks down the whole Spotify issue of the moment and why the music industry seems to be up in arms. He discusses the discrepancy between streams and sales, why the per-stream rate is the wrong conversation to be having, how songwriters can get paid more from streaming, why everyone’s anger is misguided, how indie artists can monetize their audience, how many artists are actually earning $10,000+ from Spotify royalties.Read the article, Should Artists Boycott Spotify Like Neil Young: https://aristake.com/neil-young-spotify/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In honor of Black History Month, we’re re-airing one of our favorite NMB episodes with Brian Vickers. He is a music supervisor at Disney. He works in the in-house trailer department where he developed a number of trailers including The Avengers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi & The Rise of Skywalker, Black Panther, Soul, Hamilton, Frozen II, Black is King, and many, many more.Ari and Brian dig into all things sync licensing. They spend a significant amount of time on how to become a music supervisor. And they touch on how independent artists can get their music synced in trailers.3:11 - Working as a music supervisor for Disney since COVID-19 hit and quarantine started12:38 - "Custom spots" and what the conversations look like between music supervisors and musicians17:41 - How to find reputable trailer music production companies20:13 - Do these trailer houses have in-house composers or producers that they work with? 23:10 - Clearing tracks / staying away from samples and making supervisors' jobs easier25:35 - Placing a song because it is perfect and then it doesn't work out when it 'goes up the chain'28:39 - Breaking down the song placement process33:59 - Brian's musical background42:28 - Music supervisor and sync licensing community45:40 - How to reach out to music supervisors50:30 - How to become a music supervisor58:00 - What it means 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 Brian Vickers:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvickers318/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadTheCoolcatIMDb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvickers318/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hilary Gleason is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Backline, a non-profit that provides free mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals and their families. In this episode, Hilary breaks down Backline’s positive impact within the industry, and the various programs they offer such as weekly support groups over Zoom as well as therapy through their Case Management Program. Learn more about Backline: http://backline.care3:55 What is Backline?6:25 Programs offered by Backline7:11 Music industry culture13:23 Other mental health initiatives and programs in the industry15:04 Touring resources15:36 Practical advice for artists20:46 Social media comparison24:33 Black Mental Health Alliance, Asian and LGBTQ+ communities32:04 Therapy within Backline’s Case Management Program36:54 How Backline is funded39:09 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMYConnect 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 Hilary Gleason (Backline):Website: http://www.backline.care/Instagram: https://instagram.com/backline.careTwitter: https://twitter.com/backline_careFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/backline.care Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.