The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

We are in very interesting times. Last week's episode was all about musicians for black lives and what this movement is all about and what we can do as allies. It has been a challenge for me personally to understand where I fit in with this movement. I've been using my platform to encourage other musicians and people with influence, namely white people, to stand up and support our black brothers and sisters through this movement.I've been getting a lot of questions about releasing music right now. I've thought a lot about that because it's not just about releasing music but what we should be posting on social media. Should we be promoting anything other than the movement? There's really not a right or wrong answer. I think everyone needs to do what makes sense for them.If you have more money than time, then donate to organizations that are supporting the movement. If you have more time than money, then spend time educating yourself.We recorded this episode about a week before George Floyd's death. So we're not going to be mentioning this uprising. We talk about what it's like running our careers and writing music during COVID-10 and quarantine. We hear from all of the Ari's Take Academy instructors, including Lucidious (Streaming & Instagram Growth), Vo Williams (Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games), Kristen Mathe (Cracking Colleges), Andrew Spalter (Breaking China), and Allyson Toy (Breaking China).--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/ariherstand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My thoughts on what this moment and movement surrounding Black Lives Matter, #DefundThePolice and the death of George Floyd requires of white people. Namely musicians. -- Quick links: 1:20 - About the Black Lives Matter movement and the system that has been setup to strongly favor white people3:30 - Attending the Black Lives Matter protest in Hollywood, California and the work the black America needs us to do10:45 - What does defunding the police actually mean?14:00 - Alicia Garza's interview on Meet The Press about defunding the police15:24 - Patrisse Cullors on defunding the police17:09 - "But all lives matter!" 20:18 - Trevor Noah on the right way to handle things24:06 - This not a time to tune out and why the show had to be paused on June 2nd30:00 - Two actionable things you can do to educate yourself31:18 - Ta-Nehisi Coates testifying in Congress about reparations for HR-40 -- Resources mentioned: Who in Music is Supporting the Black Community (spreadsheet): https://aristake.com/post/music-supporting-black-communityThe Case for Reparations: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/13th: https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741Rolling Stone: The Music Industry Was Built on Racism: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/music-industry-racism-1010001/Sonya Renee Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/sonyareneetaylor/The Show Must Be Paused: https://www.theshowmustbepaused.com/Trevor Noah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_cTa-Nehisi Coates testimony on reparations at House hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcCnQ3iRkysMeet the Press interview with BLM’s Alicia Garza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxwFJIQUWfg&t=1424sBLM’s Patrisse Cullors on Defunding the Police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYa1WjHtzKc&t=119s -- 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: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is singer-songwriter Kevin Garrett. He is an extremely talented R&B, Neo-soul, and soul songwriter. It was such a treat to speak with him. Famously, he's Grammy-nominated for writing Beyonce's track "Pray You Catch Me" from her 'Lemonade' album. In this episode we discuss his music publishing deal with Roc Nation and his distribution strategies, his music creation process, and remaining independent.Note: We recorded this call over Zoom, and the technical gods were not in our favor during this interview. If you're hearing glitches and sentences being cut off, that's what's going on. We edited it as best we could so you can understand him, and it's still an incredible conversation. ---Quick links: 3:14 - Staying busy during the quarantine6:14 - Kevin playing UnCancelled Music Festival + keeping the local music community venues alive8:21 - Growing up in Pittsburgh and going to New York University10:54 - Kevin's first release, 'Mellow Drama,' and how it was made12:09 - Is the home studio just for demos or do those recordings make the album? 13:22 - About the music creation process and using samples16:14 - Kevin Garrett's unique sound20:34 - Remaining independent and the behind the scenes to a growing career27:54 - Kevin's publishing deal and how everything gets set into motion33:44 - When Kevin found out he made the cut on Beyonce's 'Lemonade' album37:06 - Kevin's writing process when he's collaborating with others in the studio41:14 - Protecting yourself with agreements and contracts44:34 - The conversation nobody wants to have: splits, ownership, money48:49 - Kevin's deal when he's the producer54:06 - What it means to Kevin to 'make 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 Kevin Garrett:Website: https://kevingarrettmusic.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinogarrett/Facebook: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is my good friend, Andrew Leib. He's an artist manager at Red Light Management. He's worked on the teams of Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Counting Crows, Three Doors Down, Emily King, Lecrae, Luke James, Cory Henry, Victoria Canal, Nu Deco Ensemble. He's worked with a lot of artists. Andrew and I get into his story and what he looks for in artists that he wants to work with and how artists can reach out to managers. We dig into artist branding and his process on how to put a package together. This was a fun episode for me to be able to catch up with one of my best friends.---Quick links: 2:04 - Andrew going to China for a nine city tour7:20 - Being a hands-on manager and 'being in the band without being on stage with them.' 9:30 - Things Andrew's learned about being a manager from his years of experience in the music business17:05 - Creating an authentic artist brand so fans can connect to them25:51 - The Nu Deco Ensemble project, an orchestra for the 21st century37:12 - Do you need a manager? What Andrew looks for in clients before bringing them onboard.44:30 - Getting a manger doesn't happen from the first meeting. It takes time. 55:00 - How do you reach out to a manager after you've built up your business?1:00:31 - How Andrew defines 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: https://facebook.com/ariherstandConnect with Andrew Leib: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leib/Twitter: https://twitter.com/grandwazoo4u Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is with Madame Gandhi (birth name Kiran Gandhi). She's an incredibly inspiring person, an activist, and feminist. She started her career drumming for M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, and embarked on Oprah Winfrey's Vision 2020 tour before the COVID-19 pandemic. Gandhi is also a recording artist and speaker. She also holds an MBA from Harvard University.We talk about release strategy, how she creates her music and high production value music videos as an independent artist. ---2:25 - Madame Gandhi's tour with Oprah Winfrey7:00 - Kiran getting her MBA and how she did it with her touring schedule8:50 - Kiran's Indian heritage and culture15:12 - When Kiran Gandhi came up with the name and project Madame Gandhi18:04 - What Madame Gandhi thinks an activist is19:30 - How Kiran chooses which companies/brands to work with27:15 - Switching sides: Going from employee to employer and what the responsibilities are like31:10 - How often Madame Gandhi does high production music videos31:46 - Staying healthy on the road and when you're away from home33:28 - Madame Gandhi's viral moment running the London Marathon36:27 - The 'Visions' EP's story38:04 - Madame Gandhi's creation process - is there a lot of collaboration? What DAW Madame Gandhi uses41:50 - Maintaining Gandhi's sound and why her drumming skills are vital when writing music43:33 - Gandhi's independent career and why she hasn't signed to a major label47:20 - How many shows Gandhi has performed as Madame Gandhi48:20 - The independent musician hustle - Gandhi's Instagram strategy and understanding your brand56:40 - The release strategy for Madame Gandhi and the thought process behind her methods59:30 - Remaining close to the original message of the song when creating music videos and visuals1:01:38 - What it means to Madame Gandhi to make 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 Madame Gandhi:Website: https://www.madamegandhi.com/Facebook: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Dani Deahl. She's the music and technology writer for The Verge. In addition to being a journalist, she's a DJ and the Vice President of the Recording Academy, Chicago Division. Dani and I dig into what it's like being a woman in a male-dominated industry. She also gives some tips on how to break in and become a professional DJ. We also discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry.---Quick links:2:27 - Getting started as a DJ and how the industry has evolved4:40 - Growing up in Chicago and realizing there weren't many role models6:11 - Having a lot of male peers8:20 - Who Dani went to when these derogatory actions happened11:38 - How to be an ally to women in the music + advice to guys to know when they're crossing the line19:06 - Is harassment becoming less prevalent? How has it changed over the years? Has your treatment being a DJ changed? 24:40 - How often Dani DJs25:20 - Tips and tricks on breaking into the DJ/producer world27:32 - Is there a digital calling card to send to promoters for DJs? 28:53 - The importance of Instagram33:38 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music43:50 - Will AI take over the live DJ space?49:15 - "Context listening"54:22 - Spotify playlist editors too powerful1:06:55 - What is the Recording Academy? Dani's role as Vice President, Chicago Division1:11:53 - How to get into the Recording Academy1:19:10 - Who owns the copyright in a co-created song with artificial intelligence?1:34:15 - How Dani defines making it in the new music business---Playlist Push review: https://aristake.com/post/playlist-push-review150+ Female Producers You Need to Know: https://aristake.com/post/150-female-producers-you-need-to-know---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 Dani Deahl:Instagram: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is with superstar Grammy-winning producer and "Godfather of Trap," Zaytoven. He is one of the most influential producers in hip-hop right now. He's a Grammy winner and has worked with artists like Future, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Usher, T.I., Pusha T, and 21 Savage, to name a few.There are a lot of interviews with Zaytoven out there. He's an interesting guy with a cool workflow. I didn't want him to tell the same stories and answers he's told before. So we dug into what you're most interested. We talk about his processes, manager, music community, and much more. If you're a hip-hop producer this is a must-listen episode. Zaytoven dropped endless gems throughout this episode, giving advice to emerging up-and-coming producers on how they can develop their sound. He shares the stories of how he did it and how you can do it as well.---Quick links: 4:46 - About Zaytoven and how he got started making beats8:16 - Was Zaytoven selling his beats to artists early on?10:28 - How Zaytoven got acclimated to the music community in Atlanta, Georgia11:49 - Zaytoven's advice to young producers to know when they're ready to start sharing their music13:17 - How producers can find their own sound17:00 - How Zaytoven's workflow has shifted since he initially started18:30 - Does Zaytoven create beats himself or does he collaborate? 20:13 - What Zaytoven does with his finished beats21:00 - The pressure Zaytoven feels to innovate his iconic sound23:33 - Producers who are 'chasing' a sound that's already established and not creating their own sound26:17 - Releasing music under his own name and the strategies in releasing so much music30:18 - Is Zaytoven on TikTok?31:40 - How Atlanta, Georgia has evolved over the years and why it's Zaytoven's favorite place to live35:50 - How Zaytoven manages all of his projects and keeps everything organized39:00 - Zaytoven's music release strategy and his involvement in Familiar Territory Records48:22 - What it means to Zaytoven to make it in the new music business---Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://www.aristake.comInstagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/ariherstand/Instagram (Ari's Take): https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Twitter (personal): https://twitter.com/ariherstandTwitter (Ari's Take): https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Connect with Zaytoven: Website: https://www.zaytovenbeatz.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaytovenbeatz/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digitaldopeTwitter: https://twitter.com/zaytovenbeatzYouTube: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Lucidious, a hip-hop artist originally from Virginia now living in Los Angeles. I’ve covered him in the book and on the website quite a bit. He has an interesting story from the business perspective. He has over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify without any official playlist inclusion, label, or manager. This translates to more than $20,000 per month from streaming revenue.I brought him onto the show so we could go deeper into his story. We talk about digital marketing and all aspects of his business. We talk about his family. We discuss mental health because a lot of his fans connect with him on a deep level due to their own struggles with mental health. This was a very enriching and inspiring conversation for me to have, and I think you’ll get a lot out of this as well.Ari's Take Academy: Streaming & Instagram Growth with Lucidious (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.teachable.com/p/streaming-instagram-growth---Quick links:4:10 - About Lucidious11:39 - What inspired Lucidious to write lyrics? What was the beginning of the journey like? 17:50 - When did Lucidious begin rapping?25:48 - How much say Lucidious has in his productions because of his diverse musical tastes34:46 - What are the marketplaces artists can purchase cleared tracks? 38:03 - Was Lucidious' first album officially released or just through SoundCloud? How the Lucidious name came to be54:15 - Gaining popularity through video ad campaigns1:02:00 - When does Lucidious decide to point the ad campaigns directly to Spotify?1:04:50 - Messages that Lucidious receives and how he helps those who are struggling1:15:40 - Where Lucidious draws the line when responding to fans1:21:47 - Advice for artists who are receiving dark messages from fans - and how to emotionally protect themselves1:28:47 - Lucidious heading out on his first headline tour1:42:48 - How Lucidious defines making it in the new music business---Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://www.aristake.comInstagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/ariherstand/Instagram (Ari's Take): https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Twitter (personal): https://twitter.com/ariherstandTwitter (Ari's Take): https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Connect with Lucidious:Website: https://www.lucidiousmusic.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0S8NV7XoWi7arXWSRqI3dS?si=JOwNzVHkT_2m1xkGZsx1LQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA0jmO32RNZBXHXvb34yBrgSoundCloud: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patreon co-founder and CEO, Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets co-founder, Jack Conte, believes in digital art. He believes in artists and he believes in fans to support artists. So much so that his company Patreon is setup to facilitate a symbiotic artist/fan relationship. He is the founding member of (and still active in) Scary Pockets, but doesn't tour with them and discusses how they're able to get millions of streams and views. Jack is an inspiring dude and this episode will no doubt, brighten your day.---Quick links: 5:04 - When Patreon got started and when it moved out of Jack's house7:08 - Why Jack continued with Patreon in addition to being a musician and where he's at now with it13:35 - How the artist-fan relationship has evolved and where it's going16:27 - Is it required for artists to be community leaders and managers?21:15 - How Jack has seen Pomplamoose fans engage with them and the difference between a budget and a beacon24:07 - The unique ways that communities are engaging each other27:14 - How Discord is different than private Facebook groups28:35 - When is it a good time to start a Patreon? 31:17 - Where are you seeing communities form prior to joining Patreon?32:20 - How are musicians transitioning from doing a bunch of hands-on labor to services like Patreon?39:00 - About Scary Pockets project48:04 - What's next for Jack Conte?51:10 - What it means to Jack to make it in the new music business---Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://www.aristake.comInstagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/ariherstand/Instagram (Ari's Take): https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/Twitter (personal): https://twitter.com/ariherstandTwitter (Ari's Take): https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Connect with Jack Conte:Facebook (Pomplamoose): https://www.facebook.com/musicpomplamooseFacebook (Scary Pockets): https://www.facebook.com/scarypocketsTwitter: https://twitter.com/jackconteInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackconte/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode features Vo Williams, an incredibly successful hip-hop artist based in Los Angeles. Vo is originally from Sarasota, Florida and has been very 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. 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.Ari's Take Academy: Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games with Vo Williams (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.teachable.com/p/advanced-sync-strategies-film-tv-video-games--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/ariherstand Connect with Vo Williams: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/18KIg6ST1nUjVUvAlEB6ak?si=Uw72k5GzRKGrLYQx07mJ5wFacebook: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.