Musonomics

Latest Episodes:

How China's Music Market is Going Legit Apr 21, 2017

Show notes

In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller looks beyond the borders of the United States and dives deep into the music industry of the world's most populous country: China. To better understand why one of the world's largest economies still has a music market smaller than that of European countries like Austria or Sweden we talk to Ed Peto, music executive and founder of Outdustry, and Billy Koh, the Simon Cowell of China and the founder and former CEO of the record label Ocean Butterflies.

Lyrics, Lyricists and Licenses Mar 02, 2017

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In this episode of Musonomics: how does lyrics licensing work and who benefits from it? Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt talks to Darryl Ballantyne, CEO of LyricFind, about what it was like to try and start a lyrics licensing business before the music publishers understood lyrics licensing was a thing. Songwriter Phil Galdston talks about how the changes in the music industry have affected the songwriters. And we also hear from New Yorkers about how they learn lyrics.

Who Cares About Quality? Nov 14, 2016

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In the first episode of our third season of Musonomics, Larry Miller takes a look at the future of high quality music streaming services. To investigate whether or not there's enough room for a profitable niche market supporting multiple competitors in the high-resolution music market, we talk to MQA CEO Mike Jbara, 7 Digital Deputy CEO Pete Downton, and HDTracks CEO David Chesky.

Bright Lights, Music Cities (and States) Aug 03, 2016

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In this episode of Musonomics: what does it mean to be a Music City? The term "Music City" is becoming widely used in cultural communities and has penetrated the political vernacular in many cities around the world. But just because a city has lots of live music venues, doesn't make it a Music City. There needs to be a formal strategy in place to optimize the music industry present in a city. Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt and producer Carmen Cuesta Roca speak to Shain Shapiro, Manager of the Nighttime Commission; Mirik Milan, the Night Mayor of Amsterdam; music publisher Justin Kalifowitz, the cofounder of New York is Music, which has raised awareness around the cultural and commercial impact of music on the region; and Julie Menin, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment on what New York City is doing to support a robust music economy.

Music, Data and the Blockchain: A Digital Utopia? Jun 30, 2016

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In this episode of Musonomics: why are more and more music industry insiders looking to Blockchain technology as a solution to the metadata problem? What really is the Blockchain? And why is it so important? These are just some of the questions host Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt, and co-host Carmen Cuesta Roca will unpack. The episode features PledgeMusic founder Benji Rogers, who is evangelizing a comprehensive database of music metadata on the Blockchain. Singer-songwriter Imogen Heap sheds light on the potential for accurate and intricate metadata. And Bill Rosenblatt of Giant Steps Media Technology Strategies explains that industry-wide standards are key to the metadata problem, but the complexity of the music industry and its vast number of stakeholders will make those standards difficult to achieve.

The Headwinds Facing Music Startups Jun 02, 2016

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In this episode of Musonomics: why are music startups struggling to thrive, or even simply survive? Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt heeds several perspectives to understand why the space for music startups is so unforgiving, and what music startups can do to be successful. Cortney Harding discusses the recent slowdown in the music startup space. Edward Ginis and his business partner Brady Brim-DeForest, share of their success with their own startup, OpenPlay -- one of the lucky ones able to spin out of a major independent label. David Pakman of Venrock explains why his firm has never invested in a digital media company. Jon Vanhala, formerly of Universal Music and now at Crossfade Partners, offers insight into who can be blamed for the fact that music startups are finding it so hard to make money. Finally, we hear from Michael Dorf, who turned away from the internet business and is now generating more profit than ever through live music experiences at his City Wineries across the country.

The Vinyl Resurrection Apr 22, 2016

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In this episode of Musonomics: what's driving the resurgence of vinyl. Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt looks up the production line to see how the format is maturing, and what's holding it back from even faster growth. Josh Friedlander, the RIAA.s data guy, talks about the continued growth of vinyl in the age of streaming. Billy Fields, the vinyl guy at Warner Music Group, chats with us about whether vinyl is heading for a plateau. And Eric Astor of Furnace Manufacturing takes us into the factory and through the manufacturing process from finished audio file to a pristine, pressed, perfect vinyl record.

Songwriting, Consent and the Age of Discontent Mar 31, 2016

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In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller takes a look at how the copyright and royalty payment system is failing a new generation of songwriters. Ari Leff, a developing songwriter/producer who records as LAUV, and Nashville songwriter Brett James, who has written huge hits for Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride, share the struggles of modern songwriters. We take a look back at how the collective licensing system was put in place -- and how the Consent Decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI fail to protect the economic interests of songwriters in the modern music-consumption landscape. With ASCAP's Clara Kim, music attorney Chris Castle and The New Yorker's John Seabrook, this episode is packed with expert analysis and insight into how our antiquated music copyright system is breaking down -- and how we might start to mold a better future for American songwriters.

Music in the time of Politics Mar 02, 2016

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Presidential politics is in the air! Hot on the heels of Super Tuesday we delve into the world of presidential campaign music. We take a trip back in time to look at how music has been used in American presidential campaigns from Washington to Obama and beyond, with lessons from the current election cycle. With Ben Sisario of the New York Times on the impact that music can have on a presidential campaign, and entertainment lawyer Joel Schoenfeld and NYU Law School Professor Christopher Sprigman on what happens when music is used without the artist's and songwriter's permission.

Music, Money and the Super Bowl Feb 04, 2016

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Super Bowl 50 is this weekend, and on this episode of Musonomics, NYU Steinhardt Professor Larry Miller examines music's relationship to the NFL's biggest day. We'll take a look back at some classic ads to see how and why the Super Bowl became so important to advertisers, and Josh Rabinowitz of Grey Advertising sheds light on how music works in Super Bowl ads. Then it's on to the halftime show and a chat with Ed Christman of Billboard about the show's marketing power -- and how a half time show performance drives the sale of records, downloads and streams.

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