The Future of What

Latest Episodes:

Episode #255 — The Tech and Music Industry Crossover: A Conversation with OpenPlay's Edward Ginis @ Music Biz 2025! Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Edward Ginis, Founder and CEO of OpenPlay, attended his 15th Music Biz Conference this year. In this episode, he discusses how the Conference continues to evolve with the times, providing true substance and debate over platitudes and hype. In the same vein, Edward touches on just how crucial it is for our industry to nurture entrepreneurs and startups in a mutually beneficial relationship. He discusses how the Conference's startup programming, including OpenPlay's "Break The Silos. Build The Future." Hackathon, allows our industry to both progress in tandem with the tech space and show investors that music companies are worth collaborating with. Finally, he covers hot-button topics such as AI and copyright registration, and how we as an industry have to step up where the government leaves gaps!

Episode #254 — Hear from Lauryn Menard, Creator of the GOB Sustainable Earplug Brand! Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

The difficulty common earplugs have conforming to each person's unique anatomy leads to frequent struggles with actually keeping these devices in our ears – not to mention the poor sound quality they create by blocking out only the top frequencies. Biomaterial professor and industrial designer, Lauryn Menard may very well be revolutionizing the future of earplugs, as she has pioneered a solution that not only resolves these issues but also provides a more sustainable option for our environment. Her company GOB has created aerial mycelium foam earplugs that conform to each person's ear shape and dampen all frequencies for a balanced & comfortable listening experience. In this episode, Lauren touches upon the journey that led to the creation of GOB, strategies the company is using to successfully market their product to consumers, and upcoming venue partnerships.

Episode #253 — The Music Merchandising Experience with Kerstyn Inouye of Top Drawer Merch May 20, 2025

Show notes

Top Drawer Merch began their journey through collaborating with artists to create charity bracelets. Today, they service clients both in and out of the music industry, producing apparel & a variety of other merchandise. Implementing a traditional brand approach, they understand that merch is not just a band's logo on a t-shirt – it's a story told through the product that comes back full circle, tying into a much larger ecosystem. Kerstyn Inouye, Marketing Director of Top Drawer Merch joins us this episode to discuss the opportunities superfans bring to merchandising, loyalty programs, what it's like to work with niche bands & their managers, and creative strategies the company implements to maintain a smooth on-site merch experience.

Episode #252 — How Friends of Noise is Creating Opportunities for the Youth of Portland Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Friends of Noise, an organization supporting the creative youth of Portland, Oregon since 2016, is expanding their educational programming with the opening of their all-ages venue, "The Off Beat." The nonprofit hosts professional development workshops and produces all-age concerts where teens can perform on-stage, run sound, accept tickets & create posters, with their youth sound engineers being hired to produce local events ranging from block parties to weddings. In this episode, we speak with their Executive Director, Andre Middleton on the organization's plans for a silk-screen printing microloan program, their upcoming season pass program, the new venue's specs & how they envision it as a stepping stone for emerging bands!

Episode #251 — Music Biz in Atlanta: The Horne Brothers Highlight ATL's Booming Music Economy Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Building on our series of interviews with Atlanta locals, we spoke with Byron, Ryon & Tyson Horne, better known as The Horne Brothers. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, the brothers highlighted Atlanta in their 2024 documentary, "The South Got Something To Say." Though Hip-Hop's birthplace is credited as New York, the documentary discusses how a large share of popular hits and collaborations have come from Atlanta. It also covers the city's status as a music melting pot that has created unique, cross-genre sounds through a welcoming network of studios, artists, producers and other talent. This makes Atlanta a strong force in the overall music economy, and therefore the perfect place for music execs to meet for Music Biz 2025. Tune in to hear more on how music impacts the city's education system, sports & film sectors, and how both the Music Biz Conference and Atlanta's local government can spark impactful movements.

Episode #250 — Angry Mob Music's Marc Caruso Addresses What Indie Publishers Need Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Independents make up 40% of the publishing industry, and yet, they struggle to leverage deals. Why? It all comes down to industry fracturing that is preventing the emergence of their collective voice. Angry Mob Music CEO, Marc Caruso touched upon this in his Billboard op-ed, "Why It's Time for Indie Publishers to Get Angry," where he highlights how the collaborative environment of the indie publishing space makes rallying together for change an easier and more organic process. In this episode, we speak with Caruso on what it means to be truly independent, the current landscape of publishing & label markets, how indie music companies can collaborate and more!

Episode #249 — Girlilla Marketing's Jennie Smythe on the Evolution of Digital Marketing & Female Representation Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Jennie Smythe, CEO of Girlilla Marketing, not only brings on unique & interesting clients, ranging from local businesses to well-known actors, but has proudly ensured her agency remains female-led throughout the 17 years she has been running it. With her tenure as a woman in both the music and digital marketing industries comes a great deal of lessons imparted onto her – thus, she decided to compile them all into a memoir. In this episode we dive into Smythe's journey that led to her memoir, the evolution of diverse representation in the music industry, how the digital age has allowed for increased artist & fan expression, and the role of creativity in marketing.

Episode #248 — Marketing In The Live Event Sector With Nederlander's Jamie Loeb Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

The financial loss our industry faced when touring came to a halt during COVID-19 has brought attention to the importance of the long glossed over live sector. From here, NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association) was born, where Jamie Loeb, SVP of Marketing for Nederlander, worked tirelessly to help secure the biggest arts grant program in history from Congress – $16 billion of aid used to keep promoters, festivals and venues afloat. In this episode, we speak with Loeb on her work at NIVA & Nederlander, the career journey that brought her here, and the live event marketing process. Loeb zeros in on the power of social media for marketers & artists alike in targeting specific fan demographics, and explores how this knowledge can be translated into creating a live concert audience.

Episode #247 — How The Music Leaders Network Empowers Female, Trans & Non-Binary Music Executives Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

The Music Leaders Network exists to establish a network of underrepresented female, trans & non-binary music executives and support their industry careers. In our latest podcast, we speak with Music Leaders Network co-founders Remi Harris & Tamara Gal-On about the organization's origins, its latest UK cohort & expansion into Nordic countries, the changing landscape of DEI initiatives in 2025, and so much more!

Episode #246 — Music Biz In Atlanta: Discussing the City's Thriving Music & Tech Culture with Shachar Oren Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

With the Music Biz Conference coming to Atlanta for the first time this year, we're continuing our series of interviews with local executives to learn more about the city's thriving music & entertainment business scene. This month, we spoke with Atlanta-based Shachar Oren of a media technologies venture capital firm, Sound Media Ventures, on his experiences in the city at the crossroads of music and technology. Tune in for his perspectives on why Atlanta is the perfect place to bring our Annual Conference, ranging from its status as an international business hub & large artist community to its bolstering presence in the music tech space & growth as a home for venture capital in the last decade.

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