The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

Latest Episodes:

How Gamers Helped NEFFEX Get 4 Billion Streams Without a Label Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, I spoke with artist NEFFEX (Bryce Savage) and his manager Ryan Sullivan of ATG Group (Against The Grain). We breakdown NEFFEX’s impression release strategy in which he successfully released one copyright free song a week (yes, you read that right!) to eventually surpassing 4 billion DSP streams all independently. We also dive into his previous record deal with 12Tone Music, embracing TikTok’s open verse challenges as well as how he expanded his role as a songwriter and producer.

2:20 Welcome

3:45 NEFFEX’S backstory

6:56 Where NEFFEX’s songs were streaming

8:54 Royalty free beats and unauthorized remixes

10:17 Driving forces behind promoting a song a week

12:10 NEFFEX’s pricing model

13:06 To credit or not to credit…

14:00 The process behind releasing a song a week

15:33 What attributed to the growing streams

17:37 What followed after this release strategy

19:38 How Ryan began managing NEFFEX

26:21 Getting attention from different distributors and labels

28:14 Breakin down NEFFEX’s record deal with 12Tone Music

35:52 The harsh reality signing with a label

43:04 How NEFFEX’s model evolved by embracing TikTok

47:07 TikTok’s open verse challenges

48:54 TikTok followers translating to NEFFEX’s own music

53:58 Remastering and re-releasing old catalog

58:51 Designing artwork with a quick turnaround

1:00:36 Why spending money on music videos is a waste

1:03:05 Engaging with fans and what’s on the horizon for NEFFEX

1:12:05 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Connect with Bryce Savage:

NEFFEX Website: http://www.neffexmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neffex

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/neffex

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3z97WMRi731dCvKklIf2X6

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBefBxNTPoNCQBU_Lta6Nvg

Connect with Ryan Sullivan:

Against The Grain (ATG): https://www.againstgrain.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-sullivan-a31713b4/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsryansullivan

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artist Management, Major vs. Indie Labels, Release Strategy with Brilliant Corners Manager Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

This week on the New Music Business, I spoke with the co-founder and partner at Brilliant Corners Artist Management, Jordan Kurland. Artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Toro Y Moi, She & Him, Best Coast, Soccer Mommy, Real Estate, New Pornographers, and Pup are all amongst their diverse talent roster. We discussed what the role of an artist management entails, his history working with Death Cab, building career artists without relying on TikTok, as well as the best methods for artists who are seeking management.

3:18 Welcome

5:00 Brilliant Corners Artists Management

10:26 How artists communicate with management team

17:00 Artists specializing in a certain niche

21:29 What does it mean to manage talent?

27:55 Building career artists without relying on TikTok

35:12 Finding partnerships for newer artists

37:31 Inside the Atlantic Records recording deal

44:42 Death Cab's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark"

49:17 Kurland’s management approach

53:58 Artist release strategy

1:03:08 Major labels vs. indie labels

1:05:19 Advice for artists seeking management

1:11:53 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Connect with Jordan Kurland:

Brilliant Corners: https://brilliantcorners.com/

Website: https://www.jordankurland.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-kurland/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordan.kurland/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeitpop

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Tai Verdes Went from TikTok to Top 40 Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

This week on the New Music Business, I spoke with the multi-faceted Ryan Chisholm. He is the General Manager of Work of Art Management, as well as the Senior Vice President of Arista Records’ West Coast division. At WoA, the company currently represents notable artists such as Mike Posner, Trevor Daniel, Verzache, Tai Verdes, Wes Period and MILCK. Prior to WoA and Arista Records, Chisholm worked with Nettwerk Music Group under their Artist MGMT and A&R department.

In this episode, we dove into Tai Verdes’ musical journey, the significance of TikTok, influencer marketing deals and gaining leverage with the major labels. To learn more about Work of Art, visit: https://workof-art.com

4:06 Welcome

6:12 Work of Art Management

12:11 The story behind Tai Verdes

16:11 Creating partnership with Tai Verdes

21:42 TikTok influencer marketing deals

28:50 Gaining leverage with the major labels

35:07 Preparing a tour for someone who’s never performed

38:02 Advice for independent artists

41:30 Should artists be embracing Snapchat?

43:03 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Connect with Ryan Chisholm:

Work Of Art (Website): https://workof-art.com/

Work Of Art (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/woa/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanchisholm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanchisholm

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanchisholm4/

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Handling Your Music Finances From a Business Manager and Accountant Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

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 Welcome

7:30 What does a business manager do?

9:00 Sirius XM and Sound Exchange

13:30 Bookkeeping process

17:45 Taxes

22:00 What is a tax return?

32:30 LLC Vs. S Corp

45:45 Payroll

49:00 AB5 Law

53:30 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 Zoom

1:08:00 Alternative to Legal Zoom

1:11:20 Statewide tax rates

1:14:45 Thank yous and final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Connect with Khloe:

Pink Noise Management: https://www.pinknoisemgmt.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khloechurko/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinknoisemgmt/?hl=en

Connect with Stephanie:

Website: https://stephbelcher.com/

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/wsmb

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegbelcher/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness/

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Trousdale Went From 0 to 1M Listeners in 1 Year Independently Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

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 Welcome

5:00 The story behind their single “Do Re Mi”

10:00 Self-producing their music

11:40 The creation process for arranging vocals

17:44 Engaging responses from listeners

20:35 Why no music was released before 2020

21:43 Overcoming the pandemic

28:39 The importance of self-care

32:29 Release strategy as independent artists

36:04 Creative partnership with their entire team

42:38 Navigating TikTok

56:45 TikTok trends

1:03:00 Content batching days

1:05:46 What’s next for Trousdale in 2022?

1:08:08 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Trousdale:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trousdalemusic

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trousdalemusic

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/trousdalemusicband

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trousdalemusic

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSDILgezaZWbAIyf2zqcnaQ

VoyageLA Interview: http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-trousdale/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trousdalemusic

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How & Why To Put Music Videos on Vevo Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

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 Welcome

4:29 What Vevo is and how it is different from YouTube

6:46 Official music videos and linear programming

8:11 How do indie artists get their music videos on Vevo’s platform?

13:24 Merging official YouTube channel with Vevo

17:50 Vevo’s monetization and how they pay more than YouTube

23:44 Does Vevo pay the same amount to every distributor?

25:46 What other music-related content Vevo allows

26:47 Where else Vevo exists

29:54 Vevo and YouTube’s shared sales environment

30:41 Promotional editorial support behind the content

32:30 What is pre-roll social media?

35:22 Indie artist success stories within Vevo’s Discover series

43:43 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 question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with David McTiernan (Vevo):

Website: https://www.hq.vevo.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmctiernan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmctiernan/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmctiernan

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RWXpStyUbqJer6lmvXmBA?si=MiByvKM9Rh69JPJbwREnjA&dl_branch=1&nd=1

Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

$50K in 2 Months Playing Backyards And How They Did It with More Fatter Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

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.live

2:36 Welcome

5:13 Backyard tour conception story

10:06 The challenge of pitching to the hosts

13:47 Eventbrite ticketing process and free donation-based shows

23:28 Who’s Big Booty Bertha?

24:25 Donation-based shows (continued)

27:38 Keeping merchandise separate

32:08 How the tour reintroduced people to society

33:10 Burning custom CDs of their new album

40:07 Last minute booking stories

48:36 Sleeping arrangements on tour

51:00 Take home gross revenue

55:11 Deciding what cities to tour

59:20 Advice on running your own PA system

1:05:13 How playlists can save the vibe

1:07:09 Different roles within the band

1:10:19 The growth of real fans

1:16:53 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with More Fatter:

Website: https://morefatter.live

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morefatter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morefatterband

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morefatter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Because Labels Don't Develop Artists, godmode Steps In Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

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 Welcome

04:43 Godmode’s inception story

08:47 The harsh reality of getting a record deal

11:17 How Godmode operates

15:42 Are 360 deals still common?

17:24 Licensing deal with a major label

20:54 Channel Trace’s artist development

23:54 Creating an artist world

28:08 Evolution of Godmode’s release strategy

33:21 Godmode’s marketing budget

35:15 Social media and online campaigns

41:39 Self-funding as an independent company

43:30 The Godmode team

44:26 Advice for independent artists

46:50 Is there still a place for major labels?

48:04 Godmode’s fanbase development

53:38 The most effective communication avenue

55:05 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Tayla Elitzer (Godmode):

Website: http://www.godmodemusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godmode_music

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talyagodmode

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GODMODE_MUSIC

Twitter: https://twitter.com/talyagodmode

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

House Concerts and Ticketed Livestreams with Side Door's Dan Mangan Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

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.com

04:56 Welcome

06:26 How Side Door started

15:05 Connecting with your audience

17:45 How Side Door benefits artists

24:58 Tier ticketing integration

28:08 How artists are using Side Door

38:10 The state of performance venues post-pandemic

42:36 Protecting artists with an automatic pro-remittance

46:34 Average ticket prices and artist earnings

50:46 The future of Side Door: in-person or online?

57:07 Building artist communities by becoming hosts themselves

1:00:09 Dan Mangan’s music career

1:04:24 Final question

Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb

Ari's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.com

Watch more discussions like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc1Fatf4celK3kYoJ6FUdN7qtYSCvAAMY

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

Academy: https://aristakeacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.take

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aristake/

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Website: https://ariherstand.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand

YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariherstand

Connect with Dan Mangan (Side Door):

Website: https://sidedooraccess.com/home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sidedooraccess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidedoor.access

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danmanganmusic

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Vo Williams Got Over 1,500 Sync Placements Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

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 Williams

7:40 - When Vo thought he could pursue music professionally

11:41 - Vo’s focuses at his performing arts high school

14:27 - Vo’s next steps after he won a number of rap battles

23:47 - Vo’s ghost writing and first time seeing music get synced

28:15 - When Vo moved out of Florida and to Los Angeles

30:55 - When Vo started getting into sync licensing

35:06 - Vo’s first sync

38:24 - Breaking down Vo’s first sync deal, payment, and royalties

44:43 - The difference between a sync licensing company and a music library

49:54 - There’s a lot of money in the backend royalties for sync licensing