The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

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

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Connect with Ritt Momney:

Website: https://www.rittmom.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rittmomney

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7OtTy4s4swX4891VbF3Hg

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

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

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Stand Atlantic on Pop Punk Resurgence, Building a Fanbase Live Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Today my guest is David Potter of the band Stand Atlantic out of Sydney, Australia. This is the first guest on the show from the pop punk music scene. The band typically does 200 shows a year, and we talk about what it's been like going from 200 shows to 0 shows.

We dig into how they got started, found their manager, and booking agents. We discuss tour buy-ons and what he thinks of the whole pay-to-play system.

3:22 - How Australia's been during the pandemic

9:38 - Touring and the pop punk scene in Australia

13:59 - Music being cyclical and Stand Atlantic becoming accepted in the Australian music scene

17:30 - How most of Stand Atlantic's fans discovered them

21:06 - Using social media to build a following and splitting up band members' responsibilities

25:30 - Reckoning with streaming numbers

30:28 - David switching from the bassist to guitarist

38:04 - Stand Atlantic's sponsorship with Fender

39:44 - Don't fall for scams or pay-to-play situations

47:02 - Experimenting with livestream shows

51:48 - The process in creating "deathwish"

57:09 - How David defines success

1:00:49 - What it means to David to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1W2Fv4YUnjC8hx2qQd6fGh?si=WNqYxGhQT1i4kbAPRsj4mw&dl_branch=1

Connect with Stand Atlantic:

Website: https://www.standatlantic.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StandAtlantic

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Cory Wong on Vulfpeck, Freelancing and Band Leading Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Most know this week's guest, Cory Wong, as the guitar player for Vulfpeck, but he's also played in Jon Batiste's band for Stephen Colbert's late night show as well as Blake Shelton and others. He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I encourage you to spend time with this episode, especially if you're a session player, band leader, or studio cat. We talk about payment models, ethics, and etiquette when you're in the studio. He also shares some interesting stories about playing with Vulfpeck.

7:35 - What it's been like for Cory not being able to tour or play live

21:37 - Real world value vs. vanity metrics

28:07 - Cory and the Wongnotes

56:10 - What is the etiquette when working with other musicians in the studio or on set?

1:03:52 - How Cory dictates what sessions he takes

1:09:00 - Pay structure for Cory's hired musicians and Vulfpeck

1:25:00 - What it means to Cory to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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Connect with Cory Wong:

Website: https://www.corywongmusic.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/corywong

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqC08JWnJGJIgw43XJ0GXw

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Micro Sync Licensing with Musicbed CEO Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Daniel McCarthy is the CEO of FM, which includes the music platform Musicbed. It's one of the more popular sync hybrid platforms. It includes the typical sync agency but also acts as a music library. Musicbed works with indie filmmakers, wedding video filmmakers, and photographers. Their clients go all the way up to brands that place commercials in the Super Bowl and everyone in between.

We talk about how all of the smaller placements work and how artists get paid. We discuss how big sync licensing placements work and how artists are making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of their artists have made millions of dollars.

5:54 - How Musicbed got started and Daniel's story

13:12 - Musicbed's business model and definition of one stop

23:25 - What is micro licensing and content ID?

31:23 - How Musicbed subscriptions and the various levels of clearance work

35:45 - Getting screwed on a licensing deal and how to prevent it

43:21 - Fees for TV, film, and ad campaigns

49:09 - What Musicbed's artists are making annually

53:17 - Musicbed user interface

59:21 - How does an artist work with Musicbed?

1:01:36 - What it means to Daniel McCarthy to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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Publishing Deals, Songwriting Camps from Beyoncé Collaborators Noble Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

My guests today are Noble, a production duo originally from South Africa now residing in Los Angeles. They recently signed a publishing deal with Campfire Songs.

They talk about their story and are most known for their cut of Beyoncé's Lion King soundtrack. They have tons of other cuts with artists from all over the world, but they're just getting started. We nerd out a little bit on gear, analog and digital plugins, and they give some really good advice on how to get a publishing deal.

3:35 - How Noble met

7:30 - Noble's production process and how they work a session

15:09 - MIDI vs. acoustic instruments vs. plugins

23:18 - How Noble went from kids hustling to working with Beyoncé

31:18 - Attending a writing camp for Lion King and why it was such a humbling experience

35:00 - How Noble met their manager Seth Kallen

38:51 - How Noble's publishing deal is structured

45:00 - The difference between record deals and publishing deals

49:00 - Advice to upcoming songwriters and producers looking to get a publishing deal

55:26 - Next steps for Noble

58:45 - Why Los Angeles

1:04:00 - What it means to Noble to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

Connect with Ari Herstand:

Connect with Noble:

Website: https://www.noblemakesongs.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/noblemakesongs

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Album Release Strategy, Hot 100 Hit, from Create Music Group Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

My guest is Alexandre Williams, the co-founder and COO of Create Music Group. They're a distribution, publisher, YouTube royalty collection, rights management, influencer, and TikTok (through Flighthouse) marketing company. Inc Magazine named them the second fastest growing company in America in 2020.

Create Music Group has over 25,000 artists and 5,000 label clients. They distributed Tekashi 6ix9ine's track "Trollz" with Nicki Minaj, and it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's the first time that a completely independent, distributed single has ever reached the No. 1 slot in the Billboard Hot 100.

We discuss playlist pitching, release strategy, and how Create Music Group approaches working with their artists.

6:20 - What is the core mission of Create Music Group?

10:53 - Create Music Group's business model

12:27 - How CMG allocates their resources for their 25,000 artists

18:15 - Advances and CMG's proprietary algorithm to determine them

19:59 - Devoting time and resources into the 'middle class musicians'

24:52 - How CMG decides which artists to work with

28:18 - Building strategies for and with artists

31:55 - The secret to pitching to official Spotify playlists

38:18 - How much goes into the release plan before and after a track comes out

41:07 - How important is release day?

45:35 - How relevant is press today? Is it worth it?

48:36 - Breakdown of a marketing budget

54:16 - Advice to artists who don't get the response they're hoping for after their release

59:16 - What it means to Alexandre to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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They Hacked Their Way on Tour With their Favorite Band by Selling CDs to Fans in Line May 26, 2021

Show notes

Michael Walker is a keyboardist for the band Paradise Fears, who made headlines years ago for a thing they called "tour hacking." What they did was sold 24,000 CDs at around $10 in just a few months to fans standing in line for concerts. Not their concerts. This is the DIY method of DIY'ers.

Obviously this tactic doesn't really work anymore, so we talk about the evolution and what that turned into, what his ideas are now, and how you can turn those tour hacking ideas into something that works today. We went deep into marketing concepts, tactics, and human psychology.

4:15 - Selling CDs to people in line at other bands' shows and making more than $100k

13:12 - Going on tour with All Time Low

18:12 - Selling merchandise and building fans through social media

33:24 - Making money and just to make money + the super fan concept

39:10 - What has Michael learned by working with this grassroots band over the past few years?

47:55 - Facebook Messenger and paid traffic and goals

56:40 - Building effective funnels

1:07:45 - What it means to Michael Walker to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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Connect with Michael Walker:

Website: https://www.modern-musician.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjwalker0

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

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How to Go Viral on TikTok from Flighthouse May 19, 2021

Show notes

Today's guest is Austin Georgas. He is the senior account manager at Flighthouse Media. They are a full on influencer and media agency that help break songs on TikTok. They've worked on previous campaigns like Doja Cat's "Say So," Internet Money's "Lemonade," Surfaces' "Sunday Best," and Arizona Zervas' "Roxanne." They are one of the best at what they do.

Austin breaks down exactly how going viral on TikTok works and what the process is behind it and how micro and macro influencer campaigns are run at this moment. The influencer campaigns change all of the time, so he talks about how they change. If you're new to influencer marketing and TikTok, you're going to get a ton of valuable information out of this conversation.

6:00 - Background on Flighthouse and Austin Georgas

9:52 - The "Roxanne" campaign on TikTok

12:24 - Who is considered a "micro influencer"?

14:27 - TikTok's algorithm works much differently than Instagram's

18:45 - What it's like engaging micro influencers for a campaign

20:55 - Macro influencers and running campaigns with them

25:44 - What does viral and "number of videos" mean on TikTok?

29:29 - Using sounds on TikTok

39:36 - Does Flighthouse give creative guidance to influencers they're working with?

42:03 - How Flighthouse decides on influencers' compensation

48:10 - Working with labels' artists

51:19 - How many influencers does Flighthouse have in their roster?

52:17 - Why doesn't money go as far anymore on TikTok?

54:11 - How does an independent artist find micro influencers on TikTok?

1:00:42 - What it means to Austin to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

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Environmentally Friendly NFTs with Crypto.com's EVP May 12, 2021

Show notes

Joe Conyers III is the EVP and Global Head of NFTs at Crypto.com. He's also the co-founder of Songtrust, the largest admin music publisher. Songtrust is owned by Downtown Music Holdings, and when Joe was the chief strategy officer at Downtown they purchased CD Baby.

He was named a digital power-player four years in a row by Billboard magazine. The real headline of this episode is that Crypto.com hosts their NFTs on a much more environmentally friendly blockchain. It is not on the Ethereum blockchain, which has a massive impact on the environment.

4:48 - Joe Conyers III being the co-founder of Songtrust and explaining what an NFT is

9:35 - How NFTs relate to music right now

10:50 - The most popular NFTs, why people are spending so much money on them, and authenticity

18:46 - Tracking resells of an NFT

21:47 - The difference between a sale and an auction

28:15 - Blockchain technology and how a transaction works

31:25 - What happens if a place you purchase an NFT goes down or gets hacked?

35:03 - Buying and reselling on different platforms

36:50 - How does Crypto.com work?

45:17 - Environmental impact of NFTs and the blockchain

55:09 - What it means to Joe to make it in the new music business

Connect with Ari’s Take:

Website: https://aristake.com

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

Connect with Ari Herstand: