The Future of What

Merch sales is one of, if not the primary, revenue generator for artists at certain levels of their careers. Tie this into the fact that merch proudly worn or displayed by their fans helps spread the word about their music, and it becomes all too essential for today?s artists to have a strong merch strategy. This important need is what led Vanessa Ferrer to found Merch Cat, a POS & inventory management tool that helps artists track what merch they sell each night on tour, easily identify what merch items & types of products are most popular among their fans, and unify sales across the merch table and a fan-centric shopping app. We spoke with Ferrer about Merch Cat?s story, the importance of using sales metrics to understand your fanbase, why every artist should have a holistic approach to merch sales, and beyond!

With almost a decade of experience securing copyrights for artists & rightsholders, Cosynd identified that music producers were being potentially priced out of registering their backlog of work with the U.S. Copyright Office. This led them to develop a new group registration service, allowing producers to save time & money by registering groups of beats and other musical elements instead of individually registering each element. We spoke with Cosynd CEO, Jessica Sobhraj about this new initiative, the company?s mission of supporting creators? legal protections, the importance of registering music with the Copyright Office, and much more!

While looking into higher-ed music business programs, David Fritz and Steven Ship found that the segmented approach to curriculums was helpful for new students, but it did not help artists and songwriters who needed to know the ins-and-outs of how the industry works for their already established careers. This led them to start Creative Intell, which offers practical classes that give students insights and step-by-step guides on everything from recording and releasing a cover song to tracking all of their income streams. In our latest podcast, we discuss the platform?s founding, the feedback from early users, future plans for expansion and updates, and more!

With more artists creating and releasing more music now than ever, there is a major need for new revenue streams and funding options to help artists take their careers to the next level. This month on The Future of What, we speak with two representatives from companies that do just that: Nick Struzenski of Vault, a bespoke catalog brokerage & artist funding service, and Matthew Tilley of beatBread, which provides funding for artists & labels alike powered by data science. Tune in for conversations about their companies? offerings, why the need for funding is so prevalent right now, how new technologies like machine learning are making it easier to provide funding, and more!

RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) was founded in 2021 as a collective of artists, performers and music professionals with disabilities seeking to raise awareness of disability culture in the music business. Since then the organization has worked to advocate and create opportunities for disabled music professionals and ensure they have access to inclusive & accessible spaces, including partnering with the GRAMMYs to make the annual awards event more disability-inclusive. This month, we spoke with RAMPD?s founder, Lachi & President, Precious Perez to learn about RAMPD?s story and what the group is working on in 2024!

Sync placements have become a highly lucrative revenue stream for artists and rightsholders alike in recent years, as the production teams behind tv shows & movies constantly search for the perfect tracks to set the scene in their latest project. With that expanded attention to this part of the business comes a lot of extra paperwork, something that until recently sync licensing teams did not have help with. This month, we spoke with Trevanna Tracks? CEO, Jennifer Freed and COO, Selina Meere to learn more about the company?s origins, its all-in-one solution for logging & organizing complex sync project data, and the importance of centralizing this data to increasing sync teams? productivity!

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was founded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a lifeline for small live music houses, pulling together federal grant money to ensure that venues would remain afloat until it was safe for artists to tour again. Since then, the organization has shifted focus to develop a member services suite, tackle major issues like the ticketing debacle, and address the needs of venues on a local level. We spoke with NIVA's Executive Director, Stephen Parker about the organization?s history and recent advocacy work, as well as the variety of issues indie venues still face.

Founded in 2020 by five tenured independent music professionals, Exceleration Music set out to invest in music rights, enter strategic partnerships and develop a suite of support services, all backed by authenticity and reverence for everything essential to indie music?s DNA. The company doubled down on that commitment in September 2023 by acquiring Redeye Distribution, effectively creating an indie music powerhouse with a vast catalog and distribution reach potentially rivaling that of the major labels. In our first podcast of 2024, you?ll hear from Exceleration founder & managing partner, Glen Barros and Redeye co-founder, Glenn Dicker about the acquisition and how it stands to benefit the entire indie music business!

Tune in to this special message from Music Business Association President, Portia Sabin with some updates regarding our inaugural Trust & Safety In Music Symposium, Music Biz 2024, the Common Ground Webinar Series & our new Music Biz Events app, changes to our website & socials, and more!

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic opened eyes across the world to just how vital touring & live music is to the entire music business ecosystem. As venues of all sizes closed to stop the spread of COVID, a number of organizations and initiatives were founded in the first pandemic year to help local independent music houses financially stay afloat. Today, these groups now work to keep the live industry alive, providing vital grant funding and support networks to ensure these important local cultural centers remain open. This month we spoke with Executive Director of the Live Music Society, Cat Henry about how her organization got its start pre-COVID, as well as the ways it has evolved since 2020 to assist the U.S. live music industry!

In just a few short years, song lyrics have gone from a ?nice to have? addition that music fans could seek out in liner notes or on the internet to a hot commodity on streaming platforms, graphics-heavy promotional videos, user-generated content and beyond. This month, we talk with LyricFind Founder & CEO, Darryl Ballantyne about the evolution of lyric-centric products, how his company liaises with labels & publishers to help support their needs, the renewed importance of proper song translations as music?s reach breaks cultural barriers, and much more!

While some say nothing quite captures the experience of listening to music performed in-person, new technologies are bringing unparalleled levels of immersion to the music listening experience. Enter Dolby Atmos, an immersive audio format which debuted for movies more than a decade ago that is now available across music services on 2.5 billion devices. In our latest podcast, Dolby?s Head of Music Industry Relations, Christine Thomas discusses the evolution of the company?s immersive audio efforts and how it gives artists the ability to deliver their music to audiences in an exciting new medium!

Bad actors have already learned how to exploit generative AI to either pose as popular artists or misappropriate copyrighted material. However companies like DAACI are working with artists, songwriters & composers to develop tools that are additive to the creative process, helping to eliminate tedious parts of their job and overcome writer?s block. In our latest podcast, we talk to DAACI CEO, Rachel Lyske about her company?s mission to support composers with a tech suite backed by three decades of research and deep collaboration with members of the creative community to address their specific needs!

After running a record label and finding common issues across several different music distribution platforms, Gregory Hirschhorn decided to enter the distribution space with Too Lost, paying extra attention to technologies and methods for combating fraud. The company uses Know Your Client (KYC) protocol, which has roots in the financial industry, to add extra security for users uploading their tracks for distribution to DSPs. This added measure helps to weed out bad actors who game the system to generate undue revenue. In our latest podcast, we talk with Hirschhorn about the benefits of implementing KYC tools and how they help protect artists and relevant rightsholders.

While generative AI can be used to help human creators develop original works, concerns exist as major film & TV studios stand to reap huge financial benefits by using the technology to wholesale develop screenplays or substitute in digital recreations of actors. This is one of the pillars of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, as workers in the creative industry fight for regulations on the technology to ensure they are not exploited for the sake of corporate profits. In our latest podcast, J. Christopher Hamilton of ARS Counsel joins us to discuss the ins-and-outs of the present issues around the strikes, as well as what early steps are being taken to support creative professionals.

Recent months have shown an uptick in the frequency and variety of fraudulent music streaming practices, allowing bad actors to collect undue revenue by criminally inflating the number of streams for tracks they upload to DSPs. In the first of two episodes this Fall covering music streaming fraud, we talk to CD Baby's Chief Revenue Officer, Christine Barnum about the history of fraudulent behavior since the start of digital music sales, CD Baby?s participation in the Music Fights Fraud initiative, why there is a need for a coalition to combat streaming fraud, and what steps are being taken today to address the issue.

Originally hailing from the record label side of the business, Bruno Guez founded Revelator 10 years ago to help jumpstart an evolution in digital payments to help meet the needs of the increasingly digital music industry. Fast-forward to today, and Web3 asset distribution & sales may have a similarly transformative effect on the global music business. In this month?s interview, we spoke with Guez about how Web3 will help artists & rightsholders monetize new forms of interactive content and build connections between artists and their fans with direct compensation models!

The Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement is one of the Music Business Association?s highest and longest-standing honors, presented to individuals or organizations who have contributed greatly to the overall success of the music industry. In our latest podcast interview, Gina Miller of MNRK Music Group ? our 2023 Presidential Award winner ? discusses her life journey from piano student to accomplished music industry executive, approaching her music industry career as a fan first, her advocacy work across Nashville Music Equality and other outlets, and so much more!

AI and machine-learning technologies have been utilized in various capacities in the music industry for decades now. However, the rise of Generative AI ? which uses existing human-created art within its algorithms to generate content ? presents new legal challenges over who is compensated when the tech is used. This month, we spoke to the NMPA?s Danielle Aguirre about the current legal issues regarding copyright for AI-generated content like music, and what organizations like the NMPA are doing to support songwriters.

At the outset, Amber Health was founded to analyze the mental health needs of artists & touring professionals and develop resources to support them navigate their incredibly taxing line of work. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, its mission and scope expanded to create boots-on-the-ground support for the mental health needs of all music industry professionals. In this interview, we speak with Amber Health co-founder, Dr. Chayim Newman about the organization?s mission and evolution over time, and what it?s doing to support executives and artists alike.

The performance sports space offers an exciting new revenue opportunity for artists whose tracks are properly licensed for use in gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and beyond. This month we talk with Chantal Epp, the founder and CEO of ClicknClear, a tech-based solution for athletes and program directors to access pre-cleared licensed music that ensures artists are paid for the use of their songs!

2022 marked the first edition of Music Biz?s Bizzy Awards program, a crowd-nominated series of honors recognizing music industry individuals and companies who strive to advance commerce in our industry and make it a better place to work. This ceremony marked the debut of the Leading Light Award, which is given to a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health, wellbeing and work/life balance. In our second episode covering the 2023 Leading Light Award, we talk with Mike Heyliger of The Orchard, Sarah Robertson of A to Z Media, and Karen Steincke of WMG about each company?s nomination and how they have evolved to support their staff!

2022 marked the first edition of Music Biz's Bizzy Awards program, a crowd-nominated series of honors recognizing music industry individuals and companies who strive to advance commerce in our industry and make it a better place to work. This ceremony marked the debut of the Leading Light Award, which is given to a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health, wellbeing and work/life balance. In our first of two episodes interviewing nominees for the 2023 Leading Light Award, we talk with TuneCore CEO, Andreea Gleeson about the company's nomination and how the company has evolved to support its staff!

Black Lives in Music (BLiM) began as after Blackout Tuesday in 2020 to combat issues of systemic racism in the UK music industry. After learning there was no available data on the topic, the organization commissioned a survey of 2,000+ artists & industry professionals about issues & perception of racism in the region. In our latest podcast, we speak with BLiM CEO, Charisse Beaumont on what?s changed since the first report was released, and what hurdles the UK industry still has to overcome.

Released on International Women's Day 2023, the 3rd iteration of the BE THE CHANGE study showcases the perspectives of more than 1,500 music industry professionals across 100+ countries on how gender discrimination is both experienced and perceived across the music industry. We continue our coverage of the BE THE CHANGE study by talking with TuneCore CEO, Andreea Gleeson about her perspectives on gender parity in the music industry and how it compares to other businesses, the ways that intra-industry partnerships are leading to better data on and action to correct discrimination & inequity in our industry, and much more!

Released on International Women's Day 2023, the 3rd iteration of the BE THE CHANGE study showcases the perspectives of more than 1,500 music industry professionals across 100+ countries on how gender discrimination is both experienced and perceived across the music industry. In the first of two episodes focused on this year's report, Matthew Yazge of Luminate breaks down findings from this year's survey and their impacts on industry professionals, and discusses possible solutions to issues of systemic discrimination.

For many years, smaller independent labels have found it challenging to provide health insurance options to their employees that were not cost prohibitive. This month we talked with A2IM's President and CEO, Dr. Richard Burgess about the A2IM Benefits Store, launched in September of 2022 to deliver member labels access to affordable health insurance packages, as well as other vital resources they may need.

While major strides have already been made to improve the work culture of companies across the music business, it?s a never-ending task to ensure that EVERYONE who works in our industry is welcome, supported and truly happy in their day-to-day roles. To kick off the new year, we sat down with BMI?s SVP, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Sandye Taylor in a conversation about sustaining the important work of supporting both greater inclusivity across the global music business and work-life balance with consideration for mental health needs.

Born from the renewed calls for focus on mental health & wellness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lazuli Collective works to establish "a new cultural paradigm" that puts the human needs of both artists and music industry executives front and center. In this month's interview, we sat down with the organization's founder, Brandon Holman, to discuss how the Lazuli Collective is making a difference for entertainment professionals, as well as the cultural shift taking place to support mental health and well-being.

It is of utmost importance for creators, especially in the age of digital music consumption, to log EVERY detail of who participates in the preparation of a song to ensure that all collaborators are properly paid. With his background as a songwriter and producer, Niclas Molinder set out to create a creator-friendly toolset to help not only fairly track credits directly in-studio, but also facilitate deeper collaboration. At Session, he's done just that with the help of some high-profile partners ? listen to this month's episode to find out how!

The recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to increase royalty payout rates for songwriters and publishers is a great step forward in fairly compensating creatives for their work. However given the complex nature of the industry, other segments of the business, particularly those involved in selling and distributing music both physically and digitally. In this episode, we discuss the industry-wide implications of the rate increase with Colin Rushing of Duck Road Advisory LLC and Danielle Aguirre of the National Music Publishers? Association (NMPA).

Over the past two years, we?ve seen a major shift from pursuing incremental change to taking truly meaningful action in establishing a more inclusive and equitable workforce. In this month?s episode, we talk to three executives leading the charge to bolster diversity and inclusion in the music industry about the successes of their initiatives and what work still needs to be done.

In this month?s episode recognizing Disability Pride Month, Music Biz President talks with singer/songwriter and disability advocate, Lachi who founded RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), a coalition that works to build support for disability culture and inclusion for creatives & industry professionals with disabilities. Tune is as Lachi shares the story of her journey from artist to advocate, recent successes for disability visibility & inclusion, and what changes must still be made.

Now more than ever, it is vital to amplify and celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in an industry like ours where they've had an immeasurable impact. In honor of Pride Month, we discuss the state of queer visibility & representation in the music business, both for artists and executives, with Joshua Dickinson of Queer Capita and Sydney Christensen of Kill Rock Stars!

The financing options available to artists at all levels of their career are much more robust today than they?ve ever been, allowing them to accelerate their exposure and access tools to create music more in-line with their original vision. In our latest podcast, Music Biz President Portia Sabin talks to Andrew Bergman, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings and Alex Heiche, Founder and CEO of Sound Royalties about what?s out there and how to find assistance!

What began as a way for independent record store owners to bolster foot traffic and sales has grown into a shining example of, "if you build it, they will come." In celebration of Record Store Day's 15th anniversary in 2022, Music Biz President Portia Sabin discusses the origins of the event and its affect on the recent resurgence of U.S. vinyl sales with: Brittany Benton, Brittany's Record Shop Carrie Colliton, Record Store Day Larry Jaffee, Making Vinyl Carl Mello, Newbury Comics

From its humble beginnings on Orchard St. in NYC 25 years ago to the use of wide-reaching distribution tools used by artists & their teams across the globe today, The Orchard's mission has not changed in its first quarter-century: work to help indie artists get their music out to the masses. In the latest episode of The Future of What, listen in as The Orchard's Co-Founder, Richard Gottehrer and COO, Colleen Theis discuss the company's past, present and future, as well as how the landscape of music distribution has changed since its inception!

We're excited to bring you the first new episode of The Future of What since 2020! Listen in for expert insights from Beatdapp co-founders, Andrew Batey and Morgan Hayduk, as they discuss the ins-and-outs and different types of fraud which are present in the streaming ecosystem and how they can be detected. Plus, Melissa Morgia from the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry)shares perspectives on the impact of streaming fraud outside of the U.S., its effects on music consumers, and international legal rulings setting precedent to protect artists from unlawful actions.

One of the more important pieces of the Music Modernization Act passed in 2018 was the establishment of the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Similar to SoundExchange, the MLC (as it?s commonly referred to) is a third party organization that exists for the purpose of collecting the royalties (mechanical) that are generated from plays on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. In addition to collecting said royalties, the MLC (like Soundexchange) is also responsible for dispersing those royalties to self-publishing artists and publishers alike, who have registered with them, or who have had their info logged by the Harry Fox Agency.

With states opening up more and more spaces to the public, the question on some minds is ?When will live music return, and what will it look like once it does?? Can venues enforce social distancing responsibly? Will half capacity be enough to sustain artists, venues and crew financially? What can venues do now to assure that they will survive long enough to re-open down the road? We get answers to these questions and more from the audio taken from a recent MusicBiz Live! session.

Episode #189 : While the long term effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on the music business are yet to be known, there are lots of real-time metrics to be analyzed in the interim. With the postponement of Record Store Day, and most record shops being closed to the public, the effect on physical sales during this time should be obvious to most. The less obvious changes to global music consumption are the ones that are happening in the digital space, particularly around streaming services and music video plays. What genres are booming, and which ones are seeing a decline in listenership in those spaces? Listen now and find out from our panel of experts. Guests: David Bakula (MRC Data) Russ Crupnick (MusicWatch) Sania Haq (AudienceNet) Rutger Rosenborg (Chartmetric)

While many have speculated about what the long term economic impacts of the COVID-19 quarantine might be, fewer have openly discussed what the long term psychological impacts on society might be. In this episode, Portia speaks with several mental health experts who were actively working with musicians before the quarantine began, and gets their take on what was working for their clients pre-quarantine and what should happen next, if those mental health gains are to be maintained.

Over the past several episodes, Portia has had countless discussions with the heads of music business organizations who represent various facets of the industry within the United States. This week, she?s speaking with their peers and equivalents in the U.K. and E.U. about how they?re weathering the pandemic, and what efforts their various governing bodies are making to aid musicians and other cultural workers in this time of crisis. The six person panel also speculates on what happens next within the industry, as other interconnected industries come back online or remain closed for an indefinite amount of time.

Episode #186 : While the effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on live entertainment and brick and mortar retail are already apparent, other sectors of the music industry like publishing haven?t truly felt the effects of the pandemic yet because of their buffered collection timeline. Will some sectors bare the brunt of this pandemic, while others thrive? Join us this week as Portia speaks candidly with members of the MusicBiz board about how they intend on mediating the effects of this pandemic on their particular niches inside of the music business, and what best practices look like moving forward.

Episode #185 : It should come as no surprise that independent record stores have been particularly hard hit by the ?shelter in place? orders established by many states around the country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some retailers have pivoted to online sales and other creative means to keep customers happy, but for many brick and mortars, this move just isn?t enough to maintain community or their bottom line. To make matters worse, the revenue generated by Record Store Day will not be coming anytime soon, as the worldwide event has been pushed back until June, at the very earliest. How will your favorite record stores survive this pandemic? Tune in and find out!

Episode #184 : On this week?s episode, we?re revisiting another MusicBiz LIVE! event that features candid conversation about what music business trade associations are doing to help their specific constituencies navigate the COVID-19 quagmire. Joining Portia in conversation about the CARES Act and more are : Mitch Glazier and Michele Ballantyne of the RIAA, Richard Burgess of A2IM, Bart Herbison of the NSIA, David Israelite of the NMPA and Sarah Trahern of the CMA. Listen in to find out what relief is coming your way, and learn how to access it in your particular district or state with the help of this week?s guests.

Episode #183 : In the few weeks since our last episode, COVID19 has changed the world and how we interact with one another, and that has had many impacts upon the music business as a whole. With venues and record stores closed to the public for the foreseeable future, musicians are having to find new ways to interact with their fans, and because of the quarantine, most of those interactions are happening virtually. To help with this transition to a digital-only reality, the teams at Facebook and Instagram are rolling out new products and initiatives to help musicians and their fans establish new types of relationships that will work in the new paradigm faced by us all. In this episode, we revisit a public conversation between Portia Sabin, Perry Bashkoff (Instagram) and Mayola Charles (Facebook) that was part of a MusicBiz Live! webinar that occured on April 6, 2020.

Episode #182 : While many people start their career in the music business by forming a band or record label, and learning the industry?s norms and quirks largely through trial and error, others choose to enroll in various university programs to learn about the industry. This week we?re exploring what those university programs look like for both undergraduate and graduate students, and what the key takeaways from those programs are. Join us as we speak with Serona Elton (University of Miami), Joe Rapolla (Monmouth University), and Larry Miller (NYU Steinhardt) about the different kinds of programs that they help facilitate for students at their respective academic institutions.

Episode #181 : Music production has become increasingly fragmented thanks to the advent of affordable studio technology and high speed internet connections, which comes with both benefits and drawbacks. The main benefit is that band members and songwriting teams can now collaborate from anywhere in the world at any time of day, and they can arrange for special guest features with little more than a simple email exchange. The drawback to this evolution is that proper attribution for these collaborations are often messy, overlooked, or forgotten altogether, as the musicians involved are wearing too many hats in the studio. Thankfully, new online systems like Jaxsta and VEVA Sound have entered the market to help consolidate credits and session files into one simple place, so that everyone involved gets their due credit. Join us this week as we speak with Jaxsta CEO Jacqui Louez Schoorl, VEVA Sound president Deborah Fairchild, and Grammy award winning engineer/producer Reid Shippen about how these systems are being used in today?s top studios.

Episode #180 : Matt Black and Jonathan Fine first joined forces in the late 1980?s, after a chance encounter at a local record shop. Now, some thirty-odd years later, the two are still working together in multiple capacities, and show no signs of stopping. They?ve released multiple albums as the electronic duo Coldcut, and helped produce several others, in addition to founding the highly regarded UK electronic label Ninja Tune, which is now in its thirtieth year of existence. In the recent past, they?ve also turned their attention to making musical software, like the Ninja Jamm app, that allows both novice and pros alike to remix and create music on the go with their smart device. Join us this week as we speak with both Matt and Jon about their history as a band and their philosophy as label owners and app developers.