Spotify is the streaming service that we’re all learning to hate, with its CEO investing in military AI, users unhappy with the interface and recommendation engine (not to mention the AI slop), and artists perpetually complaining about the payout per stream. To counter at least a few of these concerns, the streamer has created a […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, Is AI really coming for your gig, or are most musicians worried about the wrong things entirely? In this episode of my Inner Circle Podcast, author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton breaks down what AI actually means for working artists, producers, and songwriters . . . . . . and […]
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For those of you old enough to remember, back in the early days of FM radio where playlists were non-existent, the free-form nature of the medium then was the heyday of the disc jockey (or “presenter” if you want to get official about it). We relied on their taste in order to learn about new […]
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If I had to pick a moment when rock music became passé, it was when the Guitar Hero game peaked in 2008. By 2009 the game and the genre had run out of steam and it’s been all downhill from there. Rock really never died like the game, and if anything, the genre is even […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, what role do commercial recording studios really play in today’s home studio world? I sit down with Sam Rudy, founder of Pro Studio Time, to explore whether studios are still necessary for modern music production, or simply a creative luxury. From writing camps and residential studios to AI disruption and […]
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On this week’s Inner Circle podcast episode, I sit down with Adrian Weidmann, CEO and founder of Immersive Design Labs for an in-depth conversation about immersive audio. During the interview we talkabout why Dolby Atmos and immersive audio have left so many engineers scrambling, and how the real breakthrough is not technology, but clarity. Adrian […]
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Ever since streaming came along, figuring out how something charts on Billboard has been anything but clean. Before streaming, a sale of a CD or vinyl record was a sale, but until recently, 1,500 paid streams counted as 1 sale. In January, Billboard changed the ratio so that 1,000 paid streams equals 1 album sale, […]
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Ever since musicians and artists have been online it’s been a hope and dream to have a song go viral. Yeah, it sounds great to blow up overnight, but the problem is, it hardly ever happens. That’s now been quantified at about a 1.1% chance, according to a new report by Duetti. For its Music […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, I sit down with DJ Bander, Zach Schnall, CEO of Bander Productions, to explore how artists can build real career momentum in today’s music business. From jazz roots to electronic dance music success, Zach shares how he transitioned genres, built a brand, invested in marketing, and developed the business skills […]
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Until a few days ago I thought that iTunes was no more, replaced by Apple Music. I mean, no one talks or writes about it anymore. The fact of the matter is it’s still around, and although iTunes sales are not exactly going up, sales remain remarkable steady. In short, it’s not going anywhere thanks […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Ben Ikwaugwu, CEO of SoundCheck Live, about why the freelance economy is growing faster than the tools designed to support it. Drawing from his background as a professional vocalist and supply chain professional, Ben explains why fragmented communication, lack of systems, and disjointed execution make it harder […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with legendary Nashville engineer and producer Ed Seay about AI generated demos, modern songwriting trends, mixing tools, and how the Nashville sound has evolved. From demo studios being bypassed to why human instinct still cannot be replaced, this conversation offers an inside look at where music has been […]
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Music streaming royalty calculators have been around for a while now, and you can find a number of them online. They all give you roughly the same result, but the one I trust the most is from Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, the large entertainment legal practice. I thought I’d give it whirl just to see […]
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Chartmetric came out with a report that looked at the entirety of the music business (at least from their data perspective) that outlined the realities of music in 2025. Out of all the things that the report mentioned, what caught my attention was the data on syncs for films and TV. Let’s take a look. […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Prospect Hill drummer and FanFlowy co-founder Mark Roberge reveals how the music industry still lacks the systems that every other business takes for granted. From cost-per-acquisition to automated fan engagement, Mark shares why most artists burn out – and how FanFlowy was built to fix that. If […]
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