And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today's guest is a Grammy Producer of the Year who's tied with Babyface for the only three-in-a-row run in the award's history — and whose real story isn't the trophies, the radio, or the run of hits. It's the decision he makes once every few years that almost no other producer at his level makes: which artist he'll spend the next decade building.From frontman of touring indie band Steel Train to one of the most decorated producers of his generation, he built his career against almost every modern industry instinct.This is one of the more honest conversations about what it actually takes to bet a decade of your career on one person. When you're quietly refusing the industry's playbook from inside the room — who do you become?And The Writer Is... Jack Antonoff!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:• The importance of finding your people• Why "Album is God" — and what a single actually is• The Sabrina Carpenter origin: a random run-in two weeks after a Bleachers show• "Workaholics aren't disciplined. They're sad." — why he refuses all-nighters• The "Getaway Car" bridge moment Taylor's documentary caught in real time• 5 voices that feel like 100 — the "Please Please Please" vocal stack walkthrough• The artists he's passed on who became stars — and why he doesn't regret it• Why he writes his best on instruments he doesn't understandAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers Association. Your support means the world to us.And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS0:00 Intro1:10 Ross gave Jack his first co-writing session2:42 The myth and folklore of the LA writing scene8:02 "There's no proof more sessions makes you better"10:08 What gives energy vs. what takes it13:12 Body-of-work first, not single first16:48 "Album is God. Singles are a long hallway to nothing."17:58 The hit-song tour that sold 12 tickets19:17 Sabrina, Chappell, Charli — the only lesson from artist development22:35 Working with artists who already have the vision23:33 Amy asks: how do you make something timeless?25:40 Album tracks are like movie scenes — "Scarface doesn't fit in The Holiday"26:55 How the sonic palette emerges (Mastermind, Tulsa Jesus Freak)31:43 Bleachers — letting the band teeter33:22 "I write my best on what I understand the least"37:47 "Workaholics aren't disciplined. They're sad."40:18 The "Getaway Car" bridge moment Taylor's documentary caught41:28 Keeping it small even when the artist is the biggest in the world44:24 Writing for yourself is how you reach more people48:48 "Geniuses finish things"52:01 Why he protects his circle from outside voices54:37 What Producer of the Year three years in a row actually means56:36 The producers Jack steals from (Jeff Lynne, Sam Dew)61:17 5 voices that feel like 100 — "Please Please Please" stack walkthrough64:10 Dyslexic, Adderall, the VS 840 zip-disk teen years68:13 Authenticity is the only currency that lasts68:57 When their song "March" became a MeToo women's marches anthemCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadPost-Production VFX by Pratik KarkiWatercolor by Michael White

Today's guest is a multi-instrumentalist, music educator, interviewer, producer, and songwriter. He is also one of the most influential independent music voices online. His real story isn't the channel he built after a 90-second video of his son's perfect pitch hit 80 million views overnight, it's his incredible value to the music community and the conversations he sparks online about the state of the music industry and his conversations with some of the biggest creators within it's orbit.This is one of the more unflinching conversations we've had about what's actually happening to music. Two musicians from different generations of the same fight, working it out in real time. Where do you stand when the rules of the music industry keep changing under your feet?And The Writer Is... Rick Beato!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:How getting dropped in 1999 built a YouTube empire 16 years laterWhy Ringo would be a co-writer of every Beatles song in 2026The Eli Mercer experiment: building a fully fake AI artist with Claude — and what happened when he uploaded itThe NPR EDM stunt: 4 million monthly Spotify listeners, 6,300 followers, and what that math says about AIThe 90-second video of his son's perfect pitch that hit 3 million views by 10pm and 80 million total"There's no two current artists with the gravity of Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder" — and Ross's case for their modern counterpartsWho is the Michael Jordan of pop music? Queen at 3 billion streams enters the chatWhy Ross is still bullish on songwriting — and what the Music Modernization Act got right that the No Fakes Act needs to finishAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers Association. Your support means the world to us.Chapters0:00 Intro2:14 The beginning of Rick Beato's music career3:11 The rollercoaster of an early music career5:32 The Napster era and the dawn of digital recording9:16 Producing Shinedown — and how "Simple Man" became the hit10:54 Why "Yellow Ledbetter" was a B-side — and why bonus tracks are back12:48 What country radio still gets right about hits14:54 Inside Nashville sessions and the number triangle17:28 The future of AI in music — and the No Fakes Act21:20 The future of prompting and curating music23:54 Would The Beatles be a four-way publishing split in 2026?25:39 The modern music economy: are album tracks worthless now?27:58 American writers are chasing global stars now34:30 The Eli Mercer experiment: a fake artist built with Claude36:52 The NPR EDM stunt and what it proved about AI on Spotify41:18 4M monthly listeners. 6,300 followers. AI is winning the algorithm.42:58 How Rick Beato built a YouTube empire45:22 The "What Makes This Song Great" era51:49 1984 vs now — and the search for a modern Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder54:18 Who is the Michael Jordan of pop music?55:51 Queen at 3 billion streams — what counts as "biggest"1:00:28 Golden, Blinding Lights, and what makes a 2020s standard1:06:53 Songwriter similarities and the lawsuits that never happened1:09:42 "Best era of pop music. Am I wrong?"1:13:56 1998: how Clear Channel and Cumulus consolidated radio1:20:14 The Music Modernization Act and what's actually next1:24:54 Is the future of songwriting still bullish?Credits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadPost-Production VFX by Pratik Karki

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . This week Ross dives into No Fake Act, Justin Bieber's comeback to charts since Coachella, Country & KPOP chart toppers & more. Tune into this weeks episode of ATWI with Roget Chahayed.

Today's guest is a prolific producer behind Sicko Mode, Broccoli, Bad at Love, Kiss Me More, Laugh Now Cry Later, First Class, and APT. — but whose real story isn't the catalog. It's how most of those songs happened by accident.A classically trained concert pianist who spent his teens grinding through Liszt and Prokofiev knuckle-busters, Rogét quietly became one of the most important producers in modern pop and hip-hop — and almost none of it happened the way he planned.This is one of the more honest conversations about what mastery is actually for — what happens when a decade of preparation collides with a 9pm pull-up, a stock preset, and a flute sound turned on by accident. When the world keeps rewarding your simplest moves, who do you become?And The Writer Is... Rogét Chahayed!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:Years of grinding Liszt and Prokofiev — and a first big check from four major triads on a fluteThe three-week run in 2016 that produced Broccoli, Skywalker, Bad at Love, and the seed of Sicko ModeThe Mr. Miyagi era under Doctor Dre's right-hand man — and a pajama meeting at Dre's hidden studioSicko Mode — made on a stock preset in a closet-sized vocal booth — and the moment he heard it open AstroworldKiss Me More — a 2-5-1 with a walk-down — and what jazz school actually trained him to doCo-executive producing Jack Harlow's album from 4pm to 4am for a year — and how First Class came togetherAPT. — the song he forgot about until Bruno Mars mentioned it at a friend's barbecueAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us.Chapters0:00 Intro2:12 "How does a classical pianist come up with the chords for Broccoli? By turning the keyboard on."4:24 The 9pm Yachty pull-up and the original Korg stock piano6:35 Hearing his flute everywhere — Macklemore, Drake's Portland7:50 The early break that taught him how the music business actually works13:39 "I believe in the good of the business — we can be the generation that watches each other's backs"15:59 Lebanese father, Argentine mother, and a meet-cute at a gas station17:00 Why his dad named him Rogét19:35 Discovering jazz at 15 and the chord that opened the world up24:14 College, hip-hop, and reading liner notes for Scott Storch and Ryan Leslie33:30 Telling Eastern parents he was leaving Juilliard-track for hip-hop37:03 Getting kicked out, teaching 25 piano students a week to survive41:45 The Mr. Miyagi era — Mel-Man, strip-club errands, and getting hazed46:17 The pajama meeting at Doctor Dre's hidden studio50:08 His Lebanese dad hearing Broccoli on the radio52:17 NMPA54:36 Bad at Love — the beat he made and forgot57:50 What is a songwriter? Rogét's answer1:01:28 Skywalker, Hit-Boy, and the arpeggios that became the splish1:04:00 Sicko Mode: a stock preset, a closet-sized vocal booth, and Travis pulling up1:07:08 "Drake comes in and says 'Astro' and I lost it"1:14:23 Laugh Now, Cry Later: a Big Sean intro session to a Drake single in a month1:18:15 Kiss Me More: "the perfect riff" — a 2-5-1 with a walk-down, sped up1:23:15 "Genius comes out of editing" — Miles vs. Dizzy and what jazz actually trains1:24:54 First Class and a year co-EPing Jack Harlow's album from 4pm to 4am1:30:39 APT. — the song he forgot until Bruno mentioned it at a barbecue1:36:04 What he'd tell a 16-year-old version of himself in the Valley right nowHosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London and Jad SaadEdit by Jad SaadPost Production VFX by Pratik Karki

Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week Ross Golan opens the weekly And The Writer Is… news update (week of April 20, 2026) by highlighting major chart wins:Swimf by BTS is #1 on the Global 200 for a fourth weekChoose In Texas by Ella Langley holds #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a seventh weekHer album Dandelion debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200He teases an upcoming Stagecoach interview and notes a strong country music moment.New music + industry highlights:Olivia Rodrigo dropped a new single Drop Dead, debuting at #1 on Spotify charts, co-written/produced by Dan NigroThe podcast re-released Dan Nigro’s episode to celebrateBusiness + industry news:Paul Epworth sold his catalog for a massive (undisclosed) amountStreaming platform Deezer is now receiving 75,000 AI-generated tracks per day (44% of uploads), raising concerns about “AI slop”Splice introduced a new AI tool that pays sample creators, which Ross praisesOther updates:Massive Attack signed a new deal banning certain rules (brief mention)Miranda Lambert signed with MCA Nashville, signaling a major upcoming era

Today's guest is the Grammy Producer of the Year who built the two biggest pop breakthroughs of the last five years back to back — and whose real story isn't about the hits. It's about the three years he spent making nothing and the rule he wants every producer in the game to understand.From indie rock frontman in As Tall As Lions to pop's most trusted collaborator, Dan built his career against almost every industry instinct. He carries three things at once that most producers never figure out how to hold: the commercial ear of someone who's had back-to-back Grammy runs with Olivia Rodrigo, the patience of a craftsman who sat on "Good Luck, Babe" for 18 months before it ever left his hard drive, and the conviction to say no — to every rushed demo, every session hop, every label note that doesn't serve the artist.This is one of the more honest conversations about what it actually takes to build a superstar. And The Writer Is... Dan Nigro!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:• The three years he spent making nothing — and what finally broke it• Why getting Chappell dropped from Atlantic was "the greatest thing that ever happened"• "We're building like an icon here" — the real work behind Chappell Roan's rise• Why Dan refuses to send demos• 20 days with one artist, not 20 sessions with twenty• Meeting Dua Lipa in 2014 — "this girl is a superstar"• Artist development, finding your lane• Writing good songs sucks — and why that's fineAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.Chapter timestamps:0:00 Intro3:01 Why Atlantic dropping Chappell was "the greatest thing that ever happened"4:16 Atlantic's note: cut one of the Pink Pony Club guitar solos8:20 Self-releasing Karma, Naked in Manhattan, and building a label with Island11:33 "We're building like an icon here" — Bowie, Madonna, the Chappell blueprint13:13 What makes somebody "have it" — the gut call you can't fake17:21 "There are no more superstars" — the article that pissed Dan off19:34 20 days with one artist, not 20 sessions with twenty21:27 Good Luck Babe's million rewrites — the "Good Luck Jane" era22:59 Why Dan refuses to send demos — ever24:54 18 months on the hard drive26:01 Justin Tranter asks: how do you have the confidence to dive that deep?28:04 Three years. Ended up with nothing.33:12 The Madonna model — outside songs, finding your lane43:21 Taking five months off after Olivia and Chappell46:41 Steph Jones asks: rituals, guilty pleasures, happy accidents51:43 Amy Allen asks: has your feeling ever been wrong?52:58 "The most egotistical thing I've ever said" — never wrong about an artist53:20 Meeting Dua Lipa in 2014 — "this girl is a superstar"55:55 Vampire — and the label that thought it was "three songs in one"62:39 People need to take more risks63:37 Writing good songs sucks — and why that's fine68:21 Five for five — As Tall As Lions, Sour, Guts, Amusement Records70:31 The second-album mountain72:58 Playing Olivia and Chappell for his daughterCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadPost-Production VFX by Pratik Karki

Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week: a jury ruled Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated antitrust laws and operate as illegal monopolies, with a judge now weighing whether to force a breakup or sale. Max Lousada and Julie Greenwald — the A&R legends behind Warner's modern run — launched a new long-term international label with Sony Music investment and distribution. And Udio signed a licensing deal with Kobalt, becoming one of the first AI companies actually paying creatives for training on their work. Plus: D4vd arrested on murder charges and dropped by Interscope, Foster the People ink a new deal, and Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" holds the #1 song. Follow us on socials and don't miss our new episodes every Tuesday — the hottest conversations in music, with the people making it.This week:Jury finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated antitrust laws — a judge will now decide whether to break them upMax Lousada and Julie Greenwald launch a new international label with Sony MusicUdio signs a licensing deal with Kobalt — the first real AI-pays-creatives move of the cycleD4vd arrested on murder charges; Interscope removes him from their rosterFoster the People sign a new dealElla Langley's "Choosin' Texas" remains #1 song of the weekRoss previews live episodes coming from Stagecoach and the week's Billy Corgan drop

Today's guest is the architect of alternative rock who sold 30 million albums and defined the sound of an entire generation — but whose real story begins after the hits stopped mattering to him.From the suburbs of Chicago to the apex of 90s mainstream success, Billy Corgan built an empire. Then he spent the last 20 years quietly dismantling the idea that commercial success is the same thing as real value. He carries three things simultaneously that most artists never figure out how to hold at once: the ambition of someone who was never going to settle for the midwest, the technical genius of a classically-trained musician who produces every layer of his own work, and the philosophical rigor of someone willing to completely reimagine what success actually means.This is one of the more unflinching conversations about what staying relevant actually costs — not the version that gets posted on socials, the version that gets lived in the real decisions you make about art, money, independence, and how you want to spend your time. When the gatekeepers are gone and nobody's controlling the narrative anymore, who do you become?And The Writer Is... Billy Corgan!In this episode of And The Writer Is, we go deep on:• The trap of being defined by your greatest hits — and why he refuses it• His father's failed music career, and the moment his dad finally understood• Chicago's inward-facing indie scene and the cost of communities that don't believe in themselves• How the value of artists gets assessed in rooms — and why that's broken• What "influence" actually means vs. commercial success• The gatekeepers are gone — what that really means for independent artists• Owning 100% of your publishing and why that changes everything• Building a new world where direct artist support is how things actually work• Why legacy thinking is changing, and what comes nextAnd much more...Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.Follow us on socials: @andthewriterisA special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishing Association. Your support means the world to us.And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.Chapter timestamps:0:00 Intro2:30 Why Billy doesn't prefer to talk about his hits, and how his legacy has adjusted5:00 Dad's bitterness: you got lucky6:30 Dad's realization "You're one of the best songwriters in the world"8:00 Independent music, 'selling out', and Chicago's music scene10:30 The touring economics of the 90's13:15 Rigged charts and the beginning of Pop music16:00 Representation of Rock music in the charts / award shows19:30 Ross on the future of music in a digital world20:30 Numbers mean nothing if no one gives a sh*t.21:00 Pop vs Rock: The future of music28:30 Women archetypes in music38:21 Billy's advice: What you need to survive in the music industry40:00 World building and songwriting advice43:31 How to define your value as an artist in a commercial world44:40 Billy's Batman story49:00 Breaking 'Landmine' because of Courtney Love51:50 How he meets Courtney Love54:08 How he learned to play guitar57:00 His guitar hero inspiration…1:01:10 Meeting the band1:03:20 Finding a world class drummer hiding in plain sight1:07:05 Fighting for his band when no one believed in them1:15:29 Keeping your mouth shut when it's not your session1:16:02 Fight for your copyright. The band struggling with his sole writing credit1:18:00 AI in music… and Billy's take on itCredits:Hosted by Ross GolanProduced by Joe London & Jad SaadEdited by Jad SaadPost-Production VFX by Pratik Karki