The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Charlie Stent of Stent Music Group to discuss what it takes to build a successful career in today’s music industry. From artist management and branding to fan communities, social media strategy, and release campaigns, Charlie shares the lessons he’s learned from years of working with independent artists.Charlie Stent:https://www.instagram.com/stentmusicgrouphttps://www.stentmusicgroup.com/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com07:18 – Charlie's Journey Into Music Management11:08 – Why Artists and Managers Should Be Partners17:04 – Building an Independent Artist's Career19:02 – Artist Branding: Finding Your Identity23:32 – Building a Dedicated Fan Community30:28 – Why You Can't Manufacture a Viral Moment34:32 – Pre-Saves, Playlists, and Release Strategy40:55 – Burner Accounts, Sleeper Accounts, and Music Marketing48:51 – AI in Music: The Great Equalizer?57:46 – Distribution, Label Services, and Building an In-House TeamEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Chris Farren, Grammy-nominated songwriter and founder of Combustion Music, a Nashville-based music publishing and artist development company responsible for more than 100 number-one hits.Chris shares decades of experience navigating the music business, from writing hit songs to building a publishing company and developing artists. Ari and Chris break down how professional songwriters get signed, how songwriting rooms work, how publishing deals and advances are structured, and how songwriters earn royalties.Follow Chris Farren:https://www.instagram.com/combustionmusic/https://www.combustionmusic.com/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com05:54 - Building a music publishing company and developing artists15:32 - How music publishers pay songwriters26:07 - Songwriting as a craft: practice, productivity, and getting better28:16 - Teaching songwriters to write for the market without sacrificing creativity30:44 - Writing songs for specific artists32:00 - How artists' involvement in songwriting has changed37:58 - How songwriting rooms work39:15 - Pitching songs and getting them to artists57:51 - Music catalogs and the renewed life of older songs58:37 - Advice for aspiring professional songwritersEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Joe Lim, founder and CEO of Floodify, a marketing technology company that has distributed over 2 million short-form videos for major labels including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music.Joe pulls back the curtain on the rapidly evolving world of music marketing, explaining how burner accounts, clipping networks, AI-generated content, fan pages, influencer campaigns, and algorithm-driven distribution are shaping the careers of artists today. We explore the ethics behind these tactics, the concept of the “dead internet,” how major labels and marketers use social media at scale, and what independent artists can learn from these strategies.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelimmmmmFloodify: https://www.floodify.io/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com04:42 – Welcome & State of Modern Music Marketing07:06 – Why Music Marketing is Behind Other Industries08:42 – What Are Burners, Fan Pages, and Clipping?13:29 – Commercialized Clipping & Platforms Like WHOP17:19 – Phone Farms and Managing Accounts at Scale21:21 – Using AI to Find and Generate Viral Clips29:56 – Modern Marketing Strategies for Independent Artists31:19 – The Evolution of Floodify (Floodify 2.0)40:41 – Dead Internet Theory, Bots, and Comment Farming44:25 – Is Authenticity Dead? Playing the Game to Make a CareerEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Toni Nelson, artist manager, business manager, and co-founder of 1990 Records.Toni Nelson is an artist manager and co-founder of 1990 Records with a background in retail fashion and mental health clinical work. Combining expertise in behavioral science with music industry operations, Nelson specializes in sustainable artist development, data analytics, and guiding independent artists like Adrian Daniel, to build long-term, monetizable careers while protecting their intellectual property. Follow Toni Nelson:https://www.instagram.com/1990records19/https://1990records.org/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com04:01 - What it Means to Build a Creative & Fan Community 09:00 - Protecting IP & Using Split Sheets in the Studio 13:14 - Navigating Producer Credits, Writer Splits & Work for Hire 18:18 - Release Strategies & Tracking Data with Music Analytics 23:27 - How Independent Artists Can Monetize Their Audience 27:38 - Staying Independent vs. Label Licensing Deals 32:45 - When is an Emerging Artist Ready to Tour? 36:22 - Case Study: Developing Adrian Daniel's Career 43:17 - Mental Health & What It Means to Make It in Music Edited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Alexis Lanternier, the CEO of global music streaming platform Deezer. Together, they break down the massive influx of AI-generated music flooding streaming services, Deezer’s pioneering efforts in AI detection and fraud removal, and the future of fair artist payouts through user-centric royalty systems. Follow Alexis Lanternier:https://www.instagram.com/deezer/https://www.deezer.com/us/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com05:45 - The Reality of AI Music Flooding Streaming Services10:23 - How Deezer Detects Streaming Fraud & Purges AI Bots13:42 - Tagging AI Music & Algorithmic Recommendation Rules18:32 - Generative AI: Creative Assistive Tool vs. Fully AI Music24:40 - In-App Fan Remix Tools & Licensing Fair Payouts33:36 - The Flaw in Market-Centric Payouts vs. User-Centric Payouts42:15 - Major Label Licensing Deals & Independent Artist Royalty Rates50:37 - Powering Winamp & What It Means to "Make It" in Music TodayEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Patrick Laird, cellist and co-founder of the classical cover duo, Brooklyn Duo. Patrick breaks down how he and his wife built a music career without traditional touring. He discusses their journey from viral YouTube videos to building an evergreen passive income model, navigating revenue streams across Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube, the intricacies of sheet music publishing, catalog acquisition offers, and why creating utility-based music enabled the creative freedom to pursue personal projects. Follow Patrick Laird:https://www.patricklaird.com/https://www.instagram.com/brooklynduo/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com03:55 - Brooklyn Duo’s Origins & Moving Beyond Classical07:16 - Early Viral Success & Going Full Time12:50 - Monetization: Pandora, YouTube, and SoundExchange22:20 - Sheet Music Licensing & Publishing via Musicnotes30:20 - Arranging Process & Delegation Between Patrick & Marnie38:50 - Strategic Pivot to High Production Location Videos52:45 - Building an Evergreen "Utility" Model for Streaming58:30 - Retaining Masters & Rejecting Catalog Buyouts01:10:20 - What It Means to "Make It" in the New Music BusinessEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Laurie Lee Boutet, artist manager at Wednesday Management and manager of the chart-topping Canadian rock band The Beaches.Laurie shares the incredible story behind The Beaches' explosive rise following their breakout sync placement in Off Campus, why viral TikToks aren't enough anymore, and how artists can build lasting careers by creating cultural moments and not just chasing algorithms.Follow Laurie Lee:https://www.instagram.com/laurieleeboutet/https://www.wednesdaymgmt.com/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com05:21 Why Viral TikToks Don't Work Like They Used To 08:00 The Sync That Changed Everything 12:50 From 18,000 to 1 Million Streams a Day 18:42 TikTok vs. Instagram: Where Artists Should Focus 24:44 Should Indie Artists Skip Music Videos? 28:33 The New Era of Music Marketing 35:19 How to Create True Superfans 43:13 Stop Wasting Money on Content 52:08 The Future of Artist Growth 59:53 Laurie's Biggest Career LessonEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Andreas Schuller, hit songwriter, producer, and co-founder of music publishing company Honua Music. Andreas has written and produced songs for artists including The Weeknd, Jason Derulo, Madison Beer, and many more, accumulating billions of streams and numerous gold and platinum records.Andreas breaks down how hit songs are actually created, how publishing companies develop songwriters, and why today's music industry is more relationship-driven than ever. He shares the story behind Jason Derulo's smash hit "Wiggle," explains how songwriting camps work, discusses the evolution of professional songwriting, and offers practical advice for aspiring songwriters trying to break into the industry.Follow Andreas Schuller:https://honuamusic.com/Check out Ari’s Take:https://aristake.com03:48 - Meet Andreas Schuller: Hitmaker Turned Publisher12:19 - Music Publishing Explained: How Songwriters Make Money18:39 - The Story Behind Jason Derulo's "Wiggle"22:02 - Songwriting Splits, Credits, and Industry Politics30:37 - How Professional Songwriting Has Changed Since 201034:46 - Breaking Into the Music Industry as a Songwriter39:03 - Originality vs. Trend Chasing: What Actually Works?49:37 - Building Great Writing Rooms and Finding Creative Chemistry52:39 - AI, the Future of Music, and What's Next for SongwritersEdited and mixed by Ruben ZarateMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s TakeOrder the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com