The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

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.com

04:01 - 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 Zarate
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take
Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com

05:45 - The Reality of AI Music Flooding Streaming Services
10:23 - How Deezer Detects Streaming Fraud & Purges AI Bots
13:42 - Tagging AI Music & Algorithmic Recommendation Rules
18:32 - Generative AI: Creative Assistive Tool vs. Fully AI Music
24:40 - In-App Fan Remix Tools & Licensing Fair Payouts
33:36 - The Flaw in Market-Centric Payouts vs. User-Centric Payouts
42:15 - Major Label Licensing Deals & Independent Artist Royalty Rates
50:37 - Powering Winamp & What It Means to "Make It" in Music Today

Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com

03:55 - Brooklyn Duo’s Origins & Moving Beyond Classical
07:16 - Early Viral Success & Going Full Time
12:50 - Monetization: Pandora, YouTube, and SoundExchange
22:20 - Sheet Music Licensing & Publishing via Musicnotes
30:20 - Arranging Process & Delegation Between Patrick & Marnie
38:50 - Strategic Pivot to High Production Location Videos
52:45 - Building an Evergreen "Utility" Model for Streaming
58:30 - Retaining Masters & Rejecting Catalog Buyouts
01:10:20 - What It Means to "Make It" in the New Music Business

Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take
Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jared Benjamin. Jared broke down how he went from picking up a guitar during the pandemic to earning over 100 million streams, selling out headline tours, and building an intensely loyal community across TikTok and Discord. They discuss his creation process, content strategy, delegating production, leveraging pre-save ad campaigns, and releasing his debut album, Icarus Too Close to the Sun.

Follow Jared Benjamin:
https://www.instagram.com/jaredbenjaminofficial/
http://tiktok.com/@jaredbenjaminofficial

Check out Ari’s Take:
https://aristake.com

4:05 Interview Begins: Welcome & Icarus Debut Album Announcement
5:06 Transitioning from Fast Singles to a Cohesive Debut Album
9:43 Early Short-Form Visual Strategy & Writing Skits
17:25 Lessons from Bad Industry Deals & Going DIY
20:15 Learning Production on YouTube & Collaborating with Producers
25:20 Writing "Three Steps Ahead" at AntiSocial Writing Camp
28:35 Building a Social Following & Meeting His Manager
32:50 The Daily Grind: Posting 2 to 4 Videos a Day & Managing Burnout
35:55 First Headline Tour Experiences: From Empty Rooms to Sold-Out Venues
41:59 Managing Online Communities: Grouped vs. Discord Strategy
50:20 Tapping into BookTok & Author Playlist Marketing
01:01:35 Leveraging Feature.fm Pre-Save Ads to Funnel Fans into Discord

Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com

05:21 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 Lesson

Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.