Modern Musician Podcast

Hosted by Modern Musician

Episodes

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EN-US

About the show

An educational podcast for musicians looking to grow their audience online and make a sustainable income. The host, Michael Walker provides artists with the tools necessary to create a lasting career in the music industry.

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60 recent

36 min

#350 - Glory St. Germain: From $50 to $270 an Hour: Rethinking What Your Music Skills Are Worth

Glory St. Germain is the Founder and CEO of Ultimate Music Theory, an award-winning music education company dedicated to helping teachers and students master music theory. An international bestselling author of over 60 books, including Teach Music, Change Lives , she also created the UMT Certification Course and UMTC Elite Educator Program, empowering music teachers to elevate their teaching, increase their income, and build six-figure studios. A three-time TEDx speaker and entrepreneur, Glory is passionate about building meaningful business relationships, fostering collaboration, and helping musicians turn their expertise into sustainable, profitable businesses. In this episode, we discover how musicians can turn their passion into profit, diversify their income, and build a sustainable music business through strategic teaching, a growth mindset, and the power of community. Key Takeaways Build new income streams from your musical expertise: Discover Glory's POW system—Problem, Offer, Win-Win—and learn how to turn your skills into valuable offers that serve your audience while increasing your earning potential. Grow your teaching business and increase your income: Explore how group teaching, strategic pricing, and creative education models can help you reach more students and build a thriving, six-figure teaching studio. Develop the mindset and community needed for long-term success: Learn how continuous growth, collaboration, supportive relationships, and embracing technology can help you overcome business challenges and create a lasting impact. --- → Learn more about Glory and her work at: ultimatemusictheory.com Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

1 hr 12 min

The Artist Economy: Episode 10 — Everyone Is Suing the Middleman

The music industry is fighting over who controls the future. Universal calls DistroKid an “AI slop pipeline.” Universal and Sony are suing Suno over its supposedly clean AI model. Meanwhile, session musicians are suing the labels themselves for a share of AI licensing revenue. Everyone is fighting over ownership, distribution, and compensation—but where does that leave independent artists? Michael Walker, Chris Saunders, Sol Gold, and guest artist Jason explore how AI is rewriting the rules of music, why Spotify is moving into artist development, and whether the next generation of gatekeepers will look suspiciously like the old ones. Along the way, we ask: Is AI destroying the democratization of music distribution? Can an AI model ever be truly free of copyrighted training data? Is AI-generated music fundamentally different from human creativity? Is Spotify becoming the new record label? Who deserves to get paid when AI companies license music? In this episode, we discuss Universal vs. DistroKid and the rise of AI-generated music, how AI could create new gatekeepers for independent artists, Suno’s $9 billion legal challenge from Universal and Sony, whether AI-generated training data can resolve copyright issues, the debate over AI creativity and human originality, Spotify’s Fresh Finds Forward artist development program, session musicians’ fight for a share of AI licensing revenue, Street Team’s announcement of free music distribution to 450+ stores for subscribers with AI disclosure requirements, and Samantha Dingle as this week’s Music Moment winner. Key Takeaways New gatekeepers are emerging: AI is making music creation easier, but platforms increasingly control distribution, discovery, and monetization. Don't rely on one platform: Diversify your channels instead of depending entirely on a single service. Build direct fan relationships: Create a loyal community you can reach beyond streaming platforms. Understand your rights and revenue: Know how your music is used, who profits from it, and where your income comes from. Own the fan relationship: The real power lies not just in who owns the music industry, but in who controls the connection between artists and their fans. --- → Build your fanbase and music career with Modern Musician . → Ready to build your audience? Book Your Breakthrough Session . → Want your music featured on The Artist Economy ? Submit your Music Moment .

31 min

#349 - David Baird: The AI Music Revolution—Protecting Creativity While Embracing Innovation

David Baird is the founder and CEO of Gigmor, a platform connecting musicians with live performance opportunities and helping independent artists monetize their talent. A serial entrepreneur, technology executive, and musician, David previously led America Online’s E-Commerce group, growing it to over $1 billion in revenue. He also founded Troubadour Digital Media, serving notable clients including music legend David Foster and Iron Chef star Cat Cora. With degrees from the University of Toronto and École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, David continues performing with his soul band, Mojo Soul, and jazz ensemble, The Sultans of Swing. In this episode, David Baird explores how musicians can leverage AI, monetize their talent, and build sustainable careers without sacrificing their creativity and authenticity. Key Takeaways Turn your music into sustainable income: Discover how platforms like Gigmor help independent artists access live performance opportunities and explore new monetization strategies. Use AI to enhance your creativity, not replace it: Learn why embracing emerging technology can help musicians save time, experiment with new ideas, and adapt to a rapidly changing industry. Build a loyal community beyond streaming: Understand why authentic fan connections, live performances, and community support are essential to building a sustainable music career. --- → Learn more about David and his work at: gigmor.com Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

1 hr 10 min

The Artist Economy: Episode 09 — Ride the Waves Till the Cows Come Home

AI music is getting licensed. Now the harder question begins. Suno says its new model was trained on licensed music. Universal is building AI-powered fan remixes. Distributors are introducing new AI and fraud checks. The fight is moving beyond whether AI belongs in music toward who controls it, who gets paid, and what artists should actually consent to. Meanwhile, Ella Langley proves that release calendars don't matter when audiences keep listening—and somehow that conversation led us to create an AI surf anthem about cows. Along the way, we ask: What is your music actually worth as AI training data? Would you license your voice for fans to remix? Should artists own their own AI models? Are release calendars putting artists on a hamster wheel? Where's the line between using AI creatively and deceiving an audience? In this episode, we dive into AI’s impact on music, from Suno’s licensed models and AI voices to new industry rules, artist strategies, superfans, Spotify’s music video push, and featured artist Tyler Herwig’s “Romcom Gone Wrong.” Key Takeaways AI isn’t going away, but artists don’t have to accept the first deal they’re offered. Permission, compensation, and ownership are three different things. Listen to your audience and test songs with your real fans to see what truly connects. Don’t rush to your next release—keep building new contexts around a song that’s working. Ride the wave: your next hit doesn’t always need to be your next release. Sometimes, you just need to ride the wave till the cows come home. --- → Build your fanbase and music career with Modern Musician . → Ready to build your audience? Book Your Breakthrough Session . → Want your music featured on The Artist Economy ? Submit your Music Moment .

43 min

#348 - Robina Ritchie-Barker: TrackStage and the Hidden Administrative Work Holding Artists Back

Robina Ritchie-Barker is the co-founder of TrackStage, a music management platform built to help independent music creators organize their catalogs, manage the business behind their music, and get their tracks opportunity-ready. As a composer and music creator herself, Robina experienced firsthand the growing administrative burden of managing files, versions, metadata, collaborators, and pitches. That experience inspired TrackStage, which helps creators reduce the “Administrative Tax” of making music so they can spend less time managing their catalogs and more time creating, pursuing opportunities, and getting their work heard. In this episode, Robina Ritchie-Barker shares her journey from music creator to co-founder of TrackStage, exploring how the platform helps indie artists organize their catalogs, streamline metadata and administrative tasks, prepare music for sync opportunities, and navigate the evolving role of AI in music creation and licensing. Key Takeaways Reduce the administrative burden: Learn how TrackStage helps indie artists organize their music, files, metadata, and catalog information in one streamlined workflow. Make your music easier to pitch: Discover why complete metadata and organized catalogs matter to music supervisors and how better preparation can help artists capitalize on opportunities. Understand AI’s role in music: Explore how AI can enhance music-management workflows while creating important copyright considerations, particularly in sync licensing. --- → Learn more about Robina and her work at: trackstagepro.com Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

1 hr 16 min

The Artist Economy: Episode 08 — Songs Don’t Have Release Dates, They Have Discovery Dates

What happens when music becomes infinite? TuneCore artists can now opt in to let Suno train on their music. Suno is limiting downloads. CDs are somehow booming again. And a Katy Perry song from 2011 just became TikTok’s biggest song of the summer. This week, we’re asking what actually becomes valuable when music itself is abundant: ownership, scarcity, physical artifacts, fan relationships—or simply giving a great song enough chances to be discovered. Along the way, we ask: Would you let AI train on your music—and for how much? Do download limits reduce AI slop or just put creativity behind a paywall? Would 50 paying fans change your career more than 50,000 streams? Why are CDs coming back in a streaming world? Are artists abandoning great songs way too quickly? In this episode, we explore AI and music, Suno and TuneCore’s evolving relationship, the resurgence of CDs and physical music, the value of direct fan connections, the power of catalog rediscovery, and how Jason Dmore’s “Breeze” is inspiring a new wave of connection through music and dance. Key Takeaways Don’t treat releases as having an expiration date. Give your catalog multiple chances to be discovered—a song can find its audience years later. Build systems that keep your best work discoverable instead of focusing only on creating more. As digital music becomes infinite, scarcity shifts toward physical products, access, identity, community, and direct fan relationships. Your next breakthrough might already exist—sometimes, you just need to find a new context for an older song. --- → Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

37 min

#347 - Jesse Cannon: Why There’s No Money in Music Anymore

Jesse Cannon is a music marketing expert, producer, author, and educator who helps independent artists navigate the modern music industry. He hosts Musformation and is the author of Get More Fans: The DIY Guide to the New Music Business and Processing Creativity. Jesse has worked with artists including The Cure, Animal Collective, Laufey, and Weird Al Yankovic, while also building expertise in music production, artist development, podcasting, and education. Through his work, he shares practical insights on audience growth, creative careers, music marketing, and building a sustainable path forward for independent artists. In this episode, Michael Walker and Jesse Cannon explore how independent artists can build sustainable careers in a rapidly changing music industry, from growing a loyal fan base and fighting for fair compensation to navigating AI, music rights, and the future of human creativity. Key Takeaways Build a stronger fan base: Learn why audience growth and direct relationships with fans are increasingly important for independent artists. Understand your rights and compensation: Discover the challenges artists face around streaming, rights management, and fair compensation—and why awareness matters. Protect the human side of creativity: Explore where AI can support the creative process while understanding why emotional authenticity and human connection remain essential to music. --- → Learn more about Jesse and his work at: musicmarketingtrends.beehiiv.com Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

1 hr 25 min

The Artist Economy: Episode 07 — Who Owns the Future of Music?

The technology changed. The strategy didn’t. Dolly Parton spent her career protecting ownership. This week, the rest of the music industry showed exactly why that matters. Sony and Warner sued Anthropic. Universal built an AI patent portfolio. All three majors bought equity in Stability AI. And session musicians went to court arguing that the AI economy is being built on work they were never compensated for. Meanwhile, one DIY artist showed another path entirely: let the audience take your music, mutate it, and help distribute it. Along the way, we ask: What would you be willing to give up for the opportunity of a lifetime? If AI learns from your work, what do you actually deserve? What happens when labels own the music and the machinery? Can contracts written before AI still protect musicians from AI? Should artists protect their music—or make it easier for fans to transform? In this episode, we explore Dolly Parton’s $150M lesson in ownership, the music industry’s legal battle with AI, major labels investing in AI, musicians fighting for compensation, the philosophy of AI and creativity, and why making art “forkable” could be the future of music. Key Takeaways Protect future opportunities: The most valuable rights may be tied to uses that haven’t been invented yet. Learn from Dolly Parton: You can’t predict how your music may be used or transformed in the future. Think beyond today’s technology: Session musicians couldn’t anticipate AI training, and today’s artists can’t predict what their catalogs might power years from now. Own what you can: Understand what rights you’re keeping, licensing, or giving away. Make your art forkable: When it comes to your audience, giving people room to remix and build on your work can create new possibilities. --- → Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

40 min

#346 - Josh Simons: Why Domain Expertise Is Your Biggest Business Advantage

Josh Simons is the CEO of Vinyl Group and founder of Vampr, a professional network for musicians and creatives with 1.6 million users across 190 countries. A former musician, songwriter, and producer, Josh has built companies across music, technology, media, and culture, raising over $50 million across his ventures. He has worked with artists including Travis Scott, Troye Sivan, and Kanye West, and has helped grow Vinyl Group through acquisitions spanning media, music technology, e-commerce, and culture. In this episode, Josh Simons shares what it takes to build a successful career in music and technology while navigating constant industry change, from the rise of digital platforms to the coming revolution in AI. Key Takeaways Turn industry expertise into opportunity: Learn why deep domain knowledge can give entrepreneurs an edge when building products and businesses for the music industry. Adapt to constant technological change: Discover how artists can stay relevant as new platforms, technologies, and expectations continue reshaping the music business. Use AI without losing creativity: Explore how AI can become another creative tool, helping artists bridge the gap between their ideas and what they’re able to create. --- → Learn more about Josh Simons and his work at: vampr.me Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

1 hr 11 min

The Artist Economy: Episode 06 — Where Do We Draw the Line on AI Music?

The AI debate just became policy. For years, the music industry argued about whether AI music was “real music.” Now platforms, charts, publishers, and courts are starting to draw actual lines. Australia introduced a “substantially human-made” requirement for chart eligibility. Apple, Spotify, and Tidal are taking three different approaches to identifying AI music. Meanwhile, publishers are fighting Suno and Anthropic over what the music that trained these systems is actually worth. Along the way, we ask: What does “substantially human-made” actually mean? Should AI music compete on the same charts as human artists? Is creative agency more important than which tools were used? Are songwriters settling before anyone knows what AI training is really worth? What happens when machines become technically better than humans? In this episode, we explore the evolving rules around AI music, artist and songwriter rights, fan-powered remixing, new release models, and what AI and robotics mean for the future of human creativity. Key Takeaways Don’t bet your career on AI staying bad: The technology will only keep improving. Use AI without giving up your creative agency: Keep what makes your work uniquely yours. Protect your identity and relationships: Your story, voice, and connections still matter. Build real community and human connection: As music becomes easier to generate, genuine connection may become more valuable. Bet on humans continuing to care about humans: Machines will get better, but human connection is what makes art meaningful. --- → Book an Artist Breakthrough Session with the Modern Musician team: https://streetteam.fm/masterclass

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