The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

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250

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Nov 2026

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About the show

**WEBBY AWARD FOR BEST MUSIC PODCAST** “#1 music industry podcast to help keep you in the loop” -Spotify “The 10 Best Music Business Podcasts of 2022" – Variety Ari Herstand is the best-selling author of How To Make It in the New Music Business. Forbes calls him “The poster child of DIY music.” In this show, he deconstructs the brightest minds in the music industry, digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and strategies that listeners can use to run successful careers of their own. Ari offers straight talk with no fluff and doesn’t let his guests off easy. If there is a way, Ari will find it. To learn more follow @aristake_ and @ariherstand Visit aristake.com to join the newsletter. -- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

November 11, 202635 min

Do Festivals Need To Book More Women?

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Abbey Carbonneau, founder of Book More Women, a nonprofit organization working to create greater gender equity and transparency in the music industry. Ari and Abbey discuss the ongoing gender imbalance in music festival lineups and why women continue to be underrepresented across different genres. Abbey explains how Book More Women started after noticing that women were consistently missing from major festival lineups, and how she turned that observation into an organization dedicated to holding the industry accountable. They also explore the business arguments against booking more women, the importance of pay transparency, unconscious bias in the music industry, and how festivals can take meaningful steps toward more equitable representation. Abbey shares details about Book More Women's new festival accountability program, including partnerships with festivals like Lightning in a Bottle, and discusses how fans, artists, and industry professionals can get involved. Abbey Carbonneau https://www.instagram.com/bookmorewomen/ https://www.bookmorewomen.com/ Check out Ari’s Take: https://aristake.com 00:04:20 - How Book More Women Got Started 00:08:32 - Why Women Are Underrepresented on Festival Lineups 00:12:55 - The Mission Behind Book More Women 00:14:18 - Turning Awareness Into Action 00:18:35 - Gender Inequality and Artist Pay 00:22:31 - Transparency and Festival Accountability 00:27:10 - Who Is Behind Book More Women? 00:29:27 - How to Get Involved and Volunteer 00:34:25 - What Does It Mean 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.

November 4, 20261 hr 5 min

Artist Manager on Music Marketing, Artist Branding and Gen AI

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Charlie Stent, Founder and CEO of Stent Music Group, to discuss what it takes to build a successful career in today’s music industry. With more than a decade of experience in artist management, Charlie has built a global management and label services company representing artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers. His roster includes independent pop artist NERIAH, whose catalog has surpassed 100 million streams and who has toured internationally, as well as multi-platinum producer and songwriter Jason Parris and four-time Grammy-winning mastering engineer John Greenham. Through his work with emerging artists and established music-industry talent, Charlie has developed a unique perspective on artist development, career growth, and the business behind building lasting success. Charlie shares his approach to artist management and the importance of treating artists as partners in their own businesses. Ari and Charlie also dig into artist branding, building dedicated fan communities, social media strategy, release campaigns, playlist promotion, viral marketing, and the opportunities and challenges generative AI presents for independent musicians. Charlie Stent: https://www.instagram.com/stentmusicgroup https://www.stentmusicgroup.com/ Check out Ari’s Take: https://aristake.com 07:18 – Charlie's Journey Into Music Management 11:08 – Why Artists and Managers Should Be Partners 17:04 – Building an Independent Artist's Career 19:02 – Artist Branding: Finding Your Identity 23:32 – Building a Dedicated Fan Community 30:28 – Why You Can't Manufacture a Viral Moment 34:32 – Pre-Saves, Playlists, and Release Strategy 40:55 – Burner Accounts, Sleeper Accounts, and Music Marketing 48:51 – AI in Music: The Great Equalizer? 57:46 – Distribution, Label Services, and Building an In-House Team 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.

October 28, 20261 hr 8 min

How This Indie Publishing Company Got Over 100 #1 Hits

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.com 05:54 - Building a music publishing company and developing artists 15:32 - How music publishers pay songwriters 26:07 - Songwriting as a craft: practice, productivity, and getting better 28:16 - Teaching songwriters to write for the market without sacrificing creativity 30:44 - Writing songs for specific artists 32:00 - How artists' involvement in songwriting has changed 37:58 - How songwriting rooms work 39:15 - Pitching songs and getting them to artists 57:51 - Music catalogs and the renewed life of older songs 58:37 - Advice for aspiring professional songwriters 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.

October 21, 202658 min

How the Major Labels Use AI Fans To Market Music

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/joelimmmmm Floodify: https://www.floodify.io/ Check out Ari’s Take: https://aristake.com 04:42 – Welcome & State of Modern Music Marketing 07:06 – Why Music Marketing is Behind Other Industries 08:42 – What Are Burners, Fan Pages, and Clipping? 13:29 – Commercialized Clipping & Platforms Like WHOP 17:19 – Phone Farms and Managing Accounts at Scale 21:21 – Using AI to Find and Generate Viral Clips 29:56 – Modern Marketing Strategies for Independent Artists 31:19 – The Evolution of Floodify (Floodify 2.0) 40:41 – Dead Internet Theory, Bots, and Comment Farming 44:25 – Is Authenticity Dead? Playing the Game to Make a Career 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.

October 14, 202653 min

How To Build An Independent Artist Career From The Ground Up

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.

October 8, 202654 min

How Deezer is Approaching AI Music And Payments

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.

September 30, 20261 hr 11 min

How This Classical Piano/Cello Duo Built a Sustainable Career For Their Family

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.

August 6, 20261 hr 9 min

How He Got a Million Monthly Listeners and a Sold Out Tour Independently

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.

July 29, 20261 hr 1 min

Artist Manager on Viral Syncs and the State of Music Marketing

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.

July 22, 20261 hr 14 min

How To Be a Professional Hit Songwriter

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.com 03:48 - Meet Andreas Schuller: Hitmaker Turned Publisher 12:19 - Music Publishing Explained: How Songwriters Make Money 18:39 - The Story Behind Jason Derulo's "Wiggle" 22:02 - Songwriting Splits, Credits, and Industry Politics 30:37 - How Professional Songwriting Has Changed Since 2010 34:46 - Breaking Into the Music Industry as a Songwriter 39:03 - Originality vs. Trend Chasing: What Actually Works? 49:37 - Building Great Writing Rooms and Finding Creative Chemistry 52:39 - AI, the Future of Music, and What's Next for Songwriters 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.