Music Tectonics

Dr. Joel Carnevale, an assistant professor studying workplace reputations, talks about how admitting AI use affects creators. He outlines experiments showing disclosure can lower perceived creative competence. Short takes cover why authenticity matters, how different disclosure wording signals different things, and why explaining your process can change reactions.

Bjorn Lindvall, CEO and co-founder of Music Infra and former Hipgnosis COO, builds infrastructure to get rights holders paid accurately and on time. He discusses why AI licensing will explode royalty attribution complexity. He explores tricky attribution when AI blends multiple works, the need to upgrade legacy systems for higher-velocity settlements, and how new payment models could unlock revenue.

Is gaming really the next frontier for music, or is that just wishful thinking? In this episode, Dmitri sits down with Jenn Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Metamoki, the mobile gaming studio behind Mob Wars and Wiz Khalifa's Weed Farm. With nearly two decades of experience in mobile gaming, social gaming, and community building, Jenn brings a fresh outside perspective on where the music industry is leaving opportunity on the table. They dig into what early social gaming taught Jenn about monetization and emotional connection, why artist involvement is the single biggest factor in whether a music game succeeds or fails, and what music startups can borrow from gaming's rapid prototyping and product cycles. If you work in music tech, music marketing, or the creator economy, this conversation will challenge how you think about fan engagement, music monetization, and building products that actually last. The news An open letter to Suno's Mikey Shulman. WMG boss: 'There's clearly more share of the wallet left for music' Apple Music Introduces Tagging for AI Songs, Its First Regulation on AI Use Qobuz/Deezer High-res music service Qobuz joins France's Deezer in flagging AI-generated tracks on its platform Feds point to Taylor Swift ticket fiasco as evidence of Live Nation and Ticketmaster's monopoly https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/as-live-nation-antitrust-trial-begins-doj-tells-jury-the-concert-industry-is-broken/ The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

Spencer Klein, M&A lawyer who advised the KISS co-founders, discusses the PopHouse acquisition of KISS IP and catalog. He outlines what was sold, from music to trademarks and biometric data. Conversations cover avatar shows, ILM's role, legal and technical hurdles, and how catalogs now include transmedia and immersive revenue streams.

Most founders think about building. Fewer think carefully about selling. In this episode, Dmitri talks with Phil Barry, the founder of music rights and licensing platform Blokur, about what he learned from nearly a decade of building and ultimately selling his company to Music Reports in 2024. Phil opens up about the early challenges of finding product-market fit, the long relationship-building that made the acquisition possible, and the operational details that can make or break a deal. He also reflects on what he'd do differently, why he'd push back harder on pressure to grow too fast, and what it felt like to finally step away after years of startup intensity. Whether you're an early-stage founder or mapping out your exit strategy, this episode is full of honest, practical perspective from a founder on the other side of the exit The news Why YouTube Is the Sleeping Giant of Music Catalog (Guest Column) Did Taylor Swift and Lyor Cohen Just Give the Music Streamers a Video Strategy? Apple Music's iOS 26.4 beta introduces AI-powered playlist tool Deezer debuts 'Flow Tuner' to help listeners tune its algorithm TikTok tests letting users stream full songs through Apple Music without leaving the app Apple Music Strongly Hints That It Won't Be Lowering Prices Following Spotify and Amazon Music Increases — How Much Will This Matter In 2026? The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

Where does AI stand in the music industry as we move through 2026? In this conversation, Dmitri talks with Mike Pelczynski, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer at Voice-Swap, about the evolution from fear to curiosity around AI in music, and why building ethical AI systems from the ground up creates long-term value. Mike shares about how his work architecting fan-powered royalties at SoundCloud connects to his current mission of building fair, creator-centric AI voice models. We explore VoiceSwap's approach to licensing, attribution, and ongoing royalties for artists whose voices power AI models, and discuss what happens if the broader marketing doesn't prioritize fairness. Mike also introduces the concept of voice models as a "source of truth" for identity and ownership in an AI-powered future The news the musical self-expression spectrum Spotify eyes AI 'derivatives' as new revenue stream for artists – says its tech to let fans make remixes and covers is ready - Music Business Worldwide The music industry's boiling frog moment New York Senator Wants to Ban Ticket Scalping Forever The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

For Part 2 of our NAMM 2026 recap, we explore how music creators are building sustainable careers outside of the traditional music industry model. As streaming revenue continues to fail musicians and CD sales decline, artists are pioneering new paths through direct-to-fan experiences and developing products instead of traditional merchandise. One great example of this shift is Tarun Nayar from Modern Biology. After going viral on TikTok making music with plants and mushrooms, Tarun reinvented his music career by skipping traditional album releases, creating immersive live performances like Mushroom Church, and co-developing the Pocket SCÍON, an affordable biodata sonification device that lets anyone make music with plants. His journey from viral content creator to instrument developer reveals emerging opportunities for artists beyond streaming platforms and merchandise sales, showing what creative sustainability looks like in the modern music industry. Pocket SCÍON- https://modernbiology.xyz/products/pocket-scion The News DistroKid is latest music firm rumoured to be exploring a sale Fan burner accounts: music's latest dirty secret So, AI music charts are a thing now… The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

Jun Usui, Yamaha product demonstrator showing a Seqtrak prototype with Boomy AI sample generation on hardware. Daniel Rowland, VP at LANDR who builds creator-first AI tools like Layers. They explore AI moving from fear to creative support. Conversation covers on-device AI in instruments, integrated workflows, prompt-based sample packs, and LANDR’s generative features that add realistic performances.

What happens when AI starts reflecting an artist's voice back to them? This week, Dmitri talks with artist, songwriter, and producer Blanco Brown. Blanco first broke through with the viral hit "The Git Up," becoming a defining voice of the intersection of country and hip hop, also known as "country trap." Last year, an AI generated artist called Breaking Rust released a song called "Walk My Walk," in which many listeners noted a striking resemblance to Blanco's voice and style. So what does Blanco do? He re-records the song himself, bringing his own humanity, faith, and musicianship into a track originally created by AI. We talk about what that process was like, questions of ownership and likeness, and why Blanco believes soul and lived experience are things technology can't replicate. We also explore what embracing AI, rather than fearing it, might look like for artists navigating what comes next. It's a great conversation about AI and what comes next for musicians. The news Investor Who Helped Lead Kobalt Acquisition Launches Artist Advance Platform Pipeline raises over $200m to fund independent music firms Sphere Entertainment reveals first 'mini Sphere' location in US - Music Business Worldwide On… Warner's cutbacks, and the bigger story. - Music Business Worldwide The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

This week, Dmitri chats with Russell Wedelich, the President and CTO of Eventide Audio. Eventide has been shaping Eventide has been shaping recorded music since 1971, and Russell has used his background in both electrical engineering and musical engineering to help create products like the Space Stomp box, H9000, Physion, and Temperance reverb just to name a few. They talk about Eventide's history and philosophy of creating audio tools, re-releasing legacy software, and why Russell believes fear and creativity are opposite's when it comes to AI's impact on music. They also talk about NAMM and why it is still worth going in 2026 (if you're going this week, make sure to check us out at Booth 10607 in Hall A. The news Spotify hikes price for Premium subscribers in the US, other markets Music streaming platforms now host quarter of a BILLION tracks. Where does it end? Matthew McConaughey tackles deepfakes with trademark filings The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.