Music Tectonics

This is a milestone: it's the 100th episode of the Music Tectonics podcast! In 18 months, Dmitri Vietze and Tristra Newyear Yeager have explored 100 music tech topics and interviewed innovators in Los Angeles, New York, Cannes, France, and isolated at home. They got together on zoom to recap what's changed in the music tech industry since the podcast launched in December 2018. How has TikTok matured as a cauldron of fandom, and how has worldwide quarantine changed its userbase? How did live streaming go from the strange stepsibling of the live music industry to the sexy stepsibling? Is A.I. more like a job-stealing robot or a new type of pickaxe for music creators? Dmitri and Tristra touch on the Rise of the Podcast, Amazon's SmartSpeaker dominance, Indie and DIY musicians, a new wave of financialization, and how creatives are redefining music industry success. It's all in episode 100! In a Music Tectonics first, we're sharing video of the conversation so you can see Dmitri and Tristra's smiling faces. Find it on Youtube or our website. Visit MusicTectonics.com to learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think! The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done.

Music festivals, sports events, and all kinds of entertainment have a common goal: reach fans and sell tickets. Ten years ago, Darshan Kaler built Tradable Bits to be a bridge between the entertainment industry and fans' digital lives, and the company has been innovating in the collection, analysis, and activation of fan data ever since. Find out how Darshan went from bringing the Olympics to your screen to partnering with festivals like Bonnaroo and teams like the Florida Gators. How has the role of social media and advertising changed over Tradable Bits' lifetime? How does Darshan see the live events industry changing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what silver linings is he finding in the shutdown clouds? 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

With the unprecedented pandemic, musicians are looking for new ways to collaborate across long distances. They're finding that the Trackd app already offers a lean, mobile recording and collaborating experience. Grant Tilbury, explains how Trackd lets artists capture moments, edit multi-track audio, and release "Virtual Vinyl" to social media all on one's smartphone. Learn how Trackd was born out of the innovative spirit that made London's Trident Studios famous, and how Trackd is reviving that legend. Find out how artists are using Trackd, from releasing unheard demos, to writing collaborative songs for kids to sing at Buckingham Palace, to collaborating with Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame). 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

What goes on in your mind when that chorus hits and you get shivers, when you lay down a track and know that one was THE take? Neuroscientists have been digging into these and other questions of music, emotion, and cognition for decades. David Rosen, PhD and Brian Owens of AI and neuroscience startup Secret Chord Laboratories explore our brains on music and how the science of creativity and reception can influence the tech tools we build. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

When music venues in Los Angeles were shut down as part of Covid-19 safety measures, Ari Herstand knew that he wanted to help the artists and performance spaces weather the financial shortfall. With a couple of friends, he launched "UnCancelled Music Festival", a live-streaming enterprise that organizes performances and collaboration between musicians from across the country. Now he is busier than ever. Having a lot on his plate, however, is business as usual for Ari, who has worked as a musician and authored the best selling book "How to Make It in the New Music Business". Called "the poster child of DIY music" by Forbes, he has numerous ventures to his name. Well-known for his business advice blog "Ari's Take", Ari also runs a podcast and academy by the same name. As an expert in music business education and artist advocacy, he sits down with Music Tectonics host Dmitri Vietze to discuss what makes for a successful and profitable live-stream, how online performances shape the dynamics of fan bases and how to navigate the modern music business. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

If you're interested in the world of music equipment retail, you have heard of Sweetwater. More likely than not, you are a customer that has contributed to its over 700 million dollars in sales. But how did the company become one of the biggest catalog and online retailers for music? Founder Chuck Surack sits down with Music Tectonics host Dmitri Vietze to explain his humble origins touring around the country as a musician in a beat-up VW and how he ended up building a retail business. He also explains his guiding principles both for business and for life. Amongst them: Doing the right thing by prioritizing taking care of customers instead of simply chasing their money. Surack also reveals the inner workings of Sweetwater, from its 13-week "Sweetwater University" training program for sales engineers to lunch concerts and above-par cafeteria food. With 40 years of experience in the music industry to draw upon, he weighs in on new developments and areas of innovation as well as the "all in" approach that all entrepreneurs need when setting out to make their dreams a reality. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

SXSW hosts a music tech hackathon every year, and 2020 was no exception. Except this was the year everything changed: the huge music and tech conference was cancelled due to the coronavirus. We're not going to let that stop us, however. To honor the spirit of the hackathon, we've brought together some of the mentors and thought leaders involved to talk about how music tech can transform our lives as we face crisis. What's changing as we stare down our current moment of crisis? What does it say about where we want to head as a community and industry? How does our ability to respond to this fast-moving pandemic reflect our opportunities and possibilities as we approach even bigger challenges like climate change? Artist Byrke Lou and music tech instigators Helen Sartory (Rattle LA) and Arabian Prince (Inov8 Ventures) join irregular podcast host Tristra Yeager and SXSW's Luann Williams to discuss all that's changed and all that could change in the world of music tech and creativity. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

If you are still trying to grasp best practices for monetizing recorded music in the streaming era, Label' Logic's Jay Gilbert lays it out for you with no hesitation on this episode. Music Tectonics host Dmitri Vietze dives headfirst into Jay's world of helping artists and managers understand the variety of experiences you can create for fans, the truth behind Spotify playlists, the role of your career narrative, and what data to track and optimize. If everything else is on hold, you can follow Jay's advice in the meantime and be ready for the music economy thaw that is inevitable when the pandemic passes. Jay also shares his thoughts on the importance of email (still!) and the effective way to use social media to attract more streams; not to mention name-dropping several apps and partners to check out on the marketing front. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

After selling his festival cruises company to Norwegian Cruise Lines, entrepreneur Andy Levine returns with his new startup Topeka, which gives artists an opportunity to get paid for online fan conversations, digital house concerts, and Zoom serenades. Music tectonics host Dmitri Vietze finds out from Andy why he started the new endeavor, and how it is well-suited for the current Shelter-at-Home moment. Andy's career focus has been on helping artists and fans connect with more authenticity while still generating revenue for those artists. He also talks about Topeka's social impact component helping single moms in Atlanta. This continues our series of interviews of new opportunities arising during the worldwide self-isolation period. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

What happens when your concert matchmaking platform comes to a screeching halt thanks to social distancing? Side Door co-founder Laura Simpson joins host Dmitri Vietze to talk about how the pandemic's crisis is leading to a new type of ticketed yet intimate performance. Laura talks about how she does not think artists should be forced to play for free, and the types of reactions they are seeing from fans who have bought a ticket. Because they use Zoom for their live streamed concerts from home, she also talks about what it means to be able to see the faces of your fans when you perform; people holding children on their laps, or holding up handwritten signs. Listen in to see how one music tech startup's pivot is unfolding in real time and still creating community and opportunities for performers. 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 learn more, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!