The Future of What

Episode #189 : While the long term effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on the music business are yet to be known, there are lots of real-time metrics to be analyzed in the interim. With the postponement of Record Store Day, and most record shops being closed to the public, the effect on physical sales during this time should be obvious to most. The less obvious changes to global music consumption are the ones that are happening in the digital space, particularly around streaming services and music video plays. What genres are booming, and which ones are seeing a decline in listenership in those spaces? Listen now and find out from our panel of experts. Guests: David Bakula (MRC Data) Russ Crupnick (MusicWatch) Sania Haq (AudienceNet) Rutger Rosenborg (Chartmetric)

While many have speculated about what the long term economic impacts of the COVID-19 quarantine might be, fewer have openly discussed what the long term psychological impacts on society might be. In this episode, Portia speaks with several mental health experts who were actively working with musicians before the quarantine began, and gets their take on what was working for their clients pre-quarantine and what should happen next, if those mental health gains are to be maintained.

Over the past several episodes, Portia has had countless discussions with the heads of music business organizations who represent various facets of the industry within the United States. This week, she’s speaking with their peers and equivalents in the U.K. and E.U. about how they’re weathering the pandemic, and what efforts their various governing bodies are making to aid musicians and other cultural workers in this time of crisis. The six person panel also speculates on what happens next within the industry, as other interconnected industries come back online or remain closed for an indefinite amount of time.

Episode #186 : While the effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on live entertainment and brick and mortar retail are already apparent, other sectors of the music industry like publishing haven’t truly felt the effects of the pandemic yet because of their buffered collection timeline. Will some sectors bare the brunt of this pandemic, while others thrive? Join us this week as Portia speaks candidly with members of the MusicBiz board about how they intend on mediating the effects of this pandemic on their particular niches inside of the music business, and what best practices look like moving forward.

Episode #185 : It should come as no surprise that independent record stores have been particularly hard hit by the “shelter in place” orders established by many states around the country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some retailers have pivoted to online sales and other creative means to keep customers happy, but for many brick and mortars, this move just isn’t enough to maintain community or their bottom line. To make matters worse, the revenue generated by Record Store Day will not be coming anytime soon, as the worldwide event has been pushed back until June, at the very earliest. How will your favorite record stores survive this pandemic? Tune in and find out!

Episode #184 : On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting another MusicBiz LIVE! event that features candid conversation about what music business trade associations are doing to help their specific constituencies navigate the COVID-19 quagmire. Joining Portia in conversation about the CARES Act and more are : Mitch Glazier and Michele Ballantyne of the RIAA, Richard Burgess of A2IM, Bart Herbison of the NSIA, David Israelite of the NMPA and Sarah Trahern of the CMA. Listen in to find out what relief is coming your way, and learn how to access it in your particular district or state with the help of this week’s guests.

Episode #183 : In the few weeks since our last episode, COVID19 has changed the world and how we interact with one another, and that has had many impacts upon the music business as a whole. With venues and record stores closed to the public for the foreseeable future, musicians are having to find new ways to interact with their fans, and because of the quarantine, most of those interactions are happening virtually. To help with this transition to a digital-only reality, the teams at Facebook and Instagram are rolling out new products and initiatives to help musicians and their fans establish new types of relationships that will work in the new paradigm faced by us all. In this episode, we revisit a public conversation between Portia Sabin, Perry Bashkoff (Instagram) and Mayola Charles (Facebook) that was part of a MusicBiz Live! webinar that occured on April 6, 2020.

Episode #182 : While many people start their career in the music business by forming a band or record label, and learning the industry’s norms and quirks largely through trial and error, others choose to enroll in various university programs to learn about the industry. This week we’re exploring what those university programs look like for both undergraduate and graduate students, and what the key takeaways from those programs are. Join us as we speak with Serona Elton (University of Miami), Joe Rapolla (Monmouth University), and Larry Miller (NYU Steinhardt) about the different kinds of programs that they help facilitate for students at their respective academic institutions.

Episode #181 : Music production has become increasingly fragmented thanks to the advent of affordable studio technology and high speed internet connections, which comes with both benefits and drawbacks. The main benefit is that band members and songwriting teams can now collaborate from anywhere in the world at any time of day, and they can arrange for special guest features with little more than a simple email exchange. The drawback to this evolution is that proper attribution for these collaborations are often messy, overlooked, or forgotten altogether, as the musicians involved are wearing too many hats in the studio. Thankfully, new online systems like Jaxsta and VEVA Sound have entered the market to help consolidate credits and session files into one simple place, so that everyone involved gets their due credit. Join us this week as we speak with Jaxsta CEO Jacqui Louez Schoorl, VEVA Sound president Deborah Fairchild, and Grammy award winning engineer/producer Reid Shippen about how these systems are being used in today’s top studios.

Episode #180 : Matt Black and Jonathan Fine first joined forces in the late 1980’s, after a chance encounter at a local record shop. Now, some thirty-odd years later, the two are still working together in multiple capacities, and show no signs of stopping. They’ve released multiple albums as the electronic duo Coldcut, and helped produce several others, in addition to founding the highly regarded UK electronic label Ninja Tune, which is now in its thirtieth year of existence. In the recent past, they’ve also turned their attention to making musical software, like the Ninja Jamm app, that allows both novice and pros alike to remix and create music on the go with their smart device. Join us this week as we speak with both Matt and Jon about their history as a band and their philosophy as label owners and app developers.