Episode #43: Each year, independent labels converge in New York to talk trade at A2IM’s annual Indie Week conference. On this episode bring you some insight into the event with a panel moderated by Portia. She’s joined by some of the indie world’s best, including Mute Records’ Nicole Blonder, Sara Dempsey of ABKCO Music & Records, Dave Martin (Omnian Music Group), and General Manager of Concord Music Group, Jim Selby. While catalog is at the forefront of the discussion, the group touched on mark...
Jun 22, 2016•53 min
Episode #34: The term “A&R guy” is tossed around casually in the music biz — but what does the A&R division of a label do? A&R teams are traditionally charged with finding new talent, guiding artists through the recording process and connecting artists with producers, songwriters and other collaborators. Their insight can have huge influence on an artist and label. Over the years, the role has changed with the music business. This week, respected A&R dude and founder of Loma Vista Recordings Tom...
Jun 10, 2016•58 min
Episode #42: Touring, playing festivals, meeting loyal fans. Sounds like life as a successful musician, right? On this episode we look at a different audio and performance-driven art form: stand-up comedy. There are many parallels between the comedy and music industries, especially when it comes to releasing albums and booking festivals. We talk to comedy festival pioneer Andy Wood about the ninth year of Portland s Bridgetown Comedy Festival and how it s affected the nation s comedy landscape. ...
Jun 03, 2016•57 min
Episode #41: We know that producers are integral to the recording process, but even some in the industry are still confused as to exactly what producers do. While the scope of their role can vary, every music producer has their own approach. Renowned engineer, artist and educator Sylvia Massy prides herself on her unconventional production techniques. Massy has worked with artists from Prince to Tool, always bringing her unique perspective and creativity to producing. On this episode, we put the...
May 26, 2016•57 min
Episode #40: In 2016, the way people are consuming music is changing, but it might not be how you’d expect. Between ad-based and on-demand streaming, digital downloads, vinyl, and yes, CDs and cassettes, there’s huge diversity in the way consumers are accessing music. We talk with three experts, Russ Crupnick (MusicWatch Inc.), Jim Lidestri (BuzzAngle) and Tom Silverman (Tommy Boy Entertainment), to make sense of recent statistics, and to better understand how they affect the music industry’s fu...
May 19, 2016•54 min
Episode #39: A band is ready to release new music, but how can they grab people’s attention in such a crowded market? Promoting a song or album effectively is a multi-step process that can be daunting for artists, especially as acts and labels turn to more inventive concepts. In this 101 episode, we talk through what goes into a marketing strategy with Graham Rothenberg, Senior Director of Marketing at leading agency The Syndicate. Then we hear from Sub Pop’s Carly Starr about how publicity and ...
May 05, 2016•58 min
Episode #38: What do artists like Katy Perry, Debbie Harry, Lionel Richie and hundreds of others have against one piece of legislation? Along with many in the creative community, they’re calling for reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA was drafted in 1998 — before platforms like Napster and YouTube existed — with the intent of bringing copyright up to date with the digital age. Unfortunately, according to those calling for reform, the outdated act has allowed tech giants to p...
Apr 28, 2016•58 min
When recording engineer Larry Crane started Tape Op Magazine in 1996, he printed the first issue on legal paper and Xeroxed 500 copies to send to his friends. Branded as “the creative music recording magazine,” that first issue set Tape Op up to be one of the best resources for new and established engineers, gaining a readership of over 60,000. On this episode of The Future of What, we celebrate Tape Op’s 20th anniversary with an extended interview with Crane. We talk about what it takes to sust...
Apr 15, 2016•57 min
Episode #36: Felice Ecker started music marketing agency Girlie Action Media in 1994. Since then, their clients have included everyone from Bikini Kill to Morrissey. Today on The Future of What, we talk to Felice about her success as an independent entrepreneur in our new Spotlight feature, where we hear advice from influential figures in the business. While Felice brought the wisdom of a successful decades-long career, her longtime client and our guest John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants br...
Apr 08, 2016•57 min
Episode #35: Every kid dreams of being a rock star, but what does the job actually take? While touring can be fun, the realities of life on the road can be difficult to sustain. How do working artists balance their careers with day to day life? We talk with Rafael Cohen of !!! about creating stability as a “middle-class” musician. Then, Taraka Larson of Prince Rama walks us through the duo’s touring schedule and unconventional recording process. Portugal. The Man’s Zach Carothers shares what he’...
Apr 01, 2016•59 min
Episode #33: “Young people [are an] underserved population when it comes to the music industry.” That’s the point our guest Andre Middleton drives home on this week’s episode of The Future of What. In our discussion with Middleton (Friends of Noise, RACC) and Todd Fadel (The Meow Meow), we look at the logistics and pitfalls of starting and sustaining an all ages venue. Like many cities with rising rents and strict liquor laws, Portland has seen a slew of beloved all ages venues close in the last...
Mar 17, 2016•59 min
Episode #32: You’ve put your music out there and built a solid fan base, but you may still be missing an integral part of your team -- a person who could help bring your career to the next level. Band managers play a key role in the trajectory of an act, and by overseeing the business side of the group can allow the artist to put their energy into making music. We talk with three knowledgeable managers about what they do, what it takes to be an effective business partner and what artists can do ...
Mar 04, 2016•58 min
Episode #31: If women and girls are one of the fastest growing markets in the music industry, shouldn’t they be better represented in media? That’s what some, like our guests this week, are striving to do. A greater number of magazines and blogs oriented toward women and girls means that many of these aspiring musicians can finally recognize themselves in the publications they consume. But giving focus to women musicians isn’t just a good cause — it’s a good business investment. This week we hos...
Feb 20, 2016•50 min
Episode #30: Could two multi-million dollar lawsuits be the downfall of one of music’s most popular streaming services? Earlier this year, two class-actions were brought against streaming giant Spotify by musicians David Lowery and Melissa Ferrick. The plaintiffs allege that Spotify knowingly distributes copyrighted material without obtaining the proper licenses. So what do these suits mean for musicians and the industry as a whole? We discuss with lead plaintiff Melissa Ferrick, lawyers Howell ...
Feb 13, 2016•55 min
Episode #29: How do you get your music on the “it” blog or radio station? When should you hire a publicist? What does a publicist even do? These questions are common among young musicians looking for their break. In our second installment of Music 101, we talk to tastemakers Sharlese Metcalf (KEXP) and Brandon Stosuy (Pitchfork) about how they discover new artists, then publicist Nathan Walker (Riot Act Media) gives some advice on promoting your band. GUESTS Sharlese Metcalf (KEXP) Brandon Stosu...
Feb 05, 2016•55 min
Episode #28: In an industry where it’s difficult to make a living, musicians have had to become more and more creative to survive, especially with shrinking royalties in their pockets. One way some artists have managed to succeed is to tap into -- or create -- a niche market. Whether it’s inventing a new genre or signing to an obscure label, their stories prove that there’s not just one path to success in the music business. Our guests on this episode share their unique approaches to what they d...
Jan 29, 2016•57 min
Episode #27: Health insurance, a 401K… employment benefits in general? Not so easy to find working in the music industry. Luckily, in 1989 the Recording Academy created the MusiCares Foundation, providing a safety net of critical services and resources for industry people in need. On this episode, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow gives us some background on the foundation and, while the service is confidential, some of the many musicians, managers and crew who have been helped by MusiCar...
Jan 22, 2016•54 min
Episode #25: What do Justin Bieber and weird punk have in common? Well, not much, but we cover both on our last show of the year, where we celebrate the year in music. We also get into 2015 trends in shoegaze pop, comedy, feminism, top 40, and more. Portia brings in the Kill Rock Stars crew, James Reling and Ben Parrish, to hear their favorite songs of 2015. We then wrap up the year with Kiran Gandhi, activist, musician, and former drummer for M.I.A. to talk about major trends in music and what ...
Jan 15, 2016•54 min
Episode #23: Subscribers pay about $10 a month for most streaming services -- with that kind of cash, shouldn’t musicians be making more from these platforms? For their short history, music streaming services have operated by putting all of their subscription revenue into one big pool. The pool is then divided by the total number of plays — this is called the pro rata method. Some people believe that this system is ripping customers off. Why shouldn’t your money go directly to the artists you’re...
Jan 15, 2016•58 min
Episode #22: In this episode, Portia moderates a SF Music Tech panel entitled "The Future of Indies," that was chock full of laughs and indie stalwarts of the past, present and future. Her panelists included: Molly Neuman (A2IM, Lookout! Records, Bratmobile), Bruce Pavitt (Sub Pop, 8Stem), Amy Dietz (INgrooves), Christiane Kinney (LeClairRyan), and Kevin Breuner (CD Baby). The panel discussed their individual introductions to music and the music industry, and provided advice to both musicians an...
Jan 15, 2016•54 min
Episode #21: For the 15th annual Future of Music Summit, we headed to Washington DC for a special taping of The Future What. Portia talked with musician and innovator Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs about her creative process, puppeteering past and more. Then we sat down with Tim Quirk, founder of Freeform Development Inc. and former Google Play exec. GUESTS Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs) Tim Quirk (Freeform Development Inc.) MUSIC tUnE-yArDs “Gangsta” Too Much Joy “Long Haired Guys From England” Delt...
Jan 14, 2016•53 min
Episode #19: When people hear about the Recording Academy, some scratch their heads in wonder, while others immediately recognize them as the organization that puts on the Grammy Awards every year. However, both of these responses bely the true effort and intent behind the organization, as they are just as involved in awards shows as they are in advocacy for musicians on Capitol Hill and beyond. After several successful years of doing the music industry lobbying day, "Grammys On The Hill," the R...
Jan 14, 2016•55 min
Episode #18: Some music services are more "artist friendly" than others, and some might say that Bandcamp is the ultimate in that regard. Unlike other services that charge artists a per year fee for their services, regardless of units sold, Bandcamp is totally free until you sell a song or album, and then their take is only half of what other services charge artists for distribution. In this episode, we speak with Andrew Jervis and Jennifer Elias of Bandcamp about the company's history and futur...
Jan 14, 2016•59 min
Episode #17: As the music industry continues to shrink, investors have begun to circle around record labels and holders of large back catalogs, likely in the hopes of acquiring large amounts of publishing and master rights for an artificially low price. What do these investors know? In this episode, we explore this topic at length, and try to figure out why investors are spending a lot of money on a "failing" industry, when artists' core audiences aren't. GUESTS Jeff Slate (Writer/Journalist) Ma...
Jan 14, 2016•44 min
Episode #16: In the second installment of our "Gatekeeper's Roundtable," we speak with Ali Hedrick of The Billions Corporation about some of the new acts that she's working with, and how they've come to her, or vice versa. Christen Green adds to the conversation by telling us about how she ended up working with The Lumineers, among the other notable acts that are a part of Onto Entertainment. We also have Nate Nelson tell us the story about how he ended up at Stones Throw Records via the leaked ...
Jan 14, 2016•56 min
Episode #15: In this episode, we explore the historical impact of musical videos by looking at the advent and evolution of MTV, and the explosion of YouTube as a format for music, and music videos. We kick off the hour with Courtney Smith, a former programmer for MTV and MTVU, who gives us a bird’s eye view of how videos were selected for air, and how her days with the station were different than the early days. From there we toggle over to Ed Vetri of Wind-Up Records, who explains the importanc...
Jan 14, 2016•54 min
Episode #26: You've recorded a song, now you want people to hear it. What's next? Our guests this week guide us through the basics of PROs and song distribution. ASCAP's Marc Emert-Hutner helps us decipher some of the acronyms every musician should know in order to understand their rights. Then, Kevin Breuner of CD Baby returns to the show to talk about how to distribute music yourself. SoundExchange's Michael Darpino wraps up by telling us how musicians can collect royalties.
Jan 13, 2016•56 min
Episode #14: In this episode, we speak with three different musical gatekeepers about what gets them to lower their guard long enough to allow a band safe passage to the next level in their career. Joining us for the discussion is Slim Moon (Kill Rock Stars, 5RC, Shotclock Management, Nonesuch Records, etc.), Ken Cheppaikode (Dirtnap Records, Green Noise), and Theo Craig (PDX Pop Now!, X-Ray FM, Mascaras, etc.)
Aug 25, 2015•52 min
Episode #13: Brooklyn band Here We Go Magic is set to release their fourth album with indie label Secretly Canadian on October 15th, and we wanted to explore the process that the album went through from "farm to table." First we speak with Michael Bloch, guitarist in the band, who explains how he and song writer Luke Temple tackled their first album as a two piece using only rudimentary tools to create a full band, live, in the studio sound. Next we speak with one of Secretly Canadian's founders...
Aug 18, 2015•35 min
Episode #12: In this episode, we dig deep into the "Fair Music: Transparency and Money Flows in the Music Industry” report recently presented by the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE). Joining us for the discussion are Panos Panay (founder of BerkleeICE and SonicBids), David Lowery (songwriter for Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, writer at The Trichordist), Mike Huppe (CEO of SoundExchange), and Jeremy DeVine (founder of Temporary Residence Ltd.). Read the entire repor...
Aug 11, 2015•1 hr
