The Future of What

The music industry is constantly evolving and integrating new technologies, bringing with them both opportunities and challenges. But when it comes to metadata management, DDEX has seen our industry greatly improve since its inception in 2006. In this episode, DDEX Secretariat Mark Isherwood shares his observations over the years as the organization 20th anniversary approaches, addressing current AI discussions and use...

The jukebox has existed as a catalyst for communal music discovery for nearly a century, with the anniversary of AMI Entertainment's production of the first coin-operated jukebox coming up in 2027. To celebrate, we spoke with AMI CEO Tommy Moreno about the company's rich history & innovations, as well as the pros & cons of the jukebox's evolution into a digital format. Tommy also spotlights how AMI is continuin...

To be a successful artist management team means to be willing to think outside the box, which is just what mtheory CEO Cameo Carlson and team have done with artist Mickey Guyton, a Country singer who did not have traditional revenue lines in place like touring or radio. In this episode, Cameo recounts the story of how a C2C Festival appearance in London led to Mickey placing second on China's The Singer, and the massiv...

PLUS1 has raised just about $40 million for over 1,200 nonprofits, with their keystone project being a small add-on of $1 per concert ticket to be donated to a charitable organization of an artist's choice. The idea grew out of founder Marika Anthony-Shaw reading a book about Paul Farmer – founder of the organization Partners in Health – while touring with Arcade Fire, leading the band to support the nonpro...

The artist-fan relationship is arguably one of the most important in our industry, yet it is often undermined – management of each different aspect is often spread across platforms, and artist websites & channels are usually underutilized as connection points. Rob Sealy noticed this discrepancy and, with no prior experience in the music industry, co-founded Openstage to pull fans into owned channels that crea...

Fostering equity and inclusion is a collective effort — and though DEI roles have taken a hit in our industry, the experts and community leaders are still out there. During Music Biz 2026, Naledi Nyahuma Seck, VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Orchard, joined us to discuss this tumultuous stage and potential for the future, zoning in on the importance of supporting diversity in the music ecosystem at...

Secretly has seen the industry go through many changes, and with it so has Shelly Worcel, who went from intern to Director of Global Physical Account Strategy during her 14 years at their distribution arm. Though the company has grown exponentially over the years, they still maintain their independent mindset – remaining flexible and willing to experiment without jumping ship during times of change, like the tran...

Dmitri Vietze describes working in PR & marketing in the music industry as a rollercoaster on top of another rollercoaster, given the constant transition in both industries. In this podcast episode, we gain insight into this experience from Dmitri, who runs Rock Paper Scissors, Inc., a PR firm representing music tech companies and organizes the Music Tectonics Conference every year. Throughout the interview, he des...

Precedent shapes legislation. In our industry's current era of change – defined by issues ranging from AI usage to increased artist autonomy – these precedents are challenged to pave the way for the potential of new rulings. During Music Biz 2026, Cynthia Katz & Heidy Vaquerano of Fox Rothschild LLP gave us a glimpse beyond the glamorous exterior of music law, starting with how they got into the field and diving dee...