In this episode, host Max Bernstein interviews Bradley Haering, former President of Nice Life of Nice Life Recording Company. Bradley shares his journey from shoe store employee to label exec, discussing his pivotal role in Lizzo's breakthrough and his vision for a more individualized and sustainable approach to artist development. He also explores the evolving landscape of social media, particularly TikTok, and the need for record labels to adapt to each artist's unique needs.

Key Topics:

• Early Career and the Start of Nice Life: Bradley’s journey from working in retail to A&R, and eventually helping to launch the record label Nice Life.
• Lizzo’s Rise to Fame: How Nice Life signed Lizzo and how live performances, streaming platforms, and viral social media shaped her breakthrough moment.
• Artist Development & Mental Health: The importance of mental health support in artist development and Bradley’s plans to integrate therapy into the music industry.
• Social Media and TikTok’s Role in Music Promotion: How TikTok has become a crucial tool for artists to promote their work and connect with fans in a new way.
• The Need for an Artist-Centered Label: Bradley’s vision of a label model that prioritizes mental health, individualized artist development, and long-term success.
• Future of the Music Industry: The potential impact of AI and other tech advancements on the music business and the importance of focusing on human-centered artist development.

Episode Highlights and Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Success, goals, and unmet expectations

00:10 – Who Bradley Haering is and his career background

01:40 – How Bradley met Ricky Reed and the origin story

02:51 – Becoming employee #1 at Nice Life and early label experience

03:46 – Lizzo’s early challenges with streaming and playlists

05:00 – The “Truth Hurts” breakthrough and Netflix sync moment

06:00 – Viral moments and Lizzo’s rise through social media

07:00 – Lizzo’s early adoption of TikTok and creator mindset

08:52 – Why Bradley left Nice Life and his views on artist pressure

10:43 – Merging artist development with mental health support

11:30 – Bradley’s journey to becoming an LMFT

18:30 – His vision for a new, artist-centered label model

23:45 – Why a record label (not management) fits his vision

24:54 – Closing thoughts and future plans

Follow our guest, Bradley Haering:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhaering/ 

Follow the Host Max Bernstein:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mberns01/

X: https://x.com/relationlco

Follow RELATIONL:

Website: https://www.relationl.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relationl/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relationlco/