Episode 80: Mike Caren.

If you’re in the music industry, you hear the name Mike Caren all the time. He’s one of the most powerful people in music, with a career that’s led to billions of streams, multiple GRAMMY wins, and chart-topping, career-defining hits as both an A&R and executive.

He’s signed and/or helped break artists like Bruno Mars, Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Kehlani, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Wiz Khalifa, Flo Rida, T.I., Trey Songz, Ava Max, Kevin Gates, and Don Toliver.

He started his career at Atlantic Records at just 18 years old, eventually becoming President of Worldwide A&R at Warner Music Group. Today, he is the founder and CEO of APG, which includes Artist Partner Group (label) and Artist Publishing Group (publishing), one of the most successful independent music companies in the world.

This is Mike Caren’s first-ever long-form, on-camera interview. Mike usually keeps a low profile, so I was honored he agreed to do this. We dive into his full trajectory, how he got where he is today, lessons learned, and his advice for artists, songwriters, and A&Rs trying to build meaningful careers in today’s music landscape. We also talk artist development, the balance of creativity and business, AI and more. There’s so much to take away from this one.

Hope you enjoy my conversation with the great Mike Caren!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:07:13) EARLY CAREER, GROWING UP

(0:08:22) RADIO SHOW WITH THE ALCHEMIST

(0:09:20) INTERSCOPE RECORDS INTERNSHIP 1993

(0:13:10) PROVIDE VALUE

(0:14:34) MARKETING ROLES

(0:17:14) CRAIG KALLMAN, BIG BEAT, ATLANTIC

(0:19:21) BLACK EYED PEAS, SIGNING TWISTA

(0:21:56) THE PHARCYDE REMIX, STARTING IN A&R

(0:24:23) BECOMING EVP OF A&R AT ATLANTIC RECORDS, SIGNING TRICK DADDY, TRINA, T.I., TREY SONGZ, NAPPY ROOTS

(0:28:10) STARTING APG

(0:31:37) ATLANTIC AND APG

(0:33:18) BEING AN EXEC WHILE RUNNING A PUBLISHING COMPANY, STARTING ELEKTRA RECORDS

(0:34:15) CEELO GREEN

(0:34:30) B.O.B, “NOTHING ON YOU” WITH BRUNO MARS

(0:35:13) SIGNING ED SHEERAN

(0:36:49) SIGNING BRUNO MARS, BRANDY, AARON BAY-SCHUCK

(0:41:09) BEING A CO-PRESIDENT WITH JOHN JANICK

(0:42:35) SIA & DAVID GUETTA “TITANIUM”

(0:48:23) PRESIDENT OF A&R WARNER MUSIC GROUP, SIGNING KEVIN GATES

(0:51:57) CHARLIE PUTH, WIZ KHALIFA, LIL WAYNE

(0:54:09) KEHLANI

(0:56:16) “SEE YOU AGAIN” CHARLIE PUTH

(0:57:43) CREDITING

(1:03:01) HOW TO PRIORITIZE

(1:10:10) CRAFTING HIT SONGS IN 2025

(1:17:24) A.I.

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Episode 79. Omar Hakim, Part 2!

We’re back with the drumming legend Omar Hakim and pick up right where we left off in Part 1. We start with the wild story of how he met Sting while recording Brothers In Arms with Dire Straits… ON AN ISLAND. This story blows my mind.

From there, we continue through his career with Sting, Miles Davis, Madonna, and the crazy story of making the Daft Punk hit "Get Lucky." This episode is full of rare backstories, industry gems, and lessons in creativity and innovation.

We talk about Omar being an early adopter of electronic and acoustic hybrid drum setups. As the drummer for Madonna in her stadium-filling heyday, Omar blended cutting-edge sampling, triggers, and MIDI controllers to deliver on recordings’ impossible sounds in a live setting, building custom rigs and using expression pedals for real-time sound bending.

This preceded today's standard in pop touring, marking him as a pioneer for the next generation of drummers. We also get into the business side of touring and recording and where Omar is at today. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of my conversation with the man, Omar Hakim!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO  

(0:03:34) HOW OMAR MET STING  

(0:08:13) SESSIONS WITH STING  

(0:10:30) STINGS FIRST SOLO TOUR  

(0:11:07) “BRING ON THE NIGHT” FILM  

(0:14:58) THE “BRING ON THE NIGHT” BAND  

(0:17:19) MILES DAVIS  

(0:18:36) HANGING WITH MILES DAVIS  

(0:20:52) MILES KNEW OMAR’S DAD, JAMAICA QUEENS  

(0:33:09) MADONNA, LIONEL RICHIE  

(0:39:20) MICHAEL BEARDEN  

(0:40:08) LUIS CONTE, MADONNA BAND  

(0:41:24) DAFT PUNK, “GET LUCKY”  

(0:48:47) JOHN JR ROBINSON  

(0:51:20) THE 80’S MUSIC BUSINESS MODEL  

(0:59:21) MARKET RATES FOR MUSICIANS  

(1:02:11) SONIC BOOM SQUAD, RACHEL Z, LIFE TODAY

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!  

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Episode 78: Omar Hakim.

Today on the pod we’ve got one of the most recorded drummers of all time. The legendary Omar Hakim! We went deep for over 2 hours, and unlocked SO MUCH GOLD, so we’re releasing this conversation in two parts.

In Part 1, Omar shares the stories behind some of his most iconic recordings, including his legendary session with David Bowie on Let’s Dance, his deep musical relationship with Nile Rodgers, and his time in Weather Report.

We also get into the wild story of how he tracked the entire Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms" (including the questions I’ve always had about Money for Nothing).

With this interview, I hope you'll now understand how Omar became the legend he is today. I think your mind will be blown when you hear about the caliber of musicians that were around him since he was a kid!

Part 2 drops next week. For now, here’s the first hour of my conversation with the amazing Omar Hakim.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:04:57) STARTING PROFESSIONALLY AT AGE 10

(0:05:57) JAMAICA QUEENS, NEW YORK

(0:07:13) TOURING WITH JAY MASON AT AGE 15

(0:08:08) OPENING FOR HALL & OATS, PLAYING ARENAS AS A TEENAGER

(0:08:42) LABELLE, LADY MARMALADE

(0:11:15) JOINING WEATHER REPORT

(0:11:35) DAVID SANDBOURNE, “AS WE SPEAK” RECORD, MARCUS MILLER

(0:12:10) CARLY SIMON

(0:13:29) OTHER GIGS IN TEENAGE YEARS

(0:14:18) OPENING FOR “RETURN TO FOREVER”

(0:15:00) CHICK COREA, STANLEY CLARKE STORY

(0:20:02) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT

(0:21:41) MILES DAVIS

(0:22:53) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT CONTINUED

(0:24:57) HUGH MASEKELA, VICTOR BAILEY

(0:26:56) HOW THE WEATHER REPORT GIG CHANGED OMAR’S LIFE

(0:27:31) NILE RODGERS

(0:28:32) DAVID BOWIE’S “LET’S DANCE”

(0:33:08) BECOMING A MUSICAL CHAMELEON

(0:34:08) “LET’S DANCE” DRUM PART, THOUGHT PROCESS

(0:36:53) RECORDING “RICOCHET” WITH DAVID BOWIE

(0:38:22) TIPS FOR SESSION MUSICIANS

(0:40:05) GROWING UP WITH NILE RODGERS

(0:41:59) NILE RODGERS, “GOOD TIMES” MASTERING SESSION

(0:44:58) NILE RODGERS AS A PRODUCER

(0:47:23) DAVID BOWIE SESSIONS, SAYING NO TO TOURING

(0:50:26) DAVID BOWIE “TONIGHT” ALBUM RECORDING

(0:51:42) TURNING DOWN BOWIE FOR WEATHER REPORT

(0:55:22) DIRE STRAITS “MONEY FOR NOTHING”

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Episode 77: Steve Smith.
The incredible, multi-faceted, Steve Smith was one of my favorite drummers growing up. His playing with Journey blew me mind, and the fact that he had a full-on jazz career alongside his rock success made him even more inspiring to me.

Steve made Modern Drummer’s Top 25 Drummers of All Time list and won the #1 All-Around Drummer Award five years in a row. His credits are stacked, from early gigs with Jean Luc-Ponty (alongside Allan Holdsworth), Focus, and Ronnie Montrose, to arena-filling hits with Journey, to leading his band Vital Information (for the past 4 decades). He’s done sessions with Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero, Savage Garden, Bryan Adams, and Zakir Hussain.

On the jazz side, Steve has played with heavyweights like Steps Ahead, Tom Coster, Ahmad Jamal, Victor Wooten, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm, Dweezil Zappa, Hiromi, and Bill Evans.
Steve is one of the greatest to ever do it, and it was a total honor to have him on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the legendary Steve Smith!

Special thanks to Zildjian. I used their ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune Headphones in this episode and loved it. Check it out! https://zildjian.com/products/zildjian-alchem-e-perfect-tune-headphones?variant=49623287628068

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:06:01) FROM JAZZ TO JOURNEY

(0:11:02) PROGRESSIVE FUSION, BOSTON FROM 1972 TO 1976

(0:12:24) JEAN-LUC PONTY

(0:13:37) MOVING TO L.A. IN 1978

(0:15:13) SONOR FUSION DRUM KIT, RONNIE MONTROSE

(0:16:24) OPENING FOR JOURNEY IN 1978 WITH RONNIE MONTROSE

(0:17:02) TOURING WITH VAN HALEN, RONNIE, AND JOURNEY

(0:18:37) GETTING THE GIG WITH JOURNEY

(0:20:51) AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER AT 24 YEARS OLD

(0:21:49) WHAT VAN HALEN WAS LIKE IN THE EARLY DAYS

(0:24:25) RECORDING JOURNEY’S ALBUM, “EVOLUTION”

(0:24:54) HOW JOURNEY’S HIT SINGLES CHANGED STEVE SMITH’S LIFE

(0:27:42) PLAYING JAZZ, MEETING RANDY JACKSON

(0:28:40) STARTING VITAL INFORMATION

(0:29:32) GETTING FAMOUS

(0:33:36) “DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’”

(0:40:45) CREATING JOURNEY’S BIGGEST HITS

(0:44:03) DRUM SOLOS

(0:45:44) ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, DANNY SERAPHINE, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, BILLY COBHAM

(0:46:56) MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA

(0:48:13) LEAVING JOURNEY

(0:53:11) “TRIAL BY FIRE” ALBUM

(0:55:02) TRANSITIONING OUT OF JOURNEY

(1:02:20) BUDDY RICH BIG BAND

(1:06:13) NEAL PEART FRIENDSHIP

(1:07:08) TOURING

(1:11:31) TOURING WITH VITAL INFORMATION IN 2025

(1:12:09) HOW TO PLAY GREAT EVERY NIGHT

(1:13:58) STAYING INSPIRED

(1:15:00) DRUMMING IN NEW YORK CITY

(1:16:19) HOW TO BUILD A DRUM COURSE

(1:20:02) HOW TO SYSTEMATICALLY PRACTICE

(1:23:12) KONNAKOLS, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, INDIA

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

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Journey's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speeches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XyCKJ-Z9dA

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Episode 76: Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan.

If you're a drummer, chances are you've seen J-Rod pop up in your feed. He's one of the most exciting drummers to watch, and now he’s holding down the drum chair for Janet Jackson. From uploading his first drum video to YouTube back in 2006 to building an audience of over 700,000 followers, J-Rod is living proof that consistency and passion pay off.

We get into everything from his early days playing in church to building an online community of over 700K+ followers with his drum videos and how he creates them. We talk about staying consistent while on the road, and why authenticity is everything. Plus, we go deep into the Janet Jackson gig, talking about how it came together from a DM and the sacrifice he took dedicating 2 months to turn this Janet Jackson opportunity into a closed deal.

I had to find out how in the world he plays the infamous “Control” drum fill, his gear setups, how he makes his social media videos (both the cameras, the audio, and the process), creating drumless tracks with the Moises app, his band The 4 Korners, staying sharp, and why it pays to act as if you already got the gig.

J-Rod came through to my hotel room in Las Vegas to link up the next day after his show with Janet Jackson. I went to the show and it was incredible. After the show, we went out with Zedd until 5 a.m., and the next morning he went straight to AMA rehearsals with Janet, then soundcheck at Resorts World with Janet, then to my hotel room to do the interview, and then straight to his show with Janet that night. We were running on fumes for this convo, which made it fun in it's own way. We dive into his story, his viral rise, how he landed the Janet gig, and so much more.

Here's my conversation with the incredible, Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan!

(0:00) INTRO

(01:17) THE JANET JACKSON LAS VEGAS SHOW

(02:37) ZEDD

(03:20) STARTING OUT, JROD'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE

(06:30) J-ROD'S DRUM TONE

(07:20) HOW GETTING NOTICED CHANGED J-ROD

(08:27) VIDEO CREATION PROCESS

(11:07) DECISIVENESS

(13:26) DRUMLESS TRACKS

(13:56) HOME RECORDING RIG

(15:11) HOW TO MAKE TRACKS DRUMLESS

(16:11) PARAMORE'S "AIN'T IT FUN" COVER

(17:06) GAINING TRACTION OVER 10 YEARS

(18:43) GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET JACKSON

(34:19) OFFICIALLY GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET

(36:24) REHEARSALS WITH JANET JACKSON

(40:42) "CONTROL" DRUM FILL

(43:41) MEETING JANET JACKSON AT REHEARSALS

(46:40) LIFE RIGHT NOW AND WHAT'S NEXT

(50:17) WHO SHOULD BE ON THE PODCAST? 

Here's the Jimmy Jam Videos that were referenced in the video:

Jimmy Jam Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQgpr2WNM0&t=3894s

Jimmy Jam Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4utgYvHdY&t=2305s

Flyte Tyme Studios Tour with Jimmy Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=updSUi65UvI&t=1266s

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

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Thomas Lang: Drum God Mode, Practice Secrets, Clinics, Social Media Trends with guest Luke Holland!

Episode 75: Thomas Lang.

Thomas Lang is one of the best drummers of all time. His drive and focused, intentional practice has led to him being one of the most sophisticated drummers, producers, and composers, with the ability to do four-limb separation beyond pretty much anyone else. On top of that ability, he is musical! He's also a great human, impressive entrepreneur, and a fun guy to hang with.

In this episode, we dive deep into his story, how he became the Thomas Lang we see today — both in his skill sets and his success. We talk about how he throws his drum camps, his insane clinics (he did the biggest clinic tour of all time), how to practice correctly, what to do and what not to do. You'll also get a glimpse into his great personality and mindset.

Luke Holland jumped in and joined us in this interview as well, which was fun since we're all friends. Together we talked about something you all want to know — our least favorite social media drumming trends lol. More importantly, keeping the inspiration to continue drumming, and so much more.

Here's my interview with the awesome Thomas Lang, and special guest Luke Holland, Let's go!!

Special thanks to Apogee Electronics. We used their Apogee HypeMic and Podcast Kit in this episode and they sounded great. Check it out!Apogee HypeMic & Podcast Kit: https://apogeedigital.com/product/podcast-kit/?srsltid=AfmBOor0bzlGQhUM0cHCNZoSPLEmXEl_qjIO-AQhdsDTDCxQCP7zNBd_

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:04:16) CREATIVE CONTROL DVD

(0:12:10) HOW THOMAS BECAME 'SUPER DRUMMER'

(0:14:21) THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DRUM CLINIC TOUR

(0:20:22) ENTREPRENEURSHIP

(0:21:04) HOW TO PUT A DRUM EVENT TOGETHER

(0:28:07) BIGGEST REVENUE GENERATOR

(0:30:35) SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

(0:34:04) PRICING

(0:37:30) THOMAS LANG ON PRACTICING

(0:45:17) SLEEP

(0:46:09) PRIMUS & DREAM THEATER AUDITION

(0:50:24) SOCIAL MEDIA DRUMMING

(0:51:05) PRIMUS AUDITION

(0:51:45) WHO THOMAS LANG LOOKS UP TO

(0:53:11) LUKE HOLLAND APPEARS

(0:55:05) INSTAGRAM DRUM TRENDS WE DON'T LIKE

(1:02:36) HOW TO STAY INSPIRED

(1:21:05) THE DRUM WORLD TODAY

(1:27:21) AI DRUMMING

(1:29:38) DREAM COLLABS

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Episode 74: RedOne.

RedOne is one of the most successful producers and songwriters of our time. From Lady Gaga’s Just Dance, Poker Face, and Bad Romance, to J.Lo and Pitbull’s On the Floor, and Nicki Minaj’s Starships — he’s helped shape the sound of modern pop.

In this episode, we go deep into RedOne’s story — from being broke in 2008 to producing The Fame with Gaga and changing pop music forever. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from iconic sessions, how his producer tag came to life, and how he creates hits from demo to final mix.

We talk about his work with FIFA and how he is now their Head of Music Entertainment, producing the album for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as writing the official anthem song for his favorite team, Real Madrid, We also talk about collaborating with Jung Kook and Red's close friend, Cristiano Ronaldo, We discuss his passion for elevating music from the MENA region, all about his life in Dubai, as well as the future of AI in music, and the love he shares with his wife Laila Aziz.

This episode is full of inspiration, heart, and real talk from a global hitmaker. Let’s go!

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:02:43) LADY GAGA IN 2008, "JUST DANCE"

(0:03:41) LADY GAGA'S, "POKER FACE"

(0:06:09) 2008 STRUGGLES & KAT DELUNA'S, "WHINE UP"

(0:11:28) "THE FAME" SESSIONS WITH LADY GAGA

(0:14:29) "JUST DANCE," "POKER FACE," "LOVEGAME"

(0:16:03) "BOYS, BOYS, BOYS" & JUST DANCE

(0:19:24) THE REDONE PRODUCER TAG

(0:22:28) "POKER FACE"

(0:28:02) "BAD ROMANCE"

(0:35:32) U2 STORY

(0:37:42) CREATING "ON THE FLOOR" WITH J.LO & PITBULL

(0:46:54) CREATING "STARSHIPS" WITH NICKI MINAJ

(0:50:58) HOW REDONE CREATES DEMOS

(0:52:51) FIFA, JUNG KOOK, REAL MADRID, CRISTIANO RONALDO

(1:01:53) REDONE'S WIFE, LAILA

(1:08:08) DUBAI

(1:11:21) DUBAI MUSIC SCENE

(1:12:02) ADVICE FOR MENA REGION ARTISTS

(1:14:05) AI IN MUSIC

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One of the best things about being on the road is catching up with friends all over the globe. In today’s episode, we’re in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Tonight is the Formula 1 Grand Prix (you know I love F1), and headlining it is J.Lo!

I got to catch up with my longtime friends Charles Streeter, Brandon Brown aka Pastor Funk, and Javad Day. Streeter has been J.Lo’s drummer for many years. Pastor Funk is playing bass with her, and has also played bass and/or music directed for everyone from The Jacksons to Stevie Wonder. He also leads his own band, The Brandon Brown Collective (aka the BBC), which was actually the first band to play at the JammJam!

Javad Day, aka Mr. Klynik, is playing keys with J.Lo, and this same week, he’s also musical directing Megan Thee Stallion at Coachella. Javad’s worked with Beyoncé, Mac Miller (that’s him on Mac’s Tiny Desk), Ella Mai, Mustard, Ciara, Tyler, the Creator, and more.

I love these guys and had such a great time hanging in Saudi with them, right before they crushed it for a huge crowd with J.Lo (and then immediately hopped on a plane back to the U.S).

We found a hut, popped up a camera, and filmed this one ON THE GO. So here it is, my convo with my brothers Streeter, Pastor Funk, and Javad!

(00:00) INTRO

(00:59) JAVAD DAY INTERVIEW STARTS

(01:27) JAVAD’S TRAVEL SCHEDULE

(02:35) 1500 OR NOTHIN’

(03:32) RICKEY MARTIN & J.LO

(04:05) MUSIC DIRECTING ZEDD’S “THE MIDDLE” BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS PERFORMANCE

(04:56) MUSIC DIRECTING JAMMJAMS

(05:47) J.LO

(06:34) GETTING THE MEGAN THEE STALLION GIG

(08:22) JENNIFER LOPEZ AT F1

(09:47) BAND IN A BOX

(11:18) MEGAN THEE STALLION COACHELLA SHOW

(13:18) MODERN DAY MUSIC DIRECTING

(13:54) HOW TO CREATE A COACHELLA SET

(16:33) COACHELLA REHEARSALS WITH MEGAN THEE STALLION

(17:14) JAVAD’S FIRST GIGS

(18:07) TRAVEL SCHEDULE

(18:50) SNEAKS MOVIE WITH MUSTARD

(23:29) CHARLES STREETER & PASTOR FUNK INTERVIEW STARTS

(25:57) REHEARSALS WITH J.LO

(28:49) HOW PASTOR FUNK, STREETER AND ELMO MET

(34:07) THE FIRST JAMMJAMS

(34:59) BRANDON BROWN COLLECTIVE JAMMJAM

(35:39) FULL CIRCLE: PLAYING IN SAUDI WITH FRIENDS

(37:43) PASTOR FUNK

(38:51) A MEMPHIS JAMM

(42:45) TOURING WHILE BEING A HUSBAND AND A DAD

(45:07) PLAYING TO MASSIVE CROWDS

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!  

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/

Follow Javad:

https://www.instagram.com/mrklynik/

Follow Streeter:

https://www.instagram.com/thestreeter/

Follow Pastor Funk:

https://www.instagram.com/pastorfunk/

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Ash Soan is one of the most sought after session drummers in Britain, who has worked with the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift, Seal, Billy Idol, Tate McRae and so many more. Ash's 5th gig was Woodstock '94 with the band, Del Amitri and then went on to support Van Halen (which was my first concert) and Bon Jovi. Recently, Ash has been touring with Snow Patrol and Tori Amos. Ash has also been collaborating with Ariel Posen and are releasing their self-titled album together- available now on Bandcamp.

Ash came through my hotel in London to meet up with me on his way to Heathrow to fly out to Abu Dhabi for a show with Snow Patrol. From the lobby of my hotel, in this convo we go in on how Ash achieves his legendary drum tone, how he created his unique studio "The Windmill," and more. I remember Ash for being one of the first to start using high quality audio on Instagram in his VF15 videos and it's inspiring to watch him continue to play and work on his sound.

We are On The Go! Here’s my conversation with Ash Soan.

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Tom Stingemore is one of the most knowledgeable minds in music sync licensing. He was President of Sync at Hipgnosis, the multi-billion dollar music catalog fund that owns thousands of No. 1 songs. Before that, he was SVP of Sync at BMG and Creative Director of Sync at Universal Music Group.

In this episode, we link up in London to talk about Tom’s new company, Alloy, and his mission to fix one of the biggest problems in sync: bad data. We break down what music sync is, how it works, what’s broken in the current system, and how it can be improved.

Whether you’re a music supervisor, artist, producer, or just curious about how songs get placed in film, TV, ads, and games—this episode will give you a deep understanding of the sync world today and where it’s going.

We are On The Go — here’s my conversation with Tom Stingemore.

Special thanks to Dean St. Studios in London for having us!

(00:00) INTRO

(02:55) WHY SYNC IS IMPORTANT TO ARTISTS

(03:59) SYNC MAKES YOU MONEY

(04:45) HIPGNOSIS

(07:13) PROBLEMS, CURRENT STATE OF SYNC

(21:33) SYNC SOLUTIONS, ALLOY

(25:17) EXAMPLES

(28:10) REACTIONS

(30:08) TOM'S FOUNDER JOURNEY

(33:00) THE METADATA PROBLEM, SPOTIFY

(35:25) WHY SYNC HASN'T BEEN FIXED YET

(37:15) JAMMCARD

(38:24) BETTER SYNC IS ACHIEVABLE

(40:32) HOW IS SYNC DIFFERENT BETWEEN BMG, UMG, HIPGNOSIS

(44:10) INDIE ARTISTS GETTING SYNC

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!  

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/

Follow Tom:

https://www.instagram.com/tomstinge/

Learn more about Alloy:

https://www.alloy.music/

Tom's Article on Music Business Worldwide:

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/five-reasons-why-sync-is-still-stuck-in-the-last-century/

Follow Go With Elmo:

https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/

https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo

https://x.com/gowithelmopod

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://x.com/elmolovano

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices