This is a guest episode from a new podcast we've partnered with called "How Do I Music?" which we think Mixclouders might enjoy.

Xanthe Fuller joins us on the pod and this one's a masterclass in getting your music heard, not burning bridges and real community-building. The Mixcloud Senior Marketing Director has been sneaking into jungle raves since she was 13, produced shows for Pete Tong, Adam & Joe, and Pete Tong across BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and Radio 2. She knows better than most, the do's and don'ts in pitching music.

We dive into how to get a producers' attention, (without sending paragraphs that nobody reads), why online radio is the new pirate radio, and how building global communities around niche genres still works. Hope you enjoy!

Produced by Well Nice Music.

See more at www.wellnicemusic.com

In the final episode of the first season of The Inside Track, Nico is joined by Mat Dryhurst.

Mat is an artist, musician and technological researcher based in Germany. Alongside his partner Holly Herndon, he works on interdisciplinary audiovisual projects that explore the creative potential and ethics of creating content using technologies, such as AI, Web 3.0, and blockchain.

Dryhurst is the co-founder of Spawning, an organisation that gives artists the means to opt in or out of data sets used to train AI models for generative art.

They cover:

Mat’s early musical influences and experiences

The impact of streaming on music economics

The shift from physical to digital media

AI’s growing relationship with music and art

The inner workings of Spawning

The ethics of AI training and data usage

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Today, Nico is joined by DJ Tara.

Tara is a DJ with radio shows on The Lot Radio and Soho Radio, as well as an urban planner in her hometown of New York, where she advocates for nightlife as a vital cultural and community building tool for cities.

She helped found Donuts Are Forever, an annual fundraiser and tribute to Hip-Hop producer J. Dilla, and Makossa Brooklyn Cookout, a beloved Brooklyn summer party. 

They cover:

The conception of Donuts Are Forever and J Dilla’s impact on Hip-Hop

New York nightlife’s changing dynamics

Creating space for music discovery in the club

The systematic erasure of dance music’s originators

The intersection of nightlife and community

Finding music in the digital age

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In episode eight, Nico is joined by NIKS and DJ Westfa. NIKS is the Co-Founder of the Black Artist Database (B.A.D), a crowd-sourced list of Black artists, producers and labels, while DJ Westfa is the organisation’s Events Coordinator.

B.A.D was launched in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd and "to surface the richness of creative talent from the global Black diaspora, in pursuit of wage equity, transparency and stable employment for our extended creative communities.” It has since expanded to include events, a record label and workshops with the likes of Ableton.

They cover:

The origins of B.A.D as a Google spreadsheet

How Bandcamp aided B.A.D’s development

The B.A.D record label

If the music industry has changed for the better for Black people

The need for diverse club and festival lineups 

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This is a taster episode of a brand new podcast, How Do I Music? What does it take to get played on radio today? What are music supervisors really listening out for? How have bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard been rewriting the fan engagement rulebook?

Tyler Boudreaux of legendary LA radio station KCRW joins How Do I Music? to break down her career journey, the art of juggling multiple roles (DJ, host, supervisor, event-promoter and plate-spinner?!), and why the future of radio might just surprise you...

Produced by Well Nice Music.

See more at www.wellnicemusic.com

In episode seven, Nico is joined by Andreea Magdalina. Andreea is the founder and CEO of shesaid.so, a global community of music creatives and executives guided by intersectional principles who are working together to rebuild a more equitable industry for all. She is also the co-founder of IAMJT, a boutique management & innovation studio that centres artist development and music consultancy.

Prior to shesaid.so and IAMJT, she worked with clients at the intersection of music and technology, including Microsoft, Boiler Room and Mixcloud, where she was the platform’s first Community Manager.

They cover:

The birth of shesaid.so

The importance of building IRL communities

Intersectionality and inclusivity in music

How to find the right manager

The intersection between music and gaming

Gender and the music industry

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In episode six, Nico is joined by Elijah, a London-based DJ and writer. Elijah co-created the grime record label Butterz with Skilliam in 2010 and has written for The Guardian and guest edited Resident Advisor. In 2021, he began his ‘Yellow Squares’ project that explores alternative approaches to publishing creative work.

Starting from a note published on Instagram, it has developed into visual installations, an album, merchandise, a club night, a touring evolving lecture series and a new book 'Close The App, Make The Ting.'

They cover:

Elijah’s career and a DJ and label head

The birth of the Yellow Squares project

What artists can learn from pro-wrestling

Artists having a variety of creative influences

The state of urban UK radio

The future of record labels and music consumption

The differing roles of a music manager

Elijah’s new book ‘Close The App, Make The Ting’ is available now: https://velocitypress.uk/product/elijah-close-the-app-make-the-ting/

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In episode five, Nico is joined by David Zhou, the Co-Founder and Director of Eastern Margins. A collective for alternative East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) culture, Eastern Margins was launched in 2018 and is a record label and event series bringing the musical stories of the Asian continent and diaspora to the forefront.

In 2024, the platform launched Margins United - the first music festival of its kind in Europe - celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of ESEA music, food and art.

They cover:

2:07 David’s musical journey and identity

6:58 The birth of Eastern Margins

11:19 Creating and managing the Eastern Margins record label

22:04 Music licensing in East and Southeast Asia

30:10 The economics of running a record label

35:20 Predicting cultural trends in music

43:01 Championing local music scenes in Asia

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In the fourth episode, Nico is joined by Yancey Strickler, a writer and entrepreneur.

He is the Co-Founder and Director at Metalabel, which is establishing new ways for creative people to create value together. He is also Co-Founder and former CEO of Kickstarter, which pioneered crowdfunding and helped creators raise more than $8 billion for their projects, and Co-Founder of The Creative Independent, a resource of emotional and practical guidance for artists.

As a music critic he has written for the likes of Pitchfork, Spin and The Village Voice and authored the book This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World in 2019.

They cover:

The birth of Kickstarter and it’s impact on artists

Creativity and the human experience

The Bentoism framework

The complicated case of digital algorithms

Metalabel and how it helps creatives

The future of the creative economy

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In the third episode of Mixcloud Presents: The Inside Track, Nico is joined by writer, editor and artist Whitney Wei.

Whitney was the former Editor-in-Chief of the electronic music platform Resident Advisor, and prior to that, was the Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Beats, the music marketing program of Deutsche Telekom.

Throughout her career, Whitney has written extensively about club culture and experimental dance music scenes. Her words have appeared in The Guardian, Vogue US, Highsnobiety, Pitchfork, and Numéro Berlin, among others. 

They cover:

0:54 Whitney’s upbringing and discovering electronic music

6:11 Whitney’s move to Berlin and joining Electronic Beats

10:07 Whitney’s time as as Editor-In-Chief at Resident Advisor

16:33 The current state of music journalism

23:44 Whitney’s new book

29:54 Berlin, New York and Taipei’s club scenes

40:09 The impact of gentrification on club culture

53:07 The current state of diversity in music scenes

56:25 Future trends in music and club culture

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