Music 3.0

Christine Osazuwa has managed to combine her various passions into roles consulting and working with music startups, venues, festivals, radio stations and labels, bridging the gap between music, data & business. She spent 2 years in Stockholm most recently as the Head of Data & Insights for Universal Music Sweden before calling London home working as the Global Marketing Director for Data & Insights at Warner Music Group. In October 2021, Christine joined the live music & travel tech startup, Pollen, where she helps to curate one-of-a-kind music experiences. Christine sits down with Brian and Nick to share her various insights into what works and what doesn’t in today’s music industry.

Show Notes:

[2:12] How music data points have changed from the pre-digital era to now.

[6:53] Why you shouldn’t buy likes, plays or followers.

[8:40] Christine discusses her background in marketing and web development.

[11:08] What is and is not working for the industry in terms of data collection.

[16:22] An intro to Pollen and what they do, plus a discussion of trends in live music experiences and streaming.

[29:30] Christine’s advice for up and coming artists.

[39:40] Smaller strategies to develop a Minimum Viable Product.

[41:40] Christine tells us about the Measure Of Music conference.

Follow Christine on LinkedIn, and check out Measure of Music and Always Wanting More.

Manhattan native Miles Francis is already known amongst musicians as one of the best kept secrets of the NYC music scene. As a working musician, Miles has collaborated and performed with Sharon Jones, Allen Toussaint, Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and many others; toured the world with Win Butler (of Arcade Fire), and appeared on shows like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with David Letterman. Following 2018’s Swimmers EP, Francis has released two new singles in 2021 - “Service” & “Popular” - from a new solo project. Miles sits down with Brian and Nick to talk about the life of a working musician, coping with the pandemic, becoming a solo artist, and some successful networking methods.

Show Notes

[1:20] Miles’ background coming from a family of musicians, and transitioning from a touring drummer to a singer-songwriter.

[6:32] How Miles’ solo project began, turning demos into final versions of songs.

[9:11] Advantages of being an independent artist with no label.

[15:00] The Importance of visuals to Miles' process.

[18:19] Being proactive and following up with people in one's network.

[22:31] Miles tells a story about synchronicity with a member of the Roots and the Jimmy Fallon Show.

[25:58] Miles’ experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

[31:03] Miles shares thoughts on NYC reopening and playing shows again.

[34:10] Hear the new single from Miles Francis, “Good Man”.

For more from Miles Francis, follow them on Instagram and Spotify.

Chicago-born, LA-based artist R E L has garnered notable praise for her soulful ethereal music, which she describes as “EVOCA-POP." Her music has been featured in Wonderland, Atwood, EARMILK, The 405, Popdust, Huffington Post, and has been played on KCRW & MTV Iggy, among other outlets and stations. More recently, her song “Night City” has been featured as one of the main themes for the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077. Brian and Nick sit down with this young artist to discuss how she landed those placements, her relationship with technology and social media, and her strategies when it comes to getting her music heard in 2021.

Show Notes

[1:10] R E L’s singing and family background.

[4:26] How “Night City” came together for Cyberpunk 2077.

[8:43] R E L discusses her relationship with technology and social media.

[14:45] Live shows and livestream quirks. 

[22:33] R E L’s love of collaboration and strategy.

[25:23] Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic as a young musician, new release strategies.

[30:36] Advice for new musicians in today’s climate.

[34:23] R E L shares her thoughts on touring.

[36:20] Hear “Stumbling” by R E L.

Keep up with R E L on Spotify and Instagram.

Joining us from Bordeaux, France, composer Yoann Laulan discusses his work on the hit game Dead Cells. He talks about his working relationship with game studio Motion Twin, his early love of game design and rock music, as well as his reaction to the massive success of one of his first major projects. You can hear his work on Spotify, or check out his bandcamp page. 

Show Notes

[1:31] - How Yoann met Motion Twin and got involved with Dead Cells.

[3:20] - A discussion of game jams and how they work.

[7:10] - Yoann's young aspirations.

[10:22] - Who owns the music rights to a video game soundtrack?

[20:23] - The music scene growing up in France.

[23:05] - The current music scene in Bordeaux and how it has changed over time.

[29:20] - Hear “Prisoner’s Awakening” from Dead Cells

If you're a musician you don't want to miss this one! Moody Jones grew up in Saudi Arabia and didn't see his first concert until 2005, after his family had emigrated to Canada. Now the Senior Vice President of Digital & Creative at EMPIRE, Moody oversees marketing campaigns for artists, and has an impressive track record of working with top acts such as Iggy Azalea, Carnage, Snoop Dogg and Tyga. He helped Tyga's "Taste" reach a billion views on YouTube, and is currently working on bringing Aaliyah's catalog to streaming services. His deep knowledge of digital ad campaigns and best practices on communication and marketing makes this one of our most valuable episodes for any artist that wants their music heard.

Show Notes

[1:35] Moody’s general thoughts on music release strategies.

[5:51] His music and cultural background.

[11:12] Ad advice, which platform is right for you, the importance of finding out which platforms your demographic uses.

[20:12] Moody’s experience growing up in Saudi Arabia where most music was illegal.

[25:12] What Moody sees on the horizon in music and tech.

[35:12] Moody discusses his role at EMPIRE and the general philosophy and goals of the company.

[41:45] Warnings and more advice!

[44:05] A story about Fireboy DML before we get to hear his track, "Peru"

 Follow Moody on Instagram at @moodyjones.

Lazaro Raposo is a lover of both music and video games. As the CEO of the Azores-based indie game studio Cereal Games, Lazaro oversaw the development of their pixel-noir action RPG, Pecaminosa. Lazaro chats with Brian and Nick about his musical background, his early gaming experiences with the Sega Megadrive, and his love of collaboration.

Show Notes

[4:40] Lazaro’s gaming & computer science background

[8:22] Lazaro discusses a surprising choice for one of his favorite games

[10:25] Lazaro’s musical background

[15:28] A discussion of cross-platforming and the future of gaming

[23:18] More details about Cereal Games and gameplay mechanics

[31:10] Info on Portugal’s tech and gaming scene

[37:00] The music of Pecaminosa, how dynamic soundtracks work

[42:46] Hear “Take That You Dirty Rat” from Pecaminosa

Follow Cereal Games on Game Jolt and Twitter.

Rich Vreeland, also known as Disasterpeace, is an American composer and musician. With over 50 albums released under Disasterpeace, Vreeland is known for scoring and programming sound and music in multiple mediums including film, television, and theater. Among those works are the acclaimed horror film It Follows, and 2D action-RPG Hyper Light Drifter. Vreeland chats with Brian and Nick about his musical background, how he broke into the video game and film industries, and how his initial love of graphic design and wrestling became the catalyst for his career. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

Show Notes

[1:04] An intro to the Chiptune genre

[7:37] Rich discusses his musical background

[12:44] Rich tells the story of his first break

[17:11] Origins of the name Disasterpeace

[23:15] Scoring It Follows and subsequent films and TV

[25:00] A discussion of audio revenue shares and royalties

[33:47] What's next for Disasterpeace

[38:00] Musical influences

[42:42] Hear an unreleased track that Rich originally pitched for Minecraft

Will Tenney is a music industry executive, entrepreneur, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Currently, as Head of Streaming Strategy & Promotion at Crush Music, he oversees campaigns for Lorde, Sia, Panic! At the Disco, and Green Day, among other artists. In this role, Tenney manages relationships with DSPs, studies algorithms, and finds streaming opportunities online and out of home. Tenney sits down with Brian and Nick to discuss the recent changes in the music industry, 20-year pop culture cycles, and his own musical inspirations. Currently, Tenney's band Exit recently released their song "Overdramatic", which you can listen to here.

Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson are both daughters of world famous musicians, but remain incredibly down to earth. They formed their comedy songwriting duo Folk Uke in 1996, and have frequently toured in support of Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson, in addition to garnering their own unique success. Folk Uke was actually on tour right when the pandemic hit in March 2020, and have stayed fairly active despite having all their remaining shows cancelled. Longtime friends of our host Brian, Amy and Cathy catch up with us as they discuss their current music-making plans, and a scheme to postpone shows in order to keep getting mentioned on local media outlets in Austin, TX. Hear them on Spotify, and follow them on Instagram.

For everything Folk Uke, head to folkuke.com.

Lead guitarist of The Killers Dave Keuning returns to the podcast to talk about his new solo music and the changes in the Killers' sound on their most recent record. Keuning also discusses the uncertainty of booking future shows and tours considering the current state of the pandemic, and even gets into the nitty gritty of... Fantasy Football? 

Check out his new record A Mild Case Of Everything, and Pressure Machine by The Killers