Our guest this week is Neil Sheehan, the president of Vocana, a streaming platform built for independent artists and fans using a user-centric payment model. We talk about how that's different from other streaming platforms, why social features haven't worked on streaming platforms since the days of MySpace, and whether there's room for indie-focused platforms in what feels like a Spotify-dominated world. It's a great conversation

The news!

• Suno, in talks to raise $100m at a $2bn valuation, just released its most advanced free AI music tool yet
• Why Is It So Easy to Flood Streaming With AI Slop?
• AI Is Killing Wikipedia's Human Traffic

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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Pack your bags, we're going to Tectonics! On this week's episode, our marketing director, Eleanor Rust, turns the tables on Dmitri to talk about the upcoming Music Tectonics conference next week from November 4th through 6th in Santa Monica. We talk about how the conference started, what to expect this year, and more. Whether you're on the fence about going or are planning on going and want the full itinerary, this episode is for you!

There's still time to grab your badge at https://www.musictectonics.com/conference

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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This week, we're exploring the future of direct-to-fan commerce with Joshua Stone, the CEO and Co-Founder of Stuff.io and book.io. Josh has some serious backing, including names like Mark Cuban, Snoop Dogg, and Charles Hoskinson, the co-founder of Ethereum just to name a few, and has been working on building Web3 infrastructure that lets artists sell media directly to fans that fans can own and not just rent. We talk about why streaming doesn't pay most artists, how direct-to-fan can actually create real revenue and why we finally have the technology to let fans own digital music again. Whether you're an artist looking for new revenue streams or just curious about where music commerce is heading, we cover a lot of ground

The News!

General public 'more concerned than excited' about increased use of AI

In the AI Age, the Music Industry Needs New Metadata Standards. But Time Is Running Out

Spotify to Develop AI Music Products in Partnership With Major Record Labels

'Death to Spotify': the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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This week, Darryl Ballantyne, CEO and Co-founder of LyricFind, discusses the complexities of the music business model and how LyricFind has managed to create new revenue streams by licensing lyrics and developing products like Lyric IQ. We also discuss how they've overcome challenges such as price competition and maintaining product market fit. This is a great conversation for Startups!

The News!

https://www.billboard.com/pro/sora-2-music-industry-pay-attention-ai-social-app/

https://www.engadget.com/spotify-canva-and-other-apps-can-now-connect-to-chatgpt-194830116.html

https://www.billboard.com/pro/sora-2-music-industry-pay-attention-ai-social-app/

https://www.engadget.com/spotify-canva-and-other-apps-can-now-connect-to-chatgpt-194830116.html

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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This week we dive deep into all things music publishing with Monica Corton of Go to Eleven Entertainment. With over 30 years of experience in music publishing, Monica lays a great foundation of how exactly music publishing works, and then we talk about what it looks like today with AI, streaming, legislation, and in some cases, suing major platforms. Whether you're in music publishing or know nothing about music publishing, we cover a lot of great stuff.

Shoutouts Mentioned:

Voice Swap

John Delaney

Copyright Society

The News!

Irving Azoff Slams YouTube Over Low Artist Royalties: 'By Far the Worst Offender'

Meta AI funnels AI videos from creators into new 'Vibes' feed

YouTube Music is testing AI hosts that present relevant stories, trivia and commentary

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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On this week's episode, Dmitri sits down with Dot Bustelo, a former Apple Logic Pro team member and the innovative mind behind Loupe Art. We talk about everything from a post-it from another innovator that changed everything to the age of creative abundance. It's a blast.

News!

Gen Z social habits spell trouble for music discovery

Is Music's Mainstream Getting Smaller? A Streaming Analysis

Ticketmaster CEO says concert tickets are too cheap, actually | Mashable

Spotify Updates AI Music Policies to Fight Spam: What It Means

Record labels claim AI generator Suno ripped their songs from YouTube | The Verge

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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Today, a conversation with Tristra and Mansoor Rahimat Khan, the founder and CEO of Beatoven.ai. an ethically trained music generator that was built in partnership with hundreds of artists. They talk about the inspiration behind Beatoven and dive into the nitty gritty of how and why Beatoven works in collaboration with musicians to secure fully licensed content.

News!

How Visa Issues Are Threatening Artists' Careers — And the Music Companies That Work With Them

Trump administration, China reach 'framework' for deal to keep TikTok operating in the US (report)

Everything Meta announced at Connect 2025: Second-gen Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta Vanguard and Meta Ray-Ban Display

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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Today, I chat with Drew Thurlow, a strategist focused on how AI might be democratizing the music industry, rather than destroying it. We talk about how AI is changing everything from the creative process to copyright law, whether or not we should be worried about AI-generated music like the Velvet Sundown, and how AI is being used to surface the most popular songs made by whales in the sea. We also talk about this former Sony, Warner, and Pandora exec's upcoming new book "Machine Music: How AI Is Transforming Music's Next Act,'" set for release in 2026. Drew will definitely have you thinking new thoughts today!

The News!

Top US Copyright official Shira Perlmutter reinstated, as Appeals Court blocks firing by Trump

Reddit, Yahoo, Medium and more are adopting a new licensing standard to get compensated for AI scraping

Spotify peeved after 10,000 users sold data to build AI tools

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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AI models can truly capture the essence of musical creativity. (Wait. Really?). Join us as Tristra interviews Dr. Christopher White from UMass Amherst about his new book The AI Music Problem: Why Machine Learning Conflicts with Musical Creativity. The two of them get into a really interesting question – Is AI redefining music, or is music reshaping AI? It's a great conversion about the future of music creation.

The News:

What Is AI Slop?

Chinese social media platforms roll out labels for AI-generated material

Spotify's ticketing partnerships have 'escalated quite quickly' in 2025

EU pauses probe into Universal's $775m Downtown deal

Influencers are among the winners of Trump's 'no tax on tips' policy

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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What makes an artist-brand partnership meaningful, beyond a simple shoutout on social media? Today I talk with Dave Godowsky, a musician who's also worked the other side of the street – in Artist Relations, A&R and with brands that musicians know and love. We talk about how brands can foster authentic artist relationships, the value of word-of-mouth marketing, and how artist feedback can be best used in product development. Dave also shares his experience of partnering with artists like Jacob Collier and Alicia Keys. It's a really fun conversation

Shoutouts mentioned:

• Jacob Collier Audience Choir- Native InstrumentsNative Instruments + Alicia Keys
• Orchid Synth- Kevin Parker
• Ink Audio
• Ribbons App
• Life App - XLN Audio

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.