




NEWS



* Big stars that have huge fake Instagram and Twitter followings
* Will the big change at Sweetwater affect the way they do business?

GUEST

* Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota



My guest this week is the CEO of Merlin, Jeremy Sirota. Merlin is a digital rights partner for independent labels and distributors all over the world. It’s powerful enough that some now refer to it as the 4rth major label.



Jeremy previously held a number of senior positions at Warner Music Group and Facebook, where he led the company’s efforts to license and acquire music rights from labels and distributors around the world.



During the interview, we spoke about Merlin’s mission and how it helps indie labels and artists, the mindset of music tech, the essentials of negotiating a deal, and much more.



On the intro I’ll take a look at the big stars who have huge fake followings on Twitter and Instagram, and the big change happening at Sweetwater.








    
    
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Podcast #381 – Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota, Fake Instagram Followers, And Changes At Sweetwater

Interviews with music industry movers and shakers, , tips, and news

Music

Music Interviews

Music Commentary






My guests this week are Brianna Schwartz and Alexis Schreiber, the dynamic duo behind Schwartz & Schreiber, PLLC. 



Their innovative approach to entertainment law sets them apart, as they aim to provide a true end-to-end partnership with their clients, becoming a member of their team rather than just a passive or reactive attorney that is only involved when there's an issue.



Brianna and Alexis first met on their first day at the University of Miami School of Law, where they were both pursuing a Juris Doctorate and a Master’s in Music Business and Entertainment. 



After years  of success within the industry, they officially teamed up in 2020 to create Schwartz & Schreiber, PLLC, a modern law firm specializing in music, entertainment, technology, and new media.



To date, their firm has supported over 70 clients, including GRAMMY-award winning and nominated artists, producers, songwriters, renowned labels, digital and tech platforms, national festivals, sync houses, and more. 



During our interview we spoke about how the new record deals have changed, how having too many writers on a song can inhibit sync opportunities, how AI is affecting copyright law, where the industry stands on TikTok right now, and so much more.



I spoke with Brianna and Alexis via zoom from their offices in Miami. 








    
    
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Episode 522: Entertainment Attorneys Brianna Schwartz and Alexis Schreiber






My guest this week Lara Chapman, who’s an award winning singer/songwriter turned viral vocal coach and the Founder of VoxTape Studios.



Born in Switzerland, her aspirations quickly took her to New York City, where she studied Musical Theatre and Acting for Film and Television. After that she moved to Boston to study Music Business, Songwriting and Vocal Performance at Berklee College of Music. While finishing her degree, she was signed to a major management deal and moved to Nashville to write and record her debut album. 



After many successful releases, hundreds of shows, and navigating the brutal realities of the music industry, she discovered her true passion: helping others transform from singers into artists.



Lara’s coaching videos have reached millions of passionate singers from all over the world helping her build a reputation in the industry as the go-to coach for helping singers find their own voice as an artist.



During our interview Lara we learn a lot about singing as she talked about transitioning from performer to vocal coach, how the “good enough” mentality doesn’t work with singing, how singing is more than just hitting the right notes, why traditional singing lessons don’t work anymore, and so much more.



I spoke with Lara via zoom from their studio in Indianapolis. 




    
    
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Episode 521: Viral Vocal Coach Lara Chapman






My guests this week are Matt Wallace and Will Kennedy, the Grammy-winning immersive mixing team that has done spatial mixes for Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, The B-52s, Kid Rock, Selena Gomez and many more.



Before entering into the spatial mixing world, Matt’s work as a producer includes hits for Maroon 5, Faith No More, The Replacements, 3 Doors Down and O.A.R., while Will’s credits includes One Republic, O.A.R, U2, Michael Franti and Spearhead and others.



Matt and Will set up their Dolby-certified mixing studio in the same complex as the legendary Sound City Studio in 2021 and haven’t looked back.



During our interview Will and Matt talked about why analog recording experience is so valuable, the track that changed their perception of immersive audio, transitioning their studio to spatial mixing only, why rock is the hardest to mix in spatial audio, tag-team mixing, and so much more.



I spoke with Matt and Will via zoom from their studio in Van Nuys, California. 




    
    
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Episode 520: Immersive Mixing Team Matt Wallace And Will Kennedy






My guest this week is Trevor McShane, the musical alter ego for high-power entertainment attorney Neville Johnson, who has won more than $350 million for actors, writers and musicians who were shortchanged their fair share of royalties from both major film studios and record labels.



Called “one of the most feared litigators in Hollywood” by the Los Angeles Times and named a “Legal Legend” by The Hollywood Reporter, Neville began his career working for Yoko Ono on matters related to The Beatles' catalog.



He’s gone on to represent many celebrities and/or their estates in a variety of contractual, accounting and intellectual property disputes, including John Lennon, Buddy Holly, Michelle Phillips, Richard Dreyfuss, Rick Nelson, Sylvester Stallone, members of Earth, Wind and Fire, Mitch Ryder, Lloyd Price and others.



Neville has also written a number of books, including two about the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, that are available from his Cool Titles publishing company.



As Trevor McShane, Neville has released a number of well-regarded releases that have grown his Spotify followers to 100,000 and 150,000 on YouTube.



During our interview Neville and I spoke about keeping his music life as Trevor separate from his legal practice, what he learned from the legendary John Wooden, transitioning to being a litigator, AI copyright, and so much more.



I spoke with Neville via zoom from his office in Beverly Hills. 



On the intro I looked at UMG settling its dispute with TikTok, and how music gear retail is changing before our eyes.








    
    
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Episode 519 – Trevor McShane, UMG And TikTok Settle, And Music Gear Retail Changing


My guest this week is Russ Hughes, who’s the founder of Production Expert, a group of blogs for music and post-production professionals. Over the last decade, Production Expert, Pro Tools Expert, Studio One Expert and Logic Pro Expert have become some of the leading industry websites with over 7 million visitors annually.







Starting his career on the leading edge of music technology as a synthesizer programmer in the 1980s, Russ soon gravitated to Soho where he worked in commercial post, something that he still does. Eventually he became an expert in Pro Tools, which led him to create his popular blogs.



On top of that, Russ is also the Managing Director of Sociatech, a global marketing agency for the audio technology sector, working with some of its biggest brands. 



During our interview we spoke about the unusual way that Pro Tools Expert started, the pros and cons of using AI, moving from London to Ireland, the two character traits you need for staying in business, the gear changing moments in his life, and so much more.



I spoke with Russ via zoom from his studio in Ireland. 



On the intro I looked at song catalogue purchases, and how noice canceling headphones could trigger anxiety attacks.




    
    
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Podcast #381 – Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota, Fake Instagram Followers, And Changes At Sweetwater

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