In today’s episode, we talk with Daniel with someone who’s been at the heart of D.C.’s live music scene for over two decades. From starting out as artists to building and running Union Stage Presents, which now operates six venues and hosts thousands of shows each year, they’ve seen it all. We’ll discuss the challenges of running small venues, how to keep a schedule packed with hundreds of shows, the realities of growing a business in a competitive market, and what it’s like to manage a multi-venue operation. We’ll also explore what makes D.C.’s music scene so unique and how the city’s culture and politics shape the way live music thrives here. It’s a conversation about the long road to success, the energy it takes to keep a venue alive, and what the future of live music might look like. Let’s get into it.

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(00:13) - “Overnight” Success (23 years of pushing), Union Stage Presents has grown to an operation of 6 venues doing thousands of shows a year

(01:56) - Going from artists to starting their own venue, Jammin Java 10 miles away from the Pentagon on 9/11, and eventually sustaining their 200 cap room for over 20 years

(13:10) - The art and science of keeping a venue booked + the sheer energy and resources required to do 300+ events a year at a small club

(23:12) - Growing beyond one venue, promoting at other venues, and building Union Stage

(29:00) - Surviving in DC, a robust live music market with tons of competition

(35:38) - The unique culture of DC that makes it a thriving live music market + how politics naturally shapes the landscape

(43:56) - Expanding to adding another venue, Capital Turnaround + manages the stresses and challenges of a growing business, and eventually expanding to owning/managing 6 venues

(52:05) - A zoomed out perspective of the flow of artists across the country, and how to create a pipeline of artists and shows

(59:15) - Fastball Questions - how to keep 200+ employees happy and engaged, how Prism and other tech platforms can help with scale, building their own ticketing system/the ticketing ecosystem as a whole, excitement for the future (potentially a large space coming?!)

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Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism - ⁠⁠⁠Matt Ford⁠⁠⁠

Meet Daniel

Union Stage Presents new website

Opening Music - ⁠⁠⁠Papooz - The Garde⁠⁠

Elsewhere - ⁠⁠ https://www.elsewhere.club/

In this episode, we dive into the journey of PopGun Presents and the iconic Brooklyn venue Elsewhere, with founder Rami. From his early days as an agent to becoming a cornerstone in NYC’s live music scene, Rami shares insights into building a thriving venue in a competitive market. We explore the hustle behind booking in NYC, the impressive $3.5M raise for Elsewhere’s launch, and the successes and challenges. Rami also shares his perspective on the future of music venues amidst rising costs and industry consolidation. A must-listen for anyone curious about the business and soul of NYC’s music scene!

(00:17) - Introduction, Origin Story of PopGun Presents and Elsewhere 

(04:46) - Transitioning from Being an agent to focusing on putting on events

(08:40) - The Hustle to keep a venue booked, intricacies of booking in NYC

(11:35) - The founding of Elsewhere, one of the most incredible venues in Brooklyn, and Rami’s process in raising 3.5m to get the job done

(23:55) - Successes and challenges of Elsewhere’s first year, scaling to a staff of hundreds, and booking over 600 shows a year

(27:25) - Evolving beyond day to day talent buyer, to creating strategy for a team, and keeping Elsewhere booked 

(46:43) - Hot Questions: how elections affect the scene, the future of elsewhere, Rami’s soul searching and personal aspirations for the future, music venues in NYC and raising costs, the battle between staying independent and fending off consolidation, the future growth of the worldwide touring industry

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

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Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism - ⁠⁠Matt Ford⁠⁠

Rami's LinkedIn

Opening Music - ⁠⁠Papooz - The Garde⁠

Elsewhere - ⁠ https://www.elsewhere.club/

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Bruce Finkelman, Managing Partner of 16 on Center, to uncover the secrets behind building an independent music venue empire in Chicago. From the founding story of 16 On Center to expanding multiple venues, we explore the economics of owning your own venue space, the evolution of running a venue from 1995 to 2024, and the challenges of staying independent in an industry dominated by giants like Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Bruce also shares insights into building a sustainable team, creating iconic venues like The Salt Shed, and his vision for the future of the music industry.

Chapters
(00:10) -Bruce’s story and the founding story of 16 On Center
(09:53) - The first empty bottle
(13:38) - Expanding to multiple venues
(27:14) - Economics: Owning the dirt at your venue + The evolution of running a venue from 1995 to 2024
(35:31) -Attracting to talent and Building a company that employs and sustains 600 people
(41:30) - The creation story of The Salt Shed
(48:00) - Making the jump to book larger rooms
(52:00) - Fastball questions - Using Prism and the tech stack to organize a massive amount of concerts, Secrets to building a succesful operation, the battle to stay independent, Live Nation, Ticketmaster and the DOJ.
(1:00:10) - Plans for the future (or lack thereof), the future of the industry

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

Subscribe ⁠here⁠

More on ⁠Prism⁠

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Follow us on LinkedIn (⁠here⁠)

Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism - ⁠Matt Ford⁠

Opening Music - ⁠Papooz - The Garde

16 on Center
https://www.16oncenterchicago.com/ 

In this episode we dive into the evolution of Hive, from its roots as a ticketing company to its current role as a key player in marketing automation. We explore the challenges in the industry, and the company’s rapid team growth. Looking ahead, we discuss Hive’s aspirations, the potential of AI, and the intricacies of software design. The convo wrapped with some exciting fastball topics like the DOJ, Live Nation VS Independents, AI, VR/AR, and the booming live entertainment scene.

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

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Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism - Matt Ford

Hive

Hive Discount

Opening Music - Papooz - The Garden

Chapters

(00:09)Hive’s story from starting a ticketing company to pivoting and becoming one of the most important marketing automation companies in the industry

(14:46) Choosing to not be a ticketing company/challenges in the ticketing industry

(23:30) team size growth over the year

(26:06) AI + Aspirations for the future of Hive

(36:20) complexity of software design + a shoutout to the competition?!!?

(44:30) coolest industry on planet earth / hopes for the future

(46:40) Hive/Prism integration + Hive discount (www.hive.co/prism)

(48:34) Fastballs to end - DOJ, LiveNation, TicketMaster, Independents, acquisitions, private equity, AI, VR/AR, 10x shows, booming industry, The Sphere

In this episode, we chat with Fabrice Sergent, co-founder and CEO of Bandsintown which has grown to become one of the largest most impressive platforms in all of Live Music. In the pod, Fabrice reveals the origin story, showcasing the company's impressive growth. Emphasizing the importance of supporting local musicians and venues, Fabrice discusses how this fosters diversity and vibrancy in the music industry. Wrapping up, he explores the role of AI and shares his visionary outlook on the future of live music.

Fabrice Sergent is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Bandsintown. With over 88 million registered fans and partnerships with Spotify, Apple, Shazam, Google, and more, Bandsintown has 1.5 billion monthly active users and delivers more than 5 billion personalized concert recommendations annually. In addition to helping 600K registered artists and 65K venues, festivals, and promoters share concerts with the world, Bandsintown Promoter, and the new automated marketing solution Bandsintown PRO empower them to bypass algorithms, build their audience, and sell more tickets.

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

Subscribe ⁠here⁠

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Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism - ⁠Matt Ford⁠

Bandsintown

Timestamps

(01:45) Concert discovery platform

(06:35) Different from streaming apps

(09:45) Bandsintown artist platform

(14:15) Venue and promoter platform

(15:45) Integrations and partnerships

(17:30) The origin story

(20:10) Bandsintown acquisition history

(22:55) Business growth trajectory

(25:00) Fabrice’s entrepreneurial history

(27:00) Live music market equilibrium

(33:15) Market diversity and vibrancy

(35:25) Supporting local venues and acts

(36:45) Increased concert attendance

(39:15) Leaning in even more  to AI

(43:10) Vision for the future of the industry

In this episode, we sit down with Paul Bradley, founder and CEO of Eventric, to explore the company's journey from inception to industry leader. Discover the origin story behind Eventric and their flagship product, Master Tour, designed to streamline tour management. Paul shares the fundraising challenges they faced, recounts an [almost] acquisition, and dives into their turbulent journey through covid. Paul also provides insights into the company's current initiatives and his visionary outlook for the future of the live music industry. Tune in to learn about the resilience and innovation driving Eventric's success.

What is Eventric?

With a deep understanding of tour management, Eventric has developed Master Tour, an innovative software that simplifies logistics for bands and artists. Master Tour focuses on making the complexities of touring more manageable, allowing artists to concentrate on their music. 

(01:50) The Eventric origin story
(09:20) What is Master Tour?
(11:05) Shifting to modern technology
(12:25) Fundraising challenges
(16:40) Master Tour [almost] acquired
(25:50) Surviving the COVID pandemic
(32:00) Current times at Master Tour
(34:30) Post-COVID mental health services
(40:00) New product features coming
(43:30) Pricing the product
(50:45) Incorporating AI
(55:25) Shifts in the industry
(60:00) Vision for the future of the industry
(67:05) Tech in the live music industry

In this episode, we are joined by JR, the visionary CEO and co-founder of Prekindle and Space Colonel Management. We delve into the recently dropped antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation by the DOJ and explore JR's inspiring journey in co-founding Prekindle. Discover how his company stands out by refusing to lock clients into contracts, their seamless integration with Prism, and JR's remarkable approach to maintaining authenticity in business. Additionally, we discuss the transformative potential of AI in the music industry and what the future holds. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that blends entrepreneurial insights with the cutting edge of technology.

After signing with Atlantic Records as a singer-songwriter and touring for years, J.R. quickly went the entrepreneurial route and helped start Prekindle where he’s currently CEO. Prekindle is an event ticketing and marketing platform started in Texas which now hosts 50,000 events a year across the US - including concerts, festivals, food & drink events, classes, attractions and everything in between. Denson has also built a career as an artist manager, having first discovered Charley Crockett and helped him to build a global touring and recording business. J.R. went on to cofound Space Colonel which now manages 14 music clients in the Country/Americana/Folk space including Shooter Jennings, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, Benjamin Tod, Lost Dog Street Band, The Lone Bellow, Kat Hasty, Beau Bedford. Via Space Colonel, J.R. also runs a publishing joint venture with Warner Chappell where they represent a growing roster of songwriters. His original mission to bring communities together through events and music has turned into a career that now spans 15+ years - over that time, J.R. has played a part in 10 million attendee experiences and counting. 

(00:25) - DOJ suing Live Nation & Ticketmaster
(05:10) - Government intervention in businesses
(08:10) - Monopolistic practices
(11:45) - The Prekindle origin story
(14:50) - Prekindle’s growth trajectory
(16:30) - Prekindle’s model differentiation
(19:20) - How Prekindle competes
(21:25) - Prekindle’s bootstrapped operation
(25:10) - Space Kernel origin story
(28:15) - Discovering Charley Crockett
(29:50) - SaveLive Prekindle partnership
(35:20) - Prekindle’s biggest challenge
(37:45) - Unique approach to business
(41:00) - Seamless Prism+Prekindle integration
(44:05) - Incorporating AI into business
(46:15) - Vision for the future

I had a fascinating conversation with Mark Williamson, the co-founder and CEO of ROSTR, Inc - a tech startup building tools for artists and music industry professionals. During our chat I learned about his wild decade-long ride at Spotify, its growth and success, and how it led to the inception of ROSTR. We dove into the origins of ROSTR, the value the product is providing to the music industry, the challenges faced while building the business, what tactics the team took to gain traction, and where ROSTR is headed next. No conversation would be complete without a discussion around the role of AI in the music industry, how ROSTR plans to incorporate it into the business, and what impact we foresee AI having on the industry & the world as a whole.

ROSTR is a music industry directory and data platform that helps artists and music industry professionals build their network, discover artists and save time. The site tracks relationships, signings, artist data, tours, festivals and more; it's like having an all-knowing assistant. In 2023, ROSTR launched Jobs by ROSTR - a music industry job board that doesn't suck. Jobs by ROSTR is already one of the leading places to find jobs and hire talent in the music industry, with 500+ employers, 1k+ job postings and 35k+ applications so far. 

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

Subscribe

www.prism.fm/podcast/

More on Prism

www.prism.fm

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www.instagram.com/prismfm

Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mford3

ROSTR

https://hq.rostr.cc/

(00:50) - What is ROSTR?

(02:50) - Experience at Spotify

(05:20) - The ROSTR idea is born

(13:05) - Spotify becomes industry leader

(21:55) - Why Spotify and not others?

(25:35) - Spotify moving into live music/ticketing

(38:45) - Building ROSTR

(45:30) - Overcoming resistance and objections

(49:10) - Where does the data come from? 

(51:25) - How ROSTRs growth took off

(64:35) - Extracting value and creating a sustainable business model

(78:45) - Role of AI in the the business and industry

(92:25) - Building software to improve the industry

(96:05) - Optimistic outlook on the future

(99:20) - Music industry job directory in ROSTR

The independent live music industry can rest soundly at night knowing it has NIVA and incredible leaders behind it like Dayna and Stephen fighting with will, resources, and creativity. My mind was blown to learn about the complexity of the problem in ticketing and that NIVA is back taking the fight to Congress and making progress.

I had a brilliant conversation with Andrew (Senior Talent Agent Rocky Road Touring) that spanned his perspective on booking shows internationally, macroeconomics, the advantages boutique independent agencies have on larger corporations, and more.

Please share this with anyone that might be interested in the topics, links below to subscribe and stay in the loop with the podcast and Prism:

Subscribe

www.prism.fm/podcast/

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www.prism.fm

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www.instagram.com/prismfm

Meet the Podcast Host/CEO of Prism

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mford3

Rocky Road Touring

www.rockyroadtouring.com

(01:48) - Growing and scaling Rocky Road Touring

(06:50) - Booking shows internationally 

(08:50 ) - Live Music in China, Israel and Russia

(13:36) - Roger Waters asking bands to Boycott Israel

(17:00) - Russia, Eastern Europe and Ukraine 

(29:11 ) - Shows in South America, FIAT Currencies & Bitcoin

(34:49) - Booking shows in bitcoin, Macroeconomics of currency exchange 

(45:05) - The advantage of boutique and independent agencies

(54:13) - Strong-manning the perspective of working with bigger agencies 

(58:35) - Can boutique agencies cultivate the same level of relationships 

(01:05:00) - Powering an agency with technology

(01:13:00) - The beauty and joy of a true Mom and Pop Shop

(01:19:07) - Hopes for the future of the music industry