Legal
Southwest Airlines Broke the Law – Yes, You Can Carry Your Instrument On the Plane
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video of Southwest Airlines preventing the musician Samantha Henson from boarding the plane with her guitar.
Podcasts
DIY Band Couch on World Tours, Self Managing, and Fan Building
This week, Ari is joined by Boston soul-pop band Couch to discuss their DIY rise, seven-member dynamic, and managing a band from within.
Podcasts
LaRussell Built His Empire Brick by Brick
This week, Ari is joined by rapper LaRussell to discuss independent success and building a sustainable career.
Income
It’s Time To Normalize Cutting Session Musicians Into Master Royalties (Points)
Whew, I got quite the backlash for my post about normalizing giving points to session musicians.
Seems like an innocent enough thought experiment. My fatal flaw was using Taylor Swift as an example of the wealth disparity in the music...
Podcasts
Lyor Cohen on YouTube Music’s Future and the Music Industry’s Past
This week Ari sits down with Lyor Cohen, Global Head of YouTube Music, to discuss the perpetual evolution of the music industry.
Royalties
Spotify And UMG Rigged The Game a Long Time Ago
The news broke this past Sunday that Universal Music Group and Spotify have struck a new, multi-year licensing deal.
Podcasts
Noga Erez on her Major Label Debut Album and Dealing With Hate
This week, Ari is joined by alt-pop singer, rapper & multi-hyphenate Noga Erez to discuss the creative process and working with labels.
sync
How To Get Your Music on TV, Video Games and in Movies (Sync Licensing)
I study the sync licensing realm (getting songs placed in film, tv, commercials, video games) quite a bit.
On the New Music Business podcast, I've had as guests:
Music Supervisors:
Deva Anderson - Greyhound, Band of Brothers, The Pacific
Jen Malone -...
Podcasts
How Sub Pop Records Develops and Funds Artists
This week, Ari is joined by Tony Kiewel, President of Sub Pop Records and co-founder of ORCA, to discuss the inner workings of artist/label relationships.
Income
Best Music Distribution Companies in 2026 – Full Comparison Chart
This is the most comprehensive digital music distribution review comparison between Amuse, AWAL, CD Baby, DistroKid, Ditto Music, LANDR, TuneCore, Songtradr, and more.
Latest News
How Major Label A&R Has Evolved and How Hit Songs Are Written
This week, Ari is joined by legendary A&R executive Pete Ganbarg to discuss artist development, hit songs, publishing, and AI.