Podcast
Music Tectonics
Hosted by Rock Paper Scissors, Inc. PR firm · EN
The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. The podcast includes news roundups, interviews, and more. Our host is Dmitri Vietze, CEO of PR firm rock paper scissors.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why is the Music Industry So Small?
6d ago00:47:09Tap to summarizeWhy is the value of the music industry so small compared to other forms of entertainment like gaming and television, even though music seems to be everywhere in our lives? This week on the podcast, Dmitri kicks off a new miniseries built around this year's conference theme, "Rising Tide: Grow the Music, Grow the Value" with Jimmy Stone, managing partner of Alderbrook. Jimmy pushes back on the premise and walks through the real numbers behind the music market, including the gap between wholesale and retail revenue estimates. Dmitri and Jimmy dig into why streaming struggled to create the kind of scarcity that once let labels set prices, how Napster and peer to peer sharing permanently changed what people are willing to pay for music, and why platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Meta may still be underpaying rights holders for how music actually gets used. The conversation turns to where new revenue might come from next, including premium subscription tiers, interactive music features, exclusive concert access, and lessons from Tencent Music's super fan tier in China. They also tackle a big question head on, whether AI will end up being a multiplier or a deflator for music revenue, and why Jimmy lands on multiplier despite the uncertainty around rights and attribution. They close out talking about ABBA Voyage, holographic concerts, and why live human performance might become more valuable, not less, as AI generated music becomes more common. If you're trying to make sense of where music's real value comes from and where it's headed next, this episode is a great place to start. 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.
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How Do You Value Music Catalogs in 2026?
2w ago00:48:17Tap to summarizeHow do you actually put a price on a music catalog in 2026? In this panel from our recent Grow the TAM event, Billboard's Elizabeth Dilts Marshall sits down with three experts who each value catalogs from a completely different angle. Rob Frech of Raine Group has advised on catalog and M&A deals for Warner Music Group, Quality Control, and Downtown. Tom Sarig spent decades managing artists like Lou Reed and Bryan Ferry before launching Antifragile Equity Partners to acquire mid tier music catalogs. And Monica Corton of Go to Eleven Entertainment works with songwriters, artists, and producers across publishing, marketing, and royalty management, helping them maximize the value of their catalogs. The conversation covers who is actually buying music catalogs right now, why active catalog management might matter more than the multiple you pay, how sync licensing drives real catalog growth, what tools like Disco and Luminate are doing to modernize catalog data and rights management, and how AI licensing and name, image, and likeness rights are starting to change what these assets are worth. If you work in music publishing, catalog acquisition, artist management, or music finance, this episode breaks down exactly how catalog valuation is evolving heading into 2030. 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 show notes 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.
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How Will Music Be Monetized in 2030?
3w ago01:08:13Tap to summarizeWhat will the music business actually look like in 2030? In this special panel from the Grow the TAM summit, Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy at MIDiA Research, leads a wide-ranging conversation about the future of music monetization with three industry veterans: Liz Moody, partner and chair of the new media practice at Granderson Des Rochers; Mauhan Zonoozy, founder of Vinyl Bar in Shibuya and former head of innovation at Spotify; and Ty Roberts, CEO of FanTracks and founder of Gracenote. The panel covers AI licensing and generative music platforms, why one panelist argues artists should be negotiating for equity in AI companies rather than royalties, the rise of direct fan subscription platforms, music's untapped opportunity in gaming and interactive experiences, the vinyl revival and whether physical media nostalgia is a real market or a performative trend, and the future of virtual artist concerts and digital fan engagement. If you work in music tech, music publishing, artist management, streaming, or the creator economy, this conversation is essential listening for anyone trying to understand where music revenue is heading next. The news Suno's latest legal opponent fought the tobacco industry – and won a quarter of a trillion dollars The Atlantic created a searchable database of the music used to train AI Luminate data: US market diversifying away from domestic and Anglophone music Patreon CEO Jack Conte on supporting artists in the AI slop era Suno Launches Artist Incubator, Offering Grants and Marketing for Indie Talents 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.
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8 Ways to Grow the Value of Music in 2026
4w ago00:43:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dmitri and Eleanor walk through eight revenue multipliers reshaping the music business in 2026, including catalog valuation, revenue recovery, music licensing, and more. This conversation sets up the theme for this year's Music Tectonics conference: "Rising Tide: Grow the Music, Grow the Value," exploring why music has massive cultural influence but a music industry that still lags behind gaming and sports in overall economic size. Dmitri and Eleanor dig into who this impacts across the music industry, from music tech founders and investors to record labels, publishers, managers, and the song catalog investment world. The conversation also covers the future of streaming revenue growth internationally, the unresolved infrastructure problems around music rights and royalty data, and why platforms like TikTok and Instagram are still not paying enough in music licensing revenue. This episode sets the stage for the Music Tectonics Conference 2026, happening October 27-29 in Santa Monica, California, where the music industry and music technology ecosystem come together around innovation, investment, and growing the value of music. Get your tickets now at- https://www.musictectonics.com/ The news US music publishing revenues hit $7.3B in 2025, NMPA reveals at Annual Meeting honoring P!nk, Julian Bunetta and Harvey Mason jr. The music industry is closing in on a billion global subscribers – with Spotify out in front Four music datasets holding millions of tracks are being shared among AI developers, The Atlantic reports 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.
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Every Object Can Sound: How Playtronica is Reimagining Music Creation
Jun 1700:57:07Tap to summarizeWhat if you could make music with anything around you? Fruit, water, human skin, or even the weight of objects on a kitchen scale? That's the question Playtronica has been answering for over a decade This week on the podcast, Adam McHeffey sits down with co-founders Sasha Pas and Aglaya Demidenko to explore how they built one of the most creative and community-driven companies in music technology today. Playtronica makes accessible music instruments that turn everyday objects into musical interfaces, no music theory required. Their products, including Touchme, Biotron, Orbita, and their newest release Scales, have gone viral across social media for their playful, tactile approach to music making. But behind the viral moments is a deeply intentional philosophy: remove the barrier of "are you a musician?" and let curiosity do the rest. In this conversation, we get into how Playtronica grew a loyal global community through creator partnerships and influencer strategy, what their installations with luxury brands like Hermès taught them about creativity and access, and why the form factor of an instrument matters far less than the feeling it creates. Sasha and Aglaya also share practical advice for music tech entrepreneurs looking to break through on social media and build communities that last. The news Merck Mercuariadis on Hipgnosis, vindication, and his next move. The Average On-Demand Streaming User Spends $434 Per Year on Recorded Music in the U.S., Up 27% from 2020, DIMA Report Finds Warner Music Group Acquires AI Attribution Tool Sureel AI SingFit Merges Music with Technology to Improve the Lives of People Facing Cognitive Challenges Despite dying 30 years ago, Tupac Shakur is acting in a new game 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.
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The $300 Billion Industry Music Tech is Ignoring
Jun 1000:35:43Tap to summarizeWhat if the biggest opportunity in music monetization isn't streaming, social media, or live concerts? It's the $300 billion pro AV industry, and most musicians and music tech innovators have never thought about it. This week on the podcast, Graeme Harrison, vice president and general manager of Bluesound Professional, joins Dmitri to break down how commercial audio is reshaping the way brands use music in physical spaces. From 15,000 7-Eleven stores to NFL stadiums to the US Senate, Graeme's work sits at the intersection of music, technology, and brand experience in ways the music industry rarely talks about. In this episode, Graeme and Dmitri dig into why congruent audio and visual together are 1,200% more effective than either one alone, how commercial music licensing pays artists significantly more than residential streaming, and why the rise of AI-generated music in public spaces could trigger a second era of elevator music that cuts artists out of the equation entirely. They also get into the growing world of biophilic soundscaping, adaptive AI playlist curation, and what it means for a brand like 7-Eleven to use music not as background noise but as a core part of its identity. If you work in music tech, artist services, or brand strategy, this episode reframes where the money is and where it's headed. The News What's Next Now That Live Nation Has Been Found to Act as a Monopoly The MLC Re-Designated by the U.S. Copyright Office Suno raises over $400 million, pushing valuation to $5.4 billion Board Raises $20M Series A Led by Union Square Ventures as It Expands From Gaming Hardware to AI-Powered Creation Platform Ableton Extensions will let you code your own tools and actions for Live 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.
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Can Gamification Fix Music Discovery?
Jun 300:51:31Tap to summarizeRemember when the best music recommendation you ever got didn't come from Spotify's algorithm, but from your coworker, your cousin, or a stranger in another country who loves the same obscure band you thought only you knew about? Eric West is the founder of Music League, a competitive music discovery platform with nearly 200,000 monthly active users across 160 countries. Players compete in themed rounds, submitting songs and voting on each other's picks, which means people actually listen rather than just passing along a link and forgetting about it. The result is something the streaming era largely eroded: real music discovery driven by real people whose opinions you have a reason to care about. This week on the podcast, Eric talks with our head of new business Jade Prieboy about how a music taste game accidentally became a community-building tool for workplaces and families, what the daily-to-monthly active user ratio reveals about how people actually engage with the platform, and what phase two looks like when artists get direct access to fans who have already been repping them inside the game for months. If you work in music tech, artist development, or fan engagement, this one reframes how discovery and community can work in the streaming era. The news The "quiet money" behind $4 billion music catalog deals Bollore urges UMG to reject Ackman's $64 billion bid Qobuz Is Suddenly One of the Fastest-Growing Streaming Music Platforms. But Why, You Ask? Why Spotify (SPOT) Is Up 19.0% After New AI Remix Deal And 2030 Targets The Active Listening Era of Music Begins Can you own a voice? Taylor Swift's latest legal move raises big questions for AI and copyright Swedish startup Tonada is making AI music for retailers 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.
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How TikTok Changed Sync Licensing (and What Cipher Music is Doing About It)
May 2700:51:31Tap to summarizeWhy are most brands still stuck licensing royalty-free tracks nobody recognizes while short-form content runs on music? This week, we're sharing a conversation Jade Prieboy had at SXSW with Ferris Bseiso, founder of Cipher Music, breaking down how TikTok rewrote the economics of sync licensing, why major brands are getting hit with eight-figure copyright lawsuits over Instagram posts, and how Cipher is creating a volume-driven sync market designed specifically for the creator economy. Also on this episode, Jade and Dmitri swap takeaways from Music Biz in Atlanta and Mo Forum in New York. They dig into AI voice cloning and the concept of style laundering, Andrea Gleason's provocative idea about generative AI and streaming platforms, the rise of institutional catalog investment from companies like Apollo and Primary Wave, and what the KISS hologram deal signals about the future of artist IP. Music, technology, and internet culture are colliding in real time. This episode is right in the middle of it. 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.
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The Label of the Future: How ONErpm Scaled Without Investors
May 1900:32:41Tap to summarizeEmmanuel Zunz, the CEO and founder of ONErpm, has spent 16 years building one of the fastest-growing independent music companies in the world, across 40 territories, with a staff of over 500, and without a single round of outside investment. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how that happened. This week on the podcast, Emmanuel and Dmitri get into why the traditional definition of independence is outdated, why Taylor Swift can be on a major label and still be completely independent, and what it actually means for an artist or company to be in control of their own destiny. They also dig into the convergence happening right now between distributors and labels, the race to the bottom on margins that's pushing funded indie companies toward acquisition or collapse, and why Emmanuel believes the label of the future is built on scalable technology, diversified deal structures, and a global roster rather than big advances and market share at any cost. If you work in music distribution, run an independent label, or are trying to build a sustainable creative business on your own terms, this one is worth your full attention. The news The live-music boom has convinced some artists they're bigger than they are Live Nation pushes back on 'blue dot fever': 'It's a normal touring year' Listeners engage less deeply with music labeled as AI – even when it's actually human-made, academic study finds 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.
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The Reality of Being a Music Creator in 2026 (ft. Aryy)
May 1200:53:05Tap to summarizeWhat does it actually look like to build a music career from the ground up as an artist in 2026? This week Dmitri sits down with Aryyzona, a Brazillian-born, LA-based artist who has been posting videos on YouTube since 2009 and recently released her hyper pop EP Gacha World, complete with a custom video game. With over a million YouTube subscribers and a devoted following across TikTok and Instagram, Aryy has a perspective on the creator economy that challenges a lot of assumptions. She breaks down why she refuses to call herself a social-first artist even though she posts constantly, how she balances paid brand partnerships with creative integrity, and what the traditional music industry gets wrong about creators who built their audiences outside the label system. They also get into the emotional reality of being a music creator, including separating your self-worth from your analytics, navigating hate comments, and staying grounded when engagement is unpredictable. Plus, Aryy shares a story how her ukelele videos once landed her on a Southwest Airlines flight to Hawaii to teach an entire cabin of passengers how to play ukulele. If you are a musician trying to understand the creator economy, a content creator wondering whether you can make it as an artist, or someone who wants an honest look at building an audience and a music career at the same time, this episode if for you The news Sony in advanced talks to buy Blackstone's Recognition Music for up to $4B, reports Bloomberg YouTube allows creators to replace music with copyright issues with genAI songs Zuckerberg Personally Authorized Massive Copyright Infringement to Train AI, Multiple Publishers Allege Suno CEO Calls AI Platform "Ozempic of the Music Industry" How Duetti Finds Big Value in Small Catalogs: 'It's Not About Aggregating Rights… It's About Taking Care of Them' Nebula becomes latest fan-to-artist investment platform 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.
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