Advertise on podcast: The Future of What

Both Reuel Williams and Leo Fakhrul fell victim to impersonation fraud – with Leo's label being flooded with AI slop content, and Reuel's viral TikTok remix being uploaded to streaming platforms without his consent. The two founders turned these negative experiences into their respective startups – XYNQ and Cadenza – to help those in similar situations. In this episode, Leo discusses XYNQ's five-layer fraud protection system that emphasizes speed, accuracy, and privacy protection. Reuel speaks on the input he's gathering from fellow creators that is shaping Cadenza. Both founders are looking to strengthen identity verification and expand their technologies across not just the music industry, but the broader entertainment industries to protect all classes of creators. Hear more from XYNQ and Cadenza on November 4th, where the two startups will be diving in depth on the trust & safety solutions they each provide as a part of our Tech Trendsetter Webinar Showcase Series!

"The music industry doesn't pay artists" is a blanket statement often made about our industry, but is it entirely true? Oftentimes clerical & metadata errors, mismatched information, and a lack of awareness of available resources are the true culprits behind lost earnings. Sophie Steele has set out to fix this issue, beginning with an educational PDF guide in 2019 that evolved into what Catalog Diligence Partners is today. In this episode, Sophie joins us to discuss how miscommunication between the business and creator side largely contributes to this issue, and how Catalog Diligence Partners acts as a translator between the two worlds.

Democratization in our industry has broken down the barriers set by gatekeepers; however it brings with it more supply than demand, and does not solve the many issues surrounding artist education. One area specifically that artists lack a comprehensive understanding of is publishing, which is where KOSIGN creates opportunity by providing the infrastructure of Kobalt – the largest independent publisher – to mid-tier songwriters so that they can collect exactly what is owed to them. Here, we speak to KOSIGN Head, Jason Feinberg on how the mid-tier artist class has changed over time, the difference between recording and publishing royalties, the spectrum between art & commerce for artists, and more!

Creativity is what drives our industry forward, both in musical works and innovative industry products. ZATAP combines these ideas with their NFC and QR code-powered tech that allows exclusive artist content to be accessed with a single tap to nearly any item you can think of, including CDs, posters, and even t-shirts. In this interview, ZATAP CEO David Geisser discusses versatile uses for QR codes & NFC tags – both for on-site activations and for merch where the content accessed is ever-changing – examples of how this technology benefits the artist and expands the fan experience, chart eligibility for these physical touchpoints, and what ZATAP is currently working on.

Only half of the states in the U.S have a codified right of publicity, creating a conundrum that not only raises concern for impersonation in the era of AI, but also complicates what action can be taken when content mimicking one's likeness crosses state borders. To discuss these complexities and how the NO FAKES Act looks to unite us on the federal level, we spoke with Dani Deahl, VP of Creator Policy & Corporate Affairs at Caldecott Music Group and Head of Communications & Creator Insights at BandLab. Dani speaks on how amending existing laws makes the spread of the law of publicity easier between states, the permeation of AI and philosophical questions it poses for our industry, how AI policy affects our broader world, and music as a form of human connection.

Setlist submission is not often top of mind for artists and DJs when they perform. Whether it's due to a lack of awareness or not having the time or resources during busy performance cycles, failing to report setlists leaves valuable live royalties on the table. To keep these artist earnings from entering the black box, Vollou automates setlist reporting using music recognition technology, creating a process that simplifies submission for everyone who is required to do so – venues, festivals, DJs and artists included. In this episode, Vollou CEO Andres Payne discusses pressing issues in music licensing & live royalty distribution that Vollou helps to mitigate, artist education on these topics, and how Vollu ended up becoming the setlist solution it is today!

The music industry is constantly evolving and integrating new technologies, bringing with them both opportunities and challenges. But when it comes to metadata management, DDEX has seen our industry greatly improve since its inception in 2006. In this episode, DDEX Secretariat Mark Isherwood shares his observations over the years as the organization 20th anniversary approaches, addressing current AI discussions and uses as they pertain to metadata, how fear around sharing data has diminished over the last 10 years, the continual evolution of DDEX standards to suit industry needs & tech changes, and DDEX's Music Tech 20/20 Summit!

The jukebox has existed as a catalyst for communal music discovery for nearly a century, with the anniversary of AMI Entertainment's production of the first coin-operated jukebox coming up in 2027. To celebrate, we spoke with AMI CEO Tommy Moreno about the company's rich history & innovations, as well as the pros & cons of the jukebox's evolution into a digital format. Tommy also spotlights how AMI is continuing to evolve & bolster the industry by delivering more royalties on a per-play basis compared to streaming platforms and transforming their app into a more gamified, communal experience!

To be a successful artist management team means to be willing to think outside the box, which is just what mtheory CEO Cameo Carlson and team have done with artist Mickey Guyton, a Country singer who did not have traditional revenue lines in place like touring or radio. In this episode, Cameo recounts the story of how a C2C Festival appearance in London led to Mickey placing second on China's The Singer, and the massive Chinese fanbase and tour that followed. She touches on differences from Western fan behavior, the rigors behind the scenes of a Chinese reality show, and Mickey's future plans for the Asian music market, highlighting the incredible impact of international opportunities for artists, even where you least expect them.

PLUS1 has raised just about $40 million for over 1,200 nonprofits, with their keystone project being a small add-on of $1 per concert ticket to be donated to a charitable organization of an artist's choice. The idea grew out of founder Marika Anthony-Shaw reading a book about Paul Farmer – founder of the organization Partners in Health – while touring with Arcade Fire, leading the band to support the nonprofit for several years. For the other artists and bands who have the desire to give back in this way, PLUS1 executes the process from A to Z, and in this episode Marika both describes that process and provides some examples of their work in action!

The artist-fan relationship is arguably one of the most important in our industry, yet it is often undermined – management of each different aspect is often spread across platforms, and artist websites & channels are usually underutilized as connection points. Rob Sealy noticed this discrepancy and, with no prior experience in the music industry, co-founded Openstage to pull fans into owned channels that create an immersive, personalized experience for fans of artists at all stages of their career. In this episode, Rob dives into some prominent case studies from the platform, why the fan experience has been overlooked for so long, and what is on the horizon for Openstage 2.0!

Fostering equity and inclusion is a collective effort — and though DEI roles have taken a hit in our industry, the experts and community leaders are still out there. During Music Biz 2026, Naledi Nyahuma Seck, VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Orchard, joined us to discuss this tumultuous stage and potential for the future, zoning in on the importance of supporting diversity in the music ecosystem at large. She also speaks on her role and the responsibilities it entails, closing the episode with a conversation on diversity efforts at Music Biz, and a rundown on how employment opportunities look different for each level of staff.

Secretly has seen the industry go through many changes, and with it so has Shelly Worcel, who went from intern to Director of Global Physical Account Strategy during her 14 years at their distribution arm. Though the company has grown exponentially over the years, they still maintain their independent mindset – remaining flexible and willing to experiment without jumping ship during times of change, like the transition from physical to digital, the shift away from radio, and the vinyl boom. In an interview recorded during Music Biz 2026, Shelly recounts the company's indie success story, their Bizzy-winning campaign for Hayley Williams' latest album, "blue dot fever," and more!

Dmitri Vietze describes working in PR & marketing in the music industry as a rollercoaster on top of another rollercoaster, given the constant transition in both industries. In this podcast episode, we gain insight into this experience from Dmitri, who runs Rock Paper Scissors, Inc., a PR firm representing music tech companies and organizes the Music Tectonics Conference every year. Throughout the interview, he describes his transition from artist PR to tech PR, how AI music compounds an already flawed attribution process, and how the internet, social media & AI have changed press and the dissemination of information, closing out with a discussion on the 2026 Music Biz Conference & Bizzys!

Precedent shapes legislation. In our industry's current era of change – defined by issues ranging from AI usage to increased artist autonomy – these precedents are challenged to pave the way for the potential of new rulings. During Music Biz 2026, Cynthia Katz & Heidy Vaquerano of Fox Rothschild LLP gave us a glimpse beyond the glamorous exterior of music law, starting with how they got into the field and diving deeper into artist protection against cannibalistic AI (while also recognizing its revenue-generating iterations), the responsibility that comes with artists taking back their rights, and the catalog boom.