Episode 577 - CEO Of The Merlin Network Jeremy Sirota

My guest this week is modular synthesizer maven Chris Meyer, who has done important engineering work at Sequential Circuits, Digidesign, Marion Systems with the legendary Tom Oberheim, and Roland R&D U.S., where he was chief engineer. Along the way he created Vector Synthesis and worked on the Sequential Prophet 2000, Prophet VS, and Studio 440; Digidesign's Q-Sheet; and the Roland DM-80. During that time he also served as Technical Chairman of the MIDI Manufacturer’s Association, creating many additions to the MIDI specification, for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.Chris has also taught synthesis at UCLA Extension, wrote numerous articles for Music Technology and a column for Keyboard Magazine, and most recently co-authored the book Patch & Tweak [https://www.patchandtweak.com] with Kim Bjørn. Today he runs the website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel LEARNING MODULAR, where he teaches others how to master modular synthesis.During the interview we talked about the evolution of modular synthesis, transitioning to motion graphics and back into creating music, navigating the challenges of studio design, the future of spatial audio, and much more.I spoke with Chris from his studio in New Mexico.—Additional Resources:Learn more about Chris and module synthesis at: https://learningmodular.com and https://aliaszone.com/–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

Online music collaboration is for many the holy grail for efficiently working in a home studio. The problem is that most tools that are available suffer from latency that makes true collaboration impossible. SyncDNA is the first online platform that allows frame-accurate synchronization of collaborators anywhere in the world.Co-founders Dominic Castro and Gary Lux joined me to discuss SyncDNA and how it’s been helping mixers, musicians, composers, directors and producers do their jobs more easily.Dominic and Gary are not tech guys trying to adapt to the music business, by the way. Dominic is a music producer, mixer, and sound editor with an impressive list of mixing credits for artists like Halsey, Jay-Z, Shawn Mendes, Universal Pictures, Netflix, Amazon, and many more.Gary is a prominent Hollywood music mixer with a wide range of credits that includes artists like Usher, Keith Urban, Sting, and Janet Jackson among many others. He also served as the head music mixer for Universal Studios, where he received two Emmy nominations. He is widely known for his expertise in Dolby Atmos immersive mixing. During the interview we talked about overcoming latency and distance limitations, SyncDNA’s impact on music and film collaboration, the platform’s cost structure and subscription plans, and much more.I spoke with Dominic and Gary from their studios in Los Angeles.–Additional Resources:Learn more about SyncDNA at: https://www.syncdna.com–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

My guest today is the CEO of the Merlin Network of independent music labels, Jeremy Sirota.Merlin is a member-based organization representing the digital licensing rights for hundreds of independent labels and distributors in nearly every country around the globe. That makes up 15% of the recorded music market.Under Jeremy’s leadership, Merlin has entered into new partnerships and created programs to help its members take advantage of the latest technologies and licensing opportunities. During the interview we talked about the unique position of Merlin in the music industry, the impact of AI on the industry, the introduction of the Merlin Connect program to simplify music licensing, the role of technology in music consumption, and much more.Check it out for some great insights!You can also watch a video version of the episode at https://youtu.be/HzwD_E1Wuu0Additional Resources:Learn more about Jeremy and Merlin at: https://merlinnetwork.org/–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

I read a lot of music biographies and history books, especially from the Rock era. Like most people, I love reading about the story behind the hits. The best book I’ve ever read about that era is Buzz Me In: Inside The Record Plant Studios. The Record Plant was co-founded by engineer Gary Kellgrin and businessman Chris Stone, and it’s three studios in New York City, Los Angeles, and Sausalito, plus a fleet of remote trucks, were ground zero for the music business from the 1960s through the 80s. In fact, in 1976 alone, three #1 albums―Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life, the Eagles' Hotel California, and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours―were all recorded in Record Plant studios.The studio was also the center for audio innovation, thanks to the involvement of speaker and studio designer Tom Hidley, who recently passed.Buzz Me In was written by two great friends of mine, Marty Porter and David “Mr. Bonzai” Goggin. Marty is an author, journalist and publisher who began his career as a technology writer for Rolling Stone, GQ and Premiere magazines, then became editor and publisher of recording and musical instrument publications Pro Sound News, EQ, Guitar Player and Surround Pro magazines.David is an award-winning author, photographer, and music journalist, who’s written over 1,000 articles for magazines in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and has published 6 books. He’s also a press agent in the music industry and has represented numerous recording studios, manufacturers, and trade organizations such as SPARS and the World Studio Group.During the interview, we talked about how Record Plant started and some surprising key players, the unique business model that powered the studio, how new tech drove the studio business, how many believe that it was the real Hotel California, and so much more.Sit back and listen to some great behind-the-scenes stories. Additional Resources:Learn more about Buzz Me In at https://amzn.to/4kAXY6IAlso, a video version is now available on YouTube as well.–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

My guest today is Josh Simons, CEO of Australia's only ASX-listed music company, Vinyl Group. Josh’s journey is as diverse as it gets. He founded Vampr, the 'LinkedIn for creatives,' connecting over 1.4 million music professionals worldwide. He’s also been instrumental in developing platforms like Jaxsta and Vinyl.com, tackling challenges in music metadata and e-commerce.Prior to working in tech Josh ran a record label, publishing function, film production company, and was the lead singer of Australian indie rock band Buchanan. As a songwriter and producer, he’s shared credits with Travis Scott, Troye Sivan and Kanye West, and as a performer has toured with Coldplay, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.During the interview we spoke about innovations in music consumption, the future of music labels, the intersection of physical and digital media, the resurgence of cassettes, and much more.I spoke to Josh via zoom from his office in Melbourne, Australia.Additional Resources:Learn more about Josh at: https://www.joshsimons.us/ and Vinyl.com–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

My guest today is music marketing strategist, speaker, author, and the founder of Cyber PR, Ariel Hyatt. Known for her bold ideas and practical strategies, Ariel has helped thousands of independent musicians and creative entrepreneurs craft sustainable careers over the course of two decades. Ariel has always been at the forefront of music promotion, and she continues once again with her new book From Buzz to Bond: How to Stop Chasing Hype & Build a Lasting Music Career.In it she introduces the concept of Bond Marketing, a 10-step system known as the Bond Marketing Funnel. It’s designed to help musicians move beyond simple social reach and build deep, lasting fan relationships.During the interview we spoke about navigating changes in the new music business, addressing artist burnout, exploring the bond marketing funnel, the importance of fan sanctuaries, and much more.I spoke to Ariel from her home in New York City.Ariel has also appeared on Episode 55, 130 and 371.Additional Resources:Learn more about Ariel and CyberPR at https://cyberpr.com, https://www.facebook.com/arielcyberpr, https://www.instagram.com/cyberpr/, –(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. ================

My guest today is Danny Garcia, co-founder and CEO of the music promotion and discovery site Songtools.Songtools makes it easy to promote your music across Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and reach out to over 150,000 curated Spotify playlists. It also helps playlisters discover new music, and vets both artists and playlists to make sure that the experience is top quality for both.The company’s signature tools include SongFly, which is an easy-to-use solution that enables artists to launch ad campaigns, complete with visuals, with just one click. In less than one year, SongFly ran fan-building ad campaigns for close to 3,000 different artists, and delivered over 500K new fans to artists across all genres. During the interview we talked about how important focused marketing is for artists, countering bots in music discovery and promotion, strategies for growing playlists, current trends in music business, and much more.I spoke with Danny from his office in New York.Additional Resources:Learn more about Danny and Songtools at: https://www.songtools.io/–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

My guest today is Lon Neumann, the president of Neumann Technologies, a company that’s focused on designing and commissioning production facilities for immersive audio.Lon has a long history with Sony, and is especially keen on their 360VME virtual mix environment system, which he discussed at length during the podcast.He started in the business as a live sound engineer at the famous Whisky a Go Go and Roxy Theater in Hollywood, and later went on to mix for Earth, Wind and Fire before becoming chief engineer for Stevie Wonder’s personal studio.Since then he’s worked primarily in audio technology, where he trained PBS engineers in surround sound production and loudness management, and helped develop immersive and loudness standards for SMPTE, AES, and the Consumer Technology Association.During the interview we spoke about how Sony’s 360VME can help music and post mixers alike, the importance of phase coherence in immersive sound systems, his days mixing concerts for many legendary artists, and much more.I spoke to Lon via zoom from his home in Los Angeles.Additional Resources:Learn more about Lon's work: https://neumanntechnologies.com/ and Sony 260VME at https://www.sony.co.jp/en/Products/create360RA/360VME/–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. ================

In this week's podcast episode, I bring back my popular music and audio industry news segment with a full episode dedicated to stories that matter—but often fly under the radar.In this episode, I dive into a wide range of timely and thought-provoking topics, including:Why today’s music has been scientifically proven to be simpler than it used to beHow hit songs have evolved over the last 5 yearsWhether view counts actually mean anything anymoreHow AI-generated comments could be killing social mediaThe mind-blowing science behind bending sound wavesIf hashtags still have a role in the modern digital worldAnd—why musicians can’t just go on strike like actors and writersTune in to hear surprising insights, smart commentary, and the stories behind the headlines—things you’ve probably thought about but haven’t heard explained quite like this.–(FREE DOWNLOAD) 6 proven ways to avoid muddy mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/6-freqs-download-1 Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers. 

My guest today is owner and president of HIP Video Promo Andy Gesner.Andy’s firsthand experience in playing in bands and releasing records gives him a special insight into music promotion and marketing. Over the past 25 years, he has built HIP from the ground up, developing innovative promotional strategies that adapt to the ever-changing media landscape. Andy and his team have promoted more than 4,800 music videos for artists including Bryan Adams, The B-52s, Bon Iver, Johnny Cash, Death Cab For Cutie, Pearl Jam, Maroon 5, Sia, and Weird Al Yankovic, spanning genres from indie rock to hip-hop, pop, metal, and beyond.During the interview we spoke about the evolution of video promotion, video marketing strategies for artists, the many television channels that artists aren’t aware of, AI in video creation, and much more.I spoke to Andy from his home in New Jersey.Additional Resources:Learn more about Andy and HIP Video Promo: https://hipvideopromo.com–Get fantastic mixing tips from the best selling Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: https://bobbyowsinski.com/mixhandbookAccess my FREE music mixing crash course training: https://www.mixingcrashcourse.comCheck out my best-selling books: https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/ Discover more mixing courses: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social--In this podcast, music guru Bobby Owsinski shares his personal insights on the music industry, covering news, reviews, analysis, and tips, as well as offering amazing interviews with prominent industry movers and shakers.