Startups Start Your Engines with Andrew Kahn, Yamaha Music Innovation Fund

AI models can truly capture the essence of musical creativity. (Wait. Really?). Join us as Tristra interviews Dr. Christopher White from UMass Amherst about his new book The AI Music Problem: Why Machine Learning Conflicts with Musical Creativity. The two of them get into a really interesting question – Is AI redefining music, or is music reshaping AI? It’s a great conversion about the future of music creation.   The News: What Is AI Slop?   Chinese social media platforms roll out labels for AI-generated material   Spotify’s ticketing partnerships have ‘escalated quite quickly’ in 2025   EU pauses probe into Universal’s $775m Downtown deal   Influencers are among the winners of Trump's 'no tax on tips' policy 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.  

What makes an artist-brand partnership meaningful, beyond a simple shoutout on social media? Today I talk with Dave Godowsky, a musician who’s also worked the other side of the street – in Artist Relations, A&R and with brands that musicians know and love. We talk about how brands can foster authentic artist relationships, the value of word-of-mouth marketing, and how artist feedback can be best used in product development. Dave also shares his experience of partnering with artists like Jacob Collier and Alicia Keys. It’s a really fun conversation   Shoutouts mentioned:  Jacob Collier Audience Choir- Native InstrumentsNative Instruments + Alicia Keys Orchid Synth- Kevin Parker Ink Audio Ribbons App Life App - XLN Audio   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.

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August and today we have our own Chief Creative Officer from way back when he was the creative force at Artiphon. Adam McHeffey, CMO of Artiphon, joins us to talk about the state of musical instrument innovation. Instruments like the Orba put music creation at the fingertips of hobbyists, allowing them to focus on enjoyment and self-expression rather than traditional album releases. We discuss the fusion of music and social media, and the new generation of creators redefining the art form. Lines between listening and playing are blurring, (see Ocean Eyes remix on Logic Pro X) pointing to a future where music engagement is akin to gaming, providing endless possibilities for interactivity and connection.   Shoutouts mentioned in episode: seids_ imsethdrums socialrepose   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.  

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Join Dmitri and Tracy Maddux the former CEO, of AVL Digital and CD Baby as they talk through the fundamentals of what it takes to really start up. We promise that by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear understanding of the critical decisions that shape the future of your business. Whether you intend to sell your company or nurture it as a long-term venture, Tracy's wisdom on capitalization, leveraging personal funds versus investors, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses will set you on the right path. And if you’re already deep in the weeds with your company – there is still great advice to be learned from these two industry experts.   Tracy Maddux   Artes Management 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!

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Today we have a great conversation with the CEO and co-founder of LyricFind. Listen in to find out how Darryl got his first investor, and what Microsoft, childhood bedrooms, outdated websites, and roller coasters have to do with anything. 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!

We are rewinding and playing back some of our favorite guests during the month of August. Starting with…. The great debate! It's been five years since Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research gave the keynote at the first Music Tectonics Conference. This year we had him, along with Tatiana Cirisano, back to Music Tectonics. Instead of the standard conference keynote (because why would we do standard?) we had an election-year style debate that we called The Great Bifurcation Debate. Tune in as they each argue their side – “Play” and “Listen” and their observations for what the future may hold with each.    Read MIDiA’s report on bifurcation here. 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!

Join the Music Tectonics team for the June Seismic Activity with special guest Andrew Kahn, Managing Partner of Yamaha Music Innovation Fund. Hear Andrews best practices for pitching him (or not) at a conference, and what he feels is the most important aspect of any pitch deck. Hint: It's not a great power point. We also hear queries specific to founders in attendance. Among them are questions about funding AI startups, is it possible to compete with Ticketmaster, and what about this innovative new musical instrument? Really great insight from the heart of the funding world.    The News! The most important chart in music right now?   Getting AI companies to agree to licensing deals with copyright owners is “not doable” and “China’s not doing it”, rambles Trump   Live Music News: GigSalad, Lightroom, new boards @ MVT, LIVE   The Death of the Middle-Class Musician   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.  

Remember when Michael Bublé was an abominable snowman and chased people with snowballs? Well, maybe you don’t, but a lot of people do. Or what about when NLE Choppa showed up in FPS Ops? In this episode Dmitri talks with Mike Gubman of Chartis about the creative collaborations between musicians and game developers and what sort of opportunities those collabs create. Also, the News!    SiriusXM is launching a paid ad-supported tier. Will music streamers follow suit?   If your music strategy is ‘quick hits’ on the US charts in 2025… good luck.   Concert ticket prices increased 80.5% in 3 years, 4X inflation   HITS Act becomes law in a Big Win For Independent Artists   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.

Today we have a fascinating conversation with Randy Nichols, artist manager and CEO of Force Media Management. Randy’s been at the forefront of attempting to figure out the ticketing strategy math, especially the scalper side of the equation. We hear about his dive into the cold hard data, scalper chat rooms, and that time he sent someone undercover to the Ticket Scalpers Convention. We also talk about the allure of the “super fan” and why that is… baloney. Also we get into merch, and the general state of live music today.    News! YouTube to demonetize AI-generated videos starting July 15 Why fandom’s ‘more is more’ era could backfire YouTube’s ‘Ask Studio’ feature adds AI insight to its analytics Report: Threads is closing in on X’s daily active users total   Shoutouts! Immensity_AI Klaviyo Openstage   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.  

Today we talk with Cullen Hendrix, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, about the impact of tariffs on musical instruments. A trained political scientist as well as having a background as a touring musician, Hendrix has a really distinctive lens in which to view the tariff news. We talk about how tariffs on Chinese imports could stifle the next generation of musicians, the potential consequences for the used instrument market, and the effects on American culture as a whole.    News! The Velvet Sundown is an AI band after all, with its music created on Suno, confesses a spokesperson   AI in disguise? Music lovers angry at Spotify for promoting an allegedly fake band   Can the music industry make AI the next Napster?   Cloudflare launches a marketplace that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping   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.