How to Stay Relevant in Today’s Music Business (And What To Avoid) | Bobby Owinski's Inner Circle Ep. 616

What does it really take to stay relevant in today’s music business when private equity is reshaping pro audio, viral success is far rarer than people think, and YouTube keeps gaining influence? In this solo episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle Podcast, Bobby breaks down the latest music industry news and production trends, connecting the dots between business shifts, platform power, legacy gear, and loudness myths so artists, producers, mixers, and music creators can better understand where the industry is heading.Bobby digs into Native Instruments filing for insolvency, what that could mean for users of Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx, and why private equity continues to create concern in pro audio. He also looks at AudioTonics acquiring more respected audio brands, the sale of Norman’s Rare Guitars, and why not every acquisition is bad news.From there, Bobby tackles the reality of going viral in music, why slow growth often creates a stronger long-term catalog, and why YouTube may be the smartest platform for artists who want sustainable traction. He also explains why YouTube views no longer count toward Billboard in the same way, why that matters less for indie artists than many think, and why platform relevance is shifting right in front of us.The episode also celebrates 75 years of the Fender Telecaster, with Bobby explaining why its design still matters today, before wrapping with a practical breakdown of LUFS, streaming loudness, and the new laws affecting video streamers. If you want a sharper view of the modern music business without hype, this episode delivers exactly that.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

Is AI really coming for your gig, or are most musicians worried about the wrong things entirely? In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle Podcast, author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton breaks down what AI actually means for working artists, producers, and songwriters, and why the real advantage is still the human fingerprint that machines cannot touch.Craig unpacks new listener data that shows real pushback against AI-generated music, why fans still want to support human artists, and how musicians can stop trying to “out-computer a computer” and instead double down on feel, emotion, and creative risk-taking. He also shares where AI tools are genuinely useful in the studio, from vocal comping and demo production to research and writing, and where they fall apart on nuance, vibe, and context.You will hear Craig’s take on legal and copyright minefields around training data, the difference between influence and imitation, and what K-pop and modern fan culture can teach every independent musician about building deeper connections and putting a unique “fingerprint” in the music.Connect with CraigWebsiteSweetwater articlesInstagramFacebookYouTubeAd link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

What role do commercial recording studios really play in today’s home studio world? In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with Sam Rudy, founder of Pro Studio Time, to explore whether studios are still necessary for modern music production, or simply a creative luxury. From writing camps and residential studios to AI disruption and changing booking habits, this conversation dives deep into how artists, managers, and labels are navigating studio choices in 2025.Sam shares insights from working with over 130 studios globally, explains why so many studio inquiries never turn into bookings, and reveals what artists actually look for today, which is often less about gear and more about feel. If you have ever wondered whether high-end studios still matter, or how to choose the right space for your next session, this episode delivers answers.Guest: Sam RudyFounder, Pro Studio Timehttps://prostudiotime.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-studio-timeKEY TAKEAWAYS• Studios are perhaps not a necessary part of the production anymore the way they used to be, but they are still a place where people can get together and collaborate• High quality audio is still very much a thing and necessary• Most studio inquiries do not turn into bookings, often only 20 to 40 percent convert• Many artists book studios not for the gear, but for how the space makes them feel• A pair of speakers and a decent vocal chain is sometimes all you need• Daylight and atmosphere are increasingly important factors when choosing a studio• Residential studios have gained popularity due to flexibility and creative focus• AI and new technology may disrupt parts of the industry, but past tools like drum machines and autotune ultimately expanded creativity• Lowering the barrier to entry for music creation can lead to more artists eventually seeking professional studios• Success in any field comes down to volume of iteration, doing it as often and as long as possibleAd link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

What if immersive audio is not about the future at all, but about going back to how music was always meant to be heard?In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with Adrian Weidmann, CEO and founder of Immersive Design Labs, to unpack why Dolby Atmos and immersive audio have left so many engineers scrambling, and how the real breakthrough is not technology, but clarity. Adrian shares how his background in test and measurement, studio microphones, and live capture shaped a radically simple philosophy, accuracy over novelty.From designing a preamp to be “the electrical equivalent of effectively a 12 inch piece of copper wire” with no coloration, to building a 7.1.4 array that mirrors Dolby’s speaker layout, Adrian explains why immersive audio should feel natural, not futuristic.If you care about sound, space, and the emotional impact of music, this conversation will challenge the way you think about recording.KEY TAKEAWAYS• Dolby Atmos came out of cinema and now engineers are scrambling to figure out what to do with it• The biggest challenge with immersive audio is clarity, not technology• The preamp was designed to be the electrical equivalent of a 12 inch piece of copper wire with no coloration• Immersive audio should capture musicians playing in a space, not chase novelty• The IDL array replicates the positioning of a 7.1.4 Dolby speaker configuration• Embrace the bleed, the room itself should become an active instrument• Each song should be affiliated with its appropriate acoustic space• A microphone is a transducer, and anything other than an omni is a compromise• Focus on the song, capture the emotions associated with the interaction with the musicians• Success advice from outside the studio, I show upConnect with Adrian Weidmann and Immersive Design Labs:Adrian's LinkedInImmersive Design Labs WebsiteImmersive Design Labs FacebookImmersive Design Labs LinkedInImmersive Design Labs InstagramImmersive Design Labs YouTubeAd link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

What if the biggest thing holding musicians back is not talent, but mindset?In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with DJ Bander, Zach Schnall, CEO of Bander Productions, to explore how artists can build real career momentum in today’s music business. From jazz roots to electronic dance music success, Zach shares how he transitioned genres, built a brand, invested in marketing, and developed the business skills most musicians ignore.This is a deep dive into branding, social media strategy, financial literacy, EDM production standards, and why waiting to be discovered is no longer a viable strategy in the modern music industry. If you want to learn something about the music business that you never knew before, this conversation delivers.KEY TAKEAWAYS• Musicians struggle because they are waiting to be discovered instead of building leverage• Labels want to see that you are already basically on the 80 yard line• Investing in your brand is essential, trying to find the cheapest way can hurt your career• Dance music requires concise structure, professional edits, and release ready production• Downtempo allows more compositional freedom, EDM demands technical precision and relevance• Marketing success depends on long term commitment, not short timelines• Bringing in an audience is only part of the equation, artists must actively engage• Financial literacy is critical, advances are often debt and poor management can derail careers• Mentorship accelerates growth in ways YouTube and AI alone cannot• The best artists trust the love they have for their own sound while being their most honest criticChapters: 00:00:00 - Coming up...00:01:15 - From jazz piano to electronic music00:03:15 - Becoming DJ Bander and learning to DJ00:04:54 - Why EDM is technically harder than it sounds00:06:52 - Release-ready production and commercial standards00:08:56 - Edit justifications and structure in long tracks00:11:24 - Staying relevant in a competitive EDM market00:14:11 - Building capital, investing in brand and ads00:16:58 - Waiting to be discovered vs building leverage00:19:01 - Financial literacy and managing advances00:22:40 - Branding your name with intention00:25:08 - The mentorship mistake young artists make00:26:53 - The best advice he ever received00:28:28 - How to connect with DJ BanderAd link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

Is the gig economy really built to support musicians and freelancers, or is it setting them up to fail?In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle Podcast, Bobby talks with Ben Ikwaugwu, CEO of SoundCheck Live, about why the freelance economy is growing faster than the tools designed to support it. Drawing from his background as a professional vocalist and supply chain professional, Ben explains why fragmented communication, lack of systems, and one time execution pressure make it harder than ever for musicians and gig operators to run a sustainable business.Ben also shares how SoundCheck Live is being built as an operating system for the gig economy, and why understanding people, workflows, and relationships matters more than technology alone.KEY TAKEAWAYS• “Companies are operating more and more with freelancers, but they want to act like they’re enterprises.”• “The number one pain that we’re eliminating right now is the fragmentation of managing gigs and freelancers.”• “You don’t get a performance review in the gig economy. You have one time maybe to just screw it up.”• “Musicians turned business owners are some of the best negotiators, but some of the worst at building systems.”• “We’re building an operating system for on demand teams.”• “You have to be really good at your job to keep getting jobs.”• “More than half of the US economy will be freelance.”• “We don’t have infrastructure built for people who don’t operate nine to five.”• “The world is built on relationships and how you treat people.”Chapters:00:00:00 - Coming up...00:01:14 - Meet Ben Ikwaugwu and the gig economy problem00:03:21 - Learning systems through supply chain00:05:08 - The idea behind SoundCheck Live00:07:37 - Fragmentation in gig management00:11:50 - Why the gig economy gives you one shot00:16:10 - Education, AI, and building your own tools00:21:14 - Leadership lessons from supply chain00:26:19 - Building teams and company culture00:29:00 - Advice on balance and staying groundedAd link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

What really matters in music production when AI can generate songs, demos, and arrangements almost instantly? In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with legendary Nashville engineer and producer Ed Seay to unpack how AI, modern songwriting practices, and changing production tools are reshaping the music business. From demo studios being bypassed to why human instinct still cannot be replaced, this conversation offers an inside look at where music has been and where it is headed.KEY TAKEAWAYS• “90% of the people in the world aren’t pros. It’s all about the song and the singer.”• “You give it the prompts and then it spits it back at you in like five or six seconds for different versions.”• “They’ve analyzed everything from Bach to now.”• “They don’t know what you’re thinking of tomorrow or next week.”• “If somebody can create a demo, you just eliminated the players that were going to play on it.”• “The sum of all the stuff sounds great, but the individuals don’t.”• “If it sounds good, it is good.”• “I remain the boss. I don’t let it become the boss.”• “Everything is moving really fast and interesting to watch.”Ad link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

Why Do Musicians Still Struggle to Grow a Fanbase in 2026?This week on Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle, Prospect Hill drummer and FanFlowy co-founder Mark Roberge reveals how the music industry still lacks the systems that every other business takes for granted. From cost-per-acquisition to automated fan engagement, Mark shares why most artists burn out - and how FanFlowy was built to fix that. If you're serious about building a music career that scales, this is a must-listen.KEY TAKEAWAYS• The music industry lacks core systems like cost-per-acquisition tracking• Why so many talented artists give up before making it• How FanFlowy automates fan engagement, growth, and nurturing• The role of DMs, funnels, and targeted ads in fanbase building• Why Spotify and YouTube followers are harder to grow than monthly listeners• How conversation trees inside Instagram helped convert fans• Why “real” content outperforms polished production in ad strategy• The importance of mental toughness and staying power in music• How Indie Artist Compass maps the path to real income from music• The dangers of relying too much on AI-generated musicBEST MOMENTS00:00:10. “That’s Mark Roberge, rock drummer and co-founder of FanFlowy.”00:00:19. “They’re losing because the workload is so crushing.”00:01:44. “It’s not just make your music and then go play live. It doesn’t work like that.”00:03:01. “Every other industry has this and the music industry did not.”00:05:14. “The hardest one to grow is the follower count on Spotify and the subscriber count on YouTube.”00:06:02. “They went from a ghost town to hundreds of messages in their DMs.”00:10:56. “The migration thing is a big deal. Do you have a way to do that?”00:13:20. “I want all the marketing to happen as well.”00:21:08. “I just gave you the foundation. Get the foundation laid, get it set up.”00:30:23. “If you really want this bad, you have to be all in and you have to take the hits.”Also, a video version of this podcast is now available on YouTube as well.Ad link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

What happens when a lifelong audio engineer suddenly can’t work in a studio anymore?In this episode of Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with Luke Delalio, engineer, educator, cognitive artist, photographer, and creative force at Korneff Audio. Luke shares the deeply personal story of how tinnitus changed everything, forcing him to step away from music production just as his career was thriving.But what began as a devastating setback became the catalyst for an entirely new creative life. From theater to photography, plugin design to painting, Luke’s journey shows how curiosity, experimentation, and a refusal to follow the rules can lead to surprising breakthroughs.If you’ve ever had to reinvent yourself, or are curious about the mindset behind some of the most innovative audio tools today, this is a must-listen.KEY TAKEAWAYS:• How tinnitus forced Luke to abruptly leave the music industry• Why boredom can be a powerful driver of creativity• How Luke helped shape Korneff Audio's unique plugin philosophy• The engineering story behind Chocolate Milk and the Siemens W295 EQ• How real studio problems inspired new plugin workflows• Why Luke believes experimentation is central to audio innovation• The hidden history of the Sound Techniques console• How photography and theater helped rebuild Luke’s creative identity• Why he’s skeptical about AI’s impact on the future of creativity• The one piece of life advice Luke regrets not following soonerBEST MOMENTS:00:03:18. “It just never stopped. It's been my one true love.”00:04:56. “Dan showed up at my mom's funeral and said, I'm setting up Cornford Audio. You want to come along?”00:06:01. “That is pretty much mapped to Dan's thinking big because he was always a tinkerer.”00:09:09. “That's like the real fun of being in a recording studio, was all the experimenting.”00:17:09. “Tinnitus is audible anxiety.”00:22:09. “I'm writing about that, and I'm trying to figure out what console was it mixed on... Sound Techniques.”00:33:16. “The things that really get under my skin are the moments when I've been unkind.”Ad link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/

Can one sync placement change your entire music career?On this episode of Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle, I’m joined by Chris SD - producer, engineer, songwriter, and founder of Sync Songwriter. Chris has helped artists get $30,000 placements, land Billboard features, and book world tours through sync licensing. In this deep-dive conversation, he breaks down how sync really works today, why connections matter more than ever, and how indie artists can win big in film and TV without major label backing.If you’ve ever dreamed of getting your music into movies, shows, or commercials, this episode is your ultimate roadmap.You can find out more about Chris SD's Art Of The Song Pitch program here - https://www.syncsongwriterprograms.com/a/2148209546/o6RJ27FZKEY TAKEAWAYS:• What a music supervisor actually does• Why sync licensing is the last place for massive music exposure• Why indie music is often preferred over major label tracks• Why you need to write authentically, not “for sync”• How AI is affecting sync, and what it can’t do• What supervisors look for in an ideal track• Why relationships are more valuable than random pitches• The difference between stems, masters, and what’s really required• How The Art of the Song Pitch program works• Why now is the time to act, not just learnBEST MOMENTS:00:01:32. “A music supervisor is someone who is hired by movie studios, TV studios, ad agencies to go and find music.”00:02:57. “Indie music, that's exactly where indie music comes in.”00:04:37. “Every single story I've heard, even the ones that look like people just went viral, there was someone involved who was connected in the industry.”00:06:18. “Music supervisors are the new A&R.”00:10:07. “Nora Ryder won five Oscars... the genres were jazz and Russian hip hop.”00:14:06. “You can't legally place an AI song in TV and film right now.”00:20:32. “You're certified. You're ready for me to introduce you to music supervisors.”00:31:08. “It wasn't for the money. The money is amazing... but the reason I got into it was the exposure.”Ad link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing.Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world. 📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books 🎙️ Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready. Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course 🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses 📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates: FacebookLinkedInInstagramBluesky 🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/