Conference Conversations: Founders on Building Defensible Companies in the AI Economy

This week, we're continuing our Conference Conversations series from last month's conference with a panel called "Building to Scale: Founders on Building Defensible Companies in the AI Economy."   In this panel, Conor Healy from the Yamaha Music Innovation Fund sits down with Stanley Vergilis from Tone3000, Mauhan Zonoozy from The Vinyl Bar in Shibuya,, and Jessica Powell from AudioShake . The conversation gets real about what it actually takes to build defensible moats, how to fundraise from VCs to angel investors, and the mistakes founders make along the way.    Whether you're building a startup, thinking about taking the leap, or just want to understand what's happening in the music tech startup world, this panel is packed with insights you won't want to miss.   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.

This week on Music Tectonics, we're continuing our Conference Conversations series with highlights from the Music Tectonics Conference. Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing our favorite discussions, interviews, and panels that capture what's happening right now in music innovation.   Today, we're featuring a conversation with Ethan Millman from the Hollywood Reporter. Ethan breaks down one of the biggest music industry trends: the blurring lines between music distribution and record labels. We explore how label services are evolving, why distribution deals have become the hottest topic in music business, and what artists need to know when choosing between distributors and record labels.   Whether you're an independent artist navigating distribution options, a music industry professional tracking the latest trends, or a music tech founder building solutions for the creator economy, this conversation offers essential insights into the future of music distribution and artist services.   The News! Baby Shark creator Pinkfong goes public with $372m valuation AI Music Platform Suno Valued at $2.45 Billion Suno will be reading Robert Kyncl's new blog post very closely, as WMG CEO vows to 'legislate, litigate, license' in the era of AI music creation Explosively Viral Track 'I Run' by HAVEN Yanked From Spotify and Other Platforms Over AI 'Artist Impersonation' — Turns Out Suno Is Where It All Started 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.  

This week on Music Tectonics, we're doing something different. We're kicking off a series of highlights from the Music Tectonics Conference that wrapped up just a couple of weeks ago. Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing our favorite discussions, interviews, and panels that capture what's happening right now in music innovation. We start with a conversation recorded at the Shure podcast booth with Andrew Kahn and Conor Healy from the Yamaha Music Innovation Fund. Andrew and Conor share how Yamaha is investing in music tech startups, what they look for in founders, and why solving real problems for creators matters more than chasing AI trends or other hype cycles.   In this episode, we discuss: How Yamaha's Innovation Fund is expanding beyond traditional musicians to support all creator types What makes a music tech startup fundable in today's market Why streaming infrastructure and creator economy businesses still offer opportunities The importance of building new revenue streams for creators What investors learn from startup speed dating sessions   Whether you're a music tech founder looking for funding or just curious about where the industry is headed, this conversation offers valuable insights into what investors are actually looking for.   The news!  AI Is Sure to Transform the Music Biz. Opinions Vary on Exactly How. As AI Artists Breaking Rust & Cain Walker Rule a Country Chart, Nashville Execs Weigh in: 'It's Incredibly Detrimental' Spotify and NMPA strike a deal… on 'audiovisual opportunities' Music Videos Are Coming to Spotify in the U.S. and Canada 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.

This week as we have just wrapped up the Music Tectonics Conference in person in Santa Monica, I thought I'd do something a little bit different and release a clip from our pre-conference a couple of months ago by Mark Mulligan of MIDiA research called "Crossroads: Streaming's Time to Choose."    In this keynote, Mark talks about the pressures facing streaming from AI generated content flooding platforms to Gen Z's slower adoption rates and why the industry needs to move from optimization to revolution. We also open it up for some thoughtful questions at the end from you, our community, so stick around for that.    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.

Our guest this week is Neil Sheehan, the president of Vocana, a streaming platform built for independent artists and fans using a user-centric payment model. We talk about how that's different from other streaming platforms, why social features haven't worked on streaming platforms since the days of MySpace, and whether there's room for indie-focused platforms in what feels like a Spotify-dominated world. It's a great conversation   The news! Suno, in talks to raise $100m at a $2bn valuation, just released its most advanced free AI music tool yet Why Is It So Easy to Flood Streaming With AI Slop? AI Is Killing Wikipedia's Human Traffic   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.

Pack your bags, we're going to Tectonics! On this week's episode, our marketing director, Eleanor Rust, turns the tables on Dmitri to talk about the upcoming Music Tectonics conference next week from November 4th through 6th in Santa Monica. We talk about how the conference started, what to expect this year, and more. Whether you're on the fence about going or are planning on going and want the full itinerary, this episode is for you!   There's still time to grab your badge at https://www.musictectonics.com/conference  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.

This week, we're exploring the future of direct-to-fan commerce with Joshua Stone, the CEO and Co-Founder of Stuff.io and book.io. Josh has some serious backing, including names like Mark Cuban, Snoop Dogg, and Charles Hoskinson, the co-founder of Ethereum just to name a few, and has been working on building Web3 infrastructure that lets artists sell media directly to fans that fans can own and not just rent. We talk about why streaming doesn't pay most artists, how direct-to-fan can actually create real revenue and why we finally have the technology to let fans own digital music again. Whether you're an artist looking for new revenue streams or just curious about where music commerce is heading, we cover a lot of ground The News! General public 'more concerned than excited' about increased use of AI   In the AI Age, the Music Industry Needs New Metadata Standards. But Time Is Running Out   Spotify to Develop AI Music Products in Partnership With Major Record Labels    'Death to Spotify': the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app 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.  

This week, Darryl Ballantyne, CEO and Co-founder of LyricFind, discusses the complexities of the music business model and how LyricFind has managed to create new revenue streams by licensing lyrics and developing products like Lyric IQ. We also discuss how they've overcome challenges such as price competition and maintaining product market fit.  This is a great conversation for Startups!   The News!   https://www.billboard.com/pro/sora-2-music-industry-pay-attention-ai-social-app/   https://www.engadget.com/spotify-canva-and-other-apps-can-now-connect-to-chatgpt-194830116.html   https://www.billboard.com/pro/sora-2-music-industry-pay-attention-ai-social-app/   https://www.engadget.com/spotify-canva-and-other-apps-can-now-connect-to-chatgpt-194830116.html 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.  

This week we dive deep into all things music publishing with Monica Corton of Go to Eleven Entertainment. With over 30 years of experience in music publishing, Monica lays a great foundation of how exactly music publishing works, and then we talk about what it looks like today with AI, streaming, legislation, and in some cases, suing major platforms. Whether you're in music publishing or know nothing about music publishing, we cover a lot of great stuff.    Shoutouts Mentioned: Voice Swap   John Delaney   Copyright Society   The News! Irving Azoff Slams YouTube Over Low Artist Royalties: 'By Far the Worst Offender'   Meta AI funnels AI videos from creators into new 'Vibes' feed   YouTube Music is testing AI hosts that present relevant stories, trivia and commentary   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.

On this week's episode, Dmitri sits down with Dot Bustelo, a former Apple Logic Pro team member and the innovative mind behind Loupe Art. We talk about everything from a post-it from another innovator that changed everything to the age of creative abundance. It's a blast.    News! Gen Z social habits spell trouble for music discovery   Is Music's Mainstream Getting Smaller? A Streaming Analysis   Ticketmaster CEO says concert tickets are too cheap, actually | Mashable   Spotify Updates AI Music Policies to Fight Spam: What It Means   Record labels claim AI generator Suno ripped their songs from YouTube | The Verge 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.