Slightly Against the Grain . . . with Carlo, Ben, and Josh from Indie-Pop

Slightly Against the Grain . . . with Carlo, Ben, and Josh from Indie-Pop

by | Sep 1, 2020 | Creative Innovators Podcast

Enjoy the tales of Carlo Fox, Ben Willis, and Josh Andriano working together as the three-partner independent music management company leadership team running Indie-Pop.  After meeting when Josh and Ben married sisters (no longer in the picture), they formed Indie-Pop and have learned to work together making decisions about talent, investment, and growth . . . and now in starting a new independent music label, Independent.co.  They discuss future rights flow in building generational wealth for artists and their reasons for launching a new label in these streaming times.  They close with how their lockdown experiences have made them see their daily lives and spend their time in a new way — rethinking family, health, relationships, and travel.

Guests: Carlo Fox, Co-Founder and CEO; Ben Willis, Co-Founder and Strategic  Relations, and Joshua Andriano, Co-Founder and Head of New Talent, Indie-Pop and Independent.co

Carlo Fox: Carlo came into Indie-Pop as the social media whiz and now is CEO and co-lead of both companies.  

Ben Willis: An executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of music-business experience, Ben Willis is forging a new path for artists who defy the confines of pop convention. He’s devoted much of his career to identifying left-of-center talent with a potentially massive appeal, then incubating that talent in order to foster both artistic integrity and long-lasting success.

Joshua Andriano: Josh is a former DJ turned former entertainment attorney turned co-founder.  He is a New York Law School graduate who shifted into music in 2008 and is now Indie-Pop and Independent Co-Founder and Partner.

Indie-Pop: Founded in 2008, Indie-Pop had its first triumph with The Cataracs (a hip-hop duo they helped propel to multi-platinum status) and later helped build the career of rapper/singer/songwriter KYLE (whose Indie-Pop-released hit “iSpy” went six-times-platinum). With Indie-Pop’s roster including global artists like Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna, the team now co-launching Independent—a record-label solution offering all the creative benefits of autonomy while securing exceptionally fair and financially compelling deals for each artist.

Links:

 

Innovation is Messy . . . with Jack Conte

Innovation is Messy . . . with Jack Conte

by | Aug 27, 2020 | Creative Innovators Podcast

Jack Conte

Jack Conte blends the worlds of music creation (Pomplamoose and the funk band Scary Pockets) and solving creators’ problems with systems (crowdfunding and community with Patreon).  He shares how he balances (or doesn’t balance at times) creating music with running a large tech business.  He also shares what he has learned, how his companies have shifted with the work-from-home world shift, and how he has changed/staffed his own creative processes in this distributed era.  His career journey has been an interesting mingling of music and science/technology, all the way back to his science teacher who got him interested (who he still connected with monthly over Costco pizza). 

Guest: Jack Conte, CEO and Co-founder of Patreon; band member of Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets

Jack Conte is a musician, filmmaker, half of band Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets, and a co-founder at Patreon, a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to earn salaries directly from their biggest fans. Patreon was founded in 2013, and is on track to pay out more than $500 million to creators in 2019 alone.

As a musician and filmmaker, Jack spent his days in a converted dog kennel-turned-recording studio in Sonoma County, making YouTube videos that have amassed over 120 million views. Now, he’s in full-time CEO mode at Patreon HQ in San Francisco where the company is paying millions of dollars to creators every month around the world. Jack also loves working with robots.

Links:

Everything Old is New Again . . . with Ted Cohen

Everything Old is New Again . . . with Ted Cohen

by | Aug 25, 2020 | Creative Innovators Podcast

This week on the Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson podcast, we are joined by Ted Cohen, who shared tales of doing things for the right reasons and seeing decades ago the dimensions of our current music streaming playlists and challenges.  He talks about genuineness of artists vs. overproduction in livestreaming and concerts, pricing the risks of new markets, scarcity, negotiations, how business challenges repeat, and how some people don’t see or know the past launches in their very own businesses.  He shares his search and joy for things that are “effing amazing” as a whole with elegant execution.  And he shares the joy of paying it forward from those who got him started as mentors. 

Guest: Ted Cohen, Head of Development, Mediatech Ventures; Managing Partner, TAG Strategic

Known as “part connector/part evangelist/always a futurist,” Ted Cohen is Managing Partner of TAG Strategic, an LA-based digital entertainment consultancy. Additionally, Ted is Head of Corporate Development for Mediatech Ventures, the Austin-based VC/incubator/accelerator. Previously, as SVP-Digital for EMI Music, Cohen led global digital business development. Prior to EMI, Ted led Consulting Adults, clients included Universal Studios, Amazon, Microsoft, and Napster. Cohen also held senior positions at both Warner Bros Records & Philips Electronics. A 40+ year digital entertainment industry veteran, Cohen created & chaired MidemNet and served on the Grammy National Trustee Board. Ted continually looks for the next innovative technology & his next challenge, he really loves his life.

Mentioned Links:

Livestreaming and Live Connecting . . . with Dmitri Vietze

Livestreaming and Live Connecting . . . with Dmitri Vietze

by | Aug 25, 2020 | Creative Innovators Podcast

A year ago, Dmitri Vietze launched a new thought leadership conference on music technology in Los Angeles and had to move it with one day’s notice.  This year, he has moved his whole thought leadership with Music Tectonics online with virtual conferences and community gatherings.  He shares his thoughts on crisis-driven shifts to music livestreaming, expanding new releases, and digital access, along with tidbits on intriguing companies in this current listen-from-home era. 

Guest: Dmitri Vietze, CEO and Founder, rock paper scissors

Dmitri Vietze is the Founder and CEO of rock paper scissors, inc. It was his crazy idea to transform a global music PR firm into what has become a predominant music tech PR firm. Dmitri is a regular presenter at SXSW Music, SF MusicTech, Music Biz, APAP, and WOMEX. He is also the founder and CEO of StoryAmp.com. He has a jaw harp collection, can juggle five balls, and has a titanium leg.

 

Links:

Mentioned:

Welcome to Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson

Welcome to Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson

by | Aug 1, 2020 | Creative Innovators Podcast

Welcome to the 2020 launch of the new podcast, Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson. Gigi engages with innovators and creators who are changing the way that we create and reimagine in music, art, live events, virtual events, video, film, education and social innovation. Guests share their work and personal stories of how they became passionate about innovation and transformation in various creative and social change sectors.
​
​This podcast will inspire current and future change agents who are creatives, entrepreneurs, researchers, and/or community leaders who are seeking inspiration and support.  We’ll expand your ideas of creative innovation — changing the ways we create, collaborate, engage, and build communities.