This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Jacob Paul, the VP of Platform Growth & Brand Strategy at Kobalt and KOSIGN. Jacob has been one of the leaders behind Kobalt’s new admin publishing platform, KOSIGN, since its public launch in February 2025. Kobalt has been disrupting the traditional publishing model for years. Now their application-based platform, KOSIGN, is doing the same in the admin publishing space.

In this episode, Jacob explains how Kobalt and KOSIGN approach publishing differently than traditional publishers and admin publishers. Along the way, he and Ari completely break down how music publishing works. They touch on: how songwriters get paid, the difference between “artists” and “songwriters,” the difference between publishers and admin publishers, and how creators can be sure they’re not leaving any money on the table. Jacob also shares why it’s advantageous to have a publisher or an admin publisher instead of just working with a PRO or MRO. If you have questions about music publishing (and let’s be real, who doesn’t?), this episode’s got you covered.

https://www.kosignmusic.com/

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Music Publishing and Royalties

05:07 The Role of Kobalt in Music Publishing

10:10 Distinguishing Between Artists and Songwriters

14:51 The Importance of Publishing for Songwriters

19:53 Kobalt's Innovative Approach to Publishing

25:03 Exploring Traditional vs. Admin Publishing Deals

29:56 The Launch of KOSIGN and Its Impact on Indie Songwriters

35:43 The Rise of Independent Artists

40:23 Understanding Publishing and Royalties

45:35 Navigating the Complexities of Publishing Administration

51:10 The Role of KOSIGN in Empowering Songwriters

56:25 The Future of Music Publishing and Artist Ownership

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Mag Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of the direct-to-fan platform EVEN. Throughout his career, Mag has helped artists generate over 1 billion streams—but now, he’s focused on building a parallel music economy where artists sell directly to fans before streaming. “Superfan” platforms like EVEN are redefining how artists monetize their work.

Through EVEN, Mag has partnered with J. Cole, 6LACK, LaRussell, Lauren Jauregui, Fariana, Smino, Ryan Leslie, and thousands of other artists of all levels, empowering them to take ownership of their fan relationships and unlock new revenue streams. They’re essentially putting control and earnings back into the hands of artists.

In this episode, Mag tells Ari about artists who don’t have many followers or monthly listeners, but are making significant revenue from their fans on EVEN. They discuss the previous eras of direct-to-fan platforms (like Bandcamp, Patreon, Kickstarter) and how EVEN’s music-centric model differs from these prior iterations. Superfan platforms are truly taking the industry by storm—Mag tells Ari that EVEN, alone, onboards about 8,000 artists each day. If you’re interested in exploring superfan platforms, this episode is a great place to start.

Check out EVEN at: get.even.biz

Chapters

00:00 The Challenge of Monetizing Music for Emerging Artists

02:57 The Rise of Direct-to-Fan Platforms

05:58 Understanding Even: A Direct-to-Fan Platform

08:55 Windowing and the Shift in Music Distribution

11:54 The Economics of Music Sales vs. Streaming

15:12 Selling Access: The Community Aspect of Even

18:00 Building Community: The Even Triangle

21:04 Real Success Stories: Emerging Artists on Even

24:00 Emotional Commerce: Connecting with Fans

26:57 The Future of Music Monetization

35:10 The $1,000 Album Phenomenon

38:36 Sustainable Revenue Models for Artists

40:16 Data-Driven Insights for Artists

44:27 The Journey to Building Even

51:12 Navigating Major Labels and Independent Artists

54:23 Operational Framework for Artists and Labels

01:00:07 Community Engagement and Fan Interaction

01:04:24 Defining Success in the New Music Business

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ari is joined by Lyor Cohen, the Global Head of Music at YouTube. Earlier in his career, Lyor led Def Jam Recordings, where he worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and Ludacris. He eventually sold Def Jam to Universal and helped create the Island Def Jam Music Group. After Def Jam, Lyor became Chairman and CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group. He went on to co-found 300 Entertainment (repping artists like Fetty Wap and Young Thug) before landing at YouTube in 2016.

In this episode, Lyor and Ari discuss artist development, the state of the industry, and music’s digital revolution. Lyor shares what it was like to lead Warner Music at a time when both Spotify and YouTube launched. If you’re curious about the trajectory of tech in music, how generative AI can bring artists and fans together, or how you can use YouTube to build momentum in your career, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 The Pursuit of Artist Success

05:23 Navigating the Music Industry Landscape

12:11 User-Centric Approach in Music

20:34 Building Artist Communities

27:14 The Evolution of Music Consumption

33:30 Embracing Generative AI in Music

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.