The Future Of What Podcast

A Podcast and Radio Show About the Music Industry

Founded by Music Biz President, Portia Sabin as a way to educate musicians on the realities of the music business, The Future of What Podcast has become a forum where the most significant voices in our industry discuss important issues of the day. Tune in as she hosts important industry figureheads and innovators alike in exciting discussions on where the music business is headed next!

May 23, 2023 – The Future of What Episode #209 — ClicknClear & Performance Sports Music Licensing

The performance sports space offers an exciting new revenue opportunity for artists whose tracks are properly licensed for use in gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and beyond. This month we talk with Chantal Epp, the founder and CEO of ClicknClear, a tech-based solution for athletes and program directors to access pre-cleared licensed music that ensures artists are paid for the use of their songs!... Listen

May 9, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #208 — 2023 Leading Light Nominees Pt. II (The Orchard, A to Z Media, WMG)

2022 marked the first edition of Music Biz’s Bizzy Awards program, a crowd-nominated series of honors recognizing music industry individuals and companies who strive to advance commerce in our industry and make it a better place to work. This ceremony marked the debut of the Leading Light Award, which is given to a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health, wellbeing and work/life balance. In our second episode covering the 2023 Leading Light Award,... Listen

April 25, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #207 — 2023 Leading Light Award Nominees, Pt. 1 (TuneCore)

2022 marked the first edition of Music Biz’s Bizzy Awards program, a crowd-nominated series of honors recognizing music industry individuals and companies who strive to advance commerce in our industry and make it a better place to work. This ceremony marked the debut of the Leading Light Award, which is given to a company or executive that has supported their staff via internal initiatives aimed at improving mental health, wellbeing and work/life balance. In our first of two episodes interviewing nominees for the 2023 Leading Light Award,... Listen

April 12, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #206 — Black Lives in Music CEO, Charisse Beaumont

Black Lives in Music (BLiM) began as after Blackout Tuesday in 2020 to combat issues of systemic racism in the UK music industry. After learning there was no available data on the topic, the organization commissioned a survey of 2,000+ artists & industry professionals about issues & perception of racism in the region. In our latest podcast, we speak with BLiM CEO, Charisse Beaumont on what’s changed since the first report was released, and what hurdles the UK industry still has to overcome.... Listen

March 28, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #205 — BE THE CHANGE Gender Equality Study, Pt. 2

Released on International Women’s Day 2023, the 3rd iteration of the BE THE CHANGE study showcases the perspectives of more than 1,500 music industry professionals across 100+ countries on how gender discrimination is both experienced and perceived across the music industry. We continue our coverage of the BE THE CHANGE study by talking with TuneCore CEO, Andreea Gleeson about her perspectives on gender parity in the music industry and how it compares to other businesses, the ways that intra-industry partnerships are leading to better data on and action to correct discrimination &... Listen

March 15, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #204 — BE THE CHANGE Gender Equality Study, Pt. 1

Released on International Women’s Day 2023, the 3rd iteration of the BE THE CHANGE study showcases the perspectives of more than 1,500 music industry professionals across 100+ countries on how gender discrimination is both experienced and perceived across the music industry. In the first of two episodes focused on this year’s report, Matthew Yazge of Luminate breaks down findings from this year’s survey and their impacts on industry professionals, and discusses possible solutions to issues of systemic discrimination.... Listen

February 22, 2023 – The Future Of What Episode #203 — Affordable Health Insurance For Indie Labels

For many years, smaller independent labels have found it challenging to provide health insurance options to their employees that were not cost prohibitive. This month we talked with A2IM’s President and CEO, Dr. Richard James Burgess about the A2IM Benefits Store, launched in September of 2022 to deliver member labels access to affordable health insurance packages, as well as other vital resources they may need.... Listen

January 12, 2023 – The Future of What Episode #202 — Continued Support For Inclusion & Mental Health in the Music Business

While major strides have already been made to improve the work culture of companies across the music business, it’s a never-ending task to ensure that EVERYONE who works in our industry is welcome, supported and truly happy in their day-to-day roles. To kick off the new year, we sat down with BMI’s SVP, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Sandye Taylor in a conversation about sustaining the important work of supporting both greater inclusivity across the global music business and work-life balance with consideration for mental health needs.... Listen

November 29, 2022 – The Future of What Episode #201 — The Lazuli Collective & Mental Health In Entertainment Industries

Born from the renewed calls for focus on mental health & wellness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lazuli Collective works to establish “a new cultural paradigm” that puts the human needs of both artists and music industry executives front and center. In this month’s interview, we sat down with the organization’s founder, Brandon Holman, to discuss how the Lazuli Collective is making a difference for entertainment professionals, as well as the cultural shift taking place to support mental health and well-being.... Listen

October 11, 2022 – The Future of What Episode #200 — Capturing Creator Credits While In-Studio

It is of utmost importance for creators, especially in the age of digital music consumption, to log EVERY detail of who participates in the preparation of a song to ensure that all collaborators are properly paid. With his background as a songwriter and producer, Niclas Molinder set out to create a creator-friendly toolset to help not only fairly track credits directly in-studio, but also facilitate deeper collaboration. At Session, he’s done just that with the help of some high-profile partners — listen to this month’s episode to find out how!... Listen