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!

July 18, 2023 – The Future of What Episode #212 — 2023 Music Biz Presidential Award Winner, Gina Miller (MNRK Music Group)

The Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement is one of the Music Business Association’s highest and longest-standing honors, presented to individuals or organizations who have contributed greatly to the overall success of the music industry. In our latest podcast interview, Gina Miller of MNRK Music Group — our 2023 Presidential Award winner — discusses her life journey from piano student to accomplished music industry executive, approaching her music industry career as a fan first, her advocacy work across Nashville Music Equality and other outlets,... Listen

June 21, 2023 – The Future of What Episode #211 — Generative AI and the Music Industry: Interview with Danielle Aguirre of the NMPA

AI and machine-learning technologies have been utilized in various capacities in the music industry for decades now. However, the rise of Generative AI — which uses existing human-created art within its algorithms to generate content — presents new legal challenges over who is compensated when the tech is used. This month, we spoke to the NMPA’s Danielle Aguirre about the current legal issues regarding copyright for AI-generated content like music, and what organizations like the NMPA are doing to support songwriters.... Listen

June 6, 2023 – The Future of What Episode #210 — Music Industry Mental Health: A Conversation With Amber Health’s Dr. Chayim Newman

At the outset, Amber Health was founded to analyze the mental health needs of artists & touring professionals and develop resources to support them navigate their incredibly taxing line of work. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, its mission and scope expanded to create boots-on-the-ground support for the mental health needs of all music industry professionals. In this interview, we speak with Amber Health co-founder, Dr. Chayim Newman about the organization’s mission and evolution over time, and what it’s doing to support executives and artists alike.... Listen

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