The MusicAnswers Podcast

Mar 15 2024
The MusicAnswers Podcast artwork

Being a music creator has never been harder, most of which have nothing to do with the best interests of music creatorsHow does it all work, how’d it get like this, and what can we do about it? This is where we come in. Through interviews with music creators and industry experts, this podcast is dedicated to making sense of it all, helping you navigate the music industry, and finding new ways to make progress that fundamentally serves music creators, without whom, there would be no music industry because there would be no actual music. We’re MusicAnswers, and this is our podcast.

RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


New Kid In Town: Billboard's Kristin Robinson's quest to highlight the plight of the songwriter

Mar 15 2024 47 mins  
On this week's episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast, Derek and guest co-host (and MusicAnswers Co-Founder) David Wolfert chat with Billboard's Kristin Robinson who is laser-focused on the myriad of goings-on in American music publishing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/music-answers/message

New Slang: Introducing Our New Team Members

Feb 24 2024 23 mins  
In this week's bonus episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast, we introduce Madison LaRae, Victoria Princi, and Nick Reichheld: Our new team members. We discuss the UMG/TikTok kerfuffle, the Grammy Awards, and why they're joining us to advocate for the rights of music creators. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/music-answers/message

Music Creator Interview Series: Cody Fry

Jan 19 2024 52 mins  
This week's episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast is an interview with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Cody Fry, recorded live at a session during the Association for Popular Music Education Conference in New Orleans. Derek & Cody discuss his path to success in the music industry, which is as signature and distinctive as his soaring, orchestra-forward recordings and perfor

Go Your Own Way: Independent Music Publisher Abby North on protecting legacy copyrights in a modern world w/Derek and guest co-host Ellie Trainor from SoundExchange

Jan 12 2024 47 mins  
On this week's episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast, Derek is joined by guest co-host Ellie Trainor for a conversation with independent music publisher Abby North about advocating for songwriters of the 1950s and 60s in the ever-changing digital and political landscape of the 2020s, including her recent testimony before The United States Congress. --- Send in a voice message: ht

Thank You For Being A Friend: The United States Copyright Office discusses the myriad of ways that they can help songwriters with Derek and guest co-host Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. from glbl wrmng

Dec 29 2023 43 mins  
On this week's episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast, Derek is joined by guest co-host Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. for a conversation with two music creator advocates at The United States Copyright Office about all of the ways they support music creators, and the challenges we face together. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/music-answer

Music Creator Interview Series: David Lowery Part 2

Dec 22 2023 24 mins  
Continuing where we left off with Dr. David Lowery, we discuss his activism on behalf of music creators, the power that the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) wields when it comes to what songwriters get paid, and what the frontman for Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven (alongside a fruitful solo career) thinks the resurgence of vinyl means in today's music industry. --- Send in a vo

Music Creator Interview Series: David Lowery Part 1

Dec 15 2023 27 mins  
On this week's episode of The MusicAnswers Podcast, we speak with chart-topping singer/songwriter, music rights crusader, and University of Georgia college professor Dr. David Lowery. In Part 1 of our interview with Dr. Lowery, we talk about how he became an activist, the costs of being a music creator, and the value of collective bargaining. --- Send in a voice message: https:

I Got the News: Variety's Senior Music Editor Jem Aswad on the Importance of Journalism in Music Creator Rights Advocacy

Jul 10 2022 42 mins  
On this week's episode of the MusicAnswers Podcast, Derek and Matt are joined by Variety's Senior Music Editor Jem Aswad to discuss the importance of journalism in music creator rights advocacy and his recent article "The Ineffable Tone-Deafness of Spotify's Daniel Ek."  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/music-answers/message

Strong Enough: Speaking With Jody Dunitz About Her Stance on the Allegiances of the National Music Publishers Association , The Unfrozen Mechanical Royalty Rate, and More.

Jun 27 2022 41 mins  
On this week's episode of the MusicAnswers Podcast, we speak with former Executive Vice President at Sony-ATV Music Publishing Jody Dunitz about her recent article in Digital Music News on the true allegiances of the National Music Publishers Association and their lack of protection for songwriters, the unfrozen mechanical royalty rate, and more.  --- Send in a voice message:

Fight For Your Right: Chris Castle on Evaluating Spotify With Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors

Jun 20 2022 45 mins  
On this week's episode of the MusicAnswers Podcast, we're speaking to Chris Castle, an attorney working at the nexus of music, technology, and policy; and a frequent contributor at The Trichordist, which advocates for a Sustainable and Ethical Internet for the protection of artist's rights in the digital age. We'll be speaking with Chris about Spotify: evaluating it through Environ