5 Billion Reasons to Train AI on the Music Traditions of the Global South
Musonomics Podcast
Artificial intelligence is doing to music what the printing press did to books and what the mp3 did to the album. But as the tools multiply and the investment pours in, a harder question is starting to surface. Who exactly are these systems built for? On this episode, Larry talks with Drew Thurlow, former senior executive at Sony Music, Pandora, and Warner Music, and author of Machine Music, the most clear-eyed account yet of what is actually happening at the intersection of AI and the music industry. Then Rithvik Kundu, music technology researcher and co-founder of the NYU Gen Audio AI group,...
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Finishing the Unfinished: AI, Schubert, and Who Gets Credit for the Final Note
Musonomics Podcast
Most conversations about AI and music collapse into two camps: fear that it will replace artists, or excitement about how much money there is to be made. Lucas Cantor sits outside both. Lucas is a venture investor at Mindset Ventures and an Emmy-winning composer who got his start at Hans Zimmer's studio before going on to finish Schubert's Unfinished Symphony using AI, a project that became a live orchestral premiere in London. He's also the author of Unfinished: The Role of the Artist in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Larry talks with Lucas about what it actually took to complete a...
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The Future of Music + AI Is Already Here - It's Just Not Evenly Distributed
Musonomics Podcast
With apologies to cyberpunk author William Gibson, the technology is out in the wild. The lawsuits are filed. The licensing deals are being signed. The future of the music industry is already here. It's just not evenly distributed. This is the third episode in Musonomics' AI series, and it's the one that looks forward — beyond the fear and hype to what's already taking shape. When content becomes infinitely abundant, what gets more valuable? And who wins? Larry sits down with Cherie Hu, founder of Water and Music, and Daniel Rowland, VP of Strategy and Partnerships at LANDR to...
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AI, Music, and the Law: Innovation vs Compensation
Musonomics Podcast
Artificial intelligence is the force reshaping the music industry's future. And the legal battle over who gets paid, and for what, is just getting started. In 2024, the major labels sued AI music companies Suno and Udio. Music publishers sued Anthropic this year for $3 billion. The AI companies say training on copyrighted music is transformative, and protected by fair use. Rightsholders say if you're building a business on music, you have to pay for it. The courts haven't settled it. Congress hasn't touched it. But the marketplace is already moving. Larry talks with David Israelite of...
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AI & Music: Tool or Threat?
Musonomics Podcast
Artificial intelligence is no longer on the horizon for the music industry. It's here, and it's moving fast. But is AI the next great instrument in a long line of tools that musicians learn and master? Or is it something fundamentally different, a technology that doesn't extend what artists do, but replaces it? In the first episode of a three-part series, Larry sits down with Cherie Hu, founder of Water & Music, and Grammy Award-winning producer and AI analyst Yung Spielberg to map the current landscape: where the tools are, what's actually working, where value is concentrating, and what...
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What's a Superfan?
Musonomics Podcast
Superfan is a strong contender for Music Industry Buzzword of 2025-26. But what does it mean, exactly? And what does it mean for the industry? On this episode, Larry talks with Olivia Jones from MIDIA research who is watching the space closely, and Musonomics correspondent Mariel Darling sits down with Mag Rodriguez, founder of EVEN, one of the leading platforms doing the heavy lifting to talk about the challenges and rewards of superfan engagement.
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Catalogs + Capital
Musonomics Podcast
In this episode, we take a look back at the first half of 2025. Larry sits down with Tatiana Cirisano of MIDIA research to discuss underlying industry trends across the globe, including where music meets audiences. Larry also talks with Paul Sipio of Apollo Global Management, which has invested billions in the industry over the past few years, about why music catalogue has been, and continues to be, an attractive investment on Wall Street and beyond.
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Music and Presidential Campaigns
Musonomics Podcast
It's presidential election season and music is back in the thick of it. In 2016 we spoke with Ben Sisario of the New York Times, Professor Chris Sprigman of NYU Law School and music industry lawyer Joel Schoenfeld about the historical and then current role of music in Presidential politics. In this episode, we revisit that episode and provide a 2024 update.
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Music and Two Big Games
Musonomics Podcast
In this episode, Larry and Lynn discuss a streaming fraud bust, music meets presidential politics yet again, Kendrick spikes the ball, and protect those copyrights!
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Songwriters Take the Stage + Two Rising Music Publishers
Musonomics Podcast
We're in a song economy but not yet a songwriter economy, according to a landmark report by MiDiA Research. In this episode: the report's co-author Tatiana Cirisano, and two new-school independent music publishers rewriting the rulebook, Evan Bogart from Seeker Music and Lylette Pizarro from Influence Media.
info_outlineIn this episode, Larry and Lynn discuss a streaming fraud bust, music meets presidential politics yet again, Kendrick spikes the ball, and protect those copyrights!