From Local to Global Artist: The Power of Targeted Music Marketing

(A free workshop, interview and webinar for artists and their teams – live online via Zoom)

Tuesday, June 25th – 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST (UK)

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Alex Brees: CEO and Founder of un:hurd music, a Music-Tech company that uses proprietary technology to help artists reach their most valuable fans via data-led marketing campaigns. They “help artists ‘cut through the noise’, develop valuable audiences and become sustainable entities.” Alex is challenging how we think about music marketing. At just 33, he’s not only crafted a remarkable product but also attracted top-tier investors and significant market traction. 

From challenges to triumphs, there’s a wealth of knowledge to uncover from Alex’s journey. Prior to launching un:hurd, Alex was a global analyst at Universal Music and worked with the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rich The Kid.

un:hurd music is powerful, seamless music promotion at your fingertips. It offers you the ability to build effective promotional campaigns across all of your platforms that matter. Their technology creates a tailored list of marketing suggestions based on the user’s data and in just a few clicks, one can pitch to playlists, reach new fans on social media and launch a fan hub. Since launching, un:hurd has worked with over 65,000 artists from 129 countries, has raised over £2mil from some of the worlds most influential music investors, been featured as one of Music Ally’s start-ups to watch and has featured on BBC Dragons Den. 

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly free live and online one-on-one interview event. Each event features an in-depth one-on-one interview with someone from deep within the music ecosystem by Byta founder Marc Brown. 

Key takeaways will include:

• Data-Driven Decisions in Music Strategy
• Paid Ads Strategies for Artists: Why, How, When? 
• The Evolution of Music Distribution
• Enhancing Artist and Fan Connections Through Technology
• The Impact of Secure Digital Audio Exchange in Collaborations
• Monetizing Music in the Streaming Era
• Innovations in Music Marketing
• Challenges and Opportunities in Global Music Marketing
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Music Creation and Promotion
• Ethics and Privacy in Music Technology
• Future Trends in Music Tech

Free registration here! 

About the Event

The series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem better and provide fun and insightful Q&As along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Alex Brees:

Alex is the CEO and Founder of unhurd, a Music-Tech company that uses proprietary technology to help artists reach their most valuable fans via data-led marketing campaigns. Since launching, unhurd has worked with over 65,000 artists from 129 countries, has raised over £2mil from some of the worlds most influential music investors, been featured as one of Music Ally’s start-ups to watch and has featured on BBC Dragons Den. Prior to launching unhurd, Alex was a global analyst at Universal Music and worked with the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rich The Kid.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here! 

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Alex Brees (un:hurd music) appeared first on Byta Blog.

‘Music Publicity 101: Your Next Release‘

Tuesday, May 28th, 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST (UK) – Live online via Zoom

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Nancy Lu is the founder of Fancy PR, she is a New York City-based entertainment and arts comms specialist with over a decade of experience working with musicians, comedians, indie films, and events. She is a Shanghai-born first-generation Chinese-American with over a decade of publicity experience.

“The democratisation of music making means everyone has the opportunity to make art, but it also means there are a million new songs released every week. That coupled with the restructuring of the digital advertising business and fewer publications means more people fighting for fewer opportunities. As publicists, that means we have to rethink our approach.”

Nancy Lu founded Fancy PR in 2013, managing all aspects of the business in addition to the day-to-day work of a publicist. Her clients are primarily musicians though she has also worked with festivals, comedians, and indie films. She’s helped break artists including The Beaches, Saucy Santana, SOFI TUKKER, MUNA, and more. Nancy is driven by storytelling, exploring the intersection of identity and the arts, and championing underrepresented voices in media. In addition, she is also currently pursuing her MBA part-time at NYU to expand her skill set and network, with an ever-ongoing objective of staying curious.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly free live and online one-on-one interview event. Each event features an in-depth one-on-one interview with someone from deep within the music ecosystem by Byta founder Marc Brown. 

Key takeaways will include:

• The importance of storytelling
• Who to tell your story to: publicity 101
• How to build a career and promote your music
• What things should be in place to promote your music
• Who are the “Gate Keepers”
• Should there be different stories for different mediums 
• The difference between releasing a single, EP or full-length album
• The relationship of touring to PR

Free registration here!

About the Event

The series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem better and provide fun and insightful Q&As along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Nancy Lu:

Nancy Lu is a Shanghai-born first-generation Chinese-American, New York City-based entertainment and arts comms specialist who founded, in 2013 Fancy PR a boutique entertainment PR agency with a focus on music. Nancy has over a decade of experience working with musicians, comedians, indie films, and events. She’s helped break artists including: The Beaches, UNIIQU3, That Chick Angel, mazie, girli, Will Joseph Cook, Dess Dior, Saucy Santana, SOFI TUKKER, MUNA, FLETCHER, Chelsea Cutler, Peach Tree Rascals, Maude Latour, Blu DeTiger, Stephanie Poetri, Su Lee, Adam Melchor, Confidence Man, Bag Raiders, Miami Horror, Goldroom, Charlotte Cardin, Donna Missal, LANY, SIA.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Nancy Lu (Fancy PR) appeared first on Byta Blog.

‘Cultivating Mental Wellness While Building a Sustainable Music Career‘

Tuesday, April 30th, 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST (UK) – Live online via Zoom

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Emily White the Co-Founder of Collective Entertainment, an Amazon #1 best-selling author and podcaster.

“If an artist manager, artist, or any industry professional isn’t taking care of themselves, then they’re not going to be able to take care of others, create, or put out the best art possible.”

Emily White is a Partner at Collective Entertainment and the Founder of #iVoted Festival. She is the author of the Amazon #1 best-selling How to Build a Sustainable Music Career and Collect All Revenue Streams and hosts the book’s accompanying podcast of the same name. The podcast is the #1 Music Business podcast globally, charting on six continents with listeners in 140+ countries.

An in-demand speaker and consultant due to her expertise within the modern music and sports industries, artist development, social media, and beyond, White has been on the cover of Pollstar Magazine with her name also gracing the cover of Billboard magazine. Her work has been additionally profiled in Variety, Fast Company, Forbes, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Alternative Press, Brooklyn Vegan, The Fader, Stereogum, Relix, CNN, Vox, The Huffington Post, ESPN, and more. She is a frequent guest blogger for Hypebot as well as Midem in Cannes, France where she is a regular speaker. In 2019, White became an adjunct instructor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music within NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts and has also taught at the University of New Haven. In 2021, How to Build a Sustainable Music Career and Collect All Revenue Streams launched as a podcast. 

Collective Entertainment is a 100% women-run & owned company based in New York, Miami, & North Carolina. Their clients & projects span the entertainment industries specializing in music, sports, content creation, activism, & production.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly free live and online one-on-one interview event. Each event features an in-depth one-on-one interview with someone from deep within the music ecosystem by Byta founder Marc Brown. Our next event is a conversation with Emily White, looking at how to build a more sustainable music career while remaining mentally fit.

Free registration here!

Key takeaways will include:

• Practices and advice for musicians looking to build a long-term career
• Music and mental health, keeping everything in check
• How to build a career from day one
• How to get your career organized and moving forward
• The future of AI, streaming and curation
• What I’ve learned about the future of music while at Johns Hopkins University
• Developing individualized plans for short & long-term career development
• Best practices for release plans, digital marketing, touring, merchandising & social media strategy.

About the Event

The series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Event Format

An introduction will introduce industry insights & Byta updates and tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

Followed by an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around Marc will be chatting with Emily White: Co-Founder of Collective Entertainment, an Amazon #1 best-selling author & Podcaster.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Emily White:

Emily White is an Amazon #1 best-selling author of course-books around the globe & hosts the world’s #1 Music Business podcast, How to Build a Sustainable Music Career & Collect All Revenue Streams, w/ the show charting in 30+ countries on six continents. She’s the Founder of #iVoted & #iVoted Festival, a data-driven non-profit that built the largest digital concert in history all to increase non-partisan U.S. voter turnout. White is a Founding Partner @ Collective Entertainment whose career spans the entertainment industry, including positions at Live Nation Artists (now Roc Nation) & Madison House, Inc., always putting artists & talent first while taking care of fans a very close second. Her board, advisory council & committee service includes Well-Dunn, Future of Music, SXSW, David Lynch Foundation, The Recording Academy, Pandora, CASH Music & the Elijah E. Cummings Democracy & Freedom Festival. White’s name graced the cover of Billboard magazine while in her 20’s & has been on the cover of Pollstar Magazine, the trade publication for the concert & live music industry. White is a Billboard Women in Music Top Executive w/ her work has additionally been profiled in Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, CNN, Fox Business, Vox, Huffington Post, Pitchfork, Relix, The Fader, Stereogum, Alternative Press, ESPN & more. White is a regular speaker at music industry events around the globe.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Emily White (Bestselling Author / iVoted / Collective Entertainment) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Navigating the Metaverse: The Convergence of Music & Gaming 

Wednesday 10th April, 9am PT / noon ET / 5pm BST (UK)

Live online via Zoom: Free registration here!

Our next guest is Roman Rappak the Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of music and gaming platform Ristband & frontman of the electronic alternative band Pivots (formerly Miro Shot).

“I run my band like a startup and I run my startup like a band”

Rappak has directed award-winning short films, soundtracked games and scored films, released and toured two full-length albums with his previous band Breton (FatCat / Warp), as well as creating immersive cinema experiences that toured from the BFI London to the ACMI Australia. His band Pivots (formerly Miro Shot) created the world’s first XR live music concert, touring art galleries, venues, cinemas, warehouses and festivals in the UK, France, Germany, Dubai and Holland, from the Institute of Contemporary Art in Amsterdam (CBK) to the Barbican in London. They premiered their US show at the Official Future x Music stage at SXSW 2022. Rappak was tipped as one of Music Ally’s ‘Ones To Watch’ in music and technology in 2022. His band Pivots is currently touring and releasing new music. 

Ristband was launched in 2021 when the founders received a grant from Epic Games in recognition of their innovation excellence, pushing the boundaries of game engines to create live story worlds, and bridging the gap between physical events and digital spaces. In 2023, Ristband won the SXSW Audience Award for their official Future x Music hybrid event, and Ristband’s founders have respectively been recognised by IQ Magazine as one of the live music industry’s most visionary professionals and by Music Ally as “one to watch in the music and gaming space.” In 2022, Ristband won ‘Best Designed Metaverse’ at the Paris Metaverse Summit.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly free live and online one-on-one interview event. Each event features an in-depth one-on-one interview with someone from deep within the music ecosystem by Byta founder Marc Brown. Our next event is a conversation with Roman Rappak which looks at the convergence of games, gaming and music.

Key takeaways will include:

• New Revenue Streams: The integration of music into games. 
• Expanding Audiences: Video games provide musicians with access to vast and diverse audiences worldwide.
• Brand Building: Collaborating with video games allows artists to build & strengthen their brand.
• Creative Collaborations: unique opportunities for creative collaborations.
• Live Virtual Performances: potential for live performances within game environments.
• Music as an Integral Element of Gaming: Music can enhance the narrative, drive emotional engagement, and create immersive experiences.
• Cross-Promotion Opportunities: shared marketing efforts and exposure to new audiences.
• Innovative Distribution Channels: an innovative distribution channel, debut songs within games, etc.

About the Event

The series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Event Format

An introduction will introduce industry insights & Byta updates and tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

Followed by an in-depth one-to-one conversation. 

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, converting file formats and delivering fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

About Roman Rappak:

Roman is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of the music and gaming platform Ristband. He writes and performs in the band Pivots (formerly Miro Shot). As a filmmaker he has directed short films, documentaries and music videos for artists such as Sinead O’Connor and Charlotte OC, winning short film awards and screening films at international film festivals. With his first band Breton, Roman released two full-length studio albums, toured the world, performing at festivals in front of 10k capacity crowds, as well as empty rooms and badly organised parties in warehouses and cinemas in Europe and the US.

Roman began working on immersive live music events with bands and orchestras with a show called “Surrounded” at the BFI London and the ACMI in Melbourne, which led to the start of his new music project Pivots (formerly Miro Shot). They are the first band to have performed mixed reality live concerts at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Amsterdam. Their debut album “CONTENT” was released in May 2020, with our live XR concerts, exploring the themes of data, technology, gaming, and online culture as a modern narrative of this digital era. The band is an open collective of musicians, coders, filmmakers and designers who created the world’s first immersive multi-sensory live VR/AR concert.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Roman Rappak (Ristband) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Co-Founder & SVP of Operations & Artist Services – Audiomack

Preparing for Online Success as an Artist: DSPs & Social Media

Tuesday, February 27th, 9am PT / noon ET / 5pm GMT (UK) (live on Zoom)

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Brian “Z” Zisook, Co-Founder & SVP of Operations & Artist Services – Audiomack.

“Capturing attention is something anyone can do on the internet. Keeping someone’s attention once you’ve caught it? That is the hard part. What is the answer to how to capture and then hold attention? 

You must give someone a reason to care deeply, not just about a song but about you, the artist.”

Zisook’s extensive experience in the music industry that surprisingly includes conducting over 500 interviews with artists and industry professionals over 13 years. Interviewees include J. Cole, Big Sean, Rick Ross, John Legend, Nipsey Hussle, DJ Khaled, and Anderson .Paak, among others. In recognition of his many contributions to the music industry, Zisook was selected to join the Recording Academy as part of their new member class in 2022. Brian is the co-founder of Audiomack, a music streaming and audio discovery platform. As SVP of Operations, Zisook leads a team of 10 across three continents, overseeing and managing relationships with over 180 record labels and distribution partners, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and over 80 Merlin members. Before co-founding Audiomack, Zisook was the VP and EIC of DJBooth, a New York-based digital music publication and media house he co-founded with Audiomack co-founder David Macli. Over 19 years, Zisook and Macli grew DJBooth from a small niche website into an industry leader in long-form music journalism. At its peak, DJBooth generated 8M page views monthly and annual revenue exceeding one million dollars. DJBooth entered into a content partnership with Audiomack in 2020. 

Audiomack is an on-demand music streaming and audio discovery platform that allows artists and creators to upload limitless music and podcasts for listeners through its mobile apps and website. In February 2021, Billboard announced Audiomack streaming data would begin informing some of its flagship charts, including the Hot 100, the Billboard 200, and the Global 200. In March 2021, Fast Company magazine named Audiomack one of the 10 most innovative companies in music.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly free live and online one-on-one interview event. Each event features an in-depth one-on-one interview with someone from deep within the music ecosystem by Byta founder Marc Brown. Our next event is a conversation with Brian “Z” Zisook looks at how artists can prepare for online success using DSPs & Social Media.

Free registration here!

Key takeaways will include:

• How AI will affect artists’ online success
• Launching music to DSPs
• How to make social media your friend
• Sustainable music careers and mental health
• Coordinating your best visibility
• Best steps before, during and after you release your music. 
• Making DSP’s work for you: Playlists & collaborations

About the Event

The series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Event Format

An introduction will introduce industry insights & Byta updates and tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

Followed by an in-depth one-to-one conversation. 

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

About Brian “Z” Zisook:

Brian “Z” Zisook is a music industry veteran and the co-founder of Audiomack, an artist-first music streaming and audio discovery platform. With 30 million monthly active users worldwide, Audiomack is a leading player in the music streaming space.

As the SVP of Operations, Zisook leads a team of 10 across three continents, overseeing and managing relationships with 200-plus record labels and distribution partners, including UMG, WMG, SME, and over 80 Merlin members.

Before co-founding Audiomack, Zisook was the VP of DJBooth, a New York-based digital music publication and media house he co-founded with Audiomack co-founder David Macli. Over 19 years, Zisook and Macli grew DJBooth from a small niche website into an industry leader in long-form music journalism. At its peak, DJBooth generated 8 million page views monthly, and its annual revenue exceeded one million dollars. DJBooth entered into a content partnership with Audiomack in 2020.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Brian “Z” Zisook (Audiomack) appeared first on Byta Blog.

‘Putting Artists First: Music Publishing for Independent Creators‘

Tuesday, November 28th, 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT (UK) – Live online via Zoom

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Simon Pursehouse, Global Director of Music Services at Sentric Music. 

Simon Pursehouse has been an integral part of Sentric Music Group since the company’s infancy overseeing the signing of Sentric’s first artist in 2006 to its now-established community of over 400,000 songwriters. Simon has been featured in Music Weeks’ ‘30 Under 30’ list and regularly speaks at various industry conferences worldwide such as Reeperbahn, The Great Escape, BBC Introducing Live and AIM’s Sync Day amongst many others. He is a regular guest lecturer at LIPA and BIMM amongst other educational bodies. Simon is also the author of Sentric’s Blog which offers advice to emerging artists and has received millions of hits. Simon used to head up the sync division at Sentric Music, and under his supervision was nominated as Best Indie Publisher at the Music Week Sync awards for six years running. Over the years he has developed relationships with global media organisations, broadcasters and advertising agencies which has resulted in Sentric’s catalogue being placed globally in adverts, films, games and TV shows.

Sentric Music was formed in 2006 as the new-age-independent-music-publisher. Sentric disrupted traditional publishing by offering the fairest deal in the industry. They empower artists and songwriters to collect the royalties they’re owed.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:

1. An introduction: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
2. An in-depth conversation with Simon Pursehouse about publishing and synch strategies for independent artists. 

About the Event

This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Free registration here!

Key takeaways:

• Publishing strategies for indie artists?
• How does an unknown artist get their foot in the publishing door?
• The importance of Synchs
• The importance of publishing in a digital/streaming world.
• How important are collaborations to moving a career forward?
• Who will work with me / Where do I find collaborators?
• Timelines, what should artists work on first?
• The importance of LIVE to publishing
• What if I never want to go live but write wicked songs?

Event Format

#HowWeListen Live (part 1):

The introduction will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large-scale projects. Plus, Byta updates and tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

#HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2): 

Each event features an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around Marc will be chatting with Simon Pursehous, Global Director of Music Services at Sentric Music 

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Simon Pursehouse:

Simon Pursehouse has been an integral part of Sentric Music Group since the company’s infancy overseeing the signing of Sentric’s first artist in 2006 to its now-established community of over 400,000 songwriters.

Simon works within the Business Development and Creative Departments at Sentric and is the point person for their roster of signed songwriters.

Previously at Sentric, Simon headed up the sync division, which under his supervision was nominated as Best Indie Publisher at the Music Week Sync awards for six years running. Here he has developed relationships with global media organisations, broadcasters and advertising agencies which has resulted in Sentric’s catalogue being placed in adverts, films, games, TV shows worldwide.

Simon has been featured in Music Weeks’ ‘30 Under 30’ list and regularly speaks at various industry conferences worldwide such as Reeperbahn, The Great Escape, BBC Introducing Live and AIM’s Sync Day amongst many others. He has been invited to discuss Sentric on BBC 6Music on multiple occasions and has consulted on judging panels for awards/grants for BAFTA, PRS, BRITs, Music Week and more. He is a regular guest lecturer at LIPA and BIMM amongst other educational bodies.

Simon has been a core part of Sentric’s online identity; he is the author of Sentric’s Blog which offers advice to emerging artists and has received millions of hits.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Free registration here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Simon Pursehouse (Sentric Music Group) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Byta Presents: #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Lara Baker (General Manager, UK & IE – FUGA)

Wednesday, October 4th, 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK – Live online via Zoom

Free registration here: https://byta.co/hwl-live-lara-baker

Our next guest is Lara Baker, General Manager (UK & IE) at FUGA. Named in Billboard’s International Power Players 2022, Music Week’s Women in Music Roll of Honour and SheSaidSo’s Alternative Power List. She is passionate about improving diversity, gender balance and inclusivity in the music business, having sat on UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce, supported the Love Music Hate Racism campaign and organised regular women in music and diversity-focused events. Lara joined FUGA in early 2023. She came from Songtrust/Downtown Music Publishing, where Lara worked for 4 years as Director of Business Development for UK, IE and Australia. Lara’s background and passion have always been supporting independent labels and artists. Her career in music began in 2004 at AIM (the UK trade association for independent labels), where Lara spent 14 years serving the independent community, ultimately as Marketing and Events Director. During this time she created the AIM Awards, the leading celebration of independent music, as well as AIM’s year-round programme events including AIM Connected, AIM Sync conference and Indie-Con (now known as Future Independents).

FUGA is the world’s leading B2B music distributor. FUGA is the number-one choice for some of the world’s top labels, management companies and distributors, including Epitaph Records, Ultra, Curb, Mom + Pop, mTheory and Domino. As GM UK/IE, Lara’s role leads new business and client relations for the territory.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:

1. A workshop: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
2. An in-depth conversation with Lara Baker about diversity, music promotion & distribution. Also insights into independent record labels and the best approach for artists and their teams when wanting to break into a new market.

About the Event

This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Key takeaways:

• How can independents achieve big goals in today’s music market?
• Diversity and inclusion = a healthier and more prosperous music industry for all
• New approaches to digital distribution
• How can creators and independent labels get noticed in new markets?
• What differentiates a distributor and a label?
• Insights into best practices when dealing with music publishing
• Timelines: how do artists and their teams best prepare for releases?
• Three key building blocks when it comes to a career in music
• UK and IE: key market trends for creators

Event Format

#HowWeListen Live (part 1):

The workshop will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large-scale projects. Some of the topics he will touch on include artists’ teams, timelines and connecting the web of the music industry. Plus, most importantly, tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

#HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2): 

Each event features an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around Marc will be chatting with Lara Baker, General Manager for FUGA UK & IE

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Lara Baker:

Lara joined FUGA in early 2023 from Songtrust/Downtown Music Publishing, where she worked for 4 years as Director of Business Development for UK, IE and Australia. Lara’s background and passion have always been supporting independent labels and artists; beginning in 2004 at AIM (the UK trade association for independent labels), where Lara spent 14 years serving the independent community, ultimately as Marketing and Events Director. During this time she created the AIM Awards, the leading celebration of independent music, as well as AIM’s year-round programme events including AIM Connected, AIM Sync conference and Indie-Con (now known as Future Independents).

In 2018, Lara established her own company The BKRY, providing project management, strategy and event programming for clients including BBC Music Introducing Live, The Great Escape Festival, the Musicians Union, the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), Liverpool Sound City, the Music Managers Forum and AmericanaFest UK.

Lara is a board member of the Americana Music Association UK, a frequent speaker at a number of events including TEDx, SXSW, UN Women and Midem, and co-founder of the Music Week Women in Music Awards. Lara is committed to driving forward greater diversity and equality in the music industry, and regularly writes and speaks on this subject.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Lara Baker (FUGA) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Arts Curation: Championing Independent Music for Over 2 Decades

Tuesday 25th July, 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (Live on Zoom)

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Daniel Seligman, Creative Director & Co-founder of POP Montreal Music Festival & Founder of Danagement Artist Management. 

Daniel Seligman has been active in the Montreal and international music scene since 2000. He has managed Stars, The Unicorns, Socalled and Yves Jarvis through the company he co-owns called Danagement. In 2002 Seligman co-founded the multidisciplinary festival POP Montreal and remains the festival’s creative director. In 20 years POP Montreal has produced thousands of shows and events throughout Montreal and around the world. On a festival landscape that’s persistently male and Euro-centric, POP succeeds in offering attendees respite. This year the festival takes place September 27th to October 1st.

An annual not-for-profit cultural event, POP Montreal champions independence in the arts by presenting emerging and celebrated talents. The 5-day festival showcases more than 400 performances to audiences of over 60,000. Founded in 2002, POP Montreal helped break countless emerging artists to the world while providing a dizzying and diverse array of headliners like RZA, Fever Ray, Bonobo, The Orb, Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Godflesh, David Byrne, St Vincent, Butthole Surfers, John Cale, Beck, Franz Ferdinand, Regina Spektor, Queens of the Stone Age etc. 

Danagement Artist Management oversees music management, business management, tour production and grant writing for a wide variety of artists including;  Basia Bulat, Braids, Jean-Michel Blais, Le Ren, Owen Pallett, Sarah Neufeld, Socalled, God Speed You Black Emperor, Wolf Parade, The Besnard Lakes and more. 

HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:

1. A workshop: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
2. An in-depth conversation with Daniel Seligman about music discovery, the evolution of festival curation, independent music and artist management.

About the Event

This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Key takeaways:

• Music discovery via live showcases; what’s the future?
• How does Pop Montreal curate its festival? How can artists be considered?
• How important is playing live to a music career?
• What are the steps to playing a festival?
• How has streaming affected live music?
• What new challenges do artist managers face today? 
• What are the steps required to move a music career forward?
• Tips and tricks on setting up a tour? 
• How do artists turn a great idea into a long-term career?
• What’s the natural path to becoming an artist manager?

Event Format

HowWeListen Live (part 1):

The workshop will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large-scale projects. Some of the topics he will touch on include artists’ teams, timelines and connecting the web of the music industry. Plus, most importantly, tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success.

HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2): 

Each event features an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around Marc will be chatting with Dan Seligman, Creative Director of Pop Montreal; and Founder of Danagment Artist Management.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Daniel Seligman: 

Daniel Seligman was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1976.  In 1989 Seligman represented Canada in the Little League World Series in Williamsport Pennsylvania. He has lived in Montreal for 20 years. He graduated from McGill University in the department of Religious Studies in 2000. Seligman started his music career as a general schlepper for his brother’s band Stars shortly after graduating. This led him to booking, promoting and managing Stars for 3 years as their career took off. In 2002, while managing Stars, Seligman started a music festival called POP Montreal with some friends and it is now a runaway success. After working with Stars for 3 years, he discovered the Unicorns and instantly fell in love, managing the Montreal weirdo pop sensations until their implosion in 2005.  He has managed the eccentric Jewish hip hop artist Socalled since 2006 through his management company Danagement. Other Danagement clients include The Besnard Lakes, Yamantaka Sonic//Titan, Timber Timbre, Un Blonde, Suuns and Thee Silver Mt Zion.  Seligman has continued his role as creative director for POP Montreal booking artists as diverse as Patti Smith, Bun B, Loudon Wainwright III, Joanna Newsom, The Mighty Sparrow, Fever Ray, The Butthole Surfers, Metric, Mary Margaret O’Hara and Roxanne Shante. He also remains firmly committed to working with emerging artists in Montreal and beyond. At the tail end of 2012 along with his Danagement colleagues Hilary Leftick and Shaun Bronstein, Seligman joined forces with industry veteran Lenny Levine to found Club Roll Music. Club Roll released albums from Montreal artists Jef Barbara and AroarA in 2013 and released the new record by Katie Moore in 2015. Seligman won a Quebec Notable award for his contribution to Arts and Culture in 2012.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sign up free for the event here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Daniel Seligman (POP Montreal / Danagement) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Helping Creators to Promote Their Music & Manage Careers

Tuesday 27th June, 10am PT / Noon ET / 6pm BST (Live on Zoom)

Free registration here!

Our next guest is Andee Connors who manages the Catalogue & Creator Services at Pandora. Andee also manages campaigns, creator tools and content for Pandora’s Artist Marketing Platform. Their team is totally dedicated to helping creators use Pandora’s tools, navigate the world of streaming services, promote their music and manage their careers. This conversation is sure to bring insight.

Andee is also a working drummer, musician, artist, DJ, music curator, photographer, former record store owner, and former record label owner & used to host a radio show on Gimmeradio.com called  Battleflutes & Sideways Skulls. At Pandora, Andee is also the head of Metal & Punk programming as well as programming experimental and new-age music. He is eclectic, to say the least. Andee comes to music from almost every angle there is. From 1994 – 2016 he ran a record store called aQuarius recOrds in San Francisco. He also used to run tUMULt, a record label that existed for close to 20 years, with more than 50 releases.

He has been playing drums since he was 9 years old, touring and recording since he was 19. Playing numerous niches: math roc/post-rock, grind pop/noise-pop, straight-up punk to stoner metal. Andee share his house (and my life) with three cats called Tony Harrison, Lugburz and Tungsten.

HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:

1. A workshop: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
2. An in-depth conversation with Andee Connors about how best to have streaming services serve you, plus some talk about heavier music making.

About the Event

This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Key takeaways:

• Pandora serving non-US musicians in a big way(& Sirius XM)?
• How do musicians make DSPs work for them?
• What happens behind the scene at Pandora?
• Pandora’s ways of supporting new music”?
• How niche is heavy music?
• Having the heavy get heard? 
• How do I contact Pandora/DSPs?
• How can I use Pandora’s Artist Marketing Platform to help promote my music to US fans? 
• The best heavy music and alternative playlists

Event Format

HowWeListen Live (part 1):

The workshop will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large-scale projects. Some of the topics he will touch on include artists’ teams, timelines and connecting the web of the music industry. Plus, most importantly, tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success.

HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2): 

Each event features an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around Marc will be chatting with Andee Connors, Catalogue & Creator Services at Pandora, and the Head of Metal & Punk Programming as well as programming experimental and new age music.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about Andee Connors: 

Andee manages the Catalogue & Creator Services at Pandora. Also the head of Metal & Punk programming and programming experimental and new age music. He is eclectic, to say the least.

Working drummer, musician, artist, writer, DJ, photographer, music curator, former record store owner, former record label owner: aQuarius recOrds, tUMULt Laboratories, Pandora / SXM, A Minor Forest, P.E.E., Common Eider, King Eider, My Heart, An Inverted Flame, High Tone Son Of A Bitch, Ticwar, Battleflutes & Sideways Skulls, Castle Weather, Les Feuilles Mortes.

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sign up free for the event here!

The post #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with Andee Connors (Pandora / SXM) appeared first on Byta Blog.

• Breaking the Mold: Record Label & Sync A&R! •

Tuesday May 30th, 10am PT / Noon ET / 6 pm BST (Live on Zoom)

Free registration here!

Our next guest is May Mahmoudi, A&R at Ninja Tune’s Big Dada Records, as well as working in the sync department of Just Isn’t Music. May was brought on when Big Dada decided to do a big relaunch in early 2021. The Big Dada label put a new focus on where they wanted to go and who was going to take them there. They are now actively working to amplify Black, POC and racialised voices. Big Dada Records looks to shift the narrative around this music, bypassing stereotypes to allow and encourage the freedom to express oneself for who they are and want to be. The goal: supporting and offering resources to a new generation of artists. 

Outside the virtual walls at Big Dada, May is also a working DJ/Producer with a radio show over at Dublab, a Los Angeles-based, community-supported internet radio station and creative collective dedicated to the growth of positive music, arts, and culture. You can find some of her DJ mixes at Pitchfork’s mix round-up. Maral’s sonic palette incorporates a collage of Iranian Classical & Folk samples and explores genres of experimental electronic production such as noise, punk/post-punk, and dub. Maral has released two critically acclaimed records, Ground Groove (2022) and Push (2020) on Leaving Records. She has collaborated with artists such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Panda Bear, Penny Rimbaud of Crass, Anika and more. 

Big Dada Records, is the innovative, Ninja Tune–distributed hip-hop label whose roster has included King Geedorah, Run the Jewels, Roots Manuva, and Spankrock. In January 2021 Big Dada was relaunched as a label run by Black, POC & Minority Ethnic people for Black, POC & Minority Ethnic artists [for lack of a better term].

Big Dada wants to shift the narrative around this music, bypassing stereotypes to allow and encourage the freedom to express oneself for who one is and wants to be.

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:

1. A workshop: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
2. An in-depth conversation with May Mahmoudi about amplifying Black, POC and racialised artists’ voices by shifting the narrative around this music, bypassing stereotypes. 

About the Event

This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing fun and insightful Q&A along the way!

#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.

Key takeaways:

• Amplify Black, POC and racialised artists’ voices.
• Where are we now, where did we come from?
• How does the A&R department discover the undiscovered?
• What is “label ready”?
• How do Black, POC and racialised artists get the attention of an A&R department?
• How does a musician approach synch before and after being signed? 
• Where are the exciting emerging music scenes today?
• What are an artist’s best first steps, when building a career? 

Event Format

#HowWeListen Live (part 1):

The workshop will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large-scale projects. Some of the topics he will touch on include artists’ teams, timelines and connecting the web of the music industry. Plus, most importantly, tips on what you can do yourself to better increase the chances of your success. 

#HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2): 

Each event features an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around we have Marc will be chatting with May Mahmoudi, A&R at Ninja Tune’s sub-label – Big Dada Records. She is not just front-of-house in the music ecosystem but is also a DJ and a producer and brings all of that experience to her music discovery and signing artists.

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

More about May Mahmoudi: 

DJ/Producer/Collaborator and A&R for Ninja Tune’s Big Data Records. She also works in the synch department at Ninja Tune. Outside the virtual walls of Ninja Tune and Big Data, May is a working DJ/Producer with a radio show over at Dublab, a Los Angeles-based, community-supported internet radio station and creative collective dedicated to the growth of positive music, arts, and culture. You can find some of her DJ mixes at Pitchfork’s mix round-up. Maral’s sonic palette incorporates a collage of Iranian Classical & Folk samples and explores genres of experimental electronic production such as noise, punk/post-punk, and dub. Maral has released two critically acclaimed records, Ground Groove (2022) and Push (2020) on Leaving Records. She has collaborated with artists such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Panda Bear, Penny Rimbaud of Crass, Anika and more. 

About Marc Brown

Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.

His extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.

Marc got his start at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label, during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. For over ten years, Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon, and Refused as well as legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.

Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sign up free for the event here!

The post Byta Presents: #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation with May Mahmoudi (Big Dada Recordings / Ninja Tune) appeared first on Byta Blog.