This week on Music Tectonics, we're continuing our Conference Conversations series with highlights from the Music Tectonics Conference. Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing our favorite discussions, interviews, and panels that capture what's happening right now in music innovation.

Today, we're featuring a conversation with Ethan Millman from the Hollywood Reporter. Ethan breaks down one of the biggest music industry trends: the blurring lines between music distribution and record labels. We explore how label services are evolving, why distribution deals have become the hottest topic in music business, and what artists need to know when choosing between distributors and record labels.

Whether you're an independent artist navigating distribution options, a music industry professional tracking the latest trends, or a music tech founder building solutions for the creator economy, this conversation offers essential insights into the future of music distribution and artist services.

The News!

• Baby Shark creator Pinkfong goes public with $372m valuation

• AI Music Platform Suno Valued at $2.45 Billion

• Suno will be reading Robert Kyncl's new blog post very closely, as WMG CEO vows to 'legislate, litigate, license' in the era of AI music creation

• Explosively Viral Track 'I Run' by HAVEN Yanked From Spotify and Other Platforms Over AI 'Artist Impersonation' — Turns Out Suno Is Where It All Started

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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This week on Music Tectonics, we're doing something different. We're kicking off a series of highlights from the Music Tectonics Conference that wrapped up just a couple of weeks ago. Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing our favorite discussions, interviews, and panels that capture what's happening right now in music innovation.

We start with a conversation recorded at the Shure podcast booth with Andrew Kahn and Conor Healy from the Yamaha Music Innovation Fund. Andrew and Conor share how Yamaha is investing in music tech startups, what they look for in founders, and why solving real problems for creators matters more than chasing AI trends or other hype cycles.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Yamaha's Innovation Fund is expanding beyond traditional musicians to support all creator types

• What makes a music tech startup fundable in today's market

• Why streaming infrastructure and creator economy businesses still offer opportunities

• The importance of building new revenue streams for creators

• What investors learn from startup speed dating sessions

Whether you're a music tech founder looking for funding or just curious about where the industry is headed, this conversation offers valuable insights into what investors are actually looking for.

The news!

• AI Is Sure to Transform the Music Biz. Opinions Vary on Exactly How.

• As AI Artists Breaking Rust & Cain Walker Rule a Country Chart, Nashville Execs Weigh in: 'It's Incredibly Detrimental'

• Spotify and NMPA strike a deal… on 'audiovisual opportunities'

• Music Videos Are Coming to Spotify in the U.S. and Canada

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

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This week as we have just wrapped up the Music Tectonics Conference in person in Santa Monica, I thought I'd do something a little bit different and release a clip from our pre-conference a couple of months ago by Mark Mulligan of MIDiA research called "Crossroads: Streaming's Time to Choose."

In this keynote, Mark talks about the pressures facing streaming from AI generated content flooding platforms to Gen Z's slower adoption rates and why the industry needs to move from optimization to revolution. We also open it up for some thoughtful questions at the end from you, our community, so stick around for that.

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!

Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.