The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Tema Siegel and Zach Blankstein of the band Couch. Tema is the singer and Zach is the guitarist/manager of this seven-piece soul-pop band from Boston. Their explosive live shows and fully DIY approach have helped them sell out major venues across the country. Formed from lifelong friendships and built during the pandemic, Couch has grown into a globally touring act while self-producing their acclaimed debut album 'Big Talk'.

In this episode, Tema and Zach break down how they built an engaged fanbase without label support, the logistics of touring as a seven-member group, and the creative and vulnerable writing process behind 'Big Talk'. Ari dives into their ad strategy, their partnership with the Salt Lick Incubator, how they secured major support tours with Lake Street Dive and Cory Wong, and what it takes to balance musicianship, management, and sustainable growth as an independent band in 2025.

http://instagram.com/couch.theband

07:16 – Adding the seventh member & early chemistry
09:15 – Touring as an introvert and finding group balance
12:19 – Managing a 12-person touring party
16:34 – How fans are reacting to the new songs live
18:22 – How the band uses VIP sections to build superfans
19:40 – Collaborative songwriting process & Temma’s Notes app
22:19 – “Middleman” and the band’s unexpected EDM influence
26:22 – Self-producing the entire album & working with mixers
27:15 – Living in Boston and breaking out beyond the local scene
32:56 – Growing during the pandemic while in separate cities
36:32 – Early viral video & their online strategy
40:07 – How Couch finances the band with day jobs
41:24 – Why Zach became their in-house manager
55:52 – Opening for Cory Wong & Lake Street Dive
58:44 – Deep dive into their ad strategy

Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari hops on for a solo episode to talk about Brassroots District—a decade-long passion project fusing immersive theater, hard-grooving funk, and 1970s world-building. He shares how the project grew from DIY LA shows into a scripted parking-lot production during COVID, and how it’s finally taking over a premier LA venue. If you're in LA, come catch Brassroots District LA ’74, opening February 7th at Catch One in Koreatown. Check out the trailer and grab your tickets here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Bay Area rapper, LaRussell. Known for his backyard shows, revolutionary ticketing and release practices, and motivational freestyling, LaRussell has become a blueprint for modern DIY artistry. His business, Good Compenny, is a multi-media brand that puts on shows, sells merch, and empowers independent artists.

In this episode, Ari and LaRussell discuss when and why it’s important to stay independent as an artist. LaRussell tells Ari how he continues to find joy in making music, even after releasing over 700 songs. He also breaks down his offer-based ticketing model—a game-changing approach that could change the entire live concert industry. Tune in to hear LaRussell’s secrets to community-building, his artistic approach to social media, and loads of inspiration heading into 2026.

https://www.instagram.com/larussell

06:20 – LaRussell explains “out the trunk” direct bookings
08:10 – Origin of the backyard concerts
12:21 – Full backyard experience (hospitality, free food, bounce house)
16:45 – How offer-based ticketing works (“What is this worth to you?”)
18:23 – His $1,000 birthday show that made $250K
20:12 – Full breakdown of all revenue streams
27:02 – Why he stays independent + label philosophy
43:48 – What “Good Compenny” really is (a community)
54:38 – Spending $120K on ads to make $800K back
01:02:01 – Full-circle moment: how the book changed his life

Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business Podcast, Ari sits down with recent GRAMMY Award winners Matt B and Angela Benson. Matt B is a GRAMMY-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and global recording artist whose career spans over a decade. His most recent project, ‘Alkebulan II’, earned him and Angela a GRAMMY Award, following years of DIY artistry. Over the course of this album, Matt and Angela recorded across Africa, collaborated with artists like Eddie Kenzo and Oxlade, and worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. As a label owner, producer on ‘Alkebulan II’, and longtime Recording Academy member, Angela has been instrumental in shaping Matt’s artistic direction, visual world-building, and global strategy.

In this episode, Matt B and Angela Benson walk through their incredible DIY journey and how they found themselves on the GRAMMY-winning path. They discuss the challenges of writing and recording in multiple African languages, shooting a full visual album across multiple countries, and balancing the creative workload between artist and manager. The pair break down how independent artists can navigate the GRAMMY process, the importance of joining the Recording Academy, the role of networking and bartering in major creative endeavors, and most importantly, the communication and patience required to run a music career as a married team.

https://www.instagram.com/mattbworld
https://www.instagram.com/angelavbenson

01:40 – Home Studio & Recent Travels
02:10 – Returning to His Alma Mater After the Grammy Win
03:00 – Life & Opportunities After Winning a Grammy
04:15 – Performing in Uganda & Global Breakthrough Moments
05:20 – Inception of the Akebulan Concept
09:00 – Connecting With Oxlade & Eddie Kenzo
11:00 – Creating the “Gimme Love” Music Video
13:00 – Building a Full Visual Album DIY
17:40 – Finding Producers & Collaborators Worldwide
20:00 – Incorporating the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
30:00 – Navigating Grammy Nominations & Recording Academy Membership
47:00 – Working as a Husband-and-Wife Artist/Manager Team

Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Matt Jones, the CEO and co-founder of Medallion, a platform helping artists own their fan relationships and build new revenue models. Matt was previously CEO of Songkick, another direct-to-fan platform that was acquired by Warner Music Group. He’s now developing new economic models for artists to own their fan relationships.

In this episode, Matt and Ari discuss the direct-to-fan experience and why it’s beneficial to give artists full ownership of their data. Matt explains why traditional models like Patreon and Substack don’t fit the creative rhythms of most musicians. They also dig into the shortcomings of streaming and the need for transparency in artist payments. Tune in to learn more about how major labels might adapt, what lessons can be learned from Bandcamp, and why the next decade of music will be defined by artist ownership and sustainability.

https://medallion.app/

0:00 - Intro
10:45 – Why the term “superfan” has taken over the industry
13:20 – The challenges artists face relying on third-party platforms
15:50 – How Medallion lets artists own their data and build communities
18:30 – Why streaming’s economic model is outdated and unsustainable
21:50 – Why Patreon and Substack rarely work for most musicians
24:15 – The three main artist revenue streams: live, recordings, and merch
28:30 – How Bandcamp paved the way—but why it isn’t enough
31:40 – Handling rights, licensing, and label relationships on Medallion
38:00 – The future of transparency and fan-to-artist payment models
49:50 – Why blockchain and NFTs weren’t the right fit for Medallion

Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.