Synopsis
A show for indie artists and the people who love and support them. The Break the Business Podcast is a fun and informative discussion of entertainment law (for non-lawyers), independent artists, and popular culture. breakthebusiness@gmail.com
Episodes
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BTB Ep 487: Debby Scheer and Danny Garcia join Zak
03/08/2025 Duration: 58minRyan’s still away, Zak is hosting; in the first segment, Zak chats with Debbie Scheer aboutWorking as a Stand up comedian, posting other people’s jokes. Guest: CEO and Co-Founder of SongTools, Danny Garcia.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB EP 486: Ryan is still away; Lyric Writing; The Rap Act; guest: Zoe Espitia, founder of Zojak World Wide
27/07/2025 Duration: 56minEven though Ryan is still out, the show must go on! We discuss lyric writing and the Rap Act in addition to having Zoe Espitia, founder of Zojak World Wide, on with us.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 485: Video games, cover music; National Chair of AIMP, Frank Handy
20/07/2025 Duration: 56minTOPICS: Ryan is out of town, and Zak and ElisaRockDoc are holding down the fort. We discuss the future of video games, 5 easy hacks to make your cover song stand out, and in the second segment, we are joined by guest Frank Handy, National Chair of AIMP.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 484: The fake AI band has a fake manager; Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR
13/07/2025 Duration: 01h01minTOPICS: Ryan and Zak Sloan talk about the “Velvet Sundown” fake AI band and how Spotify is allowing them to proliferate; the HITS Act has passed as part of the latest budget bill; our guest this week is acclaimed music publicist and Cyber PR founder Ariel Hyatt. Ariel’s latest book, “From Buzz to Bond: How to Stop Chasing Hype and Build a Lasting Music Career,” is available now. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visitingcyberprmusic.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 483: AI - generated artists on Spotify; indie folk artists aibai & vinny
06/07/2025 Duration: 01h01minTOPICS: Ryan shares a story about whether AI will replace lawyers; Ryan and guest co-host Jasmine Ortiz talk about the latest crop of allegedly AI-generated artists popping up on streaming platforms; Ryan answers a listener's question about registering trademarks; our guests this week are indie folk artists aibai & vinny. Their self-titled EP is available now, and you can follow our guests on TikTok @aibaiandvinny.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 482: Google is using YouTube videos to train AI; Jeremy Sirota of Merlin
29/06/2025 Duration: 01h01minTOPICS: CNBC is reporting that Google is using YouTubers’ content to train its Veo video platform; Katie Zaccardi’s engagement hacks; we interview Jeremy Sirota, CEO of indie music licensing network Merlin. You can find out more about the Merlin Connect platform and about our guests’ work by visiting merlinnetwork.org.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 481: Ryan and Elisa talk creator mental health; musician Jeff Michaels
22/06/2025 Duration: 01h06sTOPICS: ElisaRockDoc co-hosts this week and discusses the “mental health gap” that creators are dealing with; Ryan answers a listener's question about copyright ownership of a track they recorded with a producer; ElisaRockDoc career update; our guest this week is musician Jeff Michaels. Find out more about our guest’s work by visitingwww.jeffmichaelsband.comRate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 480: How AI will impact artists; radio host and entrepreneur Jasmine Ortiz
15/06/2025 Duration: 01h03minTOPICS: Gideon King and Ryan talk about how AI is disrupting the entertainment industry and the impacts that it will have on creative professionals; the Congressional Creators Caucus has been launched, but is it positioned to actually help creators? Our guest this week is artist, radio host, and entrepreneur Jasmine Ortiz. Check out The Jasmine Ortiz Show on iHeart Radio and follow our guest on Instagram @iamjasmineortiz.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 479: Taylor Swift bought back her masters; Kate Sheeran of the Eastman School of Music
08/06/2025 Duration: 57minTOPICS: Ryan is podcasting from the APME Conference in Memphis; artists are pretending that their videos are AI-generated; Taylor Swift bought her original master recordings back and Ryan and Zak Sloan discuss; our guest this week is Kate Sheeran, the Dean of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting esm.rochester.eduRate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 478: Innovative ways to promote your music; Cat Henry of Live Music Society
01/06/2025 Duration: 01h01minTOPICS: Ryan and Katie Zaccardi talk about innovative ways that artists can promote their music; Ryan answers a listener's question, registering copyrights in CD releases; we interview Cat Henry of Live Music Society about the Society’s “One Night Live” touring project. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.livemusicsociety.org.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 477: Lana Love talks about “The Rehearsal”; we interview Talia Keys
25/05/2025 Duration: 01h02minTOPICS: We interview artist Lana Love about her experience on the Nathan Fielder HBO program “The Rehearsal”; we interview indie artist Talia Keys about her latest album being released as part of the “Buy Before Your Stream” initiative. Check out Lana’s latest single, “Antidote,” and find out more about Talia’s work by visiting www.taliakeys.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 476: “The Rehearsal” created a fake singing competition; music from Anora
18/05/2025 Duration: 01h03minTOPICS: Break the Business guest Lana Love was tricked into competing in a fake reality singingcompetition on Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” program; the Copyright Office issued a report onwhether using copyright works to train AI platforms is considered fair use; we interview Doug Martin(Doug Martin Quartet) and Chris SD (Sync Songwriter), two music professionals who were valuedcontributors to the soundtrack of Best Picture Oscar winner Anora. Visit wwwsyncsongwriter.comRate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 475: Sam Smith caught in the copyright buzzsaw; Trevor Swenson of Dynamic Talent International
11/05/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: Sam Smith is the latest victim of copyright litigation run amok; Ryan and Zak answer a listener's question about “cancellation fees”; we interview Dynamic Talent International CEO Trevor Swenson about his company’s recent expansion into K-pop and what artists can learn from that genre of music. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.dynamictalent.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 474: Managing stress as a creator; artist/producer Clara Venice
04/05/2025 Duration: 01h04minTOPICS: Ryan is upset at Mariah Carey’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snub; tips for managing stress as a creator; we answer a listener's question about copyright ownership and working with freelancers; we interview artist, producer, and theramin product Clara Venice. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting claravenice.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 473: Funny realtor videos; interview with Ralph Tashjian of Intercept Music
27/04/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: Ryan is obsessed with @tampa_bre’s real estate videos; Ryan and ElisaRockDoc talk about the new CGA rider that has protections for creators when they do brand deals; ElisaRockDoc career update. We interview music industry legend Ralph Tashjian. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.interceptmusic.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 472: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift with Kevin Evers of Harvard Business Review
20/04/2025 Duration: 58minTOPICS: Why don’t we see garage bands anymore? The Creators Guild developed a rider agreement for brand partnership deals; we interview Harvard Business Review Senior Editor Kevin Evers about his new book “There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift.” Kevin’s book is available now wherever books are sold!Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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TOPICS: NO FAKES Act is back; we interview artist and copyright advocate Lana Love
13/04/2025 Duration: 58minTOPICS: Ryan is obsessed with TikTok artist Antronsongs new track “For You”; the Senate re-introduces the NO FAKES Act; Utah passes a new law to protect child influencers; we interview artist and copyright advocate Lana Love. You can follow our guest on Instagram @lanalovemusic.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 470: Mariah Carey Copyright Suit DISMISSED; recording artist Nicki Richards
06/04/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: Ryan and Katie Zaccardi speak about the “All I Want for Christmas is You” copyright lawsuit getting dismissed and what it means for creators; “One Night Live” creates a sustainable model for indie musician touring; we interview recording artist Nicki Richards. You can find out more about our guests' work by visiting www.nickirichards.com. Check out her new single “Tether Me”Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 469: How Doechii’s “Anxiety” became an unexpected hit; Grammy nominated mastering engineer Idania Valencia
30/03/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: Doechii’s2019 song “Anxiety” hit the Hot 100 Top 10 this week, and how it got there is an amazing story of music promotion in 2025; Ryan breaks down the Miami Music Tech Summit; ElisaRockDoc career update; we interview Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Idania Valencia(Charli XCX, Benson Boone). You can follow our guest on Instagram @idaniava.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BTB Ep 468: Policy solutions to low streaming payouts; interview with Rudy Love, Jr. of 2lot
23/03/2025 Duration: 01h05minTOPICS: Ryan, Gideon King, and Lauren try to figure out what state Creighton University and other NCAA Tournament teams are in; Ryan and Gideon talk about theLiving Wage for Musicians Act; we interview music and social entrepreneur Rudy Love, Jr. of Wichita-based band 2lot. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting 2lot.com and somewhere-fest.com.Rate/review/subscribe to the Break the Business Podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Follow Ryan @ryankair and the Break the Business Podcast @thebtbpodcast. Like Break the Business on Facebook and tell a friend about the show. Visit www.ryankairalla.com to find out more about Ryan's entertainment, education, and business projects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.