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 467: We break down Spotify’s “Loud and Clear” report; ZZ Ward Interview
16/03/2025 Duration: 58minTOPICS: Ryan continues to be frustrated with the lack of “transparency” from the President and TreasuryDepartment about the Corporate Transparency Act and its impact on indie artists; Spotify has released its latest “Loud and Clear” report and Ryan and Zak Sloan talk about how the report continues to traffic in misleading statistics; our guest this week is blues singer-songwriter ZZ Ward. She talks to us about creating a blues album about being a mother of two and gives us an intriguing window into her song writing process. ZZ’s new album “Liberation” is available now and you can find out more about her work by visiting www.zzward.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
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BTB Ep 466: How to avoid copyright lawsuits when you work with music collaborators; entertainment lawyer Mimi Camara
09/03/2025 Duration: 01h02minTOPICS: Do artists still need to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act?: how to avoid copyright lawsuits when you work with music collaborators (split sheets and releases are important!); we interview entertainment lawyer Mimi Camara. You can follow our guest on Instagram at@itsmimimartine.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 465: Facebook and Twitch are limiting videos; musician John Modell
02/03/2025 Duration: 01h04minTOPICS: ElisaRockDoc gives her thoughts on the Chappell Roan Grammy’s story; Facebook and Twitchare both limiting the amount of videos that creators can store on their platforms;ElisaRockDoc career update; we interview musician John Modell of Casa Del Sol. Casa Del Sol’s debut album “Strange Angels” dropped on January 24th and you can find out more about our guest’s work by visitingcasadelsolmusic.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 464: Metal Dave is back!; interview with Regina Sayles
23/02/2025 Duration: 01h05minTOPICS: Original Break the Business Co-host Metal Dave is joining us to talk about entertainment industry news (and other silly stuff); we interview acclaimed singer, songwriter, and educator Regina Sayles. Her latest single “Quiet Room” was released on January 30th off her new EP “This Love”. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting http://www.reginasayles.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 463: Kay Hanley talks about Chappell Roan’s Grammy Speech; musician and author Ben Neill
16/02/2025 Duration: 58minTOPICS: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees; songwriter Kay Hanley stops by to talk about herHollywood Reporter editorial about Chappell Roan’s Grammy speech; our guest this week is musician and author Ben Neill. Ben’s new book is “Diffusing Music: Trajectories of Sonic Democratization”, which explores the role that technology is playing today in making the production, performance, and distribution of music more accessible and democratized. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visitinghttps://www.benneill.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 462: Chappell Roan’s Grammys Speech; Gaelen McCormick of the Eastman School of Music
09/02/2025 Duration: 57minTOPICS: Chappell Roan gave a powerful speech at the Grammys about how record labels should do moreto support artists, but at least one editorial writer had some issues with her approach to activism; weinterview Gaelen McCormick, the Director of the Eastman Performing Arts Medicine Center at theUniversity of Rochester, an organization that aims to leverage the potential of the performing arts in thehealthcare environment, while also supporting the medical needs of artists. You can find out moreabout our guest’s work by visiting https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/eastman-performance-medicine.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 461: Freelancing as an influencer; Daniel Brindley of Union Stage Presents
02/02/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: BTB Guest Bill Teck is nominated for a Grammy; Ringo Starr has never ate pizza; we talk about why influencers should not be afraid of supplementing their income as a freelancer; our guest this week is Daniel Brindley, co-founder of venue operator Union Stage Presents. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.unionstagepresents.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 460: TikTok is still here (for now); Tim Walther of the All Good Now Festival
26/01/2025 Duration: 01h41sTOPICS: Gideon King talks to Ryan about the economics of music festivals; are people drinking less at concerts?; how the HITS Act would help musicians save money on their taxes; TikTok is saved (for now), but its long-term prospects are uncertain; our guest this week is Tim Walther, co-founder of the AllGood Now Music Festival. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visitingallgoodpresentslivemusic.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 459: Status of the Corporate Transparency Act; Mark Caruso of Angry Mob Music
19/01/2025 Duration: 59minTOPICS: Ryan and Elisa answer a listener question about whether artists still need to file their Beneficial Ownership Information Reports; Nintendo launches a new streaming service; we interview Marc Caruso,CEO and Co-Founder of LA based indie publisher Angry Mob Music. Ryan and Elisa talk to Mark about his80s cover band and Marc’s recent op-ed in Billboard about why indie publishers should unite to level the playing field against the major publishers in the music industry. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.angrymobmusic.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 458: Entertainment law news; country musician and veterans advocate Jessica Lynn
12/01/2025 Duration: 58minTOPICS: Ryan talks to entertainment lawyer Mark Jaffe about the “Success Kid” copyright lawsuit and the copyrightability of internet memes; we are also joined by law professor Alexandra Roberts about her recent article talking about kid fluencers being able to revoke their consent to using their names for trademarks created by their parents. Our guest this week is country musician and veterans advocateJessica Lynn. Jessica talks to Ryan about her music and her work with Armed Forces Entertainment and the State Department’s American Voices Program. Jessica’s new album “All I Own” comes out onJanuary 17th and you can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting jessicalynnmusic.orgRate/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,
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BTB Ep 457: “Is Spotify taking money from indie artists”?; Bill “Downupright” Boulden
05/01/2025 Duration: 01h03minTOPICS: “Ghosts in the Machine”: Is Spotify pumping up royalty-free tracks to drive money away from indie artists?; legal things that you need to do when making a documentary; our guest this week is show favorite Bill “Downupright” Boulden. We talk to Bill about the Spotify story as well as Bill’s new“Tartarus” EP. Find out more by visiting downupright.bsky.socialRate/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 456: Music trends in 2025; we interview the founders of booking platform EVA
29/12/2024 Duration: 01h04minTOPICS: Ryan and Gideon King discuss possible new trends in the music industry in 2025 and what they mean for indie artists; our guests this week are Channing Moreland and Makenzie Stokel, the co-founders of gig booking platform EVA. You can find out more about our guests’ work by visiting www.bookwitheva.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 455: The end of TikTok?; we interview Joseph Perla of Hangout
22/12/2024 Duration: 01h14sTOPICS: An appeals court has kept the TikTok ban in place, but will the Supreme Court save the app?; we break down The Game Awards; ElisaRockDoc Career Update; we interview Joseph Perla, founder and CEO of music social listening platform Hangout. Find out more by visiting www.hangout.fm.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 454: Lessons from Wicked’s marketing campaign; Rod Yancy from Bootleg
09/12/2024 Duration: 59minOPICS: Ryan and Zak Sloan talk about what indie creators can learn from the marketing campaign for the “Wicked” motion picture; public domain day; we interview Bootleg CEO Rod Yancy. Bootleg is a live music merchandising company that captures and distributes fully licensed and high-quality concert recordings for artists and fans. Find out more by visiting bootleg.live.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 453: Drake diss track legal filings; Adewale Ogunleye interview
01/12/2024 Duration: 01h09minTOPICS: Drake’s camp made two legal filings involving the Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” diss track—is Drake going to sue his record label?; Gibson sends a cease and desist about Trump-branded guitars; our guest this week is former NFL all-pro and UBS head of sports and entertainment Adewale Ogunleye. Youcan follow our guest on Instagram @waleogunleye.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 452: Should artists move to Bluesky?; we interview singer - songwriter Sabrina Monique
25/11/2024 Duration: 01h19sTOPICS: Twitch requires labeling for political content, which might be taking money out of streamers' pockets; Bluesky is growing as a social media platform—should creators consider creating an account there?; ElisaRockDoc Career Update; we interview singer-songwriter and American Idol alum SabrinaMonique about overcoming adversity in her career and finding her authentic self as an artist. Sabrina’s new album “It’s Not Me It’s You” dropped on September 27th and is available on all major music platforms.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 451: The “waterfall” release strategy; we interview Nick from Yacht Rock Revue
17/11/2024 Duration: 01h01minTOPICS: Ryan loves rapping grandma music; Ryan and Katie talk about the “waterfall” release strategy and how artists can utilize it to maximize the promotional power of their music releases. Our guest this week is Nicholas Niespodziani, the vocalist and guitarist for Yacht Rock Revue. Nicholas talks to Ryan and Kate about how his band captures the Yacht Rock vibe in their performances and gives advice on how musicians can create effective cover and tribute band projects. YRR’s The band’s new concept double album, “Escape Artist,” fully drops on November 29th, with Disc 1 already out now, and you can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.yachtrockrevue.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
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BTB Ep 450: Making one change to the music business; we interview musician and tech CEO Eric Hirshberg
10/11/2024 Duration: 01h07minTOPICS: SoundExchange asks “If you could change one thing about the music industry tomorrow what would it be?”; Ed Sheeran gives a speech about how the role of record executives is changing; UMG suesTuneCore for $500 million for copyright infringement. Our guest this week is musician and former Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg. Eric’s latest album “Second Hand Smoke” is available now and you can find out more by visiting erichirshbergmusic.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 449: Promoting music on podcasts; Kanru Hua of Dreamtonics
03/11/2024 Duration: 01h03minTOPICS: Are music business college programs worth it?; Ryan and Gideon talk about the promotional potential of podcasts for music; we interview Dreamtonics CEO Kanru Hua. Dreamtonics is a provider of AI vocal software solutions for songwriters and engineers. You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.dreamtonics.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 448: Why is everyone on TikTok being mean to Lawrence?; music executive Paula Park
27/10/2024 Duration: 01h06minTOPICS: Ryan does a rant about falling back in love with Network Television; Ryan and ElisaRockDoc love TikToker James McNicholas and his dramatic monologue versions of pop songs; we ask why it seems like everyone on TikTok being unnecessarily mean to the (awesome) band Lawrence lately; we interview music executive Paula Park and talk about her work in developing social impact campaigns for the biggest artists in music.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.