It's So Krucial It's So Krucial

The esteemed Sr. Director of Business Affairs, Admin & Licensing for Sony Music Entertainment, Kobie Brown joins us for Episode 25. This man has worked on clearing many of the most well known releases that have crossed through the labels' doors, and has a ton of great stories to tell. We talk to him about his career, advice for up & comers, and even touch a bit on WhoSampled.

You can check out Kobie here:
https://www.instagram.com/_withmydad/
https://www.instagram.com/thekobiechronicles/

Extraordinary Music Supervisor Jen Malone, known for her work on the hit FX show, Atlanta, joins us for Episode 24. We talk to Jen about her start in the music business on the east coast, doing PR for rock bands, and eventually moving her way out west to become a music supervisor. Afterwards, we talk about her ascent into the world of supervision, from interning at Format Entertainment to supervising shows of her own, including Atlanta, Lady Dynamite on Netflix, and MTV's Are You The One? In news, we discuss the new YouTube series "Best.Cover.Ever" and 2016 financial results from Sony Music Entertainment.

You can find Jen here:
https://twitter.com/jenmalone666
https://www.instagram.com/jenmalone666/
https://blackandwhitepr.net/

Atlantic Records own amazing VP of A&R, Shawn Barron, joins us for Episode 23. We talk about his upbringing in Buffalo, NY, and what got him started in the music business. We then get into who he's working with at Atlantic (Ty Dolla $ign, Kap G, Jevon Doe, etc), how he signed Ty Dolla $ign, and even get into a few stories about how close some other big names came to signing with the label. All of it combines into one of our favorite shows to date. Before the interview (which starts at 11:45), Shawn joins us to discuss some current events in the music industry, including UMG's new deal with Spotify, and JAY Z pulling his catalog from non-TIDAL services.

You can find Shawn here:
https://www.instagram.com/shawnbarron/
https://twitter.com/shawnbarron

Atlantic Records A&R great Gary Leon joins us for Episode 22. No news, we just dive right into the interview. We start with his upbringing, and time at military school. Then we discuss his work as an A&R, what his day to day looks like, and how he discovers new music. There's a bevy of great details on the benefits of smart networking, and getting your music out in the right way.

You can find Gary Leon here:
https://twitter.com/GaryGLeon
https://www.instagram.com/garygleon/
Email: Sbatlanticla[at]gmail.com

Episode 21 features the multi-talented, and incredibly intelligent Shruti Kumar. The interview (starts at 21:00) with a great discussion on maintaining work-life balance. We then get into her development as a songwriter, composer, and arranger. Afterwards, we discuss getting your music noticed in the streaming age, and conclude with a talk about the role gender and ethnicity play in the industry. In news, we look into the rate court proceeding to determine statutory mechanical royalties for the next 5 years.

Check Shruti out here:
https://twitter.com/from_shruti
https://www.instagram.com/tamingoftheshruti/
https://soundcloud.com/fromshruti
https://soundcloud.com/tworightchords

Episode 20 features the amazingly talented producer, CyFyre. We chat with him about being raised in the Bahamas, moving to Houston, getting started in music, and getting his break with artists like Trae tha Truth and Lupe Fiasco. No news this week, just all interview goodness.