Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Podcast

NEWS YouTube payed a massive amount of royalty's to the music industry over the last 12 months Is microtime audio the next audio horizon? GUEST Producer / engineer / educator Mark Rubel Mark Rubel has produced thousands of recordings from his Pogo Studio for clients like Alison Krauss, Rascal Flatts, Fall Out Boy, Ludacris, Adrian Belew, Luther Allison, and many more. Mark also works as a consultant and legal expert witness in the fields of audio and copyright. He has taught audio, music technology, music business, and the history of rock to thousands of students since 1985 at various colleges and universities before becoming the Director of Education for The Blackbird Academy in Nashville.  During the interview, we spoke about how to make the most with the least amount of gear, the learning experience of working with acoustic music, the affect of being around excellence, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at YouTube’s massive royalty payout, and microtime audio.

NEWS The latest trends in film scores is good news for indie artists Environmental issues and guitar tonewoods GUEST Music PR maven Ariel Hyatt Music PR maven Ariel Hyatt's CyberPR agency just celebrated 25 years in business. Ariel and her company specialize in digital media campaigns for the music industry. She has spoken in 12 countries to over 100,000 creative entrepreneurs and is the author of five bestselling books on social media, marketing, and crowdfunding including Cyber PR for Musicians, Music Success in 9 Weeks, and Crowdstart.  Her newest Book The Ultimate Guide to Music Publicity describes everything you need to know about hiring or being a music publicist and is the very best book of its kind. During the interview, we spoke about how much music PR has changed through the years, matching up with the right publicist, using the hero’s journey in your bio, why physical press kits are still relevant, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at the latest trends in film licensing, and the en

NEWS German copyright is changing and artists hate that TikTok won't be paying Pro Sound News and Mix Magazine are merging GUEST Production manager for Boston House of Blues and the Xfinity Center Tim McKenna My guest this week again is Tim McKenna, who started his career as a stagehand/lighting tech at the legendary Paradise Rock Club in 1980 and now oversees production at the Boston House of Blues and the Xfinity Center. He has advanced well over 5000 shows in his career in venues ranging from 60 to 60,000 in capacity that include Orpheum Theater, Avalon Ballroom, Foxboro Stadium and Great Woods as well as many other venues throughout New England. Tim also produced special events for various radio stations, the Democratic National Convention and ESPN. During the interview, we spoke about learning club lighting without any direction, making the jump from lighting director to production manager, the current brain drain in the industry, predictions for the live music business after covid, and

NEWS TikTok blowing up with Gen-Z What makes music so universal? GUEST Producer/engineer/photographer Terry Manning - Part 2 My guest on the podcast this week is part 2 with the legendary Terry Manning, who’s had successful careers as a record producer, audio engineer, photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist. Over his career, Terry has worked on some huge hits with Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Otis Redding, Joe Walsh, Shania Twain, Al Green, Lenny Kravitz and many more.  He’s also worked as a photojournalist for New Musical Express and has photographed Chuck Berry, Procol Harum, Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield, as well as capturing Martin Luther King Jr on film the day before his assassination. In part 2 of our interview, we spoke about the inside story on the making of ZZ Top's biggest hits, his time at the legendary Compass Point Studio, his photography career, being an audio gear manufacturer, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at TikTo

NEWS Trends in the hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart The best song tempo to study to GUEST Producer/engineer/photographer Terry Manning - Part 1 Terry Manning has had successful careers as a  photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. Over his career, Terry has worked with Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Otis Redding, Joe Walsh, Shania Twain, Al Green, Lenny Kravitz and many more. He’s also worked as a photojournalist for New Musical Express and has photographed Chuck Berry, Procol Harum, Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield, as well as capturing Martin Luther King Jr on film the day before his assassination. During Part 1 of the interview we spoke about being hired at Stax Records by Steve Cropper, the difference between American and English engineers, working with Otis Redding, his relationship with Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin, and much more. Part 2 comes next week.   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: 'https://bo

NEWS The new trend of making different versions of the same song Focurite Group acquires legendary synth manufacture Sequential Circuits GUEST Composer and music licensing expert Michael Elsner Master Music Licensing Michael Elsner started playing sessions for a multitude of television, album and film projects, which eventually led to his own music appearing on TV and film as well.  As a songwriter and composer, his songs have been placed in over 180 individual television series, accounting for over 800 individual episodes. Some of these include American Idol, The Voice, Amish Mafia, Cold Case, EXTRA, The Sing-Off, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hannah Montana, and High School Musical 2. He’s also composed music for commercials for Audi, Mazda, Skechers and Verizon, as well as trailers for Cinderella (Disney), Ocean's 8, Narcos, Sneaky Pete, and Better Call Saul. Michael has taken his knowledge and experience of music licensing and created the Master Music Licensing Program, which provides a first-ha

NEWS The music industry is drowning in data and it's getting worse The 10 most expensive albums ever made GUEST Producer/engineer and mixer Brian Malouf Check out the Djooky Music Awards Brian Malouf is a multi-platinum American producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with Michael Jackson, Queen, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder and other world-known artists.  Also serving as an executive at several major record labels over the years, his work has amassed a total of 53 gold, platinum, and double platinum records to date.  Brian is a true veteran of the global music industry; he has enjoyed a 30+ year career on the production and executive side of the music business. In 1994-2005 he was Senior Vice President of A&R for RCA Records in New York, and later Vice President and Head of A&R at Walt Disney Records where he worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers.  Brian now owns Cookie Jar Recording in Sherman Oaks, California and works as an independent p

NEWS Streaming music recommendations may be poor depending on the music genre The world's quietest room is not where you expect it GUEST Music producer Richard "Younglord" Frierson My guest this week is Richard “Younglord” Frierson, who’s a Grammy-nominated hip hop and R&B producer and a founder of Truth Licensing, a major provider of music for films, TV shows and commercials. Rich started producing for Puff Daddy’s Hitmen production team at the tender age of 16. His production credits include Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Faith Evans, LL Cool J, New Edition and many more. In 2014 he founded Truth Music Licensing, which now has a catalog of over 5,000 songs and has placed music on the Star and Empire television shows, and commercials for Gatorade, Pepsi, and AT&T among others. During the interview we spoke about the value of asking people how they do things, how much the business aspect has changed since he started, his favorite techniques for vocal production,  transitioning into music licensi

NEWS The latest trends in social media according to Pew Research Shure recommendations for cleaning microphones GUEST Meddling CEO Travis Rosenblatt Travis Rosenblatt used his experience in A&R for Warner Bros and 300 Entertainment to create Medding, a subscription-based service which offers real time data on global music markets, as well as track capabilities, analytics and communications tools. Meddling is used by record labels, music publishers, artist management, law firms, talent agencies and concert promoters to spot new musical talent and trends. Some of his clients include Republic, Columbia, Capitol, Disney and Island records, and Universal Music Publishing, among many others. During the interview we spoke about how label A&R has changed over the years, what indicates an artist is hot, shrinking radio promo departments, the hype around virtual concerts, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at the latest trends in social media, and the best way to clean your microphones.

NEWS Is reduced royalty rates for playlist placements actually payola? New technologies for super-large hard drive capacity GUEST Guitarist Jennifer Batten Guitar Cloud Symposium Jennifer Batten played lead and rhythm guitar on Michael Jackson’s Bad, Dangerous and HIStory world tours. She’s also appeared on 2 Jeff Beck albums and was a member of his touring band for 3 years. Jennifer continues to give clinics and master classes all over the world, and most recently created the Guitar Cloud Symposium, an online guitar workshop that feature contributions from her favorite guitar players. During the interview we spoke about her audition with Michael Jackson, playing the Super Bowl, playing with her hero Jeff Beck, developing guitar synth techniques, some insider tips about tapping, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at payola for streaming, and supercharged hard drives. var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: 'https://bobbyoinnercircle.com/?p=2807', rssUrl: 'https://

NEWS The latest on streaming royalty rates from various services A look at why bands are disappearing GUEST Mastering engineer Scott Hull Scott Hull started his illustrious career in mastering at New York’s famed Master Disk studios. Rising from an assistant to chief engineer, Scott then took a series of jobs at some of New York’s other excellent mastering facilities including Classic Sound and the Hit Factory before striking out on his own. He returned to Master Disk in 2008, this time as the owner, where he continues to cut both digital and vinyl masters for a wide variety of artists. Scott has mastered records for Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, and hundreds more. During the interview we spoke about Scott’s experience assisting the legendary Bob Ludwig, interpreting what a client means when describing what they hear, why the tools of mastering don’t always work as well, getting used to different rooms, and much more. On the intro I’ll take

NEWS Last year's livestreaming sales numbers were surprising Native Instruments and iZotope merge GUEST Audionamix general manager Ellie McNeil Ellie McNeil is the general manager of the audio software company Audionamix, a company that uses advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence technology to extract specific elements from an audio file, including speech, vocals, drums and bass. Their top-of-the-line audio separation tech is reserved for major film studios, television networks, and music labels via their new Audionamix Professional Services division. Ellie’s background includes working as working as an engineer, product manager, and an instructor at Musicians Institute in Hollywood. During the interview we spoke about how the Audionamix algorithm works, the legal ramifications of part extraction, some overlooked applications for the software, why so much cutting edge audio technology comes from Paris, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at last year’s livestream reve

NEWS The 8 best social networks to promote your music Behringer loses trademark battle over Oberheim GUEST Viberate co-founder Vasja Veber Vasja Veber co-founded Viberate, a platform that gives artists important analytics about musical trends, events, venues and festivals. It makes performing acts life easier by giving them a better version of an EPK or even a traditional website. Viberate features over a million profiles of musicians, venues, events and festivals and employs over 100 people all over the world, Vasja is also the manager of techno artist UMEK. In his spare time he consults with the government of Slovenia in the field of sharing economy legislation. During the interview we spoke about the importance of clean data, the latest way for artists to get to their fans, pitching his idea to Silicon Valley, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at the 8 best social networks to promote your music, and the trademark battle between Behringer and Oberheim. var

NEWS The UK's roadmap for opening up live music The most hated rock bands of all time GUEST Music attorney Kamal Moo Check out his book The Straightforward Guide To The Music Biz Music attorney Kamal Moo has represented artists from various genres of music as both personal manager and attorney. He has negotiated several types of entertainment contracts, including recording, music publishing, and producer agreements, with clients include legendary recording artist Janet Jackson, The Hallmark Channel, indie artist Lil B, and several record labels, music publishers, songwriters, and producers. Kamal’s also the author of The Straightforward Guide To The Music Biz, which is a necessary read for anyone in the music business that needs a basic understanding of how it works. He’s also the voice behind the 6 Questions about the Music Biz podcast. During the interview we spoke about working as a manager, the one thing that most people get wrong about the music business, label 360 deals, the di

NEWS MLC collects almost $500 million in unclaimed funds Random, probable and generative music GUEST Composer-mixer Lars Deutsch Two time Emmy winner Lars Deutsch was born into a non-musical family and was astounded when he discovered that a guitar needs tuning. From those humble beginnings he went from heavy metal guitarist, to singer, to songwriter, to a Masters in classical composition, to international performances of his classical works, to lecturing in composition and audio production. He’s also become an in-demand mixer as well. Lars has scored over two hundred thirty films that have collected over one hundred awards, and his songs are also in high demand. As an audio branding expert, he has created audio logos for a range of companies including Adidas, Mercedes Formula One, Contac, Epson and many more. During the interview we spoke about the process of creating an audio brand logo, the reasons why he began mixing, his method for organizing samples, mixing on headphones, and much more. On the int

NEWS The audio legend Rupert Neve passes away Record labels de-emphasizing radio promo as music consumption drops GUEST Producer/multi-instrumentalist and educator David Franz Check out Underground Sun Producer/multi-instrumentalist and educator David Franz wrote the very first book on Pro Tools as well as creating online courses for both Berklee Online and Lynda.com.  Besides running his label Underground Sun and EDM artist development and even production company Underground Sol, David is also the content manager for Lynda.com and LinkedIn Learning, where he works with creative professionals to create courses (including yours truly) to create courses on the platform. During the interview we spoke about writing the first book on Pro Tools, doing a deep analysis of John Coltrane, his Airstream trailer-based studio, the technique of melding electronic and live musicians together, recording an album remotely, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at the passing of the great Rupert Neve, a

NEWS SoundCloud may pay institute artist-centric royalties Immersive audio easy with wallpaper speakers GUEST Console designer and "father of British EQ" John Oram John Oram started his career in the music business as the drummer for Mariann Faithful and a fill-in for the Yardbirds. On the side he began working at Vox during its heyday, contributing his expertise to the development of the wha-wha pedal, the fuzz box, the Continental organ, and the Super Beatle amplifier. From there he joined the legendary Trident Studios as design consultant and Chief of Design creating many consoles including the Fleximix, the TSM, and the iconic Series 80. He then founded Reflex Music Technology, inventing electro-acoustic preamps and pickups and supplying OEM products to guitar-makers Martin, Washburn, Charvel, Jackson, Lowden and many more famous guitar names. He then established Oram Pro Audio, where he continues to design and sell analog consoles and rack modules. During the interview we spoke about gr

NEWS Spotify's latest patents have it listening to you to suggest music Native Instruments the latest MI company to be acquired GUEST Engineer/podcast Matt Boudreau Listen to Working Class Audio My guest this week is Matt Boudreau, who started as a drummer experiencing 6 figure record deals to eventually settling in behind the glass as a mixer and mastering engineer. Matt has since gone on to launch the hugely popular Working Class Audio podcast with more than 300 episodes under his belt. During our interview we talked about the burden of owning a commercial studio, rebounding from a business loss, template mixing, starting the Working Class Audio podcast, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at Spotify monitoring your speech to suggest music, and Native Instruments being acquired. var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: 'https://bobbyoinnercircle.com/?p=2742', rssUrl: 'https://bobbyoinnercircle.com/feed/podcast/', backgroundColor: 'white',

NEWS How the MLC will collect streaming royalties for songwriters, if you're signed up An overview of LUFS and why it doesn't matter much for music GUEST Producer, mixer and mastering engineer Mike Cave Find out about The Loft Mastering Mike Cave is a multi-Platinum award-winning record producer, mixer and mastering engineer. Over the course of his career, Mike has worked with artists as diverse as Elvis Costello, KRS-One, Lewis Capaldi, Fatboy Slim, Bob Dylan, Gil Scott-Heron, Rufus Wainwright, The Charlatans, Echo & The Bunnymen and many more on a variety of award-winning and record breaking releases. He’s also the owner of Loft Mastering, a high-end mastering facility based in Liverpool. During our interview we talked about getting into mastering, mastering while mixing, becoming a project finisher, his plugin strategy, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at how the MLC will affect songwriters, and a LUFS overview. var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid:

SONY DSC NEWS Our musical attention span is getting short and what will happen by 2030Taylor Guitars gives the company to its employees GUEST Elton John guitar player and musical director Davey Johnstone Davey Johnstone has played guitar and been the musical director for the Elton John Band since 1972. During that time, Davey has played on all of Elton’s albums and tours. In fact, he recently celebrated his 3,000th show with Elton in 2019. Davey’s also played and recorded with a wide range of artists including Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper among many others,  During our interview we talked about the making of Elton’s early albums, what it’s like to play the hits 3,000 times, how his gear has changed through the years, making a pilgrimage to Muscle Shoals, and much more. On the intro I’ll take a look at the average attention span of music listeners and Taylor Guitar being given to its employees. var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: 'http