Brian “Z” Zisook is the Co-Founder & SVP of Operations & Artist Services at Audiomack. This conversation goes deep into how to operate as an up-and-coming creator/artist/musician. There are many tools out there to help you succeed. Brian has years of experience mentoring thousands of artists and his advice is top-drawer. His first piece of advice: Always come off as organized.
“The first tip that I give all artists is to be organized and cohesive. You don't know what someone's entry point is going to be to you and your music”.
Today's guest is Brian “Z” Zisook is the Co-Founder & SVP of Operations & Artist Services at Audiomack. In this episode, Brian and Marc discuss preparing for online success as an artist by strategizing DSPs & Social Media. Zisook’s extensive experience in the music industry surprisingly includes conducting over 500 interviews with artists and industry professionals over 13 years. Artists include- J. Cole, Big Sean, Rick Ross, John Legend, Nipsey Hussle, DJ Khaled, and Anderson.Paak, among others. Zisook was even selected to join the Recording Academy as part of their new member class in 2022. Brian’s main gig is co-founder of Audiomack. As SVP of Operations, Zisook leads a team of 10 across three continents, overseeing and managing relationships with over 180 record labels and distribution partners, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and over 80 Merlin members. Before Audiomack, Zisook was the VP and EIC of DJBooth, a New York-based digital music publication and media house he co-founded with Audiomack co-founder David Macli. At its peak, DJBooth generated 8M page views monthly and annual revenue exceeding one million dollars.
Audiomack is an on-demand music streaming and audio discovery platform that allows artists and creators to upload limitless music and podcasts for listeners through its mobile apps and website. In February 2021, Billboard announced Audiomack streaming data would begin informing some of its flagship charts, including the Hot 100, the Billboard 200, and the Global 200. In March 2021, Fast Company magazine named Audiomack one of the 10 most innovative companies in music.
Show Notes:
#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation
00:10 - Byta.com
02:44 - Where Brian is from
03:14 - College Radio is where it all started / DJbooth.net
06:24 - Why we started Audiomack
08:28 - How the idea progressed
12:41 - Empowering creators is our jam
16:53 - How do we make money
19:48 - Advice and educational tips, pay attention to your fans
24:28 - There is a need now more than ever for connection.
29:35 - Artistic development is really like human development.
31:10 - If you're trying to appeal to everybody, you end up appealing to nobody.
33:36 - Present as organized
38:30 - A variety of ways that you can engage your audience
45:26 - Ridiculous to paint a picture that this is not a lot of work
48:11 - What what might be obvious to one is not correct to another
50:27 - Create a spreadsheet
53:00 - Campaigns that are really engaging, innovative or inspiring
57:29 - Who is your target audience? The mainstream is too broad a target
60:00 - Byta.com
Music by Fin Productions and Oliver Lyu