This week’s special guest is music visionary and executive Marc Geiger: co-founder of Lollapalooza, founder and CEO of Artist Direct, head of World Wide Music for William Morris for 20 years, and current CEO and Chairman of SaveLive. As someone who has been named one of the most important people in music and has worked closely with legends such as Trent Reznor and the Rolling Stones, Geiger is the go-to expert for the current state and future of the music industry. 

Geiger discusses his predictions for the comeback of the music industry. Regardless of when live events fully return, Geiger predicts the market will be healthy and robust. Although, a new era of the music industry is coming to fruition called the “Creator’s Era,” which is changing the ways in which artists monetize themselves and connect to their audiences.

Geiger predicts NFTs will converge with the music industry by acting as a decentralized way for musicians to do commerce and connect to audiences. As for the future of NFTs, Geiger posits that they will operate as a digital boarding pass in your phone. It will take on many functions, which can range from being a certificate of authenticity, a shopping cart, or a way to transfer funds. 

Lately, a point of contention in the music industry is the amount of money artists make from streaming services. According to Geiger, the model for streaming rates isn’t necessarily wrong. In fact, it will improve as streaming platforms increase the amount they charge consumers. Because streaming services such as Spotify are in their teenage years, they will continue to grow and create new mechanisms for artists to make money. The current models we see in streaming are merely “base layers” that will continue to evolve.

Stick around to hear Geiger’s experience signing the Rolling Stones as his first artist while at Artist Direct, and how he pioneered e-commerce with Mick Jagger. 

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This episode is presented by: Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles. Contact: salderton@stubbsalderton.com

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Hosted by: Richard Wolpert

Produced by: AJ Moseley

A CurtCo Media Production