The music business moves quickly. Streaming rules change, new marketing strategies emerge, touring costs rise, and another AI company appears before anyone has finished debating the last one....
Fortunately, there is no shortage of podcasts out there to help artists and industry professionals make sense of it all. Whether you want practical career advice, thoughtful analysis, or a quick recap of the week’s biggest stories, these ten of our favorite actively publishing shows deserve a place in your rotation.
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1. Your Morning Coffee
Hosted by Jay Gilbert and Mike Etchart, Your Morning Coffee delivers a weekly rundown of the news and trends shaping the contemporary music business. The format is conversational and efficient, making it particularly useful for listeners who want to stay informed without reading every press release, earnings report and industry newsletter themselves. Learn more here.
Listen to all episodes of Your Morning Coffee on Hypebot.
2. The New Music Business with Ari Herstand
Musician and author Ari Herstand interviews artists, executives, managers and marketers about how careers are actually being built today. Recent episodes have explored influencer marketing, modern A&R, direct-to-fan album campaigns and professional songwriting. It remains one of the most immediately useful shows for independent artists. Learn more here.
3. Trapital
Dan Runcie approaches music as a business strategist, examining how technology, culture, finance and entertainment intersect. Trapital is especially strong when analyzing hip-hop’s biggest companies and personalities, catalog investment, streaming economics, AI and the business decisions behind major artist campaigns. Learn more here.
4. The Price of Music
Produced by Music Ally and hosted by Stuart Dredge and Joe Sparrow, The Price of Music explains the money behind the week’s biggest industry developments. Streaming royalties, ticketing, publishing, artificial intelligence and music legislation are all translated into clear conversations that do not assume the listener already understands the fine print. Learn more here.
5. The Music Biz Weekly Podcast
Led by music marketer Michael Brandvold alongside artist manager and musician Blasko, the long-running Music Biz Weekly turns current industry developments into practical conversations for working artists. Recent episodes have covered online presence audits, AI-generated music, touring economics, email engagement, the Live Nation antitrust case, and of course, Hypebot's recent changes (thanks guys!). They consistently bring the discussion back to what musicians can actually do with the information. Learn more here.
Listen to all episodes of Music Biz Weekly on Hypebot.
6. Music Tectonics
The Music Tectonics podcast concentrates on the technologies changing how music is created, distributed, licensed and monetized. Host Dmitri Vietze regularly speaks with startup founders, investors and industry innovators, giving listeners a useful view of what may be coming next — and which new tools could actually matter. Learn more here.
7. The Future of What
Created by Music Business Association president Portia Sabin, The Future of What brings industry leaders together to discuss where the business is heading. Recent subjects have included music legislation, independent labels, Latin music’s global growth, AI rights and diversity across the music ecosystem. Learn more here.
8. Music Business Insider Podcast
Hosted by Ritch Esra and Eric Knight, MUBUTV’s Music Business Insider Podcast offers long-form conversations with professionals working across A&R, artist management, publicity, touring, publishing and music supervision. Its greatest strength is career education: guests explain both what their jobs involve and how people can enter those corners of the industry. Learn more here.
9. The Bob Lefsetz Podcast
Bob Lefsetz has strong opinions, asks unusually direct questions, and rarely conducts a short interview. We love Bob. His weekly podcast features artists, agents, promoters, executives and other entertainment veterans discussing how careers, companies and entire sectors of the business were built. The episodes can be lengthy, but they frequently preserve the kind of institutional knowledge that rarely appears in a press release. Learn more here.
10. The Business Side of Music
As its title promises, The Business Side of Music focuses on the practical machinery supporting a sustainable career. Episodes cover rights ownership, distribution, visual content, artist development and earning strategies through conversations with working musicians and experienced industry professionals. Learn more here.
No single podcast can explain every corner of the modern music economy. Together, however, these shows offer a useful mix of breaking news, practical education, emerging technology and long-term industry perspective — often directly from the people doing the work.
