The MAD Records Podcast
The MAD Records Podcast is hosted by a former Wall Street trader turned artist. It features interview-style conversations about the music industry, business, and philosophy. Episodes explore the intersections between creativity, commerce, and personal growth. The show also touches on broader topics and lessons from guests across entertainment and entrepreneurship.
Episodes
MAD Records Podcast #21 - Co-Founder of MAD Records, Rob Schustack
Behind every founder, there is a much quieter and wiser co-founder working behind the scenes.And MAD Records is no different.Which is why I’m thrilled to introduce you (for the first time on our in-person podcast) to my co-founder at MAD Records, our Head of Music Services - Rob Schustack.Rob is the insider to my outsider, the yin to my yang……. and apparently owns the exact same wardrobe as I do.R
MAD Records Podcast #20 - Nashville Indie Artist, Abigail Rose
There are three things I learned from filming this podcast episode:* Abigail Rose is an emerging star* Her song “Betty’s in the Band” will not leave my head* I look like a Miami real-estate broker in this shirtAnyways… if you haven’t heard of Abigail Rose yet, chances are, you will soon.Her unrelenting success started with a simple, raw Instagram reel of the band jamming her new song on the porch
MAD Records Podcast #19 - Nashville Indie Artist, Abigayle Oakley
🔊 Stream the audio-only version of the podcast on Spotify by clicking here or Apple Podcasts by clicking here 🔊In a world of vibe-based background music, it’s easy to throw on a playlist and hardly notice the songs.But time and time again, whenever Abigayle Oakley comes on the speakers, her music demands your attention - not because it’s big, loud, or bombastic… but rather the exact opposite.It’s
MAD Records Podcast #18 - Former Label President, John Strohm
Fasten your seatbelts, folks… This one is a deeeeep dive on the current state of the music industry with truly one of the most seasoned industry veterans in Nashville:Former Rounder Records President, John Strohm.John served as the president of the iconic Nashville label, Rounder Records from 2017 to 2022 where he was responsible for signing superstar acts including Billy Strings and Sierra Ferrel
MAD Records Podcast #17 - Nashville Producer and Artist, Joe Pisapia
When I sat down to write the title for this podcast, I couldn’t decide if I should label Joe Pisapia as a “producer” or “artist”…… so I did both.While Joe’s day-to-day is primarily as a producer out of his beautiful studio in East Nashville, you’ll notice immediately in this interview that Joe is an artist at heart. Production is his craft but his spirit and intention behind each decision is pure
MAD Records Podcast #16 - Nashville Indie Artist, Cole Ritter
If you’ve been following MAD Records for a while, you may have heard my cute little catchphrase “long live good music”.….. it’s cute right?Well when I say “good music”… what I mean is music that feels like true art, not just “content”. And when I first moved to Nashville, no one seemed to represent that ideal more than independent artist, Cole Ritter.Cole is an incredible artist, guitarist, and so
MAD Records Podcast #15 - Joel Gouveia of "The Artist Economy"
IT’S BACKKKKKKKK!The MAD Records Podcast is BACK!…. ok I know it’s been “back” three times now, but this time it’s for good.We’ve got a brand new, in-person studio in Nashville, TN, a painfully handsome new producer named Eli ( FIL ARDENT) who will henceforth be creatively referred to as “Producer Eli”, and an incredible first guest.In this episode, we welcome the incredible Joel Gouveia - the wri
The 5 Year Music Plan
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit madrecords.substack.com/subscribe
Monthly Masterclass: Former Netflix Music Executive
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit madrecords.substack.comGetting your music placed in TV, film, and video games has always been one of the most lucrative ways for artists and producers to monetize their music.But landing sync placements can be incredibly difficult if you don’t understand how the industry actually works.Which is why we’re excited to share this edition of
Brief Breakdown w/ a Music Supervisor
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit madrecords.substack.comLadies and gentlemen…Rob Schustack has spent decades in the sync licensing industry working with brands, bands and catalogs like Disney, Amazon, Google, Febreze, BMW, Wu Tang Clan, Ceelo Green, Nirvana, Hall & Oates, Aerosmith and many others.And yesterday he spilled some trade secrets LIVE inside the MAD Records
Music Industry Updates w/ Michael Gilbride
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit madrecords.substack.com/subscribe
How to (Actually) Promote Your Music
Have you noticed that every music promotion “guru” tells you how to get streams, views, and followers…… but no one ever tells you how any of it actually translates to real life success?That’s because it doesn’t.In this ~2 hour webinar with our good friends at EasySong, I bust some of the biggest myths when it comes to promoting your music, and share a real path to creating a sustainable, financial
Sustaining Viral Success
👍 Stream the audio only version of this episode on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Looking for real, hands on support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real world education to help you grow sustainably. You can book a call to learn more about the program below.🎶 This episode features music from Danie
(Podcast #13) Building a Brand
👍 Stream the audio only version of this episode on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Looking for real, hands on support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real world education to help you grow sustainably. You can book a call to learn more about the program below.🎶 This episode features music from David
![[REPLAY] The Spotify Problem](https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/2627297/post/186764266/326df0a40aa878f986257ef5fd44c1d7.jpg)
[REPLAY] The Spotify Problem
Hey y’all!Thanks so much for joining today’s Substack live event, “The Spotify Problem”, where I attempted to break down what artists need to know about the streaming economy.I had a great time, and I really appreciate the thoughtful questions, comments, and support from you all 🫡⚔️If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing on your Substack by clicking the button below:You can also check out my
(Podcast #12) Launching an Artist Career
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this episode on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Looking for real, hands-on support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real-world education to help you grow sustainably. You can book a call to learn more about the program below.🎶 This episode features “False Hope” by
(Podcast #11) Being an independent artist in 2026
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this episode on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Looking for real, hands-on support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real-world education to help you grow sustainably. You can book a call to learn more about the program below.🎶 This episode features “Hazel Eyed Love
Inside Nashville's Music Community
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this episode on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Looking for real, hands-on support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real-world education to help you grow sustainably. You can book a call to learn more about the program below.🎶 This episode features “One Night” by M
The future of Spotify
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this podcast on Samply by clicking here🎉 Looking for real support in your music career? The MAD Records Incubator is our hands-on mentorship program for independent artists, offering weekly guidance, feedback, and real-world education to help you grow your career sustainably. Book a call to discuss the program below.🎶 This episode features “Nova Nocturne” by MAD
Building a music business
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this podcast on Samply by clicking here.🎉 It’s not too late to join December’s “Run For Cover Challenge”, where you can get your music in the hands of some of the world’s biggest music publishers for potential placements in TV, film, ads, and more. Join the Challenge and get to know our collective by signing up for a free trial of MAD Records Collective below:🎶 T
Will AI save live music?
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this podcast on Samply by clicking here.🎉 It’s not too late to join our “Run For Cover Challenge”, where you can get your music in the hands of some of the world’s biggest music publishers for potential placements in TV, film, ads, and more. Join the Challenge by signing up for a free trial of MAD Records Collective below:🎶 This episode features “Enough to Care”
Introducing: Cole Ritter 🌵💀
For the last two decades, the music industry has been dominated by social media, “content creation” and viral moments.But despite all the distractions, one thing remains constant:There is no replacement for talented artists getting in a room together and playing great music.In this video, we introduce you to one of the best up-and-coming artists in Nashville, TN, Cole Ritter.Cole has spent the las
MR Podcast #6 - Breaking Into the Music Industry (with former Atlantic Records A&R, Rob Schustack)
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this podcast on Samply by clicking here.🎉 Our “Run For Cover Challenge” kicks off Monday, November 17th, where you can get your music in the hands of some of the world’s biggest music publishers for potential placements in TV, film, ads, and more. Join the Challenge by signing up for a free trial of MAD Records Collective below:🎶 This episode features “Body of Go
MR Podcast #5 -The Music Streaming Economy (with Samply CEO, Eric Schirtzinger)
👍 Stream the audio-only version of this podcast on Samply by clicking here.🎉 The MAD Records Collective is officially OPEN! Start your 30-day free trial and get opportunities and support for your music career. 🎶 This episode features “Little Ghosts” by MAD Records Collective member, Paul Hallman. You check out the full song (and more of Paul’s music) by clicking here.IT’S BACKKKKK!At long last… t
The Future of the Music Industry (ft. Emily White)
If you don’t know Emily White, you really should.Emily is a music tech product lead and alumni of Spotify, Billboard and NPR Music, and yesterday we covered a very light topic….“THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY”In this open discussion, we tackle streaming, some major trends in the industry, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and where we see the industry moving in the next few years.Check i
My interview with The Lumineers' Stelth Ulvang
I remember blasting “Stubborn Love” in my 2004 Acura RSX as I drove around Scranton PA in my senior year of high school…I’d pick up friends and purposely restart the song as they got close to the car so they’d think I had good music taste (and so they wouldn’t miss the chorus…)Well… if only cringey high-school Michael knew that just a brief 12 years later…. I’d have the pleasure of speaking with S
(New video) Trying to build an email list?
Imagine my horror when I realized you can only join SubStack live from your phone…60 minutes of staring at myself on the (always unforgiving) front camera of my iPhone…But alas, I do it for you.Today I spent a lovely hour with Seth Werkheiser of SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB, AKA the man in charge of email marketing for record labels like MNRK Heavy and Last Gang Records.Now… an hour isn’t long enough
A real music competition show?
Nothing beats the buzz of a live show.Nothing also beats the buzz of chilling on your couch.What happens when you combine the two? You get our new live music competition show, “Battle of the Bands”!(Or you get a sofa in a dirty venue which…. doesn’t sound as nice.)Battle of the Bands is a new show (now exclusively on SubStack 🫡) where four of the best up-and-coming bands in Nashville, TN take the
"Like Kill Tony for music"
Hey everyone!We recently made the decision to start moving all of our video content from YouTube to SubStack 🎉So I’d like to (re)introduce you to our music competition show, “Battle of the Bands”.Unlike the current music competition shows where Reba McIntyre is snorting coke in a spinning chair while Blake Shelton and Pharrell KISS on the lips…(These are jokes don’t sue us…)Our show is just about
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