Business Side of Music

Thinking about signing a record deal? Or wondering if you even need one anymore?Sandy McGraw has worked full time in the music business since he was 15. He started in publishing doing archival work on his great grandfather’s songwriting catalog, worked at a boutique jazz label in high school, moved to Los Angeles at 19 to work with Michael Feinstein, and went on to tour manage and day to day manage for Liza Minnelli. Today he runs Melody Place, an independent record label in Nashville.Sarah sits down with Sandy to talk about what a record deal really looks like now, and why the old “sign it, take the advance, see you later” model doesn’t hold up anymore. Sandy explains why his label structures deals as 50/50 net profit splits, why he thinks the master ownership fight will matter less over time, and why he treats streaming as a marketing expense instead of an income source.If you’re an independent artist, artist manager or young music industry professional trying to figure out how labels, 360 deals and artist development work today, start here.In this episode:How the modern record deal is different from deals 10 or 20 years agoWhy indie labels do the artist development majors won’t360 deals explained, and why aligned interests can mean bigger budgets for the artistWhat an A&R person actually looks for (hint: it’s still the song)Master ownership, net profit deals, and why your masters are your 401kStreaming royalties vs. real income: touring, superfans, merch, PROs and SoundExchangeWhy sync licensing is more crowded than people thinkWhat labels offer now beyond distribution: management help, booking, networking and time to developWhere record deals are headed in the next five yearsHow labels and artists are using AI music tools, and why transparency mattersSandy’s one piece of advice: passion isn’t enoughThe Business Side of Music helps independent artists and entertainment professionals understand the business so they can focus on the art.To stay in the loop, follow Business Side of Music on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, resources, and new episodes.Follow us:Facebook: @tbsompodcastInstagram: @bsompodcastTikTok: @bsompodcastwww.businesssideofmusicpodcast.com© 362 Entertainment 2026. All rights reserved.

There's more advice for new artists than ever: TikTok tips, podcasts, books, platforms pitching a "must-have" tool every week. Most of it never gets acted on, and chasing all of it can keep independent artists from moving forward.In this episode of the Business Side of Music, host Sarah Fleshner sits down with Dave Rose, owner of Deep South Entertainment and an artist manager since 1995. They strip the noise away and walk through the ten basics every developing artist should focus on to build a music career with a real strategy.You'll hear how to tell the difference between an opportunity and a strategy, and Dave's three-month notepad trick for testing shiny objects before you spend time or money on them. You'll also hear why the order of your steps matters (one artist showed up with an LLC, a website, and a checking account, but no songs), how to record without spending your life savings, and how to define your brand as a voice and values rather than a logo. They also cover why you should claim every social platform but only focus on the ones where your fans actually are, how to set six-month, one-year, and five-year goals, and how to release, measure, and adjust. Sarah also shares a fan campaign that tripled a young artist's pre-saves.You'll also learn why an email address or phone number is the most valuable thing a fan can give you, and why social media is rented space you don't control.If you're an independent artist, songwriter, or musician trying to figure out where to start, or an artist manager or music professional who wants to help clients cut through the noise, this one is for you. Dave also leaves you with the one question to answer before anything else: what does success mean to you?The Business Side of Music helps independent artists and entertainment professionals understand the business so they can focus on the art.To stay in the loop, follow Business Side of Music on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, resources, and new episodes.Follow us:Facebook: @tbsompodcastInstagram: @bsompodcastTikTok: @bsompodcastwww.businesssideofmusicpodcast.com© 362 Entertainment 2026. All rights reserved.

Uploading your song to Spotify is not the same as registering it, and that gap is costing artists real money. Every stream actually generates three separate royalties, but most artists only ever collect one.In this episode, Sarah sits down with George Macias, founder of Lumoza and a music industry veteran from EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group, to break down what a royalty actually is, why your song has two halves (composition and sound recording) that both need separate registration, and what happens to royalty money that never gets claimed.What you'll learn:The three royalty streams one stream can generate, and why distributors only cover oneWhat "registering" a song actually meansHow long you have to claim unclaimed royalty money before it's gone for goodThe exact checklist: a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC), the MLC, and SoundExchangeHow Lumoza automates the whole processLumoza is a music rights platform that automatically registers your songs with the right organizations so you get paid everything you're owed. Register your first song for free at lumoza.io/bsomTo stay in the loop, follow Business Side of Music on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, resources, and new episodes.Follow us:Facebook: @tbsompodcastInstagram: @bsompodcastTikTok: @bsompodcastwww.businesssideofmusicpodcast.com© 362 Entertainment 2026. All rights reserved.

Why do artists get busier than ever and still go broke? Because most musicians treat the paycheck as profit and forget the costs that consume it.In this episode, Sarah sits down with Gary Arbuthnot and Craig Meyer, co-founders of GigLogic, a pricing and negotiation tool built for touring artists. Craig is a lifelong performer with Broadway, film, and Disney voice credits, and creator of the touring show Rocket Man: The Elton John Experience. Gary is a classical flutist turned booking agent who spent 20+ years headlining on cruise lines before moving to the agency side of the business.They break down the one cost almost every artist forgets (it's taxes, and it can catch you owing thousands), how merchandise sales trigger tax filings in every state you sell in, and how to choose between a flat guarantee, a straight door split, or a back-end deal depending on where you are in your career. They also get into what real negotiating leverage looks like for a new artist, why 100 true fans beat 10,000 passive followers, and the red flags in an offer sheet that mean it's time to walk away.What you'll learn:Why artists can be busier than ever and still be losing money on every gigThe most common cost musicians forget to factor into an offerHow merchandise sales create tax obligations most artists don't see comingHow to evaluate a flat guarantee, a door split, and a back-end dealWhat real negotiating leverage looks like for a new or independent artistWhy organic, local fans matter more than a big but passive followingThe red flags in a contract that signal a gig isn't worth taking"Most artists think that the paycheck is the profit." — Gary Arbuthnot"The sustained artist is the free artist." — Craig A. MeyerLearn more about GigLogic at giglogic.comTo stay in the loop, follow Business Side of Music on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, resources, and new episodes.Follow us:Facebook: @tbsompodcastInstagram: @bsompodcastTikTok: @bsompodcastwww.businesssideofmusicpodcast.com© 362 Entertainment 2026. All rights reserved.

Most artists sign with a manager and have no idea what they're actually agreeing to. In this episode, Sarah sits down with James Hodgin, an artist manager since 1995 who has worked with Thousand Foot Krutch, Chris August, Zane Williams, Kylie Rae Harris, and has managed Michael Martin Murphy since 2018 — taking his Spotify audience from 75,000 to 850,000 monthly listeners.James breaks down what actually makes an artist-manager relationship work, why he compares it to a marriage, and why trust — not talent alone — is what determines whether that relationship survives. He also introduces the "grief to income ratio," the unspoken math every manager runs on whether an artist is worth the headache, and explains why he doesn't use contracts with his artists at all.Sarah and James also get into what it actually takes to break a new artist in 2026, why viral moments don't always translate to ticket sales, and why relationships — not metrics — are still the thing that moves a career forward.In this episode, you'll learn:Why the artist-manager relationship is the closest thing to a marriage in the music industryThe "grief to income ratio" and how it determines whether a manager stays or walks awayWhy James doesn't use contracts and what he does insteadHow to know when trust has broken down beyond repairWhat it actually takes to break a new artist in 2026 without a labelWhy viral views don't always translate to a paying audienceHow artists can build the kind of relationships that actually move their career forwardThe one piece of advice James gives every artist and manager starting outIf you're an independent artist, aspiring manager, or anyone trying to understand what a real artist-manager relationship should look like, this episode pulls back the curtain on a side of the business almost no one talks about honestly.To stay in the loop, follow Business Side of Music on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, resources, and new episodes.Follow us:Facebook: @tbsompodcastInstagram: @bsompodcastTikTok: @bsompodcastwww.businesssideofmusicpodcast.com© 362 Entertainment 2026. All rights reserved.