The Live Music Industry Podcast

#48 - From FOMO to Sold-Out: How Smart Marketing Actually Moves Tickets

What does it actually take to move more tickets, and can AI give live music marketers more time to focus on the work that matters? In this episode of the Live Music Indu

#47 - Shape-Shifting Stages: Inside the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

What does it take to run a venue that can literally change shape? In this episode, Matt Ford sits down with Jeff Thielke, Executive Director of the Cerritos Center for t

#46 - Building Bleecker Bell: A 200-Cap Bet on Manhattan’s Future

In this week’s episode, Matt Ford sits down with Hap Pardo, Director of Musical Operations at Wha Entertainment to talk about Bleecker Bell, the new 200-cap venue prepari

#45 - Live Nation Monopoly Case Update and the StubHub Scandal

There’s been a verdict in the Live Nation/Ticketmaster antitrust case. So what happens now? Matt Ford sits down again with artist manager and industry operator Randy Nic

#44 - Inside One of America's Most Innovative Performing Arts Centers

Matt sits down with Randy Vogel of Mesa Arts Center to explore what it takes to lead one of the country's most dynamic multidisciplinary performing arts campuses. Randy

#43 - The AI Playbook for Booking & Marketing Shows

After a popular fireside chat at NIVA a few weeks ago, Matt Ford and Pat Hannigan, Co-Founder & CTO of Hive, sat down to continue the conversation around one of the bigge

#42 - Tixr’s Story: Tech, AI Resale, and the Future of Live Events

In this episode, Matt Ford sits down with Sara Mertz (VP, Music Partnerships) and Steve Oberman (VP, Partnerships) from Tixr to discuss the future of independent ticketin

#41 - No-Contract Ticketing: Why Loyalty Should Be Earned, Not Enforced

In this episode, Matt Ford sits down with Justin Kantor, Founder of VenuePilot, to unpack a radically different approach to ticketing—one that challenges long-standing in

#40 - From Clubs to Arenas: How Independent Promoters Are Scaling Smarter

In this episode, Matt Ford sits down with Lucas Fritz and Jessica Gordon, co-owners and talent buyers for Broadberry Entertainment Group, to explore how independent promo

#39 - Why Live Music Is Sacred: Community, Ghosts, and the Economics of Staying Independent

In this episode, Matt sits down with Jesse Lauter, Head of Production & Media at Dayglo Presents, the team behind iconic venues like Brooklyn Bowl and The Capitol Theatre

#38 - Should Promoters Share Ticket Buyer Data? with Matt Washburn (Atlas Touring)

The live music industry runs on ticket sales but fights over who owns the data behind them. Matt Washburn of Atlas Touring joins us to debate the case for and against sha

#37 - The Live Nation Trial Isn’t Over: Inside the States’ Revolt

This one’s a big deal. The Live Nation/Ticketmaster antitrust case is one of the most consequential battles in live music right now, and it’s far more complicated than th

#36 – David vs. Goliath: The Promoter Who Went to Washington

In this episode, Matt Ford sits down with David Weingarden, Vice President of Concerts + Events at Z2 Entertainment, independent promoter, and chair of the Colorado Indep

#35 - Laylo’s “Drops” Playbook: Turning Social Hype into Ticket & Merch Sales

In this episode of The Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with Alec Ellin, Co-Founder & CEO of Laylo, for a candid conversation about fan capture, “drops,”

#34 - Inside Etix: 100 Million Tickets, Secondary Markets, All-In Pricing & AI

In this episode of The Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with Chris Battaglino (Chief Product Officer at Etix) and Michael Reklis (Director of Sales, Music

#33 - Family Business to Stadium Promoter: Building a Latin Music Powerhouse

In this episode of The Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with David Zamora, Founder & CEO of Zamora Live, one of the most active independent Latin promoter

#32 - The True Cost of the Big Check: Ticketing Advances, Fees, and Fan Frustration

On the latest episode of The Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with Boris Patronoff, founder and CEO of Soundcheck Capital and former CEO of See Tickets US

#31 - How Back 40 Live Went From Farm Market to 12,000-Person Venue

In this episode of the Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford chats with Anthony “Tony” Markun, the talent buyer behind Back 40 Live at Morris Farm Market. Tony shares ho

How McMenamins Streamlined Complexity with Prism

McMenamins is one of the most unique live music businesses in the country, with a portfolio that spans boutique hotels, pubs, and iconic (sometimes haunted 👻) venues like

#30 - Against All Odds: The Fight for Independent Venues

In this episode of The Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), for