Why I Started This Substack (and How It’s Going)

Plus: 40+ additional music startups added to the fan-first database. Next month: The resilience of college radio.

I write monthly essays exploring the future of music through the lens of fandom, technology, curation, startups and culture, drawing on insights from my 13+ years working in music at Spotify, Billboard, NPR Music and advising music startups. October’s essay will be on the resilience and future of college radio.

Five months and 2,000+ subscribers into writing this newsletter, I am reflecting on what I’ve learned and where we're headed. But first—updates!

Updates & Highlights

🎧 Fan-First Music Startup Database
I just updated the database with 40+ additional startups—now at over 120 companies building for artists and fans. If you’ve already downloaded, just hit refresh for the latest version. If not, you can purchase it here ($20 minimum) or get it included with a paid subscription to this newsletter ($8/month):

A few highlights from this batch:

• Sleeve.fm, a fan community platform “with a touch of MySpace vibes”

• mpfive, a genuinely cool AI co-creation experience that works with artists, not at their expense

• Soundlink, music marketing with actual streaming attribution (!)

• Freakscene, retro haven for DIY shows

🎧 [Updated] 120+ Music Startups: A Curated Guide

📺 Future of Music Interview
I joined

Michael Gilbride

from MAD Records for a Substack Live conversation about where music is headed. We talked fandom, AI, new models, and why he runs a label that takes 0% from artists while releasing his own music directly on Substack:

The Future of the Music Industry (ft. Emily White)

Why I Started this Substack

Photo credit: Oliver Farshi, LA Times (2024)

We’re on the precipice of another big shift in music. Streaming has matured, but still leaves many artists and fans dissatisfied. I created this newsletter to explore the post-streaming era through the lens of music fandom and culture.

My intentions were:

• User research. As a product creator, it’s essential for me to be where the people I build products for (music fans, artists, and their teams) are to deeply understand their needs. There is a unique and exciting community of artists and music lovers on Substack I wanted to be a part of.

• Build a reachable audience. After a decade+ of writing online in places where I could easily lose access to my followers, it felt important to build my own reachable audience and develop a future distribution channel for the products I build.

• Follow curiosity. I wanted an outlet to follow natural waves of interest and curiosity, experiment and enjoy the process (something I’m still learning to embrace as an outcome-driven person).

How it’s Going

Five essays and 2,000+ subscribers later, I’m enjoying the process, having rich conversations, getting valuable feedback on prototypes and learning a ton (like the fact that Gen Z music fans are buying MP3 players!) Thank you for being here, it’s been energizing.

What’s Next

This newsletter was never intended to be a revenue stream—it’s a lead generator and a place to learn. For me, Reach > Revenue.

But my next experiment is turning on paid subscriptions, precisely because I want to expand my reach. That may seem counterintuitive but here’s my reasoning:

1. The Substack growth engine is more incentivized to promote publications that generate revenue.

2. I have leaderboard FOMO (+ charts are a great discovery tool)

Nothing is changing for free subscribers:

1. No paywalls. All posts will stay free.

2. Same publishing cadence: first Wednesday of every month.

Paid subscribers will get:

1. Instant access to the fan-first music tech database ($20 value)

2. 5% of subscription revenue donated quarterly to music related charities 💖

   1. First up: Give a Beat, a California 501(c)3 organization that offers DJ, music production, and educational programs inside and outside youth and adult correctional facilities.

   2. $250 = 3 months of music mentorship for a formerly incarcerated individual.

   3. $1000 = the cost of one incarcerated person to join the prison electronic music program.

3. Founding members only: One complimentary 60 minute Office Hours session with me ($375 value)

4. Support my work and keep it free for everyone to read ✨

Coming Next Month

October’s essay will be about the resilience and future of college radio. As a former college radio GM, I’m fascinated by how student-run stations continue to thrive against the odds and what lessons they hold for the future of music discovery.

👉 If you’re involved in a station or know one I should talk to, let me know.

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