This episode is in 2 parts. We’re talking tech, marketing, AI and the music industry with entrepreneur, Rich Harless.

Rich Harless is a Berlin-based, US-born entrepreneur and the founder of Feather, a company pioneering AI-powered brand measurement for digital advertisers. Prior to launching Feather, Rich held leadership roles at leading music and media companies such as AOL, Shazam, and Digitalstage.io, where he collaborated with some of the world’s largest streaming platforms, record labels, and a diverse range of independent artists. With over two decades of experience across digital advertising, emerging technology, and the creative industries, Rich has worked at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and augmented reality, helping brands and media platforms navigate technological shifts.

We talk about old versus new music; the disconnect between art and business; about streaming platforms. The role of social media for independent artists, as Rich says it’s good for discovery but not for monetisation.

For me this conversation was an invitation to think differently about how I think about the business side of my practice. I hope this conversation helps to answer questions you may have or provide a new approach to your work that you hadn’t previously considered.

And because this is a never before heard conversation from my archive and the tech space changes so rapidly, Rich very kindly came back on the pod to chat with me about what he’s up to now and the latest changes in the tech space (Pt 2). For example, the first time we spoke it was centred around web 3 and NFTs and now the focus has shifted to AI. I decided to keep it in, because Rich explains things so clearly it helps provide a kind of technological arc, if you like, to understand where things are at now.

Guest: Rich Harless

Title: It’s like skywriting in a hurricane

Music: Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Purple Disco Machine

Links

Rich Harless on Linkedin

Feather agency

Ted Gioia - Is Old Music Killing New Music?

Find out more about ways to support the special limited Israel-Palestine series