Everyone keeps talking about "the good old days" — but were they really that good? Or just better at hiding the bullshit?

This episode kicks off with the Magic Wand Question (00:00): If you could wave a wand and change one thing about the music industry, what would it be? From equity to ownership to toxic structures, the crew goes straight for the pressure points.

Then the convo pivots to influence, ownership, and the illusion of visibility (09:04). They unpack why artists are more "seen" than ever — and somehow still more broke, more leveraged, and more replaceable.

Next, they hit the playlist culture trap (17:53). Are artists really breaking, or are they just being broken? They challenge the idea of "going viral" as a business model and expose the short-term mentality baked into modern rollouts.

They go deeper into infrastructure and the death of the middle class artist (26:36), asking why nobody is building long-term systems for sustainability — just hype cycles and fake momentum.

That leads into a fire section on cultural shifts and authenticity (35:38), including what kids are actually responding to in music right now — and how misreading that leads to disconnected marketing and generic output.

Then it's time to face the beast: AI in music (44:25). The crew unpacks the truth behind the hype, what tech is really doing to the industry, and how power is shifting — again — away from creators.

They follow that with a sharper critique of tech's role in replacing human taste (53:32). It's not just tools replacing jobs — it's platforms shaping culture by algorithm instead of instinct.

The group slows it down for a raw talk on mental health, pressure, and community (62:16), sharing what it feels like to work in a system that rarely prioritizes humans.

From there, it's back to the money. They break down the realities of platform promotion and investor games (71:01) — who's getting paid, who's getting used, and why most "promotion" isn't actually for you.

Finally, they close with a call for ownership and real change (80:04). It's not enough to make content. You have to build something that's yours.

In this episode, Melanie McClain (Founder of Blurred Lines, DSP Music Programming) Michael Pelczynski (Co-Founder Voice-Swap and EVP Rostrum Pacific) Sabrina Kalimian (artist manager & founder of Childish), and Donny Slater (GM, Third + Hayden and Co-Founder, ROLLOUT)

What happens when a major music industry conference pulls up to Atlanta… but forgets to bring Atlanta? In this episode, Donny and Melanie hold it down while Mike and Sabrina are deep in the grind (00:00). They kick things off reflecting on what it means to become the suit (01:10), and why understanding your role in the system matters before you become part of the problem. Donny shares how he's navigating new deal structures and pushing for artist-first royalty innovation (05:20).

Melanie opens up about her multi-hyphenate work across community, product, and fashion, including her Blurred Lines bootcamp (10:50) and her recent speaking gigs at Princeton and NYU (14:25). The episode turns toward the controversial Music Biz 2025 conference in Atlanta — or more accurately, 45 minutes outside of it (19:15). They unpack how it missed the moment, ignored the city's culture, and felt more like a secret meeting than an inclusive experience (25:30).

From there, they talk about what real integration and connection look like — starting with the power of dinners over panels (28:10), and how face-to-face still matters. The conversation turns to Atlanta's current musical and cultural shift in the post-Young Thug era (34:00), and the rising alt scenes quietly building through platforms like Lotus Rosary and Beats and Ballets (39:20).

Then, a powerful pivot: All-American Rejects are playing house shows across the country (44:05), and indie fans are eating it up. But what about LaRussell — who's been doing this for years in his backyard? Why does a legacy act get the press while the innovator gets left out? (49:10). Donny and Mel compare that to how Google duplicated a grassroots fashion tech app (Doji) without credit (55:40), and explore the bigger question: Why does culture get mined but not funded?

They close with a message to builders and creatives alike — keep showing up, keep creating, and protect your brilliance from becoming someone else's launchpad (59:30).

This episode features half the crew: Donny Slater (GM of Third + Hayden & Co-Founder of ROLLOUT) and Melanie McClain (Founder of Blurred Lines, DSP Music Programming)

The crew dives into how taste is evolving, how culture keeps getting repackaged, and what it really means to build movements that last. It starts with a breakdown of the "Guys with Dads" — the new class of well-funded outsiders shaping scenes they didn't build (08:00). Jordi explains why Animal House stepped back from events and how Live Nation and brands priced out the real ones (15:00), while Melanie unpacks how brands ghost-promote off the backs of tastemakers they never credit (21:00). Michael gives a rare inside look at how culture gets treated in boardrooms (26:00), and the group talks about fatigue, fragmentation, and why monoculture may never return (40:00). Donny drops his now-iconic "water" analogy — culture is the resource, taste is knowing what to say no to, and if you truly have culture, there is no risk (52:00). The room gets vulnerable about ego, exclusion, and being overlooked by the same systems that profit off their taste (1:05:00), then Donny maps out the triangle: culture, taste, and money — and why most people only ever master two (1:12:00).

This episode features the full crew: Donny Slater (GM of Third + Hayden & Co-Founder of ROLLOUT), Melanie McClain (Founder of Blurred Lines, DSP Music Programming), and Michael Pelczynski (Co-Founder of Voice-Swap & EVP at Rostrum Pacific). They're joined by guest host Jordi Ross, Founder and CEO of @animalxhouse and @3rdshiftnyc.