Welcome to the season 3 finale of You Had to Be There! This week, I’m joined by Warner Bailey, who helped build one of the most honest, funny, and unexpectedly powerful platforms in entertainment.

Warner is the co-founder of Assistant Vs. Agents, the meme account turned media brand that spotlights the real experiences of assistants across the industry. We talk about the philosophy of “working your way up,” what actually makes a great assistant, and how humor can serve as both a coping mechanism and a catalyst for change.

Be sure to check out all of the incredible work AvA has been up to by following them at the links in the episode show notes, along with Warner’s curated playlist for this episode. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll catch you next time for the start of season 4 of You Had to Be There.

Assistants vs. Agents Website

Warner's Playlist

You Had to Be There IG

(Outro music: Sunday - Sea Lemon)

Welcome back to You Had to Be There! This week, I’m excited to welcome Alec Ellin, Co-Founder and CEO of Laylo.

Laylo is a CRM, or Customer Relationship Management drop platform, used by leading artists, promoters, and event teams, including Ariana Grande, John Summit, Sombr, and many more. Since 2021, Laylo has driven over $1 billion in sales across tickets, merch, and content, and launched ticketing partnerships, with more than 200,000 drops last year alone.

We talked about how Laylo got its start, where the company stands today, and the path ahead as it helps artists and live events grow their audiences and build momentum around every drop.

You can find Laylo in the episode show notes, along with a playlist Alec curated for this episode. And next time your favorite artist texts you about their tour, it might just be coming from Laylo. Thanks so much for listening; I’ll catch you next time.

Laylo

Laylo on Linkedin

Alec’s Playlist

Episode outro: Nervous Tics by Maribou State

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. I’m so excited to introduce my guest this week, Erin Singleton, the founder of Softside.

Softside connects music artists & creative communities via officially licensed, fan-designed merchandise partnerships. Erin has created a legit digital home for fan-designed merch, with simplified licensing, artist approvals, and structured revenue sharing that actually supports the creative communities behind it. We also get into their recent merch drop with Geese, designed by fans, who you might recognize from their major breakout year and their performance as last week’s SNL musical guest...!

You can check out Softside in the episode show notes, along with Erin’s playlist she curated alongside this episode. Thanks so much for listening, and be sure to stay tuned for new episodes and announcements coming soon.

Softside Merch Website

Softside Merch IG

Erin’s Playlist

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I’m fangirling a bit because I got to speak with the iconic, blue-haired, and effortlessly cool Charlotte Sands. Charlotte is a pop punk artist who blends upbeat melodies with honest, self-reflective lyrics. Her upcoming album, Satellite, really encapsulates where she’s been (including opening for The Maine and Yungblud on tour), who she is, and where she’s headed in her career (her next album is out March 6!) You can pre-save her album and stream a handful of singles now, and be sure to check out Charlotte’s playlist she curated for this episode in the show notes. Thanks for listening, be sure to presave her album, and I’lll catch you next time.

Charlotte's IG

Charlotte's Playlist

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Welcome back to You Had to Be There! I’m so excited to end the year with a special episode featuring one of my all-time favorite bands, Twen. I’m joined by Jane and Ian to talk about their DIY approach in everything they do, from writing songs to touring across the country, and what it’s taken to find real success on their own terms.

Be sure to check out the playlist Jane and Ian curated below, alongside this episode in the show notes. You can also follow Twen at the links I’ve included. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you in 2026.

Twen's Playlist

Twen YouTube

Twen IG

You Had to Be There IG

Welcome back! I’m so excited to introduce Erica Campbell as this week’s guest. Erica is a seasoned music editor and writer, and most recently the former Music Editor of PAPER. She has a way of seeing artists before the rest of the world catches on, and today we get to tap into that perspective: the culture she’s observing, the shifts she’s excited about, and the moments that remind her why this work matters.

You can find Erica’s curated music playlist alongside this episode in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening. Be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

Follow Erica on IG

Erica’s Playlist

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast that dives deep into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Alany Rodriguez, festival and conference programmer for SXSW’s music initiatives. In her role, Alany helps bring to life everything from Keynote & Featured Speakers, artist demo listening sessions, and music conference content. She’s also a professional member of the Recording Academy and currently serves on the National Music Education & Professional Development Committee.

It’s clear that Alany truly loves what she does — and what stood out to me most is how she views the music industry as more than just business. For her, it’s about curating unforgettable experiences and creating moments that fans and artists carry with them long after the show ends.

After the episode, be sure to check out Alany’s curated playlist, linked in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll catch you next time.

Alany's Playlist

Alany's LinkedIn

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Welcome back to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I’m thrilled to be joined by Kristin Robinson. Kristin is a Senior Correspondent at Billboard and the host of On the Record, Billboard’s new podcast that unpacks the biggest stories at the crossroads of music, business, and technology. Over the course of her career, Kristin has become a leading voice on music publishing, tech, and the rise of AI in the music industry.

Kristin has written standout cover stories for Billboard on artists like Charli XCX’s Brat Summer, Mustard’s role in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” and Ghostwriter’s viral AI-generated track “Heart on My Sleeve” featuring ‘Fake Drake’—which we’ll be digging into in this episode.

Some other exciting news: you can now watch clips of the biggest moments from this interview over on You Had to Be There’s Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod. After the episode, be sure to check out Kristin’s curated playlist a which you can find in the episode show notes. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch you next time.

Kristin’s IG

Kristin’s Playlist

Billboard’s On The Record Podcast