FIREBIRD'S HUBBARD TALKS DATA, AI, TIKTOK

Artists have no excuse for not owning the direct-to-customer relationship with their fans as part of the ever-evolving music-industry landscape, Firebird co-founder Nathan Hubbard tells Fast Company in a wide-ranging interview about the state of the biz.

The former Ticketmaster honcho, erstwhile Twitter exec and entrepreneur says that in order to experience meaningful growth, artists need to manage relationships in the same way businesses do: by understanding what their audiences like and how to deliver it to them.

"Let me understand their characteristics so I can service them and deliver an amazing experience across the spectrum of age and income and geolocation," he says. "Then let me use the tools that are available to advertisers and brands to go find the audiences that look like the ones I know today to grow my presence. That's the sort of science of digital-audience growth that the business world has capitalized on over the last two decades that we're now helping artists capitalize on."

Hubbard also weighed in on the impact of artificial intelligence on music, what's really behind the Taylor- and Beyoncé-fueled concert boom and how MSG's Sphere will change the game ("Sphere for me is the tip of the spear of the next evolution of the live experience, where fans are going to demand something more evolved than standing in a field," he opined. "If I'm every other venue in the world, I'm a little anxious. Now I've got to figure out how to keep up"). He expressed ambivalence, meanwhile, about the ongoing role of TikTok.

Hubbard launched Firebird last year with co-founder and former KKR partner Nat Zilkha, and it quickly acquired a minority stake in Red Light Management. The company aims to use data science and its access to capital and next-level artist-management functionality to empower—and enrich—creators of all types.

Check out the piece here. Whether or not you agree that Hubbard is "the most creative person in the music business," as the publication dubs him, you'll find some thought-provoking commentary.