Upward Spiral Podcast Continues With Extended Insights & Discussions

During the past four months,
Hypebot has been presenting to you bi-weekly episodes of The Upward Spiral
Podcast as a way to turn our daily coverage into deeper conversations;
providing extended insights and discussions around various topics surrounding
today’s evolving music space and how technology aides in its transformation.
Ten episodes in, the show continues to tackle some of today’s major issues within
the music / technology field, while bringing on a number of industry guests to
add smart, passionate and insightful voices to the discussion.

Jason Spitz, creator and co-host:

“In recent years, I've
gotten heavily into podcasts. In fact, they've replaced music
as the main type of audio I listen to in my car. I enjoy many different types
of shows – comedy, interview, pop-culture commentary – but I found myself
dissatisfied with the handful of music-industry podcasts that
were available. No disrespect – the creators of those podcasts are
smart and excellent people – but I felt like I wasn't finding the kinds of
discussions or podcasting styles
that I wanted to hear. Now, I'm the type of person who can talk forever about
music industry issues, and I know a bunch of intelligent folks who have strong
opinions on those topics. So I figured I'd just create my own show! 

“The idea behind The Upward
Spiral was to bring intelligent, opinionated folks together for a conversation
about issues that really matter to artists, professionals, and people who care
about the future of the music industry. I wanted the discussions to be a mix of
practical advice and big-picture ideas. The show also allows us to pick up on
hot topics from earlier in the week and have an extended conversation about
them – going deeper than blog comments and Tweets allow. 

“We've heard brilliant commentary
from industry leaders like Ian Rogers and Robin Davey, and we've gotten
insightful perspectives from independent artists & professionals like
guitarist Aaron Tap and Katie Rentfro of Magnolia Red Management. I look
forward to more chats and interviews with smart people from all corners of the
industry.”

Kyle Bylin, co-host:

“During a dinner
conversation, Jason and I first talked about starting a podcast. We always chat
about the music and technology trends, so why not create a show where can we do
just that?

“Jason floated the idea of
calling our new podcast ‘The Music Industry Futurecast’ or something like that.
After giving it some thought, I suggested that we call it, "The Upward
Spiral." To me, it was a nice, clever hat tip to the downfall of the music
industry. The name grew on Jason, too.

“He believed that it aligned
with our optimistic view and related to the D.I.Y. artist movement and rise of
online streaming. So here we are now — ten episodes in — and I'm excited to
record the next show and see where the conversation takes us next.”

Hisham Dahud, co-host:

“This podcast
has been a fantastic way to translate some of the bigger things going on within
the music business, and approach it from an analytical and conversation-based
perspective. We’re constantly seeking to explore the deeper truths. The three
of us all come from very different and unique backgrounds, which makes for very
interesting feedback loops and conversations around whatever topics we choose.

“While the spark
of a particular topic may first ignite on Hypebot – or elsewhere for that
matter – this podcast provides a way for readers to place themselves in the
middle of the discussion table with fellow music / tech nerds who can literally
talk for days about the subject matter (thankfully, they’re limited to about 60
minutes per episode). The addition of industry guests has been phenomenal in tying
it all together and providing a current and up-to-date take on the issue at hand.”

Listen back at previous episodes:

Episode 10: Interview w/Incubus Manager Steve Rennie, Advice For Bands, And More

Episode 9: Grizzly Bear's Twit-troversy, Apple's "iRadio" & More

Listen / download all previous Upward Spiral epiosdes at the archive here.