#021 Darren Hemmings: Music marketing expert on how to get your music heard in 2025

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Returning guest Darren Hemmings is a music marketing expert and the founder of a creative marketing agency specialising in music called Motive Unknown.

He's also the author of the excellent Network Notes Substack.

How do you break through in 2025? How do you even get your music heard? These problems are as pertinent for acts signed to big labels as it is for people just starting out.

Is streaming a problem? And what is the role of labels today? We address all these things and much more besides in a vital conversation for anyone with even a passing interest in music, the industry, and the development of culture in today’s big tech- dominated world.

This is a great conversation with a returning guest who will definitely be on the show again!

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Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist

Chapters:

02:41 Intro

04:34 Music marketing: constantly changing… or just copycatting?

07:59 The Death of Monoculture

12:30 Why do labels exist anymore?

14:35 Labels as a nexus point

18:05 Big Tech hates teenage girls

20:07 Music is worth… nothing

22:07 Flood the market with crap

26:10 Sorry, but not everyone’s an artist

27:13 Raves without phones

29:55 The “S” word

35:53 The importance of local scenes

39:20 What does change look like

44:46 Déjà Vu: The next music industry collapse

48:23 Oasis, K-Pop, and the price of nostalgia

55:00 Did Indie labels blow their shot?

56:05 Private equity, KKR and boycotting

01:04:21 The role of journalism and criticism

01:08:14 Is Gen Z missing out?

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