Ari’s Take is a music business education and artist advocacy company focusing on empowering musicians to have successful careers in the new music business.
Mission
Team
Ari Herstand
CEO“The poster child of DIY Music” – Forbes Los Angeles based Ari Herstand (pronounced Ar*ee Her*stand), is the author of the best-selling book How To Make It in the New Music Business (Norton / Liveright Publishing | December 20th, 2016). It remains at the top of the Amazon charts and has been widely adopted by music business schools worldwide.
His music business advice blog, Ari’s Take, has become the go-to resource for independent musicians on how to run a successful music career in the NEW music business. Herstand’s well-researched, relatable, no BS approach is why so many musicians continue to trust him for advice. He offers encouragement without condescension and maintains a “we’re all in it together” attitude not found elsewhere in the space.
Ari Herstand is an independent musician who has played over 700 shows around the country, has opened for or toured with Ben Folds, Cake, Matt Nathanson, The Milk Carton Kids and Ron Pope, has performed on Ellen, and has had his music featured in countless TV shows, commercials and films. He currently leads the 1973 funk project Brassroots District.
Herstand has written for many of the top musician trade magazines and websites including Music Connection Magazine, American Songwriter, Digital Music News, Playback Magazine, CD Baby, Tunecore, Reverbnation, Roland, Discmakers, ASCAP, Hypebot and others. He has been a featured speaker at SXSW, BBC One’s Amplify, ASCAP Music Expo, SF MusicTech, CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference and Berklee College of Music.
As an actor, he has co-starred in TV shows including Transparent, Doubt, Aquarius, Mad Men, 2 Broke Girls, The Fosters, Sam & Cat and Touch.
Cameron Rath
VP of OperationsWith 15 years in the music business, Cameron has worked across the board from being a producer at NPR, running his own artist management company, and building event series from scratch to over 10k audiences. He’s been covered in LA Times and LA Weekly for his work and won a Webby and received a Grammy nomination for his artists. Cameron is known for finding hacks in the industry and seeing “the path less traveled”. He currently serves as the VP of Operations at Ari’s Take and loves being able to give back to the independent music community.
Lea Beiley
VP of DesignLos Angeles born creative Lea Beiley is an independent musician with an eye for visual design. Her own artist project, Glory Daze, boasts over 2 million streams and has been featured in Billboard and on network television. Lea strongly believes in giving other musicians the tools to create and grow, and as Ari’s Take’s VP of Design she strives to bring both style and integrity to the face of independent music.
Lennon Cihak
Manager of OperationsEntertainment media professional specializing in music journalism, podcast production, and music production/distribution. Through podcasts, social media, and featured articles on critically acclaimed online publications, my work has reached over 40 million readers around the globe increasing fan engagement and brand awareness.
Lucidious
ATA InstructorLucidious is an entrepreneur and hip-hop artist from outside the Washington, D.C. area. Currently located in Los Angeles, he has built a fanbase in the hundreds of thousands, and has totaled over 100 million streams across all available platforms. He has built his fanbase and streaming growth with zero label investment, zero playlist placement, and zero outside marketing influence.
Songs by Lucidious are streamed an average of 4-5 million times each month by listeners around the world. His music takes a strong stand on mental health awareness, personal struggles, and the pressure that many people face in our fast-paced, tech-driven society.Lucidious’ third album, ‘Enough,’ is set to release in mid-2019. Despite his focus on running an indie label, Lucidious Music, he has spent years mastering social media marketing and entered into the world of artist development. From artists of all genres and sizes, he has seen massive growth and profitability come to each artist who is willing to learn and invest.
Vo Williams
ATA InstructorVo Williams, is a Los Angeles based rapper, singer, songwriter, composer, and performer. He is an architect and pioneer of the emerging genre dubbed Epic Hip Hop, a sound widely used in Film.Growing up with a hunger for discovering new sounds and a love for creating, has made Vo’s sound a rich fusion of musical influences.
His passion is to create iconic powerful music with scale, vivid emotional tonality, and impact.Vo’s music has been synced repeatedly by brands such Play Station, Mercedes Benz, NBA and UFC. His music has been heard in Productions like Lethal Weapon, Empire, Ballers, and Atlanta, as well as in Games such as “Watch Dogs 2”, and “The Crew 2”. Vo stands on the front lines of a revolution in Hip Hop for Film/TV, while boasting a career packed with a list of achievements.
Allyson Toy
ATA InstructorAllyson Toy is a US and China based talent manager and culture marketing professional who previously worked for Red Bull, 88rising, The Fader, CAA and WME. Toy manages Chinese-American rapper Bohan Phoenix and specializes in east-west crossover. Her past clients for localization strategy include LAUV, mtheory, REZZ and Flosstradamus and she has facilitated brand partnerships with companies such as Alibaba, Huawei, Adidas, Beats By Dre and more.
Andrew Spalter
ATA InstructorEven the U.S. and U.K.’s most popular artists have no idea what the social media and music streaming landscape looks like in China or its importance in the journey of taking an artist’s career to the next level. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify are some of the top platforms in the U.S. used as the foundation for all brands but they are ALL banned in China.
So what’s next? That’s where the East Goes Global team comes in. East Goes Global develops brands in an untapped market in the east. They establish, deliver, and execute pre-determined game plans and launch brands in China, with their client list currently including Will Smith, Yungblud, Bobby Berk, Clairo, Jessie J, DJ Snake and more. Developed by Jessie J’s former tour manager Andrew Spalter at just age 26, Spalter and East Goes Global are showing artists and managers how to think and brand globally.
Kris Mathe
ATA Student AdvisorKris Mathe is an agent assistant at Degy Entertainment where she works under Jeff Hyman in the college, festival, and fair market. She works closely with the Degyroster of artists in the college space in preparation for showcases and conferences, along with her role as the liaison for potential new artist signings.
Jenny Powers
ATA Pro Account Manager & Course ModeratorJenny Powers is a music lover, avid supporter of Girls Rock Camp, and entrepreneur from Myrtle Beach, SC. She is constantly studying the ever-changing music industry, while consistently and effectively refining her methods and services to help bands achieve their goals and build a solid, sustainable business foundation for their careers.
Jenny’s social media marketing campaigns have led to chart topping albums on Billboard, iTunes and Apple Music. “What I greatly admire about her, especially in this industry, is her straight-forward honesty. She doesn’t waste your time with just talk, she doesn’t BS you just to pull one over, and she doesn’t fluff up any details to make herself look better, she follows through with action, and she delivers real, viable results. No band should go without a Jenny!” – Jeremy Anderson, TreeHouse!
