The Role of Empathy in Leadership with Andrew Antar

Empathetic industry disruption isn't about moving fast and breaking things, it's about noticing who a broken system is actually hurting. In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, hosts Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski welcome Andrew Antar, founder and CEO of Tune.fm and a classically trained violinist, to talk about what it takes to rebuild the music industry around the people who make the music.

In this episode we explore:

• Why most musicians never see real money from streaming, even when a song is a hit
• How label advances quietly turn into debt that most artists can never pay off
• What "when the music gets played, the artist gets paid" actually means on Tune.fm
• Why blockchain micro-payments make something like this possible for the first time
• What it took to raise funding for a company most investors wouldn't touch
• Why Andrew sees himself as an antidote to the industry, not just another competitor in it

Andrew has watched the same pattern repeat for years. Labels front artists money to record an album, then quietly recoup it from royalties before the artist sees a cent: "until those labels recoup their advances, the artist is essentially indebted to the labels." His comparison lands hard: it's "sort of like if you have a restaurant and you have the chefs who are creating the food, and they don't get paid at all."

His answer is blunt and specific. The idea behind Tune.fm, in his own words: "when the music gets played, the artist gets paid... for every single second that their music is streamed." That's only possible because of blockchain micro-payments that can move "a fraction of a penny from here to Zimbabwe," something no card network or bank can do. Fans don't need to understand any of it to use it: "you don't actually need a wallet. We've done all the work for you."

Building it meant ignoring the easy path. Andrew turned down the well-worn startup playbook on purpose, knowing what he was signing up for: "just the fact that I'm in the music industry will turn off 98% of investors." He kept going anyway, because the alternative felt worse than the risk.

That same instinct, building for the people actually creating the value instead of the middlemen extracting it, is exactly what good marketing has to get right too. It's the same principle behind Zero Company's approach: put the real audience first, not just whoever's easiest to bill.

Key Takeaways

• (3:37) His founding motto: "when the music gets played, the artist gets paid"

• (10:31) The debt trap most artists face: "until those labels recoup their advances, the artist is essentially indebted to the labels"

• (15:41) Why blockchain makes this possible for the first time: "the ability to do global micro payments at scale seamlessly, instantly, with virtually no fees... is something that only crypto blockchain can deliver"

• (22:23) Nearly all investors wouldn't touch the music industry: "just the fact that I'm in the music industry will turn off 98% of investors"

• (40:18) Asked if love doesn't belong in business: "if you don't love your business, then you have no business being in that business"

FAQ

How does Tune.fm make sure artists actually get paid?
Andrew Antar built Tune.fm around blockchain micro-payments that send artists a fraction of a penny directly, wallet to wallet, every time their music is streamed, with no label or middleman taking a cut first.

Why do so many musicians end up owing money to their record labels?
Labels typically advance artists money to record an album, which the artist has to pay back out of streaming royalties before earning anything themselves. Andrew Antar says that debt trap means even successful artists often see very little of the money their music actually generates.

Why did most investors initially avoid Tune.fm?
Andrew Antar says simply being in the music industry turned off roughly 98% of investors, who consider it too risky and too littered with failed startups. He built the company anyway, eventually raising over $80 million through token financing instead of the traditional venture path.

Andrew's answer when asked if love doesn't belong in business: "those people are pretty short sighted... if you don't love your business, then you have no business being in that business." Learn more about Andrew and Tune.fm at tune.fm.