Money 4 Nothing

A podcast on music and capitalism hosted by Saxon Baird and Sam Backer. Dropped every other week.

Spotify Culture (Featuring Liz Pelly + David Turner)
Feb 19, 2025 – 01:28:55
"Homeboy Need a Subpoena": Drake Sues UMG
Feb 4, 2025 – 54:14
What Trump Could Mean for AI and Music
Jan 20, 2025 – 57:23
Financializing Everything (W/ Andrew deWaard)
Dec 21, 2024 – 01:09:31
TikTok VS….Music? (W/ Kristin Robinson)
Dec 6, 2024 – 44:34
Roan Rising: The zoomer soft coup and the future of mass culture
Nov 12, 2024 – 01:08:56
Streaming Music, Streaming Capital (W/ Eric Drott)
Oct 18, 2024 – 01:17:05
NÜ METAL FOREVER (w/ Holiday Kirk)
Sep 27, 2024 – 01:27:09
Taking on Ticketmaster (W/ Kevin Erickson)
Aug 28, 2024 – 01:22:49
AI Music VS. The Lawsuit Tsunami
Aug 5, 2024 – 01:07:41
Are you Ex-Sphere-enced?
Jul 15, 2024 – 01:05:42
How Hip Hop Conquered the Charts (feat. Amy Coddington)
Jun 19, 2024 – 55:21
Embracing Our Fandom (W/ Monia Ali)
May 24, 2024 – 01:15:12
The Political Economy of Rap Beefs
May 12, 2024 – 01:10:02
Karaoke and Personal Pop
Apr 26, 2024 – 59:05
Millennials Nostalgia Tour
Apr 12, 2024 – 31:24
Keep on Streamin’ in the Free World
Apr 5, 2024 – 01:02:04
A Living Wage and a Tik Tok Ban: Could…Congress Transform Music?
Mar 20, 2024 – 01:11:03
Imagine Dragons: The Most Popular Band of the Millennium?
Feb 26, 2024 – 01:09:36
Universal VS. TikTok: The Showdown No One Should Have Wanted
Feb 5, 2024 – 29:47
Pitchfork, GQ, and the Music Criticism Lifestyle
Jan 30, 2024 – 01:07:00
Royalty Rumble at Spotify and a Crisis at Hipgnosis
Jan 11, 2024 – 58:45
BMI Sells Out
Dec 16, 2023 – 58:58
Can You Actually Support This Podcast On Patreon? (w/Penny Fractions)
Nov 21, 2023 – 47:38
E-Zoo and the Future of Nightlife
Nov 3, 2023 – 57:55
Bandcamp Blues: (Penny Fractions 4 Nothing)
Oct 20, 2023 – 44:18
Scooter, Baby! The Life and Times of the Most 2010’s Manager You Can Possibly Imagine
Oct 13, 2023 – 59:29
Moog’s World: The Story Behind the Synthesizer Behind Modern Music (feat. Albert Glinsky)
Sep 20, 2023 – 01:22:36
State of Pl-A(i) With Cherie Hu
Sep 2, 2023 – 01:09:54
Astroworld and the opposite of ”Utopia”
Aug 10, 2023 – 01:01:20
Super Fans and Super Strikes
Jul 21, 2023 – 01:03:20
Ambient Music: Functionality and Liberating Potentials
Jun 30, 2023 – 01:07:08
K-Pop Merger Mania (feat. the Idolcast)
Jun 16, 2023 – 01:11:13
Merlin and What It Means (and Meant) to be Indie
May 31, 2023 – 01:02:24
The Great Music AI Contradiction (Live at Wavelengths Summit)
May 11, 2023 – 48:59
Blurred Lines and the Future of Copyright
Apr 24, 2023 – 01:07:33
Inside the Algorithm Factory: Music Recommendations (w/ Nick Seaver)
Apr 10, 2023 – 01:04:43
Streaming in the Dark: No One Knows Anything (w/ Meredith Rose)
Mar 24, 2023 – 59:00
Spotify Redux (Quiet Threats + Desperate Flailing)
Mar 7, 2023 – 01:11:34
From Houston to the World: The Political Economy of DJ Screw (with Lance Scott Walker)
Feb 18, 2023 – 01:18:19
Metadata Errors in the Lime Green Lamborghini (With Kristin Robinson)
Feb 1, 2023 – 01:00:53
Reggaeton Gets Sued
Jan 16, 2023 – 59:44
A.I. in Der Klub (And Your Next Playlist)
Jan 2, 2023 – 01:10:48
What Taylor Swift Tells Us About the Billboard Charts
Dec 19, 2022 – 01:04:55
The Rise and Fall of SST Records with Jim Ruland
Dec 1, 2022 – 53:10
Penny Fractions Live with Cherie Hu and Liz Pelly
Nov 16, 2022 – 01:02:20
Dan Ozzi on the Political Economy of Selling Out
Nov 1, 2022 – 01:11:00
The Music Catalog Acquisition Cool Down
Oct 18, 2022 – 57:56
Damon Krukowski on Unions, Streaming, and Musical Labor
Sep 23, 2022 – 51:49
The KLF: A Foolproof Way To Hit No. 1
Sep 8, 2022 – 01:16:38

Recent Reviews

Taylor Fixed Rhythms

So good!

I run a small independent electronic music label, and the attention Sam and Saxon pay to the financial side, something not every music fan may obsess over, is so refreshing. Nothing is obscured, but nothing is oversimplified. It’s made me feel both sane and inspired. Thanks!
LibertyOrDeathToday

Raising the Right Questions

I just stumbled on this podcast by searching for Damon Krukowski—I like his writing, and was curious to see if he’d been interviewed about the music industry during COVID. These guys had a good conversation with him, and I’m eager to dig into more of the earlier episodes. They are raising the right questions. Keep up the good work.
abstinancydrew

Big return on investment

Money for nothing made my music biz stock skyrocket
Prof Simon

A peek

A peek under the hood of the culture that shapes us. We really are enjoying the golden age of podcasting with shows like this.
Big Cat from BK

Awesome pod!! A must for music nerds

This is a real gem! I love hearing the guys intricately navigate through a unique landscape of topics related to the music biz. So many nooks and crannies explored that have been otherwise overlooked. 5/5..hoping for a lot more content like this!
mama_neta

Deep and approachable

Love the fresh perspectives on music and the industry. Great guests!
Big Adult Youth

Best music podcast

One of the most cleared music shows
GR8_TASTE

🎶🏛🔨

my favorite podcast about music and capitalism
redandblack13

Super engaging deep dives on the music industry

Engaging and approachable deep dives into the music industry, tying together how music is changing, how the business model is changing, and contextualizing that in the past or with laws or so much more. Wish there were transcripts!
BNNR06

Outstanding

Podcast #17 is outstanding. I’m over 60 and not particularly knowledgeable about music, but love to listen and have tried live streaming during this time. This s how helps illuminate the many different challenge and issues related to the pandemic and the impact on music and the industry. This bid all framed within a thoughtful politics and financial framework. Learned a lot!
mimms

A music podcast that isn’t all about hot takes and reviews

I’ve listened to the first few episodes and it’s really different from any other music podcast I’ve heard...and that’s a good thing! Smart thoughts about the music industry not often talked or written about.