Billboard On The Record

With over 100,000 songs hitting streaming platforms every day, according to Luminate, is the music industry struggling to keep up? Milana Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Stem, sits down on Billboard On The Record to break down what this fast-growing number of daily uploads means for artists, discoverability and the future of music making itself. Lewis explores whether AI songs and white noise should be given the same royalty as human-made songs, how social media has rewritten the path to success and why artists today have more tools than ever to make music — but less clarity on how they can actually break through. 

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Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
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Country music has taken over the charts, and Nashville is no longer just a country town. Seth England, CEO of Big Loud, sits down with Billboard On The Record host Kristin Robinson for a conversation about how his label has helped shape the modern country landscape and how artists like Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line and HARDY have driven the genre’s rise. England breaks down how Nashville has become a hub for songwriters across genres, what actually drives hit-making today and why artist development remains one of the most important pillars at Big Loud.

Love what you hear? Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Billboard On The Record.

Keep up with us on IG @billboardontherecord, TikTok @billboardontherecord and @wordsbykristin.

Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prediction markets have become mainstream and are changing the way fans engage with music and pop culture. Kalshi COO and co-founder Luana Lopes Lara joins Billboard On The Record to discuss how the platform is expanding into new categories and giving music superfans the ability to put money behind their favorite artists and predictions. She breaks down why she believes it was essential for Kalshi to be fully government regulated, how the company views insider trading and why she sees music and entertainment as essential to the platform's future.

Love what you hear? Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Billboard On The Record.

Keep up with us on IG @billboardontherecord, TikTok @billboardontherecord and @wordsbykristin.

Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music streaming is a crowded market where platforms offer most of the same content, so how does Apple Music differentiate itself? Oliver Schusser, vp of Apple Music and international content, Apple, joins Billboard On The Record to break down how the service has transitioned from its early Beats Music roots into one of the world’s leading streaming platforms. He explains Apple Music’s focus on a curated, high-quality listening experience built around editorial expertise, artist relationships and product integration rather than scale alone. Schusser also discusses Apple’s stance on maintaining a paid-only model, how the platform uses AI in discovery and fraud prevention and the importance of its partnerships with artists and labels.

Love what you hear? Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Billboard On The Record.

Keep up with us on IG @billboardontherecord, TikTok @billboardontherecord and @wordsbykristin.

Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian and Gospel music are having a major moment. According to Luminate, Christian and Gospel has risen by 25% from 2024 to 2025 — making it the second fastest growing genre in America behind Rock. Lecrae, four-time Grammy-winning Christian artist and founder of Reach Records, joins Billboard On The Record to break down the genre’s rapid growth, how it’s attracting younger fans and the nuances of combining faith with business. From building his own independent label to staying tapped in with rising artists, Lecrae shares his journey creating a career outside the traditional system, why speaking out matters and what makes Christian music a uniquely powerful and complex space.

Love what you hear? Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Billboard On The Record.

Keep up with us on IG @billboardontherecord, TikTok @billboardontherecord and @wordsbykristin.

Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices