The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

How He Got a Million Monthly Listeners and a Sold Out Tour Independently 2026-08-06 18:38:44

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jared Benjamin. Jared broke down how he went from picking up a guitar during the pandemic to earning over 100 million streams, selling out headline tours, and building an intensely loyal community across TikTok and Discord. They discuss his creation process, content strategy, delegating production, leveraging pre-save ad campaigns, and releasing his debut album, Icarus Too Close to the Sun.

Follow Jared Benjamin:

https://www.instagram.com/jaredbenjaminofficial/

http://tiktok.com/@jaredbenjaminofficial

Check out Ari’s Take:

Home

4:05 Interview Begins: Welcome & Icarus Debut Album Announcement

5:06 Transitioning from Fast Singles to a Cohesive Debut Album

9:43 Early Short-Form Visual Strategy & Writing Skits

17:25 Lessons from Bad Industry Deals & Going DIY

20:15 Learning Production on YouTube & Collaborating with Producers

25:20 Writing “Three Steps Ahead” at AntiSocial Writing Camp

28:35 Building a Social Following & Meeting His Manager

32:50 The Daily Grind: Posting 2 to 4 Videos a Day & Managing Burnout

35:55 First Headline Tour Experiences: From Empty Rooms to Sold-Out Venues

41:59 Managing Online Communities: Grouped vs. Discord Strategy

50:20 Tapping into BookTok & Author Playlist Marketing

01:01:35 Leveraging Feature.fm Pre-Save Ads to Funnel Fans into Discord

Edited and mixed by Ruben Zarate

Music by Brassroots District

Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

Order the THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business: https://book.aristake.com

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