Inside the Playbook: Steve Rifkind on How Akon Blew Up Without a Music Video
Steve Rifkind breaks down the real story of Akon’s breakout, and it’s a masterclass in how hits actually happen before the industry “agrees” they should.In this clip, Steve explains how “Locked Up” st...
26 Jan 9min
Inside the Playbook: Steve Rifkind on How He Negotiated Wu-Tang’s Deal with a CHAIR?!?
Steve Rifkind breaks down the behind-the-scenes reality of Wu-Tang Clan’s record deal negotiations, the kind of label-room pressure that shapes careers, catalogs, and legacies.In this clip, Steve walk...
25 Jan 17min
Inside the Playbook: Steve Rifkind on How He Invented Street Teams
Steve Rifkind breaks down one of the most important “from nothing to systems” stories in the music business. With just $5,000 to his name, he invests in a simple booklet and turns it into real leverag...
24 Jan 17min
Inside the Playbook: Steve Rifkind on The Street Team Strategy That Built Hip-Hop Fans
In this clip, Steve Rifkind breaks down the year he spent managing New Edition, and why it became his real-world education in the music industry. From meeting key players like Lady B, Hiriam Hicks, an...
23 Jan 18min
The Manager’s Playbook 051: Steve Rifkind - Loud Records, Street Teams, Wu-Tang Clan, Akon & Record Label Strategy
Steve Rifkind helped build the modern music business playbook, and he’s one of the people who created and popularized “street teams” before anyone had a marketing department to hand it to.In this epis...
20 Jan 2h 35min
Inside the Playbook: Mike Biggane on Why Artist Development Is Now the Manager’s Job
The music didn’t get worse. The way it travels changed.In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mike Biggane and I unpack why hits feel smaller in the streaming era; not because of talent, but becaus...
19 Jan 13min
Inside the Playbook: Mike Biggane on Why the Current Music Industry Is at a Turning Point
Most conversations about streaming focus on artists or platforms.This one starts where the pressure shows up first: songwriters, publishers, and the economics underneath the music.In this clip from Th...
18 Jan 21min
Inside the Playbook: Mike Biggane on Why Record Labels Don’t Build Artist Careers Anymore
The music industry didn’t pivot because of trends. It pivoted because the returns disappeared.In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mike Biggane unpacks why major record labels quietly changed the...
17 Jan 13min
