The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

Krewella on Collabs in EDM, Going Indie and New Fandom

The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

Show Notes

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf of the groundbreaking electronic duo, Krewella. Krewella has earned billions of streams, a devoted global fanbase, and a place among the first women in EDM to reach major milestones. Featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and performing at Coachella, Lollapalooza, EDC, Tomorrowland, and beyond, Krewella has left an undeniable mark on the scene. After time with Columbia Records and a brief hiatus, they’ve returned with a new single, “Crying on the Dancefloor.”

Jahan and Yasmine dive deep into the business of music—covering collaborations, royalty splits, AI tools, and the ever-changing industry landscape. They reflect on how much has shifted over the past nine years, offering candid insights on balancing algorithm demands with authentic artistry. Most importantly, they share their perspective on staying true to yourself as an artist—creatively, spiritually, and personally—in an era of constant external pressure.

https://www.instagram.com/krewella/

04:37 – Intro 06:31 – Slower, intentional process 11:18 – Indie team setup 13:49 – Indie vs. major 19:35 – Grow vs. nurture fans, algorithms 31:09 – song death/rebirth, reviving old songs 35:11 – Collabs & producer roles; splits 45:05 – Remixes/AI/Splice; self-sampling 1:01:05 – Live show: safe, sober, caring 1:08:13 – Making it

Edited and mixed by Peter Schrupp 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from The New Music Business with Ari Herstand

Oct 21, 2026

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Joe Lim, founder and CEO of Floodify, a marketing technology company that has distributed over 2 million short-form videos for major labels including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music.

Oct 14, 2026

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Toni Nelson, artist manager, business manager, and co-founder of 1990 Records.

Oct 8, 2026

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Alexis Lanternier, the CEO of global music streaming platform Deezer. Together, they break down the massive influx of AI-generated music flooding streaming services, Deezer’s pioneering efforts in AI detection and fraud removal, and the future of fair artist payouts through user-centric royalty systems.

Sep 30, 2026

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Patrick Laird, cellist and co-founder of the classical cover duo, Brooklyn Duo. Patrick breaks down how he and his wife built a music career without traditional touring. He discusses their journey from viral YouTube videos to building an evergreen passive income model, navigating revenue streams across Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube, the intricacies of sheet music publishing, catalog acquisition offers, and why creating utility-based music enabled the creative freedom to pursue personal projects.

Aug 6, 2026

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.

See all episodes →