Old Dominion on Songwriting, Keeping Band Harmony and Maintaining a Die Hard Fan Base
The New Music Business with Ari HerstandShow Notes
This week, Ari is joined by Matthew Ramsey, lead singer of Old Dominion, to discuss songwriting, touring, and artistic integrity. Old Dominion’s skyscraping anthems and electrifying live shows have put the multi-platinum-selling band at the forefront of country music, with nine No. 1 singles, over five billion streams, and multiple platinum certifications. They are the reigning 8X ACM and 7X CMA “Group of the Year,” holding the record for most consecutive CMA Vocal Group wins. In 2025, they earned their historic 8th consecutive ACM Group of the Year award, breaking all-time records. Their highly anticipated sixth album Barbara (August 22) and the How Good Is That World Tour will take them nationwide in 2025.
In this episode, Ari and Matthew explore Old Dominion's creative journey and the stories behind their latest album. They delve into the inspiration for the iconic album cover, the songwriting process, and the balance between being a cover band and original artists. Matthew shares insights on the importance of staying true to one's art and offers valuable advice for aspiring musicians. Tune in for a heartfelt conversation about music, creativity, and the evolving landscape of the music industry.
https://www.instagram.com/mtramsey https://www.instagram.com/olddominionmusic
3:40 - Introduction and Tour Discussion 5:55 - Who's Barbara? 9:10 - Album Concept and Humor 14:25 - Songwriting Process and "Miss You Man" 21:40 - The Journey to Nashville 29:10 - Balancing Cover Bands and Original Music 36:25 - Choosing Singles and Label Dynamics 43:40 - The Importance of Staying True to Your Art 50:55 - Advice for Young Artists 58:40 - Closing Thoughts on Success in Music
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
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.
This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Toni Nelson, artist manager, business manager, and co-founder of 1990 Records.
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.
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.
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.