Please tell us a little bit about your business — what is your company all about?
I’m the founder of Music Mogul AI, a software platform designed to fix what I believe is a broken traditional agency system in the music industry. For decades, artists have relied on commission-based representation that often creates conflicts of interest, inefficiencies, and gatekeeping.
Music Mogul AI flips that model on its head. Instead of taking a percentage, we provide a subscription-based ecosystem that gives artists the tools, mentorship, and clarity to run their careers like real businesses—covering booking, marketing, management, publishing strategy, and growth in one place.
This hybrid model combines technology, education, and human mentorship, and it represents the future of the music business.
Tell us briefly about your background and how you started your company.
I’ve spent more than 20 years in the music industry building Stewart Entertainment Agency, and I’ve worked with over 300 artists and bands. I have helped generate more than $20 million in revenue across booking, management, and publishing.
The turning point came during COVID-19. The shutdown forced me to examine the economics of the traditional agency model—for both my company and the artists we served. I realized the system wasn’t sustainable, and I couldn’t find software that truly supported the full artist journey.
So I made a difficult decision: scale back the agency structure and invest in building the platform I wished had existed. That decision became Music Mogul AI.
What are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
1. Vision – You must see opportunities others overlook and stay committed long before results appear.
2. Resilience – Every meaningful business journey includes failure, uncertainty, and reinvention.
3. Execution discipline – Strategy only matters if you consistently take the right actions over time.
Entrepreneurship is ultimately the ability to turn uncertainty into progress.
What are your plans for the future, and how do you plan to grow this company?
Our goal is to reach $4.4 million in annual recurring revenue within three years while remaining primarily bootstrapped and open to strategic minority investment. Long term, Music Mogul AI becomes a category-defining platform—expanding into:
• Publishing intelligence inside the software
• Influencer Mogul AI
• Comedy Mogul AI
• Speaker Mogul AI
The broader vision is a unified operating system for modern independent talent economies.
How did the pandemic impact your business, and do you feel like you have completely exited
the other side?
COVID forced a complete reset. Live revenue disappeared overnight, exposing structural weaknesses in both agency economics and artist sustainability. That disruption became the catalyst for innovation. While the pandemic was devastating, it ultimately pushed me to build something far more scalable and future-proof—so in many ways, we didn’t just exit the other side; we evolved because of it.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
Most competitors still operate inside the commission-based mindset or offer fragmented software tools.
Music Mogul AI is different because we provide:
• No-commission, subscription economics
• All-in-one career infrastructure
• Human mentorship combined with AI efficiency
• Full business clarity for artists
We’re not just improving the old model—we’re replacing it.
There are a few software companies out there, but they are basically just CRMs that help you organize things. Ours executes for you with a human in the loop. People play a key role in using MusicMogul.ai; they bring the necessary judgment to select the best venues, craft the best message that frames their music and audience, and execute the next best move in managing their band’s operations. It’s the decisions that lie on the boundary that bring the best of the artist and their business potential together. That’s where I see MusicMogul.AI redefining the way the music industry operates.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from
them?
1. Not preparing for a global disruption like COVID → Always build resilient systems.
2. Allowing financial accountability to slip with clients → When payments stop, services must pause.
3. Relying too heavily on a single success story → Sustainable growth requires diversified wins.
Each mistake reinforced the importance of structure, discipline, and scalability.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process; what has been the most successful form of
marketing for you?
Referrals, partnerships, and organic credibility built the foundation. Moving forward, paid acquisition and scalable funnels will drive the next phase of growth—supported by thought leadership and education.
What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?
The hardest challenge was letting go of the traditional agency structure and investing everything into software with no guarantees. I overcame it by trusting long-term vision over short-term comfort—and committing fully to building the future instead of protecting the past.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’m deeply focused on AI, automation, and strategic partnerships. The next generation of businesses will be built on leverage, not labor. Understanding that shift is critical to staying relevant.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
Prioritize recurring revenue, financial discipline, and scalable systems much earlier.
Those three elements change everything.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you use to grow your company?
• AI productivity and automation platforms – Claude, Comet, Notebook LM, Gamma, Fathom/Granola
• Strategic partnership networks – LinkedIn, Music Business Association, and other music industry-related associations or conferences
• Data-driven marketing systems – Go High Level or Hubspot
Together, they create speed, clarity, and scale.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
“Eat the frog first.”
I plan my week every Sunday, focus only on actions aligned with the business plan, eliminate distractions, and practice daily gratitude—consistency compounds.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Podcast: Thought-leadership and AI-focused business shows Transformational Thinkers (https://sarawsheehan.com/podcast) and The Scene Projects (https://thesceneprojects.com/). I also enjoy The Music Industry Blueprint Podcast with Rick Barker (https://buzzsonic.com/resource/rick-barker-the-music-industry-blueprint-podcast/) and Your Morning Coffee with Jay Gilbert (https://yourmorning.coffee/).
Course: Continuous learning in AI and strategic partnerships. MIT, Harvard, and many other universities now have cheap or free courses to stay ahead.
What is your favorite quote?
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker
“Do not be embarrassed by your failures. Learn from them and start again.” — Richard Branson
“We either win or we learn. Those are the only 2 options.” – Jalen Hurts
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Build something that solves a real problem for your clients and not for yourself, create recurring value, and stay committed long enough for the market to catch up to your vision.
What is your definition of success?
Success is creating freedom, impact, and legacy—not just for yourself, but for the people your work empowers.
How do you personally overcome fear?
By taking action. Clarity comes from movement, not waiting. Be the change you want to see in the world.
How can readers get in touch with you?
How can readers get in touch with you?
Visit https://www.MusicMogulAi.com or connect with me on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-stewart-28a290a/