Episode 15

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Published on:

16th Jun 2025

That's Entertainment: The State of Music Industry Marketing

It’s Episode 15 of Misadventures in Marketing, our Season 1 finale!  And there was no better way to wrap up the first leg of our journey than interviewing music industry big shot Julianne Bornales. As an 18 year veteran of the industry at Warner Music Group, JulieAnn has marketed through one of the most breathtaking eras in the music industry.  Throughout that time, she had to traverse multiple digital transformations, not only regarding how her products were being distributed (from discs, to downloads, to streaming, to online video, to social media networks), but in how she had to ride those wild waves to market and promote them, ensuring that everyone was able to make money along the way.  Wow!

We discussed the evolution of music marketing, the impact of digital transformation, and the changing role of major labels. Julianne shares her industry experiences, highlighting the importance of discoverability, audience engagement, and the need for artists to be marketed as brands. We also touched on the significance of human connection in music marketing and the challenge of adapting different strategies for different artists.  We dived into the influence of social media and the creator economy, the K-pop model of artist development, the implications of AI in music creation, and the challenges artists face navigating their careers. As two tech-heads we loved this discussion. We got a greater appreciation as to how marketing executives in wildly different industries outside of tech approach our common profession.


About Misadventures In Marketing

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional CMO, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.


Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/


Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios)

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales


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About the Podcast

Misadventures in Marketing
A Cautionary Podcast Tale of Tech Marketing
Misadventures in Marketing is a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney, veteran Silicon Valley marketing executives, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and colleagues.

About your hosts

Peter Farago

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Stephen Haney

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