Jeremy Sirota’s Post

500,000+ tech workers laid off in 2.5 years. A crisis? Maybe. An opportunity? Absolutely. Why? Because adversity breeds innovation. Think about it: Tons of unemployed professionals with specialized skills A surge of free time The drive to prove themselves Many of these newly jobless aren't looking to rejoin corporate America. They're asking themselves: "Do I want to work for another company? Or do I want to build my dream company?" It's the perfect storm for entrepreneurship. My hope? A good chunk of them choose the latter, especially in the music space. In the music industry, we often talk about "disruption" as if it's something we can schedule or control. But true disruption often comes from unexpected places, born from necessity and fueled by the creative fire of those with nothing left to lose. Sound like you? Hit me up. I’m always looking for ways to help smart people and disrupt the industry. If you’re wondering how music can benefit your platform, or your platform can benefit music check out Merlin Connect in the link below. #musicindustry #unemployment #entraprenuer #creativeCEO

𝟑𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 "𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬" 𝖭𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗌𝖿𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗆𝗎𝗆. 𝖭𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖽𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗃𝗈𝖻. 𝖨𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗌 𝗊𝗎𝗈, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗌 𝗊𝗎𝗈. 𝖲𝖾𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖺 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗍𝖼𝗁 𝗀𝗈𝖺𝗅 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗄, 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁, 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗊𝗎𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋. 𝖨𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗓𝗈𝗇𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝖺 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗅𝗂𝗆𝖻. 𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝖾𝗍 𝗀𝗈𝖺𝗅𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝖿𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖾��. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞—𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾: 𝗁𝗍𝗍𝗉𝗌://𝗅𝗇𝗄𝖽.𝗂𝗇/𝖾𝗓𝗍𝖽𝖠𝖢𝖥𝟩

I try to destroy my business at least once a quarter. You may have heard of the Tibetan Monks who meticulously build sand mandalas only to destroy them as soon as they finish. After watching them finish one, I asked why they destroy them. He smiled and said, “To create, one must first learn to destroy.” Well, he didn’t exactly say that, but that’s the lesson I learned. It’s now the same thing I do with my company as CEO. It’s the "Kill the Company" exercise. It works like this: Once per quarter, I gather together a strategic group of people and ask them to plot against Merlin and find ways to destroy our company. I remind them that while the goal of this exercise is to come out with some new insights and out-of-the-box ideas, I don’t want them thinking outside the box. I want them to set the box on fire and dance around the flames. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Why waste time imagining your own downfall? Remember Blockbuster? They laughed at Netflix. Now they're the ultimate cautionary tale. That’s why. If you're not trying to understand how you can be disrupted, someone else will do it for you. By looking past simply surviving, and embracing the possibility of your own downfall, you learn a thing or two about how to prevent it. But don’t let that fool you. This exercise is not just about prevention. It's about powerful innovation. In the words of a Silicon Valley CEO I know: **“We don't innovate to stay ahead. We innovate because it's fun to blow sh*t up.”** Revel in the discomfort of your team as they plot against you. In that discomfort, you will find a spark of true innovation – not the watered-down, focus-grouped, risk-averse ideas that pass for creativity in lesser companies. Remember: In the coliseum of commerce, it's not enough to defeat your enemies. True victory comes from defeating yourself, over and over again, emerging stronger and smarter each time. If you don’t believe me, try it and prove me wrong. I promise it won’t be a waste of time. Plus, it’s pretty fun. #music #creativeproblemsolving #CEO #lateralthinking #entrepreneur #creativity #musicindustry

When I was a new parent, I had to wake up at 5am (or earlier) with my newborn daughter...for many, many years. If you asked me what I got out of it ... other than, you know, my responsibility as a parent ... it was nothing other than pure, unadulterated exhaustion. I have, and likely always will be, a night owl. I'm a "third wind" kind of person who gets renewed energy around 8pm. It's where I'm typically my most productive. 5am is where I'm debating whether 5 cups of coffee before 12pm is one too many. The Guardian Anita Chaudhuri

This brought nostalgic memories of loading Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter onto my computer in 1986. It felt revolutionary when they moved to 3.5" but were still called "floppy," even though it was in a hard case. Somewhere in the world there is a Stratus Technologies server from 1986 still running. #cloudstorage

𝟑𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟. You should always say yes to new tasks, new experiences and newness generally. Always step in when your directs, your department or your company needs help, regardless of whose job it might be. The caveat to this—humans are finite creatures and everyone has limits. If you’re nearing burnout or doing the work of too many people, while others refuse to participate, you have to set limits and raise your hand when you’ve taken on too much. Stay open to the new, but know your boundaries. #personalgrowth #emotionalintelligence #growthmindset #33codes Read them all here: https://lnkd.in/eztdACF7

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 Lawrence Peryer, 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 23 Media Ventures LLC, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴. My superpower is multidimensional problem-solving: the ability to see challenges from various angles by blending insights from creativity, business, and technology. At every point in my career, I've used my superpower to fulfill my personal mission: bringing fans closer to the artists and experiences they love. My career has straddled the worlds of entertainment and tech. I need to move seamlessly among creatives and business people. My mind operates like a prism. It refracts problems through different lenses until a unique solution emerges. This often leads to innovative approaches that others might overlook. This superpower has been crucial in navigating (and causing) industry disruptions and driving growth. At Warner Music Group, I applied this ability to transform an underleveraged division into a revenue powerhouse and strategic differentiator. By reimagining artist services through a creative-tech lens, we boosted revenue and margins while delivering more expansive solutions to our artist and label partners. This thinking helped pivot the company I worked with during the pandemic—protecting revenue and securing significant venture funding when the live events industry was at a standstill. In my work with music artists, I help them think about their art and IP in fresh ways, develop exciting products and opportunities that their fans will love (and did not even know they wanted), and serve to deepen the artist/fan connection. To cultivate this superpower: 1. Feed your curiosity across diverse fields. Don't limit yourself to your immediate industry. Good ideas come from everywhere. 2. Practice viewing problems from multiple stakeholders' perspectives and engaging with people from different backgrounds to broaden your viewpoint.  3. Intentionally brainstorm solutions from creative, business, and technological angles. Don’t be afraid to spend time exploring ideas only to discard them. It’s part of the process. Of course, superpowers are usually double-edged. While multidimensional thinking leads to innovative solutions, it can sometimes cause my initial explanations to seem complex or unconventional or create communication challenges with linear thinkers. The key is learning to distill complex ideas into clear, actionable insights. Or to go work in “strategy” – or at a think-tank. I have learned so much from embracing the intersections in my life and work, be that where disciplines meet or where people of varied backgrounds come together. That's where the interesting things happen. #emotionalintelligence #leadership #musictechnology #superpowerseries

Merlin’s Business and Legal Affairs has always been best in class. Today we expand our dedication to serving our membership by announcing our new General Counsel, Neil Miller. Welcome to the team!

𝟑𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧. - 𝖳𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾. - 𝖣𝗈 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆. - 𝖣𝗈 𝗂𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍, 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗋, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗎𝗉. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅, 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖿𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒. 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗎𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇. 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇, 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝖺 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾, 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝐁𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞. #personalgrowth #emotionalintelligence #growthmindset #33codes

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 Silvia Oviedo Lopez, 𝗦𝗩𝗣 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 & 𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 Canva, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. I choose to believe in boundless possibility. ⚓ While it might sound like a fancy way of saying anything is possible, I like to anchor myself on the word “boundless.” It's liberating to recognize that constraints, even though sometimes very real, are just that—constraints. They’re constructs. And we have agency to question them, to reject them, to go around them, to tear them down, to adjust to them, and rebuild them. 🏔️ Reframing this way is incredibly freeing. It opens up the world to exploring new paths to get to where you set out to go, or explore new outcomes. This belief has helped me tackle ever-changing challenges in my industry, including massive shifts: the era of user-generated content, the shift to mobile, the rise of the content creator, and now the brand-new era of AI—and whatever comes next. 💭 However, I wouldn’t say that believing in boundless possibility for myself is my superpower. My true superpower is that I extend this belief to those around me. I believe that anyone has the ability to make wonderful things happen, that there are boundless possibilities to what they can accomplish. 🪄 As a leader, I think that creating space, building your team’s confidence, and enabling your people to succeed, shine, and see them find their confidence to achieve what was once just a spark of an idea...that’s pure magic. #emotionalintelligence #leadership #personalgrowth #superpowerseries