VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

• Behind the Songs with Justin Tranter

  For the past decade, megahit songwriter Justin Tranter has penned hit after beloved hit for massive acts like Chappell Roan, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy,  Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Janelle Monáe – the list goes on and on. Justin’s keen ear for catchy hooks, resonant lyrics and an endless supply of infectious melodies has secured their near constant presence on the top of the charts for the past 10 years – and their ambitions only grow stronger with every smash, most recently Chappell Roan’s undeniable anthem “Good Luck, Babe!” nominated for “Song of the Year” at the 2025 Grammy Awards.  To celebrate their joining the ASCAP family, Justin recently joined us at NightBird Recording Studio for a behind the song look at some of the most beloved hits from this dynamic songwriting talent, outspoken activist and community advocate. We also picked their brain about their songwriting process, the issues facing songwriters today and why they joined ASCAP.  Music. Truth. Community. Get your tickets to the 2025 ASCAP Experience

  --------  

  46:11
• Aoife O'Donovan Moves Folk Forward

  Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan got her start as lead singer with the celebrated roots music group Crooked Still. She also founded the Grammy-winning folk trio, I’m With Her, alongside Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz, and has released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, including  2022’s Age of Apathy, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. She has performed, recorded and collaborated with an extraordinary number of musical artists, from the Boston Pops Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra to folk, jazz and bluegrass luminaries such as Chris Thile, Edgar Myer, the Kronos Quartet and Yo Yo Ma, among many others. O’Donovan’s latest album, All My Friends, is an ambitious, expansive and orchestral venture, with songs inspired by the life and mission of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leader of the suffragist movement who fought for and won the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. At its heart, the album is a collection of folk songs that tell a powerful story. But Aoife’s collaborative spirit brought in an array of incredible musicians that give the music an epic scope. Guests include The Knights, an orchestral collective conducted by O’Donovan’s husband Eric Jacobsen; the Westerlies, a brass quartet; and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, made up of young women from the ages of 12 to 18.  Other guests include folk music all-stars such as Noam Pikelny, Anaïs Mitchell and Sierra Hull. The result is an extraordinary work that is provocative and passionate. And in a very heated election year, it addressed big themes in the most personal way, as the greatest folk music always does. As a result, Aofie’s vision garnered her Grammy nominations for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song for the title track. In this episode Aoife shares what inspired the creation of the album and the joy of making music with her ever-widening circle of friends. She also treats us to two special performances: the traditional German carol, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “All My Friends.” Visit Aoife on the web Watch Aoife perform "All My Friends" with the National Symphony Orchestra Listen to All My Friends Get your ticket for the 2025 ASCAP Experience

  --------  

  24:54
• The ASCAP Lab Gets Down to Business with AI

  The ASCAP Lab is ASCAP’s innovation initiative, where the organization experiments to create the ASCAP of the next 100 years. Its mission is to explore advanced technologies, new business approaches and creative collaborations with the intent to foster and expand new ways to serve and support ASCAP members - all part of our commitment to being “creator first, future forward.” One way it is achieving this goal is with the ASCAP Lab Challenge. Launched in 2020, this annual innovation accelerator program, operated in partnership with the NYC Media Lab led by the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, provides selected startups and university teams with mentorship and small grants to develop and expand upon their emerging technologies during a 12-week program. The ASCAP Lab works closely with each selected team to optimize their strategies and product offerings for the music creator community. The 2024 program, dubbed the AI and the Business of Music Challenge, brought together ASCAP’s senior strategy, operations, and legal experts; key ASCAP writer, composer, and publisher members; and five of the most promising music tech entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in an effort to shape how AI tools can benefit music creators. In this episode you’ll meet the 5 teams - CRESQA, Music Tomorrow, RoEx, SoundSafe.ai and Wavelets AI, and ASCAP composer member Gregg Lehrman (trailers for Avatar, Inglourious Basterds) who is also a startup founder (Output) and participated in the Challenge as a mentor to learn more about their experience and their unique contributions. Access the full show notes for this episode. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:55 – Gregg Lehrman (ASCAP composer and Output founder) 11:43 – CRESQA’s Maria Brachmańska and Karol Musur 23:30 – Music Tomorrow’s Julie Knibbe and Pierre Niboyet  33:49 – RoEx’s Dave Ronan and Aggela Mourgela 44:25 – SoundSafe.ai’s Don Dada and Johnny Stevenson 54:05 – Wavelets AI’s Dave Thurlow 1:01:30 - Outro Explore the ASCAP Lab and other on-demand content about ASCAP and AI Learn more about the NYC Media Lab

  --------  

  1:02:42
• Ingrid Michaelson's Musical Embrace

  Following her debut as a composer for Broadway’s The Notebook, singer, songwriter and producer Ingrid Michaelson released For the Dreamers, a masterful collection of orchestral pop songs and treasured classics that feels like a golden-hued, heartwarming musical hug for our anxious times. She talked to VERSED about the joy of making the album, following your artistic muse, facing your creative fears and building a trusted team. Then, pianist, composer and bandleader Joe Block, hailed by Jazz at Lincoln Center as one of “jazz’s most promising young composers” and a recent winner of an ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award, talks to us about working with Wynton Marsalis and other jazz giants and what it takes to reach your full musical potential. Listen to For the Dreamers See Ingrid perform "Backyard" on the Today show Watch Ingrid perform R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming" at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café Visit Ingrid's website Visit Joe Block's website Make sure you are ready to vote at Headcount.org/ascap

  --------  

  53:36
• Lenny Kravitz Hits the Road

  Singer-songwriter extraordinaire, actor, designer and superstar Lenny Kravitz has been crafting his unique fusion of rock, funk, reggae and soul for more than three decades, creating such massive hits as “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “Again,” “Let Love Rule,” “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Fly Away” and “American Woman.” He’s a Grammy winner and has won numerous awards, including American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards and has old over 40 million albums worldwide - all done with his distinctive flair, passion and drive. As an actor, Lenny has appeared in numerous films, including Precious and the Hunger Games series, among others. Recently he took his work in film to a whole new level by pouring his heart and soul into writing a powerful song, “Road to Freedom,”  for the inspiring Netflix film Rustin.  Directed by George C. Wolfe, scored by Branford Marsalis, and starring Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald, Rustin tells the story of Bayard Rustin, the architect of 1963’s March on Washington, who, along with Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a movement and blazed a path forward toward a better world. Lenny recently talked to VERSED to share how he wrote “Road to Freedom,” how Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march continues today and his plans for hitting the road himself this year in support of his new album due for release in March. Listen to “Road to Freedom” and other Kravitz classics Watch Lenny perform “Road to Freedom” on Jimmy Kimmel Live Visit Lenny’s website  

  --------  

  16:06

Más podcasts de Música

Podcasts a la moda de Música

Acerca de VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast