Bootleg: Beyond The Setlist. Certified Human
Notes on live music, connection, and the emerging future, by Bootleg founder and CEO Rod Yancy
🎤 Sound Check
We knew it was coming. We knew it was here. But over the past few weeks, it’s started to feel like AI isn’t just on the horizon. It’s already reshaping the music industry in real time.
Fake bands are racking up real streams. An estimated 10–20 thousand tracks uploaded to DSPs daily are now fully AI-generated. And platforms are scrambling to respond, with some introducing “AI warning labels.” Personally, I’d rather see Certified Human badges.
This isn’t about being anti-AI. There’s nuance here. Most of us have seen how AI can enhance parts of our lives. But we have to be mindful about what we’re giving away, and what we’re building in its place.
The line that matters is this: AI that replaces human creativity vs. AI that enhances it.
At Bootleg, we use AI in our mastering pipeline to speed up turnaround times. But every show is still touched by a real human. Our engineers make the creative calls, the AI just helps us move faster.
Instead of replacing people, Bootleg is creating new jobs for engineers and helping artists make more money from what they’re already doing: playing live shows. Before Bootleg, most of these performances would’ve been lost to time, or released straight from the board without a second thought.
I keep coming back to this piece on the death of the middle-class musician. The artists who can fill 1000-cap rooms but can’t pay their bills, the engineers and FOH crew at risk of being replaced by shiny new tools, the noise and distraction of the social media age. We are building a new vision that works for everyone, especially artists and the unsung heroes on the production side who make it all work.
If we want a better future for music, rejecting AI isn’t the answer. Using it with care, with purpose, and with artists at the center is how we win.
⚡️ Live Wire
The industry’s moving fast. I’m just trying to stay tuned in, and share what I hear along the way.
🔥 Tomorrowland Stage Fire Stops Set Mid-Performance
Scary scenes out of Belgium this week as a fire broke out on Tomorrowland’s main stage during a live set. No injuries were reported, but the moment was a powerful reminder of how fragile these massive productions really are. For all the tech and spectacle, live music is still raw, human, unpredictable. That’s part of what makes it matter.
Read the full story at Digital Music News →
💰 The Chainsmokers Raise $100M for Venture Fund
The Chainsmokers just closed a $100M raise for their investment firm, Mantis—proof that artists are no longer content with just putting out albums and hoping for playlist placement. They’re becoming entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem builders. This is the direction I believe more artists are headed: maximizing revenue to be earned from traditional models like touring and new music releases, but finding ways to build wealth and influence beyond those things. Whether it’s investing in startups, launching products, or owning the platforms themselves, the future belongs to artists who think like founders.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide→
🎟️ Backstage Pass
At Bootleg, we help artists capture and sell high-quality audio recordings and photographs from their shows so fans can collect and relive the moment, and artists can keep earning beyond the encore.
What’s Moving
🎤 Major Artists Join the Bootleg Movement
It’s been a big week at Bootleg, with two exciting milestones that highlight the momentum behind our mission.
On Monday, we captured a secret pop-up show by The All-American Rejects—a legendary band who’ve recently gone viral for their spontaneous “house shows,” announced just hours in advance. Bootleg was there to document their homecoming performance in Tulsa, giving superfans a way to relive the night and allowing thousands more who couldn’t get in to experience it afterward. We’re proud to partner with a band that continues to innovate around live music.
We also kicked off a partnership with Built to Spill, one of the most respected indie rock bands of the past three decades, and a personal favorite of mine. Their team immediately understood the value of owning their live recordings, distributing them directly to fans, and preserving the authenticity of each performance.
In both cases, the response was clear: Bootleg solves a real need. Artists want more control. Fans want deeper connection. And when captured well, live shows can become powerful new revenue streams for musicians.
🎵 Fade Out
We talk a lot about the future of music, of technology, of fandom. But at the heart of it all, what we’re really trying to protect is something very old. Something human.
A moment in a room. A voice cracking on the bridge. The roar of the crowd when the lights drop.
That’s why Bootleg exists. Not just to keep up with the industry, but to slow it down just enough to capture what matters.
In a world of AI-generated songs, virtual influencers, and algorithm-driven everything, we’re doubling down on the real. The live. The imperfect and unforgettable.
AI is here to stay. But the future is still Certified Human.
With gratitude,
Founder & CEO, Bootleg.live