Hi,

This week’s newsletter is a check-in with Mag Rodriguez; Mag is the CEO & Founder of EVEN, a direct to fan platform that allows artists & creators to monetize and sell their work directly to their fans.

I’ve been familiar with EVEN for a few years and since its launch, it has quickly become the leading player in the music D2C space, most notably powering J. Cole’s “Inevitable” campaign last year.

My convo with Mag was a fascinating glimpse inside the mind of a team redefining how artists connect with their audience.

Let’s dive in ⬇️

_{Getting started}

Mag and I started off our conversation with his start in music doing management:

“I started managing two of my classmates my senior year of high school. I ended up managing my main client, his name is IshDARR, and that was really kind of how I got my start in the industry. We just started uploading records to SoundCloud, and next thing you know, we were on the road. We toured for like six years straight. So this is like 2013 is really when it picked up, and then 2018 is when I stopped managing.” 

_{The birth of EVEN}

“I had moved back to Milwaukee and started working for a venture fund called ‘gener8tor’. I had never really heard of venture up to that point—but they had me build an accelerator for artists and managers. So I took everything I had learned as a manager, all my relationships in the space, and we basically were incubating artists and managers for 12-week sprints. We’d give artists a $20,000 grant, managers a $5,000 grant, and introduce them to the industry. We’d take them out to LA, New York, London, Miami, Atlanta—wherever their genre aligned. It launched in Milwaukee, expanded to Detroit and Cleveland, and then during the pandemic it went national as a virtual program."

After seeing first hand the challenges and difficulty with the economics of streaming, Mag had an idea for a solution. That solution became EVEN.

After onboarding LaRussell as the first artist onto the platform, he saw first hand how evangelizing the platform with the right artist, the right brand, and the right audience could lead to success.

“The first step was: give fans access to music before it hits streaming. That's not a new idea—but the way we approached it was. We weren’t telling artists to sell demos collecting dust. We were saying: build an intentional release that’s fan-first.

We modeled it like the movie business: theatrical release first, streaming later.”

_{The development of EVEN}

Giving fans the opportunity to buy music directly from the artists before it went live on streaming encouraged the idea of direct artist support.

"EVEN isn’t designed to be a daily grind. You don’t need to feed it every day. That’s what platforms before us did wrong. We only make money when artists make money. There’s no subscription. Fans pay for what they want access to, like buying a movie ticket. We believe It’s more sustainable that way.

We’re also focused on fan-to-fan engagement. If fans can connect with each other, the artist doesn’t have to always be there to keep the energy alive.”

_{Building a business}

Getting a song before it goes live on streaming services has become the baseline - artists now have the option to create tiers that include creative offerings to incentive fans purchasing at different price points. Those offerings can help create a deeper connection but also help the artist monetize.

“Artists are entrepreneurs, and managers are operators—but navigating the superfan business can feel unnatural. EVEN empowers artists to operate intuitively, blending creativity seamlessly with strategy. Build intentionally, move purposefully, and truly own your future.

EVEN isn't a tool that requires a constant feed. Artists don't have to show up and pour into it every single day. That’s been one of the biggest problems with the platforms that came before—they require too much constant input from artists.

What we identified is: if we build tools that help fans engage with each other, that bridge between fan-to-fan and fan-to-artist—then artists can just show up when it matters. Drop a release. Deliver an experience. But they don’t have to grind 24/7 to make the platform work."

_{Working with J Cole}

EVEN had a break through moment last year when they teamed up with J. Cole for his “Inevitable” campaign which included an audio series, new music, and launching his own blog. Their platform powered the hosting of everything and fast forward to this year, the blog has become a destination where J. Cole is premiering new music.

"Cole launched his blog on the platform too, and he’s releasing new music there. He just dropped the Wiz remix on his blog. Just the freedom of one of the world’s biggest artists uploading directly to fans—whenever he wants—is kind of crazy.

Working with a team like that… I mean, Cole, of course, but also the team around him—it's inspiring how intentional they are. Everything they do is thoughtfully designed, planned with genuine care for their fans and the experiences they create.

And it’s an ongoing campaign. They’re now four months into the launch of Inevitable. It started with the audio series, then turned into the digital album, then the physical album. Then a livestream of the Madison Square Garden show. Then Cole launched The Algorithm—his blog on the platform. They continue to nurture it and drop stuff all the time.

The connective layer of the entire campaign is the community chat. This is where fans truly live—where they talk to each other, hang out, and build connections. Cole, Ib, and Scott occasionally drop in to talk directly with the fans too. And because fans from all over the world are part of this community, you'll always find someone in there, no matter the time of day.".

_{The future of D2C - parallel economy}

When I asked Mag for his take on the future of D2C, he broke it down into a few parts, starting with what he refers to as a parallel economy:

"I think the future of D2C is about creating a parallel economy. It’s not about abandoning streaming—it’s about owning your lane while still participating in the larger ecosystem. I tell artists: it's not 'EVEN or streaming.' It’s 'EVEN and streaming.'

Nike made this mistake. They built an incredible D2C business with their SNKRS app and started deprioritizing retail. Their stock took a huge hit. They forgot that retailers were part of what built their brand in the first place.

Artists can’t make the same mistake. Streaming brings exposure, discovery, and scale. But D2C brings control, margin, and data. They’re both necessary—just for different reasons.”

_{The future of D2C - being intentional}

In addition to a parallel economy, Mag also made the point that sometimes less is more.

“I also think D2C is evolving. It’s not just vinyl, CDs, and t-shirts. That physical model will still exist, but digital access is where it’s going. And it’s not about flooding the market with every color vinyl possible—that's going to fatigue consumers fast.

The best D2C experiences will be intentional and lean into access, identity, and value. It’s about letting fans opt in because they want to be there, not because they feel guilted into it.”

_{A different way of thinking}

In the midst of our chat, Mag dropped a gem that to be honest, was probably my biggest takeaway of the whole conversation.

It was something I was already aware of but the way he said it helped reframe in a different perspective:

"If I give you a $100 today, and I tell you, go spend it on your favorite artist—it’s almost impossible. Unless they’re in the middle of a rollout or have merch available, it’s really difficult. Meanwhile, I can go to KidSuper’s website—one of my favorite brands—and buy something today, tomorrow, next week. I can always find a way to put money into that business’s hands. It’s not the same with artists."

One of the biggest themes EVEN is focusing on is the idea of empowerment and using the same frameworks of running a business to amplify your career.

Connect with Mag on LinkedIn and Instagram.

If you’re an artist looking to sign up to EVEN, feel free to sign up HERE.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

_{The Vault}

1) Chartmetric - Chartmetric is one of my favorite tools for music analytics. You can use the platform to view your artist’s social media growth, streaming consumption and growth, brand affinity, and more. It’s great for social analysis - you can see what notable or influential people follow you across different platforms and export that data in a way that’s super easy to see. HERE

2) The Artist Marketing Playbook - I teamed up with my good friend and fellow music marketing expert Drew De Leon to present The Artist Marketing Playbook. An in-depth look at what an artist can do to set themselves up for success in 2025. More info HERE.