Producer Tee Double poses inside his home studio. Shunya Carroll
I spoke with Grammy nominated producer Tee Double and artist manager Reno Dudley about what it takes to navigate an industry that shifts alongside technology. Music platforms and social media seem oversaturated. With dozens of hands between the musician and the listener, how can artists skip the middlemen and connect with their audience?
“What every artist should do is create their own physical space online — create their own website." Tee Double said. Many work to be a musician, but limited industry education leaves artists behind. Success requires specific knowledge, agency, and community.
Music software platforms Suno, Udio and Spotify reserve the right to create and distribute derivative works of any audio uploaded to their platforms.
"If a company like Suno comes out and says we're offering you 30 minutes of using our program — upload your music, make a remix, make stems, whatever — you're training their algorithm," Tee Double said.
Warner Music Group sued Suno in 2025 for using copyrighted music in its AI training. The record label settled out of court with a Suno partnership that CEO Robert Kyncl called a “landmark pact.”
“With Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetization, we’ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences,” Kyncl said.
Labor union, American Federation of Musicians have since filed a lawsuit against Warner and Universal Music group alleging recordings were licensed to AI training without compensation, credit or consent.
Using AI has been an open secret among popular writers and producers, Billboard reported, but it has not yet surfaced publicly in the artist's process. Tee Double expects platforms like Suno to receive AI royalties as co-writers or co-producers in the future.
Music streaming platform Deezer detected that nearly 44% of all uploaded tracks are AI generated, many of them fraudulent copies of popular songs. Artists including Matthew McConaughey and Taylor Swift have filed trademarks of their name and likeness as redundant protection from AI copycats.
“Everyone complains about it now,” artist manager Reno Dudley said. “But if you look at Black artists in the early 20th century, their songs were being stolen.”
Labels will craft what Tee Double calls “pixie dust deals” for emerging and inexperienced artists. "Nowhere in that contract is the record label really obligated to release your record," Tee Double said. "So you get signed — and you just become an asset."
“I have been on a four-album record deal since 2014,” Grammy award winning Raye said in 2021 before going independent. “And haven’t been allowed to put out one album.” The Guardian reported her music sat unreleased for years.
Tee Double said “Right of publicity” clauses are especially dangerous now. A signed artist's image or voice can be licensed into “any future technology to be determined,” including AI.
Dudley has found a workaround for a contract’s fine print. Before sending a contract to his entertainment lawyer, he runs it through AI to translate the legalese into plain English.
"That way, when I send it to my lawyer, I know which clauses I want him to look at. AI is a great tool, but a horrible crutch."
Nonprofit ATX Musicians began a music business masterclass series in April to fill industry education gaps. Performing rights organizations BMI and ASCAP led presentations on complex mechanical rights royalties in partnership with St. Edward’s University.
"I always speak ownership," Tee Double said. "Own your music. Get your publishing.”
Snoop Dogg mentioned making $40,000 for a billion streams on a podcast while Spotify provides data that doesn’t convert to income. Tee Double called it Vanity Marketing and recommends building a website you own. From there, links out to platforms where monetization happens.
"If you go out and interview seven different artists who have made it, all seven of them are going to say the team around them was the reason," Dudley said. “The misconception is that a manager's job is to book shows. It isn't. My job is to manage your career and be your adviser. My job is not to be liked. If everybody likes me, I'm doing my job terribly — that means I'm agreeing to too much."
For one of his clients, that meant turning down three record deals before finding one that let her keep control of her masters and a favorable revenue split. "Once you have something to manage, get a manager — but make sure it's someone you trust."