Inside the Playbook: Bryan Johnson on How Streaming Changed Artist Power

The Manager's Playbook · May 15, 2026 · 18m

Getting dropped by a record label used to feel like the end.

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz and Bryan Johnson from Spotify talk about how streaming changed the path for artists after a label deal ends.

Bryan shares his own experience as a musician, from self-releasing music and touring in bands to getting dropped by a label and later moving into the industry through PRS and Spotify.

They also discuss Spotify’s responsibility to artists, the shift from ownership to access, the old stigma of being “damaged goods,” and how tools like Spotify for Artists, playlist…