The AJR Interview

00:00 Who are Adam, Jack, and Ryan of AJR?
01:40 Being internet kidz
04:47 Music in the TikTok era
08:41 Building community and fandom
11:08 Building fan depth
13:55 World’s Smallest Violin in the TikTok era
16:57 What’s the business of music today?
21:40 Being in a David Dobrik vlog
22:49 Their revenue pie chart
24:25 Playing dodgeball with fans on tour
25:36 Live storytelling in their concerts
29:54 Do you write songs for TikTok popularity?
31:40 Honest lyrics building parasocial relationships
33:39 Loss of the monoculture
39:09 Do you handle criticism differently?
41:48 Strategy of focusing on their biggest fans
50:07 Finding validation after achieving success
55:39 The goal of longevity
1:01:56 Playing MSG and The Forum
1:05:16 Songwriting for other artists
1:08:43 AI in songwriting
1:16:04 How they document everything on video
1:18:45 Is YouTube a revenue driver?
1:19:28 Their upcoming tour
1:21:12 What it feels like to be a rockstar

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ABOUT US
We’re Colin and Samir, creators based out of Los Angeles California. We make videos about the creator economy, and the lessons we’ve learned over 10 years of being on YouTube. We also interview creators and try to get to the bottom of what’s working on YouTube and where the creator economy is headed.

[stephenpep.mp]

It’s really cool to hear Adam talk a lot in this interview! He’s normally pretty quiet and it’s really cool to hear his perspectives and ideas in this interview.

[oKazma]

Now this is something I didn’t expect, what a great collab!

[songsbyleo]

Finally! I’m so thrilled you guys got AJR and really hope this means more music creators on your show.

[arrow-chess]

Thank you guys for getting this interview together! On behalf of the AJR fan base, I’m sure we all appreciate more content!

[YegsTv]

probably the bands best interview to date. i loved the business and industry angle. thank u colin and samir for asking such important and interesting questions!!

[heyguysitsme.]

I wasn't expecting this interview! I've loved AJR for 3-4 years now, I love how they all let their strengths and weaknesses shine through... I also love their knowledge of music and the industry - but also how playful they are through their art. Thank you so much for this interview! It's really interesting to listen to.
Also, I love how much they included Adam in this interview! It's awesome to hear him talk and have a spot in the band (if that makes sense... Not saying he doesn't do anything, but in the interview he feels an equal part in the band because he speaks equally as much as the others).

[allisonfreed]

Cannot say enough how AJR has nailed the live experience and cultivating true, lasting fandom. Creators in other mediums should take note.

It’s was seeing them live that cemented them as my favorite band, and the quality of that experience is why tour after tour I have the sense that I can’t miss it, no matter how many times I’ve already seen them live. It will be unique. It is ephemeral. It creates urgency. That only works because it makes you feel something. True community is rare but that’s what it really boils down to. The Maybe Man was fantastic and made me feel all the feel. Cannot wait to see it on tour.

[stevemorrrismusic]

I’ve never seen Adam talk so much! So great to see & hear his perspective

[sir_plesious]

I find it kind of interesting how Colin said, "I heard your guys' songs... again, and again, and again but I didn't know your name." right after mentioning AJR's song 'I'm Ready' which also has the line, "I won't forget you but I may forget your name." That's honestly how a lot of people build a relationship with certain artists; they'll be exposed to their art and let it leave a significant impact on them but yet they won't know or remember who they were.

[megjournals]

Had no idea who AJR were but love the pod so still clicked to watch - then had that moment of 'Oh, they did *that* song!'. Really enjoyed this discussion, great job!

[Indigomangoes]

The irony of Kurtis being DIRECTLY before this is sooo funny to me. I love ajr so much tho they literally are what i aspire to be

[jugglinjosh]

Legendary Shots is how I found AJR too!

[Oymego]

The death of creativity is comparing yourself to others. Def one of my favorite quotes now. AJR is so good

[hello-you-are-awesome]

no way!! this is awesome, best interview yet. Colin and Samir somehow always put out interviews of my favorite creators and bands!

[LegendaryShots]

So glad we could help facilitate this collaboration 🥹

[PianoDoctor]

I’m so glad you guys decided to reach out to different niches and do interesting collabs like this!

[GhostFacedrummer]

As a musician online, I really appreciated this discussion and insights! Thanks for sharing guys

[cadmunn]

Wow I was literally just listening to one of their new songs. Their songs got me through some tough times through my breakup many many years ago. So happy to see this pop up on my feed.

[OnlyDudeAround]

An amazing collab! I've been listening to AJR for about 7 years now and to hear them talk more of the business side of their work was amazing. I loved especially hearing Adam talk more in this interview than any other one I have seen. Great interview!!

[summergutierrex]

I was so excited to see this interview! AJR is literally my favorite band, the way they express their feelings and thoughts through the music they create in such an engaging, theatrical way makes me see so much more meaning to life and the way I handle things. Just listening to their music is just truly an experience on its own. And I genuinely hope that they never cave in to what the industry or what media wants from them, because the rawness and intensity of their music is what separates them from other singers. Differentiating the what art and music can be.