Unstarving Musician 329 | Legal Mashups: Navigating Music Copyright and Studio Management with George Ajjan


Happy Friday!

Here's another new episode for your weekend listening pleasure.

Legal Mashups: Navigating Music Copyright and Studio Management with George Ajjan 🎙

Legal mashups and studio management are critical skills that can make or break an independent music career. In this episode, George Ajjan (the ajjancy) shares his systematic approach to creating and distributing mashup covers within legal boundaries, plus his proven strategies for efficient studio sessions and sustainable creative scheduling.

George explains the complex world of music copyright, explaining the legal differences between covers, remixes, and mashups. He reveals how YouTube’s Content ID system creates a “safe harbor” for mashup covers and shares his real-world experience navigating copyright holders and clearance challenges.

We also dive deep into studio management, where George explains his preparation process, how he scouts and works with session musicians, and why being over-prepared is still never enough. His batching approach to recording has created a 2-3 year backlog of releasable material including original compositions.

For independent artists struggling to balance creativity with business realities, George offers practical frameworks for long-term creative scheduling, weekly content strategies, and adapting to the changing landscape of independent music.
Whether you’re interested in exploring mashup covers, maximizing your studio efficiency, or building sustainable creative practices, this conversation provides actionable insights you can implement immediately.

Find all things the ajjancy at TheAjjancy.com and listen to this episode wherever podcasts are found.

Click here for episode notes and related links

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Liner Notes

I'm a musician and host of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Liner Notes is my biweekly newsletter that shares some of the best insights garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.

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