Fractional advisory · Music, Media & AI
// Selected background
// Past clients & partners
About
KPMG-trained. NYU Music Business. One of the first five Spotify employees in Nashville. Active operator in artist management and independent distribution.
Robby Towns founded NestaMusic in 2010. His background spans advisory consulting at KPMG, artist management, independent music distribution, and international creative production — covering Nashville, London, Tokyo, and beyond.
Joined Spotify during its early expansion into Nashville, directing songwriter and publisher relations. He has worked with Columbia Records, Google, the Music Business Association, and managed catalog strategy and digital development for the Jim Croce Estate, growing a portion of that catalog from the ground up into a meaningful business. He currently runs two active operating companies in artist management and independent distribution.
In 2013, Google commissioned original research on the economics and culture of electronic dance music. The resulting paper — EDMTCC — was featured in Billboard and presented at the Electronic Music Conference in Sydney and the Miami Music Summit. He also co-authored the Music Metadata Style Guide, one of the only formal attempts at a universal style guide for music metadata, published by the Music Business Association.
He has organized trade missions for Music Finland and NOMEX, the Nordic music export organization, and has spoken at Eurosonic-Noorderslag on multiple occasions — reflecting relationships in the European market built over more than a decade.
AI is an active area of personal and professional implementation, applied to operational questions across music and media.
Artist management, distribution, label relationships, catalog development, and creative production. Nashville roots, international reach across the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Core PracticeKPMG consulting foundation applied to real businesses. Go-to-market, revenue architecture, operational infrastructure, and team design.
Core PracticeActive personal implementation across music and media workflows. Practical perspective on what is worth adopting, what to watch, and what to ignore.
Active ExplorationServices
Consistent access and direct thinking from someone still operating in the industry. Typically 2–3 clients at a time.
01
Go-to-market planning, competitive positioning, and revenue model design. KPMG consulting rigor applied to music and media businesses at every stage.
02
Practical guidance on where AI creates real value in music and media operations. Workflow integration, tool evaluation, and honest input on timing and priorities.
03
Process design, team structure, and operational infrastructure for businesses in growth or transition. Input grounded in running companies in the same industry.
04
Deal structures, platform relationships, and catalog strategy built on operating an independent distribution company. Revenue models designed for the long term.
05
Audience development, campaign strategy, and brand positioning grounded in how music audiences behave. International production experience across video, live, and digital.
06
Frameworks for sustainable artist development focused on what labels and management companies can control — beyond playlisting and social virality.
Speaking
Panels, keynotes, and moderated conversations on music, media, marketing, artist development and emerging technology.
Topic Area
How independent distribution is reshaping power dynamics between artists, labels, and platforms — and what it means for operators building in the space today.
Topic Area
A ground-level perspective on where AI is creating real change in music and media operations, what adoption actually looks like, and how to think about it practically.
Topic Area
What it takes to build sustainable businesses in creative industries — the tension between creative instinct and operational discipline, and how to hold both.
Past appearances include Music Biz Conference, Eurosonic-Noorderslag, Electronic Music Conference (Sydney), Miami Music Summit, East Coast Music Week, Americanafest, AIMP, and university engagements at NYU, Vanderbilt, and Belmont — across North America, Europe, and Australia.
Speaking inquiriesProcess
Initial meeting to understand your business, where you are, and whether this is the right fit. No pitch, no deck.
Define focus areas, cadence, and what success looks like over the first 90 days. Alignment comes before any engagement begins.
Ongoing support structured around the goals, priorities, and stage of the business.
The longer the relationship, the deeper the context. The deeper the context, the more valuable the input.
Who it's for
// How engagements work
Regular calls and async access. For executives who need senior strategic input without a full-time commitment.
Deeper involvement with active deliverables. For companies in growth, transition, or working through a specific challenge.
Senior operator embedded in the business. Scope and structure built around what the company needs.
Currently accepting 1–2 new clients for 2026
Contact
Reach out if you're building something in music, media, or entertainment technology and would like to start a conversation.
Robby Towns
NestaMusic · Nashville, TN
nestamusic.com
Founded 2010