The Manager’s Playbook 063: Hitmaka - Hit Songs, Songwriting, A&R, Artist Development & Music Business episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 19, 2026 · 1H 33M

The Manager’s Playbook 063: Hitmaka - Hit Songs, Songwriting, A&R, Artist Development & Music Business

from The Manager's Playbook · host The Manager's Playbook

In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Hitmaka, formerly Yung Berg, for a deep conversation on the real business behind hit songs.Hitmaka breaks down how hit records actually get made, from demo-first songwriting and producer collaboration to song deals, publishing, label politics, and artist development. He reflects on nearly three decades in music, the mindset that kept him going through every era of his career, and the lessons he learned building records like “Sexy Can I,” Big Sean’s “Bounce Back,” and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s “Look Back At It.”They also get into why writers often do not get paid properly, how producers create leverage, the importance of relationships in the music business, and why the industry needs more creative leadership.A must-listen for artists, producers, songwriters, managers, and anyone serious about understanding how the music industry really works.Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it.KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pjWant your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/Watch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New episodes drop Sundays @ 10am ET

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The Manager’s Playbook 063: Hitmaka - Hit Songs, Songwriting, A&R, Artist Development & Music Business

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