Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers and Mantis VC discusses the creative balance between innovating new sounds and maintaining a consistent, repeatable brand identity.
“You look at like, someone like the Grateful Dead, and you look like, what's that become? Like, they're maybe the best people at making fans over time, and incredible musicians, but they've created this experience that's like, replicable, that people can tell, that people can rely on, and tell their friends about, and has great ethos”
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More from Drew Taggart
Disclosure
Taggart: We do not care if AI trains on our music catalog
“We don't care about our music either.”
Drew TaggartJun 24, 2025▶ 0:38The Chainsmokers’ Journey from DJs to VCs · Invest Like The Best
What-if
Taggart: Forward-thinking record labels could have built Spotify themselves
“If they had been forward-thinking and accepted that they would have created Spotify, we wouldn't be paying an extra 30% to a DSP.”
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Insight
Taggart: AI tools expand access rather than entrenching incumbent musicians
“I think what it does is actually kind of the opposite, is like, it just allows more people to be able to make music, and perform music, and create an experience that other people connect to. Like, I think music is just, you know, is my personal favorite form o…”
Drew TaggartJun 24, 2025▶ 4:36The Chainsmokers’ Journey from DJs to VCs · Invest Like The Best
Insight
Taggart: Product visionaries should hire a CEO rather than be CEO
“Like you don't have to be the CEO of your business. You know, hire someone that's great at that. That's going to deal with that. If you're the best product person, you're the best visionary at the company, don't be the CEO.”
Drew TaggartJun 24, 2025▶ 40:52The Chainsmokers’ Journey from DJs to VCs · Invest Like The Best
Insight
Taggart: There is no formula for writing pop or dance hits
“You'd think that we'd have a formula now on how to, like, write a dance song at least, or write a pop song. Forget about trying to write, like, the truest song for you at that moment, but, like, it's still, it can come from anywhere, and it's so difficult, and…”
Drew TaggartJun 24, 2025▶ 6:06The Chainsmokers’ Journey from DJs to VCs · Invest Like The Best
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Taggart: New dance artists sell out arenas despite modest Spotify numbers
“The stars of, the new stars of dance right now, that are doing like, blowing out Madison Square Gardens, or doing the basically festival sized crowds for their own shows, If you looked at them on their Spotify monthly listeners, like we were talking about earl…”
Drew TaggartJun 24, 2025▶ 14:49The Chainsmokers’ Journey from DJs to VCs · Invest Like The Best
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