In episode 33 of the Upward Spiral, we talk with JJ Italiano, who is a manager, producer, and major label veteran. Italiano got his start managing Flobots, who rose to alt-stardom with “Handlebars” and then signed a major label deal. After parting ways with them, he managed I Fight Dragons and MC Lars, among others, and also worked at Universal Music Group on the Gotye album. But more than any of this, Italiano is one of our favorite people to talk with about why the new music industry is still beholden to old-school benchmarks and music tech theories.