Max Gousse on Building Artists, Breaking Records, and Playing the Long Game
From Mixed and Mastered by Jeffrey Sledge
March 12, 2026 · 50 min · Season 1 · Episode 47
About this episode
Max Gousse discusses his career in the music industry, focusing on artist development and the impact of AI.
This week on Mixed and Mastered, Jeffrey Sledge sits down with Grammy-winning music executive, producer, and A&R Max Gousse — a Brooklyn-born music industry powerhouse whose career runs through some of the biggest moments in modern R&B and hip-hop. From learning the business at The Box in Miami to being mentored by legends like Cassandra Mills, Sylvia Rhone, David Renzer, and L.A. Reid, Max walks us through a career that includes working on Adina Howard, B2K, Dreamgirls, B’Day, I Am… Sasha Fierce, YG, and Saweetie. Along the way, he shares stories about building records from the ground up, navigating label systems, developing artists, and why work ethic still beats hype every time. They also get into regional music culture, brand partnerships, the future of artist management, and Max’s take on AI’s role in the music business — not as a replacement for real artists, but as a tool that’s here to stay. This is Mixed and Mastered with Max Gousse. Mixed and Mastered is a Merrick Studios podcast hosted by Jeffrey Sledge.
People in this episode
Host: Jeffrey Sledge
Guest: Max Gousse
Topics covered
- music industry
- artist development
- R&B
- hip-hop
- AI in music
- work ethic
- label systems
Keywords
- Max Gousse
- music executive
- artist management
- R&B
- hip-hop
- AI
- work ethic
- label systems
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Adina Howard, B2K, Dreamgirls, B’Day, I Am… Sasha Fierce, YG, Saweetie
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