How Musicians Are Making Money in 2025 | Cheat Codes Story
Wealthy Way
Ryan Pineda
4.9 • 2.2K Ratings
🗓️ 28 December 2024
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of The Wealthy Way, we have a conversation with Cheat Codes, the Los Angeles-based electronic music trio that has taken the world by storm. With over 5 billion streams to their name, Trevor Dahl, Matthew Russell, and KEVI have seen both incredible highs and challenging lows in their journey to success.
We dive deep into the moments that defined their career—from their breakthrough to the struggles they’ve faced along the way. They open up about what it takes to stay relevant in a constantly evolving music industry, why they chose the independent route over signing with a major label, and the importance of building strong relationships in both music and business.
In this episode, you’ll hear firsthand how Cheat Codes navigates the balance between creating hit songs and staying true to themselves. They share insights on the cost of making a chart-topping track, the importance of networking, and why staying grounded as an artist is key to longevity. Plus, they reveal how they’re positioning themselves for the future of music, from live streaming recording sessions to exploring new revenue streams.
What’s even more valuable is the lessons they share on resilience, adaptability, and creating a business that thrives without sacrificing your personal life. As entrepreneurs, they’ve built a brand that resonates beyond just music, proving that success in any industry requires a mix of passion, persistence, and balance.
Connect with Cheat Codes:
Website: https://www.cheatcodesmusic.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/cheatcodes/
Youtube: @CheatCodes
Learn how to invest in real estate with the Cashflow 2.0 System! Your business in a box with 1:1 coaching, motivated seller leads, & softwares. https://www.wealthyinvestor.com/
Want to work 1:1 with Ryan Pineda? Apply at ryanpineda.com
Join our FREE community, weekly calls, and bible studies for Christian entrepreneurs and business people. https://tentmakers.us/
Want to grow your business and network with elite entrepreneurs on world-class golf courses? Apply now to join Mastermind19 – Ryan Pineda’s private golf mastermind for high-level founders and dealmakers. www.mastermind19.com
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About Ryan Pineda:
Ryan Pineda has been in the real estate industry since 2010 and has invested in over $100,000,000 of real estate. He has completed over 700 flips and wholesales, and he owns over 650 rental units. As an entrepreneur, he has founded seven different businesses that have generated 7-8 figures of revenue.
Ryan has amassed over 2 million followers on social media and has generated over 1 billion views online. Starting as a minor league baseball player making less than $2,000 a month, Ryan is now worth over $100 million. He shares his experiences in building wealth and believes that anyone can change their life with real estate investing.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | That's the thing with the ditty stuff. It's just like, wow, how many people were involved in this? |
| 0:04.1 | Yeah, it's weird. The whole ditty thing happens and you think like L.A. would chill on the sex parties and they just keep going. |
| 0:09.6 | No, think about the Drake and Kendrick beef, right? So to say Kendrick has a song, not like us, and they're like, oh, we really need Kendrick to win the beef. |
| 0:16.6 | How valuable is that for you as label label to say Kendrick won this beef? And Drake is part of Universal too. |
| 0:22.6 | So they can pit their own artists against each other. Isn't that interesting? |
| 0:25.6 | You guys went independent four or five years ago. I mean, obviously the creative freedom is better, but like has it paid off? |
| 0:30.6 | Financially, yeah, for sure. |
| 0:31.6 | What does you make from streaming? |
| 0:33.6 | 3,500? |
| 0:34.6 | Yeah, 3,500 per million streams usually, just from streaming. 3500 per million streams usually just from Spotify. |
| 0:37.9 | We were doing the math. |
| 0:38.6 | You guys have gotten over $5 billion just on Spotify alone. |
| 0:41.7 | The stream numbers have made you guys, you know, tens of millions, at least just in streams. |
| 0:47.6 | What's up, well, Bitterstay? |
| 0:48.7 | We got a different episode. |
| 0:50.1 | I have got a group that has gotten over 5 billion streams just on Spotify alone. |
| 0:55.7 | They've been in the industry now for over a decade making number one hits after number one hits. |
| 1:00.5 | I've got cheat codes. |
| 1:01.4 | What's up, guys? |
| 1:02.1 | What's up, dude? |
| 1:02.9 | Thanks for having us. |
| 1:03.8 | Yeah. |
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