This week we're talking with David Macias, President and Founder of Nashville-based Thirty Tigers. We'll discuss the origins of the label, how their business model has changed over the years, how they approach A&R as well as artist development, and discuss independent release plans (label or not) ... and David will spill the tea on the current uproar over the streaming economy. Skip to ~22 minutes if you're only here for the Spotify/streaming talk. To read more of David's thoughts on Spotify and the streaming economy in general, check out this piece in Rolling Stone, as well as David's ful ..read more

This week on Music Rookie is an interview  with Daniel Kohn who is the editor at Spin Magazine.  In this conversation from 2021, you’ll hear us talk about Daniel’s journey as a music journalist, what he looks for in a story, and his vision for Spin, now that it is under new ownership.  ..read more

A conversation with Justin Black, a Richmond, VA-based independent musician who runs his own label, Crystal Pistol Records, and also works regularly with another Virginia-based label, WarHen Records.  Justin’s primary vessel for musical output is under the moniker Saw Black, which I recommend you check out wherever you consume music.  Our conversation is based around the premise of independent labels — and answering common questions like...should you start your own label? Should you cut a deal with a small indie? What might that deal look like versus a traditional deal or a "bigger ..read more

A conversation with Joe Swank, a freelance radio promoter who previously worked in the radio space at Yep Roc Records and Bloodshot Records. Joe was also a touring musician in the '90s, hosts his own radio show, and co-founded the Alt-country Specialty Radio Chart — so he's got a LOT of wisdom to share not only on the radio side, but on building a music industry career in general. As we've heard on other episodes; be ready to stay in it for the long haul, don't bank on overnight success, and constantly (C O N S T A N T L Y) work on developing your network. Also, be nice to people ..read more

This week we're talking with Emma Swift, a Nashville-by-way-of-Australia singer-songwriter who garnered some serious attention last year with her release of Blonde On The Tracks. We were excited to talk to Emma as a follow-up to our recent newsletter piece highlighting an atypical release strategy -- one that does NOT involve releasing songs to streaming platforms on the official release date. Emma breaks down her impetus for doing a "physical or download-only" release, how the plan was formed, and touches on all of the moving parts of her release cycle. She'll also provide some advice to deve ..read more

A conversation with the music editor for LA Weekly. Brett Callwood has worked for a slew of alt-weeklies, including Denver’s Westword, Detroit’s The Metro Times, SF Weekly and you’ll soon see his byline in the relaunch of the Village Voice. Brett walks us through his process for determining coverage each week at LA Weekly,  plus he gives us his insights on the Los Angeles music scene, if genres even matter anymore, and his thoughts on the future of music journalism in general ..read more

A conversation with Alyssa DeHayes, who is a publicist and media relations specialist for record labels, festivals and independent artists at Riot Act Media. She loves demystifying PR and marketing strategies in one-on-one consulting sessions for artists and labels who aren’t quite ready for a full publicity campaign. She spends her lunch hour twice a week teaching music publicity and promotion at The University of Georgia’s Music Business Program, and volunteers for Girls Rock Athens. We'll discuss the value of PR for artists in 2021, managing growth over the course of your career ..read more

A conversation with Lauren Casper who is the director of label management at The Orchard in Nashville. If you aren't familiar with The Orchard, it is the leading music distribution company for independent labels operating in over 40 markets worldwide. On today’s show we’ll talk how to authentically connect with your fans, how important metadata is, and why having a plan for how you are going to release your music can help you get those coveted playlists and other marketing opportunities ..read more

A conversation with Justin Osborne, who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of Charleston, SC band SUSTO. Justin is going to discuss what worked -- and what DIDN’T work -- as the band progressed from “total DIY” regional success all the way to present day touring Europe regularly and a legitimate record deal with Rounder Records.  SUSTO Official Website ..read more

A conversation with Brandon Kinder, a musician who’s been putting out records for over a decade with his band The Rocketboys and his solo project The Wealthy West. His music has been compared to the likes of Bon Iver and Band of Horses, and written about in Rolling Stone, Paste, and American Songwriter, and many more. He’s landed placements in dozens of commercials, films, and television shows. Since we’ve spoken to a sync agent and a music supervisor, we thought we would round out the trilogy with a musician’s side of getting music placements ..read more