It’s been a great run, and we couldn’t have done it without you, our listeners. Thank you so much for listening to one episode, 20, or all 215! If you shared an episode with a friend, you get a high five. Aw, fine, make it a hug. For real, without folks listening to the show, we wouldn’t have made it to 215 episodes. We wouldn’t have been able to get the fantastic guests we’ve had over the last few years. And last, but definitely not least, we wouldn’t have been able to get to know so many of you. So for the last time (for now), thank you for listening, we won’t be back next Tuesday at 6AM Eas ..read more

Last time John Ryan was on the show, we talked about Keep Flying’s relentless touring schedule, fan acquisition methods, and targeting the right demographics. A few months ago, Keep Flying went on their first international tour of the UK. John has been to the UK many times as a tour manager and crew member, but only once before for his own music - 15 years ago. Planning an international tour is quite different from a tour of your homeland, involving acquiring visas, renting/borrowing gear, and countless other factors. Listen now to learn about international touring as an independent artist fro ..read more

Matt Bacon is a jack of all trades - but that title isn’t followed by the typical “master of none” caveat. Matt does lots of things, and he does them really well. In the past we’ve talked to Matt about record labels and Facebook ads. This week on the show, we’re talking about artist management. Are you ready to hire a manager for your band? Would a manager even be able to help you? Listen now to learn about artist management, how to attract a manager, and when you’re truly ready for management! What you’ll learn: Why you already know Matt Bacon What an artist manager does for their clients Th ..read more

The internet is in outrage over Spotify’s endless war on independent artists - or, at least, that’s the accusation. But, taking a step back and viewing the change with a lens of reason, it’s clear that this isn’t Spotify trying to rip off smaller artists. In fact, it’s a change that will benefit any artist who puts in even a modicum of effort for their music. The cutoff equates to roughly $4 a year, and if you aren’t earning that much I’ll be honest… You aren’t really trying. Listen now to learn why Spotify’s latest change isn’t going to hurt artists, and how you can be sure to hit the payout ..read more

We’ve only had a small number of guests on the show multiple times - and I can count three-peats on one hand. This week I’m stoked to welcome back Troy Millette of The Fire Below for his third appearance! This time, we’re going to talk about Troy’s annual holiday benefit concert, Home for the Holidays. He’s been hosting the event for a whopping eleven years, showing that giving back is a huge part of who he is. Are you eager to make a difference in your own community? Listen now to learn how you can launch and grow a benefit concert or series of your own! What you’ll learn: Building a benefit ..read more

For every band, there comes a time when a venue will ask for a stage plot and input list. If you’re lucky, that will be early on - it means you’re progressing to more professional venues quickly! It’s important to have this information available, and not only that, your information should be properly organized and well put together. If it’s not, it might be worse than not having any at all! Listen now to learn more about stage plots, input lists, and why they’re important to have on hand for any show you play! What you’ll learn: Why you need to have a stage plot and input list prepared for yo ..read more

When it comes to promoting your music, one of your first thoughts is likely to be “I’ll try SubmitHub!”, or alternatively, “SubmitHub is a scam.” If you’re in the first group, you’ll enjoy hearing about the updates SubmitHub is making to improve the platform - or if you’re in the second, be ready to learn about the core of the platform and what the real goal of the site is. Listen now to hear from Jason Grishkoff, founder of SubmitHub, on how and why artists should use the platform and the big changes that have taken place on SubmitHub recently. What you’ll learn: Why Jason started SubmitHub ..read more

In this episode I’m fired up because, shockingly, I discovered a local musician who has little to no respect for their fellow artists. This episode is a lesson in etiquette when you're invited to play a show. Promotion is key in the world of live music, and not promoting a show you’re playing is a slap in the face to everyone else on the bill, as well as the venue. What happens when you decide to ignore this advice? Well, you burn bridges. That’s because the value of music is subjective. In the context of live music, the value is in how many people you bring, not how good your music is. Listen ..read more

Being in a band is fun when you have the right group of people around you and you’re playing music that makes you feel alive. That’s how it should be! But as soon as you step off that stage (and before you ever get on it, in fact), the other 90% of running your band’s business kicks in. The time where you have to schedule social posts, book shows, review agreements, network with other artists, etc. etc. That’s why we want to highlight all the work outside of playing music in this episode - so you can understand the true scale of what’s needed for a music career. Listen now to learn how you can ..read more

Sometimes the best guests are right in front of your nose… I’m ashamed to say it’s taken 204 episodes to get my long time friend Brian LaClair of Better Things on the show. There’s a silver lining, though, because this interview has perfect timing - we dive deep into the creative digital marketing techniques Brian and Better Things are using for their long-awaited reunion show. Listen now to learn how you can get creative with your marketing efforts to bring more people out to your shows on a consistent basis! What you’ll learn: Why James no longer manages bands (hint: it’s Brian’s fault) How ..read more