My .4 Cents

Hosts Andrew Southworth, Dustin Boyer, and Matt Bacon, alongside guest co-host Ryan Schutte, talk about the evolving landscape of the music industry. They begin with insights from Ryan Schutte, a booking agent at Forthright Booking, focusing on the challenges and strategies surrounding DIY tour booking and fostering local and regional music scenes to capture the attention of bigger agents. The epi...

Andrew Southworth, Matt Bacon, Jesse Cannon, and Dustin Boyer tackle various shifts and trends in the music industry, particularly focusing on Spotify's recent introduction of video features in the American market and alterations to the Shuffle function. Highlighting the skepticism among American users accustomed to more static interfaces, the hosts humorously delve into their experiences with vid...

In this episode, hosts Dustin Boyer, Andrew Southworth, Matt Bacon, and Jesse Cannon discuss innovative strategies for music promotion and the implications of AI in the music industry. They dive into the effectiveness of utilizing multiple social media accounts to maintain a professional image while engaging in aggressive promotion and fan interaction. An interview with IDM-electronic artist Ramon...

Hosts Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, Andrew Southworth, and Matt Bacon engage in a deep dive discussion on optimizing an artist's reach, aiming to significantly increase their audience in just 30 days. They explore strategies for building a compelling narrative that resonates with audiences and the importance of leveraging collaborations to gain visibility in the music industry. The conversation also...

In this episode, Matt Bacon, Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, and Andrew Southworth explore diverse topics on how musicians can optimize their income through unconventional methods. They discuss creative strategies such as niche marketing, limited edition merchandise, and effective use of publishing rights to maximize revenue. The group discusses the merits of incorporating innovative platforms like Sh...

In this episode, hosts Andrew Southworth, Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, and Matt Bacon delve into various aspects of the music industry, discussing how musicians earn money through different income streams such as merch, touring, and streaming. The conversation features an insightful interview with Todd White, owner of King Volume Records, who shares the story of managing Castle Rat, a rising metal...

In this episode, hosts Jesse Cannon, Matt Bacon, and Dustin Boyer engage in a dynamic discussion with Alex Bochel, the owner of the EDM record label Spirations Music, covering the challenges and strategies of music distribution in the digital age. The conversation delves into the complexities and frustrations facing DIY musicians and label owners with distribution services, highlighting issues suc...

In this episode, Dustin Boyer, Jesse Cannon, and Matt Bacon explore Taylor Swift's latest album rollout and the mixed reactions it has garnered, noting both fan loyalty and criticism, while discussing its significant cultural footprint. Highlighting fascinating marketing strategies, they feature an interview with Lee Martin, a creative marketing expert with a rich background working with artists l...

In this episode, Andrew Southworth and his colleagues Matt Bacon, Dustin Boyer, and Jesse Catted explore a study revealing TikTok's limited impact on music discovery compared to YouTube and streaming platforms. They delve into the intricacies of how people discover music, discussing whether initial exposure or full engagement constitutes true discovery. The team also interviews Jon Strom, a multif...

Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, and Matt Bacon dive into what makes TikTok content successful for musicians, breaking down examples of viral videos and detail how spectacle, identity, and strong hooks drive engagement. They also discuss how adapting ideas from other genres can elevate a music marketing strategy, and how tools like ChatGPT can be leveraged for industry research, such as identifying the...

Musician Ryan Shuck explores the remarkable arc of his music career, from founding roles in Orgy and Julien-K to collaborations with the likes of Chester Bennington and Korn. The conversation focuses heavily on Julien-K’s latest innovative crowdfunding campaign surrounding their live-streamed event “Ritual,” revealing how the band successfully transitioned from platforms like Indiegogo to fully in...

Emerging country artist Brian Andrews shares his journey as a DIY musician from a small town in Missouri to becoming a rising voice in both music and sociopolitical conversations. He opens up about how his upbringing instilled a strong sense of speaking out for what he believes in, which has become a defining aspect of his brand. Brian discusses the interplay between his music and political conten...

In this episode of "My Point Four Cents," the hosts delve into the complexities surrounding music streaming platforms, particularly Spotify, and how they can be exploited through scams such as improper artist tagging and bot-driven attacks. They explore how fraudulent actors can hijack artist profiles, the lack of effective authentication systems, and the failure of distributors to safeguard creat...

Hosts Matt Bacon, Jesse Caden, and Andrew Southworth dive into the challenges modern musicians face with streaming platforms, specifically addressing the controversial removal of artist Karra’s album from Spotify due to alleged artificial streaming. They analyze her claim of spending $100,000 on an album that earned only $1,200 from streaming, highlighting the lack of a marketing budget and broade...

Jesse Cannon welcomes his longtime friend Matthew Molnar—a true veteran of the music world with an impressive, decades-spanning resume that includes being a musician, record producer, manager, and concert booker. The conversation explores Matt’s deep roots in the DIY and punk scenes, his work booking shows at iconic New York venues Market Hotel and Trans-Pecos, and his passion for supporting risin...

Jesse Cannon, Matt Bacon, Andrew Southworth, and Dustin Boyer are joined by special guest Matthew Molnar, a longtime music industry insider who currently books for Brooklyn venues Market Hotel and Trans-Pecos. The group dives into a spirited discussion about the ongoing debate surrounding waterfall release strategies in music marketing, questioning a viral social media claim that such methods are...

Brian Zisook, co-founder of AudioMack, shares the origin, mission, and evolution of the music streaming platform. He discusses how AudioMack carved out a niche as a discovery-focused service initially rooted in hip hop and now with a major presence across Africa, Latin America, and multicultural youth markets worldwide. By providing free tools and empowering independent artists through human curat...

In this episode of “My Point Four Cents,” the hosts—Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, Andrew Southworth, and Matt Bacon—engage in a detailed conversation on music marketing and platform strategies, featuring special guest Brian Zisook, co-founder and EVP of AudioMack. The discussion dives into platform trends, contrasting how artists often perform differently across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube...

My .4 Cents host Andrew sits down with Chris Greenwood, also known as the artist "Manafest", to dive deep into his journey as an independent musician and music entrepreneur. Chris shares his evolution from touring artist to Spotify success, discussing his wins in sync licensing, including a six-figure Olympics placement, and the shift from active to passive income through streaming. He opens up ab...

This episode of "My Point Four Cents" features a deep dive into the Spotify algorithm with musical artist and educator Chris Greenwood, also known as Manafest. Hosts Dustin Boyer, Matt Bacon, Jesse Cannon, and Andrew Southworth explore the metrics behind Spotify's Popularity Index and share insights from a data-driven study that analyzed the streaming behavior of hundreds of artists. Andrew explai...

Andrew Southworth, Matt Bacon, Jesse Cannon, and Dustin Boyer delve into the complex dynamics of “personality content” in the evolving world of music marketing. They engage in a candid roundtable discussion on how artists balance showcasing their music with sharing personal, often unrelated content online, and explore the risks and rewards of merging personality and artistry on platforms like TikT...

Jesse Cannon sits down with Victor, also known as Goshfather, to explore his journey into the vibrant world of Disco House—a high-energy subgenre of electronic dance music blending vintage sounds with modern flair. Victor shares how he went from nearly quitting music to experiencing a career renaissance through a bold commitment to releasing one song every week for a year, redefining his personal...

Jesse Cannon, Dustin Boyer, Andrew Southworth, and Matt Bacon engage in a deep discussion on the mechanics of music algorithms—especially those used by apps like Spotify—and how they interact with the artistic process. They explore whether algorithms influence or dilute artistic integrity, unpacking concepts such as collaborative filtering, user behavior, and track metadata. Throughout the convers...

Hallowood Media, a relatively obscure label, is signing ImOliver, the top user of the AI music generation platform Suno. This move has sparked debate, as it raises questions about the value of AI-generated music versus human creativity. Suno allows users to create full songs from text prompts, making it easy for those without traditional musical skills to produce listenable music. While “I’m Olive...

Music Marketer Matt Bacon talks with longtime friend Scotty Heath of Tankcrimes Records about his journey through underground music and the evolution of his DIY label. Scotty shares his early influences, from discovering punk at a Rancid show to immersing himself in San Francisco’s vibrant DIY scene. He recounts how his entrepreneurial spirit and experience at grassroots shows led to launching Tan...