Business Side of Music

When Adam Blank was forced to leave behind a scholarship and drop out of college to help his ailing father, he didn't know what lay ahead. The Marietta, Georgia-based entrepreneur knew he had to pitch in, so he took a job at a recycling plant and put his creative aspirations on hold. Blank emerged from this curve in the road anthemically triumphant. For over twenty-five years, he has owned and ope...

Not Everyone Should Get a Participation Trophy, nor does everyone get a record deal. What is the definition of talent? What does it take to be truly successful? And at what point should you walk away when you realize it's not going to happen to you? The music business is no different than any other industry, from the aspect that no matter how hard you work, you may still not make it to the top of...

Larry Groce's career is quite an interesting and intriguing story. He attended high school with future recording artists Michael Martin Murphey, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and BW Stevenson. He became a regular performer at an NYC Upper West Side restaurant owned by Melissa Manchester's husband, and went on to record 9 albums and 36 tunes for Disney featuring children's songs including, when in 1976 he wro...

The old way isn't always the best way…as the David to the Goliath of a traditionally unfair industry, DICE is revolutionizing a space that has long taken advantage of fans. By going against the status quo, DICE has shown change is possible, while still giving fans the best and most transparent experience with no hidden fees or scalping when it comes to tickets. Some of today's biggest artists like...

What gets you pumped to go out and play a gig? Is it the prestige? The adulation from the audience? Or is it the paycheck at the end of the night? Too often we find that the entertainer perceives themselves as someone who is either not worthy of charging a fair and equitable amount for their time and talent, or they're afraid that someone else is going to play the gig for less money (or heaven for...

The Wedding Singer. We've all seen the movie with Adam Sandler. But in the real world, being in a wedding band is more than just playing the first dance. It's about not only having the right setlist, but also having the right members of the band, the right production, and the right mindset when it comes to doing business. Mike Zabrin is doing all of that and more. Originating from his original mus...

Nashville based based guitarist and entrepreneur, Phil Shouse has quite the story to tell. He's a Rock guitarist in a Country music town, who's toured with the likes of Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley of KISS, along with heading up his own band "Accept", in addition to being a part of "Thee Rock N' Roll Residency". In addition to that, he's also a business owner with "Mutt Merch". Phil shares his sto...

Ending Artist Poverty. It's something that almost every single aspiring artist, singer, songwriter, or all around creative soul faces on a daily basis. But how does one go about getting over what seems like an insurmountable hurdle, all the while making sense of it all? Enter Labelcoin. Considered by their founder and CEO Mark Miller as the Robinhood of music, they have created a revolutionary son...

What's the difference between Country music in the USA, and the rest of the World? We get the opportunity to dig into to that idea with Australian songwriter and recording artist Lily Grace, who shares with us what its like to be on the other side of the ocean, and what it takes to break into the home of Country music, Nashville, Tennessee. Naturally gifted, Lily Grace began singing at 10 years of...

Born in Romania, raised in Germany, and now living in Los Angeles CA, classical guitarist and instructor Mircea Gogoncea joins us on the show. As an teacher of the instrument, Mircea believes that its important to start at an early age when learning the craft. This is where the company Tonebase comes in. The company which has been described as "Netflix meets Masterclass". has a firm belief that kn...

Welcome to the world of Johnathan Pushkar. Singer, Songwriter, Social Media Influencer. Growing up south of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Johnathan at a very young age, fell in love with the sound of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. While in school, he performed in a talent show with a 50's and 60's tribute band (playing drums), and the response from the audience had him hooked. He made the decision to...

In the studio with us today is Barbara Barna Abel, who is a Multimedia Communications Coach, and advisor on talent and executive development. We talk about what it takes to transition from being a performer on stage, to working in front of the television camera. Barbara shares with us how to prepare in advance, what mistakes not to make, and how to come across as a seasoned professional, when talk...

She is undeniably one of the most eloquently emotive vocalists of modern times. In the studio with us is award winning recording artist Lorrie Morgan. Lorrie shares with us what it has taken to be successful, the perils and pitfalls that have gone along with it, and the desire she has to keep going. Morgan also shares with us how she and her late husband, and Country music legend (and recent Count...

On the show today is John Kohl, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of TuneGO. We discuss the explosion of NFT's and how they're affecting the music industry. This part of the industry has yet to fully embrace technology. It's so fragmented that the information is all over the place and not properly collected or organized. Every single year there are billions of dollars of royalties that are collected b...

All of us have our favorite band or artist we love to listen to. Most of us can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to actually meet their idol, let alone hang out with them. David Stark did just that… and more. Author of the book "It's All Too Much" , David describes what it was like growing up in North London in the 1960's as a dedicated fan of The Beatles. From riding his bike to Abbe...

Australian Award winning Producer/writer Michael Flanders & co-founder of Pacific International music publishing moved to the USA in Feb 07 to head up Pacific International Music, during this period has built a healthy publishing catalog of over 1100 songs & having administration on 12 other existing catalogs with high profile names attached. His production credits include Josh Arnold, Nik Phillip...

If you're a fan of the NBC television Series "The Voice, then you might remember Dan Shafer from Season 11, when he was on "Team Blake". But Dan's career goes deeper than that. In addition to "The Voice", Dan has sung on some of the most iconic National Television Commercials of all time to include, "Transformers" (Robots in Disguise), Aliens 3 (The Motion Picture), BC Powder, Matchbox (Lightning...

We all have an idea on what it takes to get the music process from creation to consumption. The path taken has changed dramatically and historically over the past 20 years or so. At the same time, the one thing that has remained constant is that people love to create, and people love to listen. With all the new technology and ways to distribute music, how does the creative person, while rising abo...

In today's music scene, the independent artist is King (or Queen). No longer tied to having a record deal in order to be successful, the Indie Artist also doesn't fit the normal mold for pre-existing formats. You need someone who can help when the creative decisions become business decisions, and vice versa. This is where Talya Elitzer and her company Godmode come into play. Meet Talya Elitzer. Sh...

Getting into the music business is not easy. It's competitive, crowded, and the success of making it a career can be challenging on a good day. Factor in those players who say they can "guarantee" you that success for a fee, and all of a sudden things get really complicated… and potentially expensive without much to show for all of your hard work. Enter Vinny Ribas, who is the founder and CEO of I...

On this episode, Danny Zelisko shares with us his forty years in the music business, producing over 34,000 shows in that time. He talks about what it was like to get started in the business as a stagehand (including being a security guard on Alice Cooper shows), what it was like to work with concert and tour producer legend Bill Graham, and how he and Bill put together one of the largest music fes...

If you're a musician of any caliber that's been around for more than a few years, then you know what the annual NAMM Show is. NAMM which is the acronym for the National Association of Music Merchants , which was founded in 1901. Each year the NAMM Show hosts literally the largest display of musical instruments, professional sound reinforcement equipment, and studio gear. In 2020, 116,000 people at...

The business of music catalog acquisition has become a hot topic of discussion lately. With the sales of such song catalogs once belonging to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Shakira, John Lennon, Ryan Tedder, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, 50 Cent, Nelly, and many more, it's become a sellers paradise. But why? We talk with music publisher Trey Bruce, who is the own...

On this episode, we talk with Dave Philp and Steve Marcone with regards to their book " Managing Your Band: A Guide to Artist Management" . This book is considered the go-to guide for artist management in the new music industry, especially independent artists taking the DIY route. Industry insiders Steve and Dave tackle the work and knowledge required of an artist manager and band member, focusing...