Business Side of Music

Do you sometimes feel as though you're just a T-Shirt salesperson, with a 30 minute presentation that's called a set list? Do you wonder why some acts who are at the same level as you, have a product line or sponsor helping support their career while you don't? What seperates you from those that are finding that perfect sponsorship or product branding? Enter Clay Busch and his company SiX18 Agency...

What started out as a project in a screenwriting class in a writers boot camp, has turned into a novel describing how Nashville, also known as "Music City" evolved into what it is today… or not. Nashville Tennessee is well known for its Country music, but did you know that the birthplace of Rhythm and Blues, or what we these days call "R&B" actually was born in this Middle Tennessee City we call N...

dis·rup·tion (noun) Definition: "A radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation." According to our guest Jack Sharkey, who is with KEF Audio, music and the culture at large needs disruption to keep it fresh and engaging. The digital revolution and the chokehold the "industry" has on art has made it nearly impossible for the next generation of disruptors to be he...

What makes a successful singer or songwriter? Is it perseverance? Is it working with seasoned co-songwriters or industry veterans? Could your stumbling block be the lack of networking or that first impression? There are often more questions than answers. Enter Marc-Alan Barnette to help us navigate those swampy waters. Marc-Alan Barnette, aka "THUNDER THROAT", has always been a "square peg in an o...

Finn Hodgins, who is the Founder and CEO of Grouped, a platform where independent and label artists can create and engage their fans, and help turn them into a revenue stream for the artist. 90% of artists derive their income from their top 1% of their fan base. Grouped helps with the data entry, and the algorithms that the artist needs to achieve that goal. But there's so much more to this platfo...

It's been said that each of us can do at least one thing better than ten thousand other people. Singer/Songwriter, Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist, and the proprietor of a Nashville based recording studio, Robin Ruddy found multiple things she is good at accomplishing. When Robin lost her husband to cancer, she began creating a musical journey to help ease her grief, and along the way, provide som...

We can't believe it's been six years in the making to get to this moment, and we wanted to do something special… or at least different. For the first time ever, the host of the show, Bob Bender, becomes the guest! After all this time, we find out what makes Bob tick, how (and why) he got into the music business, and the reason he stuck with it for 50 plus years. He also shares some of the inner wo...

You're an aspiring musician, and you want to learn from the best. But sometimes it becomes difficult, as the student in many aspects, has learned as much as the teacher in their hometown knows. But finding music instructors of the next level can be time consuming, and often quite expensive. Enter the online platform "Open Studio". Created by entrepreneur and acclaimed jazz pianist Peter Martin, th...

Al Bowman is a very, very busy man these days. As the executive producer for such awards shows as the "LA Music Awards", which ran from 1991 to 2015, followed up by the Las Vegas "Fame Awards" which aired from 2016 to 2022, he doesn't sit idle long. He's now created the "Nashville Music Awards", honoring the Top 25 independent artists throughout the Country. On this episode, we have three of the w...

Putting out your music to the public is always a moment in time that you'll remember. But is it the best sounding mix that you could achieve in the process? As an independent recording artist, how do you compete with the label acts when it comes to mixing and mastering? Is it something that you can afford?  Enter Jacob "Biz" Morris, and his new online platform that helps balance the scales. Jacob...

Back in 2014, there were 15 record pressing plants in the U.S. along with approximately 30 facilities around the globe. There are now 55 record pressing plants in the United States, and 200 plants worldwide. The demand for vinyl records has never been higher than it is now. Because the industry has become craft oriented in recent years, an employee who works in these facilities, which has anywhere...

Sheri Thrower wears many hats in the music and entertainment industry, from an award-winning music producer and vocal coach to a film composer and music mentor. Founder of the Grove Jesus Music, and the nonprofit organization, "SingAkadamie", Sheri began her career in public music education. She gained national recognition as her children's choirs were the first to be the pre-music for Radio City...

The best art doesn't always necessarily rise to the top anymore, it's more likely the best marketed art rises to the top. Author and music industry entrepreneur Jeremy Shiloh has been brainstorming this problem as how to get the best singer/songwriters to reach that goal. What came out of this process was to create a peer review process for the totally undiscovered singer/songwriter called Circate...

A third-generation firefighter, Jason Byrd has always had another fire burning within … as a traditional country music singer, songwriter and performer. Mentored by none other than George Jones,  Byrd has played stages across the US and Canada, opening for powerhouse artists such as Tracy Lawrence, Loretta Lynn, Mark Chesnutt, Dierks Bentley and, of course, George Jones. Jason has appeared on the...

On August 13th, 2011, prior to an outdoor performance at the Indiana State Fair by the hit Country recording act "Sugarland", an approaching severe thunderstorm hit the temporary roof structure of the stage, causing it to collapse. The structure landed among a crowd of spectators, killing seven people and injuring 58 others. The cause was later determined to be a breakdown or lack of communication...

You love the music business. You want to find a gig on the road as a Tour Manager, Guitar Tech, Front of House or Monitor Engineer. Maybe your speciality is as a production assistant, catering, wardrobe, lighting director or set carpenter. But you don't know anyone in the industry, and you don't know how to get your foot in the door. Enter Giggs. Founder and CEO Nikki Sanz is the brains and heart...

On this episode, when we first put this together, our guest Scott Welch indicated that we could pick the topics of discussion, as long we didn't involve how quantum physics works. We agreed. So instead, we chat about the aspects of the music business, from Artificial Intelligence, to touring, to managing acts, and how artists need to take control of their careers. In other words, we take a peek be...

Do you know what your brand is? Are you seeking more streams and likes as is the norm these days, or are you wanting a bigger picture that incorporates who you actually are as not only an artist, but as an individual working in the music industry. Something that is sustaining to your career, and sets you above all the noise and clutter in social media, and ultimately the music business? Rick and M...

Legendary Country Recording Artist Buddy Jewell was the very first winner of USA Network's hit reality show Nashville Star. Jewell, was the true viewer favorite from the very beginning, capturing 65% of the nationwide voting and beating out 11 other contestants, most notably, Miranda Lambert, by over 2 million votes on the final episode that season. His self-titled Columbia Records debut release l...

On this week's episode, we have a discussion with Johnny Dwinell regarding what it is that drives artists to hear their songs on radio… and is it worth the cost? Today's terrestrial radio is attempting to figure out what their future is in the overall spectrum of things. At the same time, the record business is looking to see what their next step might be. Currently they're going to go with the de...

Originally a songwriter from Arkansas, Randy Barber moved to Nashville to try his hand at writing hits with some of the best on Music Row. He soon discovered that the bar for great material was set high, and he had to make the decision to either return home, or figure out a way to become a better writer. Soon enough, Randy discovered he had other talents more acclimated for behind the scenes of th...

Some weeks back, we posted the question to our followers on Facebook and Linkedin asking for topics of discussion you'd like for us to cover on an upcoming episode of "The Business Side of Music" podcast. On this special episode, we cover several of those questions submitted by our listeners. Joining us in the studio is Vinny Ribas, who is the founder of "Indie Connect", along with his new educati...

The buzzword these days is AI. "Artificial Intelligence". It's a scary topic of discussion if we allow it to be. But there are good opportinities to use AI, and Paul Loeb who is the founder and CEO of DropTrack has found a way to have it work in the music industry for independent artists. When Paul started a record label several years ago, he experienced the pains of music promotion, which led him...

Do you ever wonder how you can discover trending music, SFX, content creators, and more? How about getting your music attached to some of today's Tik Tok and YouTube influencers? That's where Thematic steps in, and helps ease the process. Stephanie Leyva who is the Director of Partnerships at Thematic explains the process, and how one goes about getting your foot in the door. Stephanie Leyva has a...

Did you know that 70% to 75% of businesses today don't know that they're not supposed to be using consumer services such as Pandora or Spotify to play music in their business establishments? That's over four million businesses in the United States alone. Having a license from just ASCAP, BMI, GMR or SESAC will not cover all the songs on their playlists. There has to be a more inclusive and overall...