Business Side of Music

Growing up in Mt. Pulaski Illinois, at the age of 13, Singer and Songwriter John Schlitt joined a local band called " Vinegar Hills Hometown Band Something Different" . After graduating from high school, Schlitt enrolled in the University of Illinois, earning a degree in Civil Engineering. However with his main interest in music, he joined the rock band "Head East" in 1972, going on to having such...

Whether you're a newbie in the business, or a seasoned professional seeking some guidance and direction, Emily White's book "How To Build A Sustainable Music Career and Collect All Revenue Streams" is a must read for any music professional wanting to know the steps needed for success (and in the correct order). Her name graced the cover of Billboard magazine while in her 20's, with Emily White's w...

What does music have to do anything with Foster childern? Foster kids, once they age out of the system (typically around 18 years old), have an unemployment rate of 47%. Nearly 50% of former foster children are homeless with 18 months of release from the system, and 80% of the prison population is made up of former foster youth. (*) Amped Kids Foundation (501 (c) 3 organization) believes in buildi...

Winner of the Miss Virginia title, and going on to compete in the Miss America Pageant, Meghan Shanley discovered an insatiable appetite for meeting fans and making new friends during a life on the road that saw her traveling over 3,000 miles a month in the wake of her win. With a deep love of music, Meghan discovered that she loved touring as well and began to focus on the pursuit of a career in...

The youth of today, are our future in the music business. Brandon Pankey has created a program to help assist high schoolers and college students get a foot in the door. As Vice President of Business Development & Operations for Live Nation Urban, Brandon Pankey proves integral to the planning, positioning, and execution of marquee annual events and initiatives, ensuring the ultimate audience expe...

As a songwriter, you know that a good song isn't going to make it in such a competitive field anymore. Your creation has to be a great song. Something so stellar, that its far above anything else out there when it comes to capturing the attention of the artist, and ultimately the listener. A good song publisher and plugger can help you navigate those sometimes treacherous waters. Meet Sherrill Bla...

"Success in the music business begins with a dream, a vision. This podcast will give you the listener the insight and tools to turn that vision into a reality. Meet the industry professionals who work day by day behind the scenes, helping to make those dreams come true. Welcome to the Business Side of Music." This mission statement, created by Tom Sabella and Bob Bender back in 2016, is heard each...

Performing since the age of 9, singer/songwriter/performer Doug Robertson knows a thing or two on how to craft a song. He learned at a very young age writing songs by taking a Beatles tune, and changing the lyrics, or vice versa, keeping the lyrics, and changing the song, to get a better grasp as to how a piece of music was structured. That experimentation helped develop his songwriting skills. As...

Women in Music. We all know about the superstars. Taylor Swift, LeAnn Rimes, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood. We see them every day in the news and on the charts. But how did they get there? What did they have to sacrifice to make it in what is considered by many to be a male dominated business?   Jana Jones Uttz who is an industry consultant, and vocal coach based out of Nashville TN, join...

Meet Al Bowman. He started out working in the LA Music Scene owning, and driving limos for such superstars as Whitney Houston, who introduced him into the world of celebrity seat filling. That provided an introduction to such luminaries as Patti LaBelle, Tommy Lee from Motley Crue, The Beach Boys Brian Wilson, and even silver screen star Martha Ray. Through a chain of events, including the 1992 LA...

Denver-born, and recently relocated from NYC to Nashville, AJ Smith's unconventional path to becoming a pop artist is reflected throughout his music, which has the uncanny ability to evoke a nostalgic desire for dramatic pop of decades past while sounding modern, fresh, and in-the-moment emotional.  A flare for the dramatic is likely written into his DNA - AJ's father ran away and literally joined...

It's that time once again, our annual Christmas special. This year we have in the studio with us, special guest Jack Sharkey, who is Senior Technical Engineer for KEF Speakers, and co-host of the upcoming podcast series "Between The Notes". This fun trip down memory lane spans the gamut of music from Bing Crosby's hits "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas", to National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation"...

Don Muzquiz is today's Journeyman. Name it, and he's accomplished it. A renaissance man of sorts. Tour Manager, Production Manager, Creator, Producer, and host of the "Road Dog Project", a webcast that is recorded in a very unique environment, which is in tour buses. Over the years, he's worked with such luminaries as Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole, Fantasia, Cassadee Pope, Jewel, Mary Wilson, Bo...

Have you ever wondered what the music scene was like in other countries around the world? In this episode, we chat with Karl Kongkham, who is the Managing Director of Warner Music Thailand. We find out what it takes to be a successful recording artist, and live touring performer in a nation of 70 million people. We discover how different and diversified their music culture is compared to other nat...

Jonelle Mosser has worked with some of the most amazing talent in the music business. Industry veterans such as B.B. King, Trisha Yearwood, Etta James, Wynonna Judd, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Waylon Jennings, Patty Smyth, AJ Croce, Levon Helm and Bruce Cockburn, have shared the stage or the studio with her. Jonelle has also worked on numerous solo projects over the span of her career, beginning...

Joining us on today's episode of The Business Side of Music, is Jeremy Sirota, who is the CEO of Merlin. Merlin is the independent artists digital music licensing partner. Merlin has premium deals with Apple, Facebook, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and 40 more global, regional and innovative platforms. Their global membership makes up 15% of the recorded music market from their labels, distributors, a...

When the 2020 Covid pandemic put a stop to the live music industry, Rachael Bronstein thought about the thousands who work behind the scenes to put on the amazing shows that she loved. Those concerts were her happy place, a place where she could check her worries at the door. She had become a devoted fan over the years, attending dozens of concerts and live festivals, developing relationships with...

Why would Arsenio Hall, Herbie Hancock, Keb' Mo',  Kenny G and countless celebrities at the pinnacle of their careers choose to share the limelight with one musician?  Vail Johnson is a talent unbounded by musical genres; an artist who succeeded as a top LA Studio Musician, Internationally Acclaimed Bass Player, Jazz Musician, Band Leader and Solo Performer. Vail's music appears in film, TV, on ra...

If You Don't Have Your Thinking Right, You're Never Going To Be Able To Build Your Career. Even with the Covid Pandemic winding down, and people once again beginning to fill the seats at live music events, the recovery from the nearly two year lockdown is still taking its toll on the entertainment industry. Whether it be rock, classical, jazz, or other genres, the bounce back is taking longer than...

Michael Nachtigal began his career in the 1960's as a musician, and has spanned the sum of 50 years, during which time he has toured every continent, has worked with such diverse acts as Lional Richie, Carman, Grand Funk Railroad, Kitaro, Ritchie Blackmore & Rainbow, Donny & Marie Osmond, Aretha Franklin, Power Rangers, Megadeath, Linda Rondstadt, and Usher, just to name a few over his five decade...

In this episode, we chat with Daniel Weisman who is with Alliance Bernstein, focusing on what's behind the  recent explosion in Artist song catalog sales, and whether or not it's the smartest and safest thing to do in today's environment. Prior to joining Alliance Bernstein in 2019 as Vice President of Private Wealth, Daniel Weisman worked as an entrepreneur and trusted advisor in the music indust...

Abe Partridge received national and international recognition in early 2018 when he released his first official full-length release, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days , to rave reviews and substantial airplay on Americana radio. It landed Partridge a lengthy feature in The Bitter Southerner and the album was chosen to be one of their "Top 30 albums of 2018." Ranging from the earthy to the surreal,...

With more than 5 million customers in more than 190 Countries around the world, and having been in business for more than 15 years, they're not the new kid on the block. This also includes 7,000 trade corridors to help today's content creator, and recording artist. Joining us on the show today is Ya Wen, who is the Senior Vice President, Americas at Payoneer ( www.payoneer.com ). We talk about how...

In this episode, we have a special guest and a really cool guy, Jack Sharkey. Jack has a stellar career in the music industry, both as a performing drummer, and as Senior Technical Engineer at KEF Speakers. However, we take a different direction, as we spend time in the studio talking about something that we're both very passionate about… Classic Rock, and why it's not obtainable anymore. When was...

Richie Scholl was living a pretty cool life. Having moved from Queensland Australia to Nashville Tennessee to further his career in the music business in 2007, he was performing on a regular basis, sometimes 6 nights a week in Music City. While doing so, he met his future bandmates Brian Powell (bassist), and Derek Smith (drums), and the 3 of them went on to form "The Richie Scholl Band". Then Cov...