Do What You Love

Two key staff departures. One brutal hiring grind. And a founder pulled straight back into the trenches when he'd spent years building past that. In this episode, I break down what actually happened in May when a staff member gave notice sooner than expected, and why the timing hit harder than it should have. I get into why hiring in this industry is nothing like a normal search: the timetabling p...

I built Music Valley without a business degree, without a mentor, and without anyone telling me how to actually run the thing once the music stopped being the hard part. Turns out, playing your instrument was never going to be the hard part. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the gap nobody warns you about — the one between mastering your craft and actually building a career from it....

20 years. One student to eighteen staff. Lorenzo built his academy (www.musicea.com.au) from a shoebox with no piano to a studio he painted himself, with his dad and son beside him. Steve sits down with an old conservatorium friend to unpack the ultimatum that built his work ethic, the cancer diagnosis that gave him his why, and the free trial system that's driven growth for two decades. They also...

Mark toured arenas across South Africa and Botswana with Planet Shakers. He's produced gospel and jazz for major artists, studied at Berklee, and rebuilt his career from scratch after moving to Melbourne. In this episode he gets real about what happens when a client's vision and a producer's creative direction collide, the grief that led him to write his album Free, and why no musician makes it al...

Ready to find your path in the music industry? Book a free call with Music Valley: www.musicvalley.com.au Leon went from college graduate to Instructor, to Operations Supervisor & Assistant Trainer at Music Valley in under two years. He was just 23 when he earned his third promotion. In this episode, Leon opens up about the moment he had to tell Martin, the mentor who taught him to love music, tha...

Gene Leone took the long way into music. Real estate. Corporate sales. A layoff that forced him to bet on himself. In this episode, Gene gets honest about why traditional music education produces skilled players who can't survive in the real world, why imitation beats originality when you're finding your voice, and what it really takes to earn the respect of a room full of teenagers. Plus: why fac...

Martin is a Berkeley grad, philosopher, and the strategic mind behind Music Valley's ensemble program. And he'll tell you straight: what makes or breaks a musician has almost nothing to do with how well they play. In this episode: how to handle band members who aren't pulling their weight, why Miles Davis got gigs before he had a full band, and the moment spreadsheets transformed the way Martin le...

Apply at www.conyfer.com and use the code Music Valley to get prioritised. Ready to find your path in the music industry? Book a free call with Music Valley at www.musicvalley.com.au Shayini is the co-founder of Conyfer, an invite only distribution platform that hands artists real data, zero contracts, and a human being they can actually text when something goes wrong. In this episode: why most ar...

This episode features an interview with Steve Jaz by Jazz Singh from Jazz Real Estate discussing everything from business to mindset and what it takes to make a living doing what you love.

Vocal Coach and Founder of Soundcheck Studios in Ballarat Victoria, Zara Jarvis launched her Music School just over 2 years ago and in that time, has built a thriving community of over 200 students both in person and online. Despite a 95% statistic of failures for starts ups, Zara has managed to create a profitable business, with a team of 13 staff, a strong instagram following and has recently la...

WARNING - This interview contains language that may not be suitable for kids. Producer, DJ, Songwriter, Radio Host and Multi-Platinum Award Winner from the Band, The Potbelleez, Jonny Sonic’s music career has spanned across the globe, including support for Usher on a 16 Arena Tour, Headlining for The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada and Basement Jaxx. In this rare and exclusive interview...

This episode is a live recording of an interview with Steve Jaz as part of the live immersion event with Jag Jassel from Agency Business School - Australia’s Elite Business School for Marketers and Ad Agency Owners. Steve shares some of the key lessons learned over the past decade, what worked, what didn't, all revealed in this 90min live Q& A style event. 
From his initial inception of Music Vall...

How do you network effectively so you can get more gigs, build a bigger following and achieve greater success in your career? In this conversation, music mentor & producer Michel shares valuable insights and tips for successful networking in the music industry using this one simple skill. Learn more at: https://linktr.ee/musicvalley

Have you ever wondered about mentoring? What exactly is a mentor and how can it help me? How can it help others? These are common questions in today's world where mentoring and coaching has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world ($350 million per day in the US) with more musicians seeking guidance from industry professionals in the field. To help you understand mentoring in the...

Imagine a new system where friends and music fans can invest in their favourite local or international artists and mutually profit from their success. Welcome to Valyou X - The World's First Decentralized Global Music Artist Stock Market. In this interview with Valyou X CEO/Founder Bobby Oparaocha, we discuss the current state of music digital streaming revenue models and how all of that is changi...

“For me, the first thing as a musician, I don’t want to talk about money because you know music is sacred and it’s my thing, and I don’t think those two mix well together. So what made you decide to combine ‘Music’ & ‘Money’?” A valid question indeed, asked by Michel Kroll in this 22 minute interview. In this interview we go behind the scenes of the upcoming 'Music & Money Event' and explain the f...

Katie Underwood who is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for being a member of Bardot, winners of the first Australian series of Popstars in 2000. The group achieved instant success with the No. 1 hit "Poison" and its No. 1 debut album, headlined its own national tour and performed at the 2000 ARIA Awards in which it was nominated for three awards. After leaving the group in 2001, Katie...

In this episode, Steve shares that life changing moment at 26 when everything changed and was called to adventure and began the journey and transformation as a weekend musician-full time employee to full time entrepreneur. Michel reveals a similar time in his life during an attempt to escape from a reality that no longer served him, where he met an unexpected mentor who allowed him to find his tru...

The difference between mentoring and coaching can be a little vague. In this episode, Steve & Michel reveal their discoveries on the difference between mentors, coaches and teachers. To find out more about mentoring and working as a professional music mentor, book your free discovery interview, visit: www.universalschoolofmusic.com.au

Celebrating the debut EP release of “Hummingbird” on 28th July as a tribute to a beautiful family friend, Natalie, aged 20 who lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Now reflecting on Natalie’s life, she has become the strength & inspiration for Sandee as she shares her truth & stories in this up close & personal interview with Steve Jaz. Tickets available at: https://www.trybooking.com/WXOZ Follow...

Do you find yourself on stage feeling the fear of judgement, intimidation or disgrace? In this conversation with Michel and Steve, we discuss that critical moment of choice between stimulus and response and what you can do to ensure your decisions count. To learn more or get in touch, visit us at: www.musicvalley.com.au #dowhatyoulove

Have you ever considered what it would be like to reverse engineer the life you dream of? If we don’t take the time to design our lives according to our highest values and honour our own unique sound, message and calling, we empower other people, circumstances and beliefs to shape and govern our actions forcing limits on our potential. Thats why the first step in creating a successful lifestyle do...

Finding the right musicians, producers and team can be challenging to say the least. We have all been mislead, misunderstood and even exploited at times which can lead creatives down a dark and isolated path if we're not careful. In this episode, Michel gives some tips on how to evaluate your network social system in order to meet your needs and the demands of your projects so you can find the RIG...

In this episode, Steve share's one his biggest set backs in business and explains how each failure was a step towards the next bigger goal. Michel explains the parallels between goals with that of the journey of mountain climbing. To learn more or get in touch, visit us at: www.musicvalley.com.au #dowhatyoulove

In today’s episode, we share 4 steps on how to be a master of your environment by creating intelligent systems, habits and routines that supports your values, goals and mission to make a living doing what you love. To learn more or get in touch, visit us at: www.musicvalley.com.au #dowhatyoulove