How to Break an Artist

Welcome back to How to Break an Artist or should we say How to Make an Artist! In this episode, Alfie jumps right in with the advice Liz Horsman gave us last time and starts to navigate recording his new songs. He brings us up to speed with what he’s been up to since the last episode and shares the voice memo of when he wrote Little Light with Gabrielle Aplin and Liz. And speaking of Liz, she’s ba...

Hello everyone! Welcome back to How to Break an Artist. Or should we say How to Make an Artist! For this series, we are shaking things up a bit. Alfie is putting everything we’ve talked about so far into practice and has decided to bring you all along for the journey as he reenters the world as an artist. Each month, we are documenting every stage of the process with help and advice from experts a...

We’ve missed you! Welcome back to our New Year’s Eve special, The A-Z of the Year 2024. In this special New Year’s bonus episode, the lads go through some of their favorite and biggest music news of the year from A to Z. Consider it the hootenanny of podcasts! Let us know what we’ve missed and what’s on your list! We hope you have a wonderful New Year and look forward to seeing you with a new seri...

Hello all, Alfie here, This week for the series finale we are joined by the one and only Gabrielle Aplin. Not only is she an incredible Artist, Songwriter and role model; she is the unsung hero of this podcast, bringing us stories and topics to talk about, reviewing the episodes and writing each week’s blurb…which this week is my responsibility.  In my opinion, Gabrielle is a natural broadcas...

This week the lads are in Cork to meet Irish singer-songwriter Darren Kiely. If you’re a young or new artist feeling a bit lost or maybe you’re unsure of where to go next, we are sure Darren will inspire you in this episode. We know he started by uploading covers online and we know he’s fresh off the stage at Electric Picnic and his songs are going viral, but in this episode Darren breaks down the...

Welcome back! In this episode we’re talking about the live music industry and who better to tell us all we need to know than a booking agent! This week we are joined by Joanna Ashmore. Joanna has worked in all areas of live music and we couldn’t think of anyone better to join us for this episode. Joanna shares her experience and some cool anecdotes from her time working in grassroots venues, to su...

This week the lads are delighted to be joined by sync expert, Tom Stingemore. In his own words he is “a long time major label, major publishing sync person. Pushing on eighteen years of doing sync for the world’s greatest artists and songwriters - in my own biased opinion.” We have to say we agree! Tom has worked on some of the most iconic syncs during his time at Universal Records, BMG and Hypnos...

Welcome back! This week we're diving deep into an AI rabbit hole. AI has proven to be both a blessing and a curse for many industries, but how is it affecting the music industry? You may remember the Beatles using AI for their recent single "Now and Then" to isolate John Lennon’s voice, or maybe you’re a fan of the new AI artist, Anna Indiana. However, AI-generated music first appeared back in 201...

It’s summertime and for many musicians and music fans that means one thing… festivals! We’re sure many of you have been to or are going to one this summer, or maybe you’re even playing at one! So in this episode we’re going to try and cover everything you need to know.  Alfie shares his festival memories and tells us about the festivals he’s played with Hudson Taylor. How did they end up play...

Welcome back! We’ve been covering a lot of doom and gloom recently so we want to lighten things up a little this week with a catch up.  Fionnán's got some big news. He’s changed his artist name to Fionnán Barrett, which is his own name (obviously!). He’s been thinking about it a lot and reveals to us why he’s done it and why it’s important to define who and what you are as an artist. The lads...

Welcome back! Whilst we pride ourselves on being candid, this episode we get a little more serious as we are discussing boycotts and art washing. We’re going to focus on the boycott of SXSW (sponsored by the US Army) and Barclaycard sponsored events such as The Great Escape, Latitude and other Live Nation/Festival Republic festivals.   Many artists scheduled to play The Great Escape boycotted...

This week the lads welcome the formidable RuthAnne. RuthAnne is a two-time grammy nominated songwriter, artist, producer and music industry campaigner.  You will have no doubt heard her work. She’s written for Diana Ross, Jojo, Britney Spears, One Direction, Ella Henderson.. the list is endless! And she’s on this weeks episode to tell us all about her incredible career, her songwriting proces...

And 3, 2, 1... Welcome back to How To Break an Artist! We’ve got so much to talk about this series, and today we’re jumping right in. During the break, Alfie went on tour for the first time ever as a solo artist. He transparently tells us about the budgets, how he booked, promoted, and played the shows, and breaks down exactly what his hourly wage was for the tour. Alfie gives advice on how to dea...

Welcome back to How To Break an Artist! Alfie and Fionnán are excited to dive into Series 3 with you. Episode One drops on June 19th, but in the meantime, here's a little taster of what's to come. Support the podcast on Patreon for ad-free and exclusive bonus episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the final episode of the series! Fionnán's been back in the studio, while Alfie preps for his first solo tour. We hear from our listeners about activism, publishing, and dream podcast guests! The lads also touch on James Blake’s 'Vault,' grassroots venues, and Music Declares. Thank you for your support this series. We can’t wait to be back for Season 3! Support the podcast on Patreon for ad-f...

It’s the penultimate episode of series 2 and it’s been a busy week for Alfie and Fionnán! Alfie has been on national TV and radio promoting the podcast and his debut single. While being interviewed isn’t new for Alfie, it is his first time doing it solo! He tells us about the differences between this trip and his days with Hudson Taylor, how this week of promotion came about, and shares his advice...

This weeks episode is all about artists making change with their music and their platforms. Every Irish act has pulled out of SXSW in solidarity with Palestine after learning that the U.S Army are super sponsors of the event. We believe that weapons of mass destruction and music don’t go together, so we’re gonna talk about it!  The lads discuss how important it is to stand up for wh...

This week on How To Break an Artist, the lads welcome Frank Carter. Frank has had an incredible career so far, from fronting Gallows to forming Pure Love. Currently, he's writing and touring with his band The Rattlesnakes, all while being a renowned tattoo artist! Frank brings a wealth of stories and inspiring advice. We delve into the punk scene of the early 2000s and hear what it was like for a...

After a busy week off the podcast, Alfie and Fionnán return with lots to share! Alfie has finally announced the end of his band Hudson Taylor, revealing his parting gift to fans and explaining how they broke the news via the mailing list. He also discusses why it took so long to make the announcement. Meanwhile, Fionnán has hit the studio for the first time to record his new music. During his week...

This week on the podcast, Alfie and Fionnán delve into the world of music videos. Fionnán offers valuable advice for aspiring directors and details the process behind creating his music video "Therapy." Meanwhile, Alfie provides a different perspective, discussing the pressures and costs associated with music videos while reflecting on his band's earlier productions. Later in the episode, they are...

This week Alfie and Fionnán talk all things TikTok! The lads discuss the evolution of the ever growing social media platform and its impact on the music industry. We hear about some of the biggest artists and songs from TikTok such as Jvke - Golden Hour and Cordelia and try to pick apart how they went viral. Is there really a formula to it or is it luck? Can a viral moment really launch your caree...

Starting where last weeks episode left off, Alfie and Fionnán continue the conversation around gender inequality in the music industry but this week they’re focusing on the live sector. The lads are then joined by Elliott Andrews who is if we may a so, a touring expert! Elliott has been a successful drummer for acts such as The Maccabees, Kate Nash and Paolo Nutini and now works as a tour manager...

This week, Alfie and Fionnán welcome PR expert and music industry consultant Linda Coogan Byrne to the podcast. Linda is the CEO of award-winning PR and marketing company Good Seed PR and the managing director of Culture Change company Why Not Her.  In this episode, Linda explains what music PR is and how the job has changed over her 20-year career and shares invaluable insights and advice fo...

Welcome to Series 2 of How To Break An Artist. To kick off the series, Alfie and Fionnán catch up and reflect on the big year of 2023. We hear about their favourite releases of last year and their predictions for the year ahead. They chat all about the biggest music industry stories of 2023, such as Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour' and the ongoing calls for streaming royalties reform. Fionnán shares...

It's the series finale! Alfie and Fionnán go off-script and reflect on the year and the podcast so far.  The lads chat about everything from the real Crazy Frog story to Taylor Swift's lyrics but don't worry; it's not all Christmas cheer! Alfie tells us about his experience as a performer at Christmas time and the reason Hudson Taylor Whelan's Christmas tradition came to an end. Support the p...