Progressions: Success in the Music Industry

Today’s guest is engineer, audio technician, and microphone designer Derek Bargaehr. Derek is the the Chief Everything Officer and co-founder of Vanguard Audio Labs. He created Vanguard to give musicians and recording engineers access to great and affordable tools and since then his mics have been added to mic lockers all over the world. We have a great chat about microphone design, understanding...

Today’s guest is booking agent, entrepreneur, author, and habit coach Esther Calloway. Currently Esther is an Artist Booking Operations Manager for Sofar Sounds as well as the founder of her own booking and talent-buying agency E. Calloway Management. She’s an active member of the Recording Academy Texas Chapter and a business leader in the Dallas area. We chat about what makes a brand and artist...

Today’s guest is Nashville based mixer Brent Hendrich. With over 20 years of experience as a freelancer Brent has logged countless hours of time in the recording studio, worked on a Dove award winning record, and contributed to Emmy award-winning compositions. We chat about being willing to invest in your growth, working in Cubase, mix prep, starting a career in Nashville, and the power of setting...

Today’s episode is a special bonus all about marketing for musicians. My guests are Feature. FM CEO and Co-Founder Lior Aharoni and Chief Commercial Officer Daniel Sander. Lior founded Feature. FM in 2013, combining his past technology experience with his passion for helping musicians and creators focus on their art while still building a thriving independent business. Daniel has been with Feature...

Today’s guest is music producer, engineer, mixer, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lappin. Andrew prides himself on helping artists push boundaries while staying true to themselves. He’s doing that with a mix of major label and independent artists such as L’Rain, Chromeo, Big Red Machine, and STACEY. In addition to that he also composes and produces music for television, film, and radio. We chat a...

Today’s guest is musician and music business entrepreneur Mark Miller. Mark is the co-founder and CEO of Labelcoin, a revolutionary Web 3.0 based song exchange that allows fans to invest in the next big song. Mark and his team are working to usher in a new era for the music industry in which artists’ future revenues are brought forward to the present day with the ultimate goal of stamping out arti...

Today’s guest is musician, composer, recording engineer, and educator Yuri Lysoivanov. Yuri is currently a product expert and marketing development specialist at Shure Microphones. Prior to that he was an instructor and the Chair of the Recording Arts Department at Flashpoint Chicago as well as a staff composer for an advertising agency. Along with all of that he actively records, specializing in...

Today’s guest is manager and independent record label owner Tal Oz. Tal began his career on the engineering side, working at Interscope, where he would eventually transition into A&R. He continued his A&R path at Mom+Pop Music before moving into producer, mixer, and artist management. Some of his current management clients include Doug Schadt, Evan Sutton, and Rob Cohen. He’s also recently...

Today’s guest is mixing and recording engineer Pedro Calloni. Pedro has recently done mixes for artists such as Gayle, LANY, Sasha Alex Sloan, Chappell Roan, and Joy Oladokun. As well as worked with some of the top music producers in the industry right now such as Dan Nigro and Finneas. We have a great chat about his quick progression from studio runner to label mixer, learning to read a room, the...

Today’s guest is recording studio owner, mixer, podcast host, and entrepreneur Dee Kei Waddell. Not only has he worked with artists such as Kanye West and The Game, but his podcast Mixing Music, is one of the top shows in the industry. His interests don’t stop with music though. He is also a co-author of three children’s books and a co-founder of LaunchPod Media, a podcast marketing and analytics...

Today’s guest is music producer and mixing engineer Andrew Maury. Andrew started his career running front of house for Ra Ra Riot before moving full time into the studio. Since then he’s done mixes for artists such as Shawn Mendes, Lizzo, Post Malone, Jeremy Zucker, Coin, and Madi Diaz. As well as production work with Kimbra, Lewis Del Mar, and CRUISR. We have a great chat about how live sound can...

Today’s guest is Los Angeles based musician, producer, engineer, and mixer Alex Crescioni. Alex currently works out of his studio, Stygian Sound, which is located in the legendary Sound City Center complex. Focusing on heavy and dark genres in the metal world, Alex has worked with artists on Cleopatra Records, Pavement Music, Metal Assault Records, and Nuclear Blast Records as well as collaborated...

Today’s guest is Brooklyn based Grammy nominated producer and mixer Chris Tabron. Chris’ credits include names such as The Strokes, Common, Robert Glasper, Battles, Die Antwoord, and Beyonce. He also does remix work under the moniker Madison Avenue Girls, has produced a documentary, and has also recently started a YouTube channel. We chat about how DJing shaped his approach to production, focusing...

Today’s guest is Madelynn Eylse, an LA-based musician and the founder of the boutique label services company Shark Attack. Madelynn founded Shark Attack to empower indie artists and to help them navigate the landscape of today’s new and ever changing music industry. Since 2016, Madelynn has coached over 100 artists along their path to being truly independent as well as worked with the major labels...

In this is a special bonus episode, I sit down with Noël Jackson to discuss the world of blockchain, NFTs, Web 3.0 and the potential impact these things could have on music and the arts. Noël is an artist, music producer, and mastering engineer, as well as a computer engineer, UX designer, and hacker. We chat through the basics of what blockchain, smart contracts and cryptocurrencies are and then...

Today’s guest is mixing and mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. Nicholas is the owner and operator of Panorama Mastering in Melbourne, Australia. Since opening the studio 6 years ago Panorama has been involved in over 3000 projects, including artists such as Tentendo, Ava King, and Dugong Jr. As well as labels and publishing companies like Universal Music Group and Sony ATV. We have a great ch...

This week’s guest is Los Angeles based producer, engineer, and mixer Stephen Kaye. Stephen splits his time between film & TV projects and record projects. His credits include Fitz and the Tantrums, Lucius, Salem Ilese, Inara George, Hepcat, and Ziggy Marley. As well as movies and shows such as Bridesmaids, Green Book, Bridgerton, Dear White People, and most recently King Richard. We chat about...

Today's guest is musician, producer, mixer, and songwriter Casey Cavaliere. Casey is the guitarist and a founding member of the band The Wonder Years. Over the past 15 years they have toured around world and released six full length albums and two EPs. When he's not on tour or recording with his band, Casey is producing records for other artists, hosting his podcast “The Record Process” and workin...

This week's guest is award winning filmmaker, composer, and entrepreneur Gabe Cowan. Gabe has produced over 20 films, many of which have premiered at the major festivals. Some of his films include SXSW Audience Award winner "Cheap Thrills" as well as "Bad Milo" and "They Call Us Monsters." Before producing movies, Gabe was a multiplatinum recording artist, played in several bands and was signed to...

Today’s guest is musician, songwriter, author and criminal justice reformer Jason Mendelson. Jason currently releases music under the artist name Jace Allen, with all proceeds of his musical career going to benefit various organizations in the criminal justice reform ecosystem. Jason has co-founded two different organizations that help people transition from prison to home with the goal of drastic...

This week’s guest is Los Angeles based producer, engineer, and mixer Paul Fig. Paul is known for being a go to tracking engineer, especially in world of hard rock with credits including AFI, Jerry Cantrell, Slipknot, Rush, Alice in Chains, Bush, and Deftones. He also currently owns and operates the studio Dave’s Room in North Hollywood. We go deep on recording techniques for guitars and vocals, as...

This week’s guest is Nashville based mixing engineer Billy Decker. Billy is most known for mixing a lot of hits, and mixing them fast. His credits include 16 Billboard #1's and artists such as Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Rodney Atkins, and Cassadee Pope. In the studio he works very quickly, finishing mixes in about an hour. He’s written a book about his process called "Template Mixing and Mastering" an...

This week's guest is engineer, mixer, producer, and professor Dr. Susan Rogers. Susan is a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston where she is also the acting Director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory. Prior to her academic career she worked for 22 years as an in demand engineer and producer with artists such as David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies, Rusted Root, Toad the...

This week’s guest is producer and mixer Carl Bahner. Carl has mastered the art of working remotely, having worked with artists in 16 countries. His credits include artists such as Transviolet, St Lucia, Joywave, and Hippo Campus. Prior to working full time behind the glass Carl toured all over North America and the UK playing drums for the band Cheerleader. In addition to all that, he coaches fell...

This week's guest is producer, mixer, podcaster, and musician Ben Wallick. Ben is currently based out of Jerusalem, Israel where he has worked with an array of talented acts in both the studio and on the stage. Before the pandemic, Ben was most recently handling bass duties on tour for artist Alex Clare in Israel and throughout Eastern Europe. Ben is also the creator and host of Secret Sonics, a p...