Music Business Hacks

Latest Episodes:

#237 - The Best Non-Music Business Books for Music Business Oct 19, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, I talk about my favorite and most influential non-music business books that have radically changed my own outlook and approach to music business.

Resources:

Music Business Hacks (free download!)

Books mentioned: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell The War of Art by Steven Pressfield All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

#236 - How Important is Image in Music? Oct 17, 2018

Show notes

Today, we talk about how image impacts music, especially the unconscious signals that we provide to others. Image is more than just the clothes you wear: it also is your venue, your lighting, what the merch tables looks like, and how you physically perform your music. As you think about what image is, consider how you can control the signals you send.

Resources:

Free Book: Music Business Hacks Akimbo podcast: Honest Signals Huffington Post article: Musicians’ Appearances Matter More Than Their Sound, Study Suggests

#235 - There's More Than One Way Into SXSW Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, I go a bit deeper into the idea of finding unconventional ways into the opportunities we're seeking. Whether it is SXSW, Sundance, or a particular college where you'd like to perform, we should approach opportunities with creativity and enthusiasm.

Resources:

Episode 30: Hacks for Booking Colleges

Episode 165: How to Book Conventions and Trade Shows

#234 - How to Make the Most Out of Small Shows Oct 15, 2018

Show notes

This past weekend, I caught an unexpected show while eating dinner at a restaurant. It definitely wasn't the environment for a performer but many of us have been there before. In today's episode, we talk about how to make the most out of those situations and turn them around.

#233 - The 2 Reasons Why Artists Aren't Seeing Results on Social Media Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

This week, we learned of how Taylor Swift was able to get record-breaking numbers of people to register to vote with a single Instagram post. This inspired me to do an episode of the things holding artists back from seeing the kinds of results they'd like, the return on investment we hope for, on social media.

Resources:

Episode 97 – Storytelling pt. 1: Creating an Emotional Arc

Episode 98 – Storytelling pt. 2: Writing Great Lyrics (with advice from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Lin-Manual Miranda, and Leonard Cohen)

Episode 99 – Storytelling pt. 3: How to Write a Better Biography

Episode 100 – Storytelling pt. 4: Making a Better Live Show with Story

Episode 101 – Storytelling pt. 5: How to Use Storytelling Techniques in Social Media and Marketing

Episode 102 – Interview with Joe X. Jiang on How Filmmakers Use Story (and What Musicians Can Learn From Them)

Extra Gum commercial:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLpDiIVX0Wo[/embed]

#232 - How Successful Artists Spend Their Free Time Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, we discuss the habits of successful artists who have built a sustainable career and how they parallel with the best practices of entrepreneurs. How do you spend your free time?

#231 - Unique Songwriting Advice from Tom Waits Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

Tom Waits is one of the most celebrated and prolific songwriters of our time. He's known for innovative songs as well as unconventional songwriting practices. Today, we discuss some of his songwriting advice to other artists.

Resources:

Episode 53: Songwriting Secrets from Max Martin

Episode 98: Storytelling part 2: Lyrics

Episode 139: Rules for Songwriting Sessions

#230 - 5 Things That Prevent Musicians From Growing Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

Today, we talk about the 5 most common reasons why artists feel stagnant in their music careers and what they can do to overcome the things that are holding them back from enjoying the success they work so hard for.

#229 - How to Create a Facebook In-Stream Video Ad Oct 07, 2018

Show notes

In which we discuss how you can create your own video ad that appears mid-stream in others' content. Remember the four most important concepts: audience, content that creates emotional responses, placement, and monitoring/editing.

#228 - How Tim Ferris and Malcolm Gladwell Conquer Fears Oct 05, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, I share advice about performance from two influential thinkers: Malcolm Gladwell and Tim Ferris. Each has their own approach for dealing with nervousness and anxiety but both are related to the classic philosophy of stoicism. You can take these concepts from the studio to the stage and enhance your overall performance while reducing nerves.

Resources:

Malcolm Gladwell on Ariana Huffington's Thrive podcast

Tim Ferris TED talk

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