The Entrepreneurial Musician with Andrew Hitz

Latest Episodes:

TEM142: Successfully launching a nationally acclaimed music institute before you can even legally drink - A conversation with Buddy Deshler Jun 04, 2018

Show notes

TEM142: Successfully launching a nationally acclaimed music institute before you can even legally drink: A conversation with Buddy Deshler

The story behind how Buddy Deshler successfully launched the Fredericksburg Brass Institute at the age of 20 and the lessons he's learned along the way.

What You'll Learn:

The characteristics that led Buddy to not only have such big ideas but the followthrough to execute them as a 20-year-old
Why Buddy built his team based on the people on the team rather than on the specific mission (since that mission can and will change)
How the first iteration of FredBrass was a good idea but the wrong format and at the wrong time (and how they couldn't have figured that out until they tried and failed)
How the benefits of being young and naive help with networking fearlessly
How Buddy approached asking (and affording) big names for the first FredBrass when it obviously hadn't existed before
The failed attempt at FredBrass expansion in 2016 and what they learned from it
How Buddy developed his product, The Entrepreneurial Student, a presentation that he offers to universities and conservatories
The difference between networking and relationship building

Links:

1. Help me get to my goal of $75 per episode on Patreon (only $11 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

TEM141: How to deal with haters in just one sentence (TEM Short) May 29, 2018

Show notes

TEM141: How to deal with haters in just one sentence (TEM Short)

Some wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert on dealing with people who criticize your art.

Links:

Blog Post: Her Best Work is Behind Her
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $6 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

TEM140: Outsource this at your own peril (TEM Short) May 21, 2018

Show notes

TEM140: Outsource this at your own peril (TEM Short)

This is one thing that as an entrepreneur you shouldn't ever fully outsource.

Links:

TEM139: Why You Should Almost Always Run from Traditional Record Deals - A Conversation with Ryan Kairalla

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $6 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

TEM139: Why you should almost always run from traditional record deals - A Conversation with Ryan Kairalla May 14, 2018

Show notes

TEM139: Why you should almost always run from traditional record deals - A Conversation with Ryan Kairalla

Entertainment lawyer Ryan Kairalla explains why it is the most exciting time in history to be a creator of anything and offers some actionable legal advice that all artists need to hear!

What You'll Learn:

Some of the myths about copyright law
Why Ryan's best clients are the ones who ask a lot of questions (and why you can't ever truly outsource the legal stuff)
What inspired him to write his book, Break the Business
Why signing a record deal is frequently a really bad idea
The evil that is a '360 Deal'
Why the ability to be quick and nimble in a business sense is the true advantage of being an independent artist
Why Ryan advocates for building your own music empire
LLC's: Should you form one and why or why not?
How to find the right lawyer for you
When you should and shouldn't form a nonprofit

Links:

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed and links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $6 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

For the show notes to all episodes of The Entrepreneurial Musician, visit http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes.

TEM138: My best piece of advice for a new entrepreneur May 07, 2018

Show notes

TEM138: My best piece of advice for a new entrepreneur

I recently was a guest on the Break the Business Podcast and was asked what advice I would give to a new entrepreneur. This was my answer.

Links:

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed and links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $6 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

TEM137: How "overnight success" David Taylor was named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List by working 70-hour weeks for years Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

TEM137: How "overnight success" David Taylor was named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List by working 70-hour weeks for years

David Taylor is the CEO of Yorkshire Young Sinfonia and was recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for 2018.

What You'll Learn:

The hilarious story of how David came to find out he was named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list
The genesis behind the youth orchestra he founded, Yorkshire Young Sinfonia, and the many ways it is different than any other youth orchestra in the world
How it can be really hard to give up control of things as your business grows
Why today is the greatest time in history to create anything
David's definition of branding and why it is so important for both organizations and individuals
Why David uses the term relationship building instead of networking
The Gary Vaynerchuk 51/49 Rule (and how he used this rule to get a local organization to give him enormous financial support)
How to craft a pitch email that will actually get read

Links:

David Taylor Music
Yorkshire Young Sinfonia
David's Socials (@dtaylormuso)
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- Snapchat
David on the Creative Careers Podcast
Networking As A Musician - An Introvert's Guide
TwoSet Violin

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed and links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $8 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next iTunes goal is 100 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on iTunes to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

TEM136: Deanna Swoboda Quotes Apr 09, 2018

Show notes

TEM136: Deanna Swoboda Quotes

This episode features thoughts on my favorite quotes from the conversation I had with Deanna Swoboda in TEM135.

Quotes:

"I had designed a program, an assembly program, that could be turned into something that people would be interested in having at their schools. It was a program that music stores and music dealers were interested in collaborating with in terms of recruitment. Sam Pilafian really pushed me to organize that program into a business."
"Working in a nonprofit organization gave me skills, business skills…how to organize my thoughts of forming a business, and how to market, and how to plan, and how to organize."
"I think as musicians, sometimes we think about success, what success means to us individually. We really think it should be from point A to point B, and it should be very clean. In reality, it's the zig and the zag…the roads less traveled that you decide to take that have a direct influence upon your career."
"Really, at the heart of entrepreneurship is opportunity recognition. I think a lot of people may attribute their career to fate or destiny, being in the right place at the right time, et cetera, getting discovered or something, getting lucky. There is something to this. But I think that's a little bit of a passive approach. I really believe that it is that combination of talent, hard work, your work ethic, your attitude, and your determination and perseverance, and recognizing opportunities when they come your way."
"It's so important to be honest with yourself about what is truly going to make you happy. I think that it can change throughout life."
"Speaking of failures, I've had so many failures during my career. Without failures, there wouldn't have been self-improvement and moving into what's next. How do I do this slightly different so that it works, and it's a success."
"Everything leads to something else. Every person that you meet knows somebody else who might have an idea for you or be interested in what it is that you have to offer. Everyone and every one of their friends is a potential customer."
"You also have to communicate what makes you distinctive, and what makes your thing distinctive, and how you set yourself apart."

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $8 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. I am ONE REVIEW SHY of my next goal of 75 ratings on iTunes. Who is going to help me out by taking just a couple of minutes on iTunes and then emailing me to tell me they were the 75th person?

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

TEM135: Developing an idea into a product you can build a business around - A Conversation with Deanna Swoboda Apr 02, 2018

Show notes

TEM135: Developing an idea into a product you can build a business around - A Conversation with Deanna Swoboda

Deanna Swoboda is the creator of Brass Rap, a school assembly program so successful she got rid of her place to live for two full years because she was on the road so much! She is also the Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Arizona State University where she also teaches music business and product development classes.

What You'll Learn:

How a mentor pushed her to turn a school assembly program into a business
What she learned from working for a nonprofit arts organization and how she applied that to working for herself in the music business
How success is almost never the straight line from Point A to Point B that we expect
Why you aren't a failure if you are doing multiple things in order to make money
Why what a lot of people attribute to luck is actually opportunity recognition
The questions you need to ask yourself to help define success for you
The importance of quantifying exactly what it is that will make you happy (and why that is a moving target)
Why failing is integral to moving you into whatever's next
How the school assembly show she booked up to 250 days a year for 10 straight years was made into a refined product through very intentional research and development
Why sometimes "opportunity recognition" is being prepared to rap for a company president on the spot
The importance of cultivating a good attitude

Links:

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed and links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $8 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. I need only TWO PEOPLE to go leave a rating and review on iTunes to make my next goal. Will you be one of the two to help me out?

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

TEM134: The Dip by Seth Godin (TEM Book Report) Mar 26, 2018

Show notes

TEM134: The Dip by Seth Godin (TEM Book Report)

A Book Report on one of my favorite Seth Godin books, The Dip.

What You'll Learn:

Why a famous Vince Lombardi quote is really terrible advice
What "The Dip" is and why there are spoils for anyone who can get through to the other side
Why it is vital to quit things at the right time (and not at the wrong time or in a panic)
Why being the best in the world is the key to success (and what Seth Godin means by 'best in the world')
What the biggest lie we are taught in school is
How quitting frees us up to excel at something else
Why it is so bad (and so common) to quit in The Dip
Why scarcity is the key to value

Links:

The Dip by Seth Godin

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $8 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. I need only FOUR PEOPLE to go leave a rating and review on iTunes to make my next goal. Will you be one of the four to help me out?

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

TEM133: Alarm Will Sound Quotes (TEM Short) Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

TEM133: Alarm Will Sound Quotes (TEM Short)

This TEM Short features thoughts on my favorite quotes from Michael Clayville and Gavin Chuck of Alarm Will Sound in TEM132.

Quotes:

"We basically made a commitment to each other to continue to grow with each other. And what that means I think is that, the sustainability of the group is very much about giving everybody in the group a stake."
"Why is it that we stuck together and what's different between us and those trios and those, you know billions of other small ensembles that exist in colleges around the country? I think a lot of it comes back to communication and feeling that your voice is heard, and feeling respected and appreciated by the people around you, even if you don't always get your way."
"The skills and talents that you've built up as a musician, working collaboratively, having disagreements that are productive you know, learning to actually harmonize music together, all those things and many more, are skills that translate into organizational culture. If you can take that kind of thinking, then you're essentially repurposing a set of skills that you already have, and refining them towards I think a goal that becomes a sustainable career model."
"So it's an experience that we can share with people who may not have heard things like this before. They may come into our concert and not know what to expect, and come out maybe, you know, completely blown away by, you know, the fact that they never heard anything like that. Or, they come out scratching their heads but they still had an experience. They had something that they can say was not run of the mill, and I think that's generally what you get out of an Alarm Will Sound show."
"I have a feeling I don't know if this is true that people ... musicians that go through conservatory music schools, tend to need to think about the experience of a concert much more than say somebody who studied theater or dance. I know that dancers and theater people are trained from the beginning that they are performing from the moment they are in the wing. Everything about that is a performance, and that takes into account what the audience is experiencing. By contrast, when you look at say a symphony orchestra, before the concert quote unquote begins, there's a bunch of people that are sitting there disengaged or when they stop playing, they disengage and it seems that they are not thinking about the fact that actually the experience is continuous over those two hours or whatever it is. And maybe that partly comes from the culture where we focus so much on the notes and the technique that we think are our art and our performance lies in just between the double bars. And one thing that I want to always stress when I talk to people just starting out in their careers as performers is to learn something from our colleagues in theater and dance and to think about the concert as an experience. And one that has to be shaped just as much as you're shaping phrases within a piece, you have to think about what happens between the pieces. What happens in the two minutes before the concert and the 30 minutes after the concert. Those are all important parts of the experiences. When you think that way, it's going to lead you to more innovative and more rewarding involvement with your audience."
"So it's a constant thing you know, I'm on it every day. Marketing is not going to do itself, there's nobody sitting at home at any given second thinking that they want to hear us play, but hopefully we're trying to build that. And so, they are thinking that more and more frequently. It's like 'Oh, hey, I remember that tune, I want to listen to that again.' So I'm just trying to get some mental space, some brain space and say hey we're there, and take a listen and if you make it to a show that'd be great, come on out to a show, too."
"I think there are so many interesting things happening in new music today, and really in performing arts across the board. It's a really great time to start something new and to come up with a new idea. I mean we have the incredible power of social media that can make the barriers to entry lower than they were maybe 30 years ago. At the same time, the digitally driven world, where everybody has something in their hands, I think makes live performance more valuable. Having an experience that you share with an audience is becoming more valuable. And I think that's the really interesting moment that we're living in right now, for young musicians to be really thoughtful and intentional."

Links:

TEM132: Gavin Chuck and Michael Clayville of Alarm Will Sound on Having Conversations With Your Fans, Creative Collaborations and Sharing Meaningful Experiences With Your Audience (TEM Rewind)
Alarm Will Sound

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon (only $8 to go!) by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. I'm up to 69 ratings and 46 reviews on iTunes. Help me reach my goals of 75 ratings and 50 reviews (so close!) by taking just a couple of minutes on iTunes!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

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