The ManageMental Podcast with Blasko and Mike Mowery

Latest Episodes:

How To Get Your Song On A Spotify Playlist Aug 21, 2017

Show notes

How To Get Your Song On A Spotify Playlist by Ari Herstand: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/06/21/spotify-playlists/

Welcome to another week of the ManageMental podcast with Blasko and Mike Mowery. In this episode the hosts tackle details every artist needs to understand about Spotify before trying to get on a Spotify Playlist. From the article:

Streams are not equivalent to downloads or sales. When someone bought a song or an album it was because they were a fan of that song or artist. Fandom came first, typically, and purchasing came second. Now, streaming comes first, fandom comes second. “Consumer consumption no longer means fandom. It’s not hard to stream a song. And it’s not hard for a lot of people to stream a song [from] a popular playlist. That doesn’t mean that you have millions of fans- it means you have millions of people who happen to hear your song. Who knows if they even dug it. So that all being said, how do songs get into playlists? How can you get your songs into playlists? Well, there are a few ways to go about this.

First, you have to understand what kinds of playlists exist. There are 3 kinds of playlists on Spotify:

1) Spotify Curated Playlists

The first category is something everyone is familiar with. These are the playlists “Created by Spotify.”

2) User Curated Playlists

The second category are playlists created by users of Spotify (yes, anyone can create a playlist) or a company, blog, label, org, what have you

3) Algorithmically Generated Playlists

And the third category are not human generated at all. These are the Discover Weekly, Daily Mix (which are actually customized per user) and Fresh Finds – which is generated based on tastemaker accounts.

Open SpotifyIn the search bar type in your genre. In this example I typed in Death Metal. Scroll down to PlaylistsFind a playlist with a lot of followers. In this instance I found “Best of Melodic Death Metal” that has 7500 followers. Click on the creator. Make sure it’s not Spotify. If their profile photo looks like it might be a Facebook profile photo you are on the right track. Copy and paste his name into the face book browser. You should be able to match the photo. If they are on Facebook, and most Spotify users are, then open their account. Direct message them. Using tactics from the last episode compliment their playlist and their taste in music etc. Build a relationship. Offer to pay to be added if necessary. Spotify publicly shuns payola but they are too large to police every playlist and independent curator.

Mentioned by Mowery: Lefsetz Letter - Comparing Mediabase Charts http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2017/08/11/comparing-mediabase-charts/

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

How To Master Your Social Skills Aug 10, 2017

Show notes

“7 Real World Skills to Master Before You Graduate From College” by Catherine Conlan

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/7-real-world-skills-to-master-before-you-graduate-from-college

In this week’s episode Blasko and Mike go over essential tips to help you master social skills that will help you navigate networking in the industry.

How to network: Learn how to shake a hand, make strong eye contact and dress well for a business event. Attending networking events can help you connect with alumni and professionals in your chosen field. When you attend a networking event, set a goal of having two or three meaningful conversations about your experience and goals for the future.

How to leverage relationships: As you network and make connections, you’ll need to know how to draw upon them to build your career. Keep track of the people you’ve met, how you can help them and how they can help you.

How to write effective emails: Strong written communication skills are essential in the real world. “Being able to write a clear email or cover letter is a must to get the door open. No one wants to read long or poorly written emails in the workplace. Use exclamation points sparingly and never write in all caps.

How to make small talk: “That seemingly awkward banter is the key to building meaningful relationships, Instead of asking what someone does at work, make your questions more specific. For example, try asking, “What’s the coolest thing you’ve worked on in the past three months?”And when someone asks you a question, give an interesting answer — tell the story around your achievements.

How to set realistic expectations: Undergraduates need to learn to set realistic expectations for their professional growth and development, and this is trickier than it seems. “Soon-to-be graduates need to understand that they will not instantaneously have the title, compensation or responsibility that tenured employees have.”

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

A Look Back (a little more than) Halfway Through the Year Aug 07, 2017

Show notes

If you pay attention to the podcast space, there are a lot of podcasts who use the 4th of July weekend to take a bit of a break from producing an episode that week to recap what has occurred during the first part of the year. We didn’t do that! We hard charged through the holiday and still found a way to bring you an episode. But now, as we roll into the first week of August, we want to recap the episodes we’ve done thus far.

This will allow us to reflect on and appreciate all that we’ve covered, and also allow you listeners to reflect on some of the great conversations we’ve been able to have. As busy guys in the business, we haven’t tried to put together any particular arc or path of what we cover - in fact, Blasko does his digging and brings a topic to the table that he thinks will make for interesting conversation. What do you think? Has this been interesting? Is there anything you’re dying to hear us discuss? Any topics? Any articles that you’re finding on blogs? Don’t hesitate to email us at askblasko@gmail.com

Episode 1 - "Welcome to 2017 - Music Business Predictions”

Episode 2 - "How to Find a Skilled, Professional Music Manager to Guide Your Career”

Episode 3 - "The 40 Best Metal Albums Of 2016”

Episode 4 - "Band merch 101: What to make, how to make it, how to sell it”

Episode 5 - "Understanding your band as a brand”

Episode 6 - "Getting Signed To A Record Label”

Episode 7 - "How To Get More People To Your Shows”

Episode 8 - "15 Quick Tips for Music Business Success”

Episode 9 - "Not Boring Legal Advice”

Episode 10 - "When is it Time for a Publicist?”

Episode 11 - "How To Get The Attention of a Record Label”

Episode 12 - "Music Business Myth Busters”

Episode 13 - "10 Steps to a Successful Crowd Funding Campaign”

Episode 14 - "Would You Pay To Meet Us?”

Episode 15 - "Why A Band Agreement Is Important”

Episode 16 - "Break Down the Walls”

Episode 17 - "Succeeding with Cover Songs”

Episode 18 - "Blasko & Mike Answer Your Questions"

Episode 19 - "The Big Question (Part 1)"

Episode 20 - "The Big Question (Part 2)”

Episode 21 - "How To Pick A Great Band Name”

Episode 22 - "Band Managers 101"

Episode 23 - "Instagram Basics”

Episode 24 - "Record Deal Red Flags”

Episode 25 - "Can I Afford To Be In A Band?”

Episode 26 - "Defining and Achieving Success”

Episode 27 - "5 Ways To Kill A Music Career"

Episode 28 - "5 Ways To Keep A Music Career”

Episode 29 - "How Do I Become A Manager?"

How Do I Become A Manager? Jul 31, 2017

Show notes

Blasko and Mike take on a big question this week from listener and aspiring manager, Kyle, on what it takes to be an artist manager, tune in for everything you need to know.

My name is Kyle and I’m an aspiring artist manager and new listener to the manage mental podcast. I’ve spent the last 10 years in the music industry, having founded and ran a band that became semi-successful and signed with a record label and did tons of touring. Since the band folded I have even built a recording studio and run my own graphic design business but ultimately my goal is to become an artist manager and help out others but I’m not quite sure how to approach it.

I’ve noticed many of the topics in the ManageMental podcast are geared towards artists and bands and how grow and develop ones’ own brand.

But from the perspective of a manager, how does one aspire to become a successful artist manager such as yourselves?

How does one go about approaching an artist to work with them and what are some important factors to take into consideration when working with artists?

Thanks again for putting together the ManageMental podcast and helping aspiring artists and artist managers such as myself learn and succeed.

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

5 Ways To Keep A Music Career Jul 24, 2017

Show notes

Article: 5 Strategies That Guarantee Success

Author: Johnny Dwinell

https://musicclout.com/contents/article-353-5-strategies-that-guarantee-success.aspx?utm_source=Music+Clout&utm_campaign=1ce3bd5872-5_Strategies_That_Guarantee_Success2_21_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4bb296eccb-1ce3bd5872-279502041

Mike and Blasko are back at it this week dropping music industry knowledge like you’ve never heard before! In the last episode the hosts discussed ways to kill a music career, now they’ll dig into ways to KEEP a music career with the following topics:

Don’t Look In The Rear View Mirror:There is literally NOTHING you can do about the past, so spending 1 second of energy on it is an EPIC fail and a colossal waste of time. The past is what got us here; our successes and failures are part of who we are so we have to embrace them.

Focus on What You HAVE Instead of What You Don’t Have:I promise the answers to all our future career questions and successes lies within the blessings we currently have, NOT in what we don’t have. Any thoughts we entertain about what we don’t have is a cop out and quite damaging as it only sets up excuses to quit; negative thinking will never help us succeed.

You Can Only Control RIGHT NOW:The past is the past, the future is the future the ONLY thing you ever have control over in your life is RIGHT NOW. Huge selling artists all had success and record sales LONG before they had record deals. They went to the negotiating table with the majors that ultimately signed them with a ton of leverage. How could they have achieved all the record sales and success they did BEFORE they got signed if they were sitting around saying, “if we just had a record deal so we could get paid, then we could be stars.” They didn’t wait for anything.

Work:Work creates momentum. We have to work. When we are feeling really down about where you are there is literally no better remedy for the artistic blues than redoubling our efforts towards our careers.

Ignore the Haters:Especially the most powerful hater which is our own internal negative voice! Again, listening to that voice or any other hater only leads to one result; an excuse to quit. I promise you for every reason you and your haters can create to predict your failure, I can find 10 people that overcame the same hardships and succeeded. It’s all up to you; nobody else.

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Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

Bonus Episode – Outerloop Coaching - Release It Right / Unleash It Right Preview Jul 20, 2017

Show notes

Looking for insight on the best way to self-release your music? Join Mike Mowery’s webinars Release It Right on July 22nd and Unleash It Right, which includes the Release It Right webinar on July 22nd PLUS an additional, advanced, class on July 29th. Learn the tips and tricks that has helped Mike launch independent releases onto the Billboard charts. Sign up now at www.outerloopcoaching.com and use the discount code MENTALPOD5!

Here’s what former Outerloop Coaching students have had to say:

"Mike showed me I still have so much to learn in this business. I would take back my 10+ years on college debt to pay for this course over and over again!"

"This is easily one of the smartest investments I've ever made in myself."

"Mike was an extremely knowledgeable instructor. I only wish I could spend 8 hours a day with him to gain even more!"

5 Ways To Kill A Music Career Jul 16, 2017

Show notes

Article: “17 Ways To Kill A Music Career” by Paul Resnikoff

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/06/09/17-ways-kill-music-career/

Blasko and Mike pick their top 5 ways to kill a music career (out of Resnikoff’s 17). Follow along as they discuss the following points:

1) Relying on a label, manager or anyone besides yourself to build your career.

Even with a label deal, bands can find themselves de-prioritized, or flat-out ignored. But these days, labels rarely sign bands that aren’t successfully working and developing their audiences. If you’re not investing in your music career, day in and day out, neither will a label. Which means that DIY isn’t some alternative approach, it’s essential for the survival, breakthrough, and growth of any artist.

2) Not selling merchandise.

If you’re not setting up a stand at all shows with a full range of merchandise, then you’re missing out on serious income. This is money that could fill your gas tank and pay for food. Fans want to help you build a successful music career. But you have to make it easy for them.

3) Not being completely available.

A good manager will feed you opportunities, online and off, because that’s what you paid him to do. You need to show up to them, and feed the momentum. The era of the distanced, untouchable rock star has ended.

4) Being in it for the money.

You’re delusional and will probably make more money working at McDonald’s. The reality of this business is that an extremely large percentage of artists are poor, and most of the successful ones were poor at one time. Even worse, sometimes a successful music career means survival, not lavish luxuries. All of which means if you’re not motivated by the the music, the passion to create and play, and the camaraderie of it all, you should honestly be doing something else.

5) Paying to inflate Twitter followers, Facebook likes, DatPiff downloads, and YouTube views.

Labels, venues, and potential managers are all-too-familiar with these scams. But more importantly, paying for fake followers distracts precious resources away from developing organic fans, the lifeblood of any successful artist. Without real fans, you don’t have a real band, period.

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

Defining and Achieving Success Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

https://www.musicclout.com/contents/article-377-defining-success-and-how-to-achieve-it-with-a-career-in-music.aspx

In this episode Blasko and Mike tackle the subjects presented in Carlos Castillo’s article “Defining Success and How To Achieve It with A Career In Music”. Follow along as they show you the ropes from personal experiences and give context to the article, to help you define your own success.

The first requirement for being successful in anything is to define what success means to you. That is one of the biggest challenges musicians face today. There is no standard to follow. It’s not like going to college, where there is a defined set of measurable parameters. You attend classes, you pass exams, you write papers, and after completing all of the requisite steps you succeed in earning your degree. That’s an ideal scenario where you can demonstrate that you are making progress and, therefore retain the ever so important support of your friends and family. Unfortunately, the pathway to a career in music isn’t so cut and dry.

So how do you turn music into a viable option as a legitimate career choice and convince your friends and family (and more importantly yourself) that you can and are succeeding? Here are a few traits that you need to embody if you are going to go against the grain and make music your full time income.

Avoid Self-Deprecation.Always remember that you are your own worst critic. When you are in front of other people, the last thing you want to do is feed their beliefs that you can’t make it as a musician.

Show No Fear.“confidence is key.” That’s how you accomplish the impossible. The fear will alwaysbe there. Once you know that, you can choose not to let it control you.

Be Authentically Confident. In the business world they say, “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” It is because of the peripheral psychological effect that comes with dressing and acting the part to which you aspire. The same thing goes for music. You wanna be a rock star? Then start acting like one. Maintain your performance persona from the moment you walk in the door until the last embers of the after-party die out. The trick here is that you have to believe it.

Welcome Criticism. Nothing helps you learn and grow faster than constructive feedback. It’s easy to get lost in the universe that you create with your music. Of course, that universe can easily be shattered when it collides with the “real world.”

Develop Your Talent.You must commit to spending time every single day practicing your craft. I know there is a lot of other stuff to do like performing, networking, booking, marketing, and tweeting. But it’s all for naught if you aren’t consistently creating mind-blowing music and advancing your skills.

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

Can I Afford To Be In A Band? Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Blasko and Mike get into more listener questions based on the costs associated with being in a touring band. This week the question comes from new listener David Woolfall who writes:

“I just discovered your podcast via an ad on the Lead Singer Syndrome podcast. I’ve listened through maybe half of the podcasts so far and they’re great! I am not in the music industry at all just an interested spectator. I have questions related to money…

I would love for you to give an example of a small band income vs. expenses ie. A band that can sell 500tickets 1x or 2x a year in a place like Denver. How much does this band earn from the venue, merch, VIP, etc?Lets assume they get minimal radio play so that their music sale income is Spotify + iTunes.What does it cost them to tour, hire a few techs, gas, food, some hotels or an RV?Basically, do most band members have regular jobs at home to make ends meet?

Find out answers to these questions and more in this episode.

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

Record Deal Red Flags Jun 26, 2017

Show notes

“Record Deal Red Flags” by Byron Pascoe:

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-record-deal-red-flags.html

Mr. Pascoe is a Canadian Entertainment Lawyer with Edwards PC, Creative Law and can be reached at Byron.pascoe@edwardslaw.ca

This week Blasko and Mike tackle the warning signs that you may see in a record deal. That first record deal can seem very rewarding on the surface, but in reality it might just be a total nightmare. Entertainment attorney Byron Pascoe’s article “Record Deal Red Flags” is the basis for this week’s episode. Follow along as Blasko and Mike break down the following points from the article.

Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313

Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop

Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com

ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com

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