Heather Mae – Making Pop Music Her Own Way with a Message to Empower, Inspire, and Make a Difference

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Heather Mae is an award-winning singer-songwriter who is unfazed by what typical pop artist today is “supposed” to look like and how the typical pop artist is “supposed” to sound. She writes and performs beautiful pop music with lyrics about real topics that affect the average person. Heather. Is inspired by her own experiences and identifies – a queer, plus size woman living with Bipolar Disorder. In this episode we discuss her new album, body positivity and empowerment, mental disorders from Bipolar to Tourette’s, and alternative remedies for mental health.

This has one of my favorite and most inspiring episodes so far. Heather really helped open me up and speak about topics that I want to share more on the podcast and have more experts on the podcast for those topics. During the episode I said something along the lines that creatives feel more. And that’s not saying that people that aren’t creative or using their creativity to make a living don’t feel. They just haven’t trained that side of their personality as much as creatives that are constantly pouring their soul out into a song, canvas, acting role, film directing, design, etc. I truly believe we’re all creative beings full of emotions, and it’s important to talk about these emotions that we feel. Thankfully for creative and brave people like Heather Mae, it brings more awareness to these topics, and hopefully makes people more courageous to talk to someone about their feelings. It’s something that’s so important, and we should never let anyone or any pre-conceived perception of what a pop star should look and sound like, what sexy is, what strong is, etc. hold us back from being our most true authentic selves.

I love this episode, and Heather Mae is a truly beautiful human being making a giant impact in the world, and I hope this podcast helps and inspires one person.

Highlights from this Episode
[3:10] Doing a Yoga Headstand
[7:02] Eating disorders and being fat in the music industry
[18:39] Struggles of Anorexia
[24:55] The things that really matter in health and longevity
[31:08] Using the terms fat versus overweight
[39:35] Overcoming the battle with an eating disorder
[43:25] Where Heather found her courage
[45:35] Being your real Authentic self
[50:25] First single “Feeling Crazy” and going off of Bipolar Medicine
[57:34] Finding alternative ways to treat mental illness
[1:14:05] Bringing more variety to the Podcast

 Quotes from Heather Mae  
“My body is a machine and she is capable of so much.”
“All bodies can be sensual, and all bodies can be beautiful.”
“Plus size women in the music industry is so much bigger than just singing our songs.”
“When my body is in the spotlight, girls who are bigger that look like me, they don’t feel like they’re a freak.”
“Your body will tell you where it wants to go.”
“You are the only one that knows what feels good.”
“Physical health is just as important as mental health.”
“I’m perfectly perfect the way I fucking am right now.”
“I made a vow to God that if I got my voice back that I would make social justice music.”
“When I came out as queer and as a social justice songwriter and fat, I realized I didn’t have to search so hard for my fans.”
“When I started shifting from trying to be a pop artist that fit into the music industry, and instead just talked about my fans what I believe…I found my fans.”
“I focus my time to what is the legacy I am leaving behind and that shifted everything for me.”
“We live in a world where mean aren’t supposed to feel…but it’s so ridiculous.”
“There is a huge spectrum of gender and so we should just let ourselves just exist.”
“We as creators, I believe, are in the service industry.”
“Somebody that is going through a hard time or has been through a hard time, when they listen to that, they feel seen, and when they feel seen they feel loved.”
“It’s really important that we as creators are mindful of what we do with our vessel.”
“Musicians need to be finding things that fill their souls that help them be the best creators they can be.”  

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Heather Mae
Lizzo
Adele
Blue Zones
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker [BOOK]
Alexa Bliss interview on Chasing Glory [Podcast]
Mary Gauthier  
Scullcap
Ashwagandha
St. Johns Wort
Magnesium
Vitamin D
Southeast Wise Women Conference
Transcendental Meditation
Insight Timer [App]
Binaural Beats
Brain Wave Binaural Series [App]
BrainWave Tuner [App]  
Mood Rise [App]
Qi Gong
Ben Greenfield podcast episode on Earthing with Clint Ober  

Heather’s Definition of Making It:
“I have made it because I’m living a creative life where people listen to my music and are staying alive because of my music.”

Get in touch with Heather Mae  
https://www.heathermae.net/
https://www.patreon.com/heathermae
https://www.instagram.com/heathermaemusic/
Heather Mae on Spotify

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Reid Martin – Creativity and Outside of the Box Thinking on Touring and Artist Development with an Artist Manager and Natural Born Entrepreneur

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Reid Martin is the Founder and CEO of New Orleans based Artist Management company, MidCitizen. His journey began playing in bands to going on the road as a tour manager for Soul Rebels Brass Band. When Reid decided to get into artist management, his mentors pointed him towards a band called Sweet Crude. There was also a point where he co-owned a venue in New Orleans called Gasa Gasa. His experience from managing his own band, being on the road, managing a venue, managing artists, and his natural entrepreneurial spirit, has lead him to start one of New Orleans’ most respected artist management companies in MidCitezn. His company works with the legendary Big Freedia, Sweet Crude, Tank and the Bangas, The Suffers, Maggie Koerner, Naughty Professor, and many more.

In this episode, we discuss Reid’s journey to starting MidCitizen Entertainment, their company structure, what makes a good artist manager, touring strategies for artists, and when artists should play outside of their hometown or home region, being unique and thinking outside of the box, and much more. This is a shorter episode but filled with gems and serious knowledge. Reid is someone I’ve always looked up as an influencer in New Orleans, very intelligent about the music business and entrepreneurship, and just a really good human being.

Highlights from this Episode
[2:45] About Reid Martin and MidCitizen Entertainment
[7:35] Company structure of an Artist Management Company
[15:45] Building up chops to be a better artist manager
[25:13] Advice for new Artist Managers and how to make best use of their time
[31:01] Business structure for Artist Management companies  

Quotes from Reid Martin
“If this was a restaurant, the artist is the Chef, and you (the Artist Manager) are the GM.”
“There are an infinite number of paths you can take, and every client is different.”
“We’re always trying to figure out new ways to creatively reach new people.”
“What can we do to make money, but also increase visibility?”
“What lifestyles might be interested in this artist?”
“There are other ways to reach people, that aren’t just the standard ways.”
“Approach everything of a standpoint of creating awareness.”
“We can get bogged down by the idea of ‘I need to play this festival.’”
“As an artist the first thing it comes down to is quality.”
“You have to have a great live show and great recorded music.”
“If you’re able to create your own thing in your hometown…and be undeniable, that’s everything.”
“You should figure how you can sell 300 tickets in your home market.”
“If you don’t have a strategy to sell 150-300 tickets in your own market, it’s not going to work outside of your market.”
“From the time an artist is making great music and putting on a great live show, to the time they’re making a living making music, is 10 years.”
“We don’t have contracts with our artists. We go out and win their business every day.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
MidCitizen Entertainment
Soul Rebels
Sweet Crude
Gasa Gasa [New Orleans Music Venue]
Big Freedia
Kesha
Tank & The Bangas
High Road Touring [Talent Agency]
Verve Label Group
One Eyed Jacks [New Oreleans Music Venue] 

Reid Martin’s Definition of Making It
For Artists - “Being able to make the art that you love that’s true to you, and also enabling you to have the personal life you want to have.”
For Reid – “I do what I love for a living and I’m able to pay my rent.”  

Get in touch with Reid Martin  
https://www.instagram.com/littlekidwithlotsofenergy/
http://midcitizen.com/

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Adam Ross – Operations Manager for Winter Circle Productions and AEG Presents Gulf Coast on Tour Managing, Show Settlements, and Producing Shows

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Adam Ross is the Operations Manager and Production Manager for AEG Presents Gulf Coast and Winter Circle Productions. His career in the music business started working at the legendary Tipitina’s in New Orleans, LA. Eventually Adam became the Tour Manager for Louisiana blues guitarist, Tab Benoit, with whom he was on the road for seven years touring at a pace of 200+ shows per year. After his run with Tab, his journey lead him to his current role at Winter Circle Productions, which started as an independent promoter and production company in New Orleans making it’s mark with Buku Music + Arts Project, before Winter Circle and their team being acquired by AEG Presents. Adam produces shows at legendary New Orleans venues such as The Joy Theater, Civic Theatre, Republic NOLA, The Orpheum, Gasa Gasa, Hi-Ho Lounge, and many more, as well as producing Buku Music + Arts Project and Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Adam’s journey as a tour manager and producing shows for Winter Circle Productions in New Orleans, how to prep for life on the road, show settlements, how to become a tour manager, and qualities that make a good tour manager, and much more. This was a really fun conversation, and really nice to talk with someone on the show that does something very similar to what I currently do today for AEG Presents in Florida. Adam and I first crossed paths at The Plaza Live, when he was tour managing Tab Benoit. Tab was quite the regular at the Plaza performing at the venue once to twice a year. Lots of great memories with these shows, and it’s been fun to re-connect with Adam and to share his journey on the road and many lessons for aspiring tour managers and concert producers.

Quotes from Adam Ross
“Every tour manager position is different. It’s basically what does this band need?”
“Experience and business is key.”
“Accounting is math for everyday. Algebra and calculus is brain exercise.”
“We’re not making Rock N’ Roll, we’re making a business work with the people that you work with.”  
“First of all work. Just going to school is not enough.”
“In order to separate yourself from the pack, you need to add value to yourself. Experience is value.”
“Ask questions, don’t be afraid to do that, and listen to their answers.”
“You want them to be able to be a musician, and you be the business person.”
“You need to look at every settlement, and not just take the envelope.”
“These people [promoters] are paying your band, and you want them to bring you back. Don’t be an asshole. Just ask smart questions, sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
“I like to know my settlements inside and out and be able to answer any questions.”
“A good experience and a big fat check, you can’t beat that.”
“Everything is negotiable. So be prepared for a good reasonable conversation about the numbers.”
“When an artist’s goes into a bonus, just plan on every one of your expenses being questions now.”
“A well-advanced show really sets you up for success.”
“You can’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. You just have to know that it needs to be done, and you have to do it.”
“I heard Golf is good.”

Highlights from this Episode
[4:20] Adam Ross’ role as Operations Manager at AEG Presents Gulf Coast and Winter Circle Productions
[9:54] Backstory and how Adam Ross landed in New Orleans
[12:35] Tour Managing for Tab Benoit
[15:08] School background and recommended courses in college
[19:15] Path to becoming a Tour Manager
[24:45] Time Management for starting Tour Managers
[26:55] Show settlements
[31:45] Packing for life on the road
[33:35] Typical day touring with Tab Benoit
[37:50] Differences from touring with Tab to producing shows for AEG
[42:35] Challenging Settlements
[45:05] Advancing shows
[49:45] Union and Non-union stagehands
[54:50] About Winter Circle Productions
[59:30] Getting to know Adam Ross

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Winter Circle Productions
AEG Presents
Buku Music + Art Project
The Joy Theater
Republic NOLA
Mardi Gras World
Gasa Gasa
Hi-Ho Lounge
Civic Theatre
Dante DiPasquale (Talent Buyer at AEG/Co-Founder of Winter Circle)
Tipitina’s
Tab Benoit
Voice of the Wetlands
George Porter Jr.
Ruben Williams (Artist Manager)
House of Blues New Orleans
Soundgarden
Robert Plant
Jimmy Paige
Reeves Price (VP Operations at AEG/Co-Founder of Winter Circle)
Donald Link [New Orleans Chef and Restaurant Owner]

Adam Ross’ Definition of Making It:
“Being happy in your own skin and putting food on the table.”

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Emily Kopp - Working with Managers, Rebranding, Co-Writing, and Creating Art

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Emily Kopp returns for a Round 2 on the podcast. Kopp is a singer-songwriter, musician, producer, world traveler, and badass human based in Nashville, TN. To hear about her back story and lessons from booking her first shows, playing cover gigs, writing for synch placements on commercials, and backpacking the world, listen here. Since the last episode, she has continued producing and writing music for commercials, has gone on tour with Kacey Musgraves, played Bonnaroo, started working with a new management company, and is going to release a new EP under her new and rebranded project, Lowen, on October 25th. Her first single from the new EP, “Morning, Mourning” was released on August 1st of 2019. 

In this episode, we discuss what it’s like to work with a management company, what artists should look for in a manger, making great art, co-writing with other people, rebranding herself, recent adventures, and much more. Really excited to have her back on the show, and share her story up to this point. Emily has been one of my best friends for a long time, and it has been very exciting to see her evolve as a songwriter, musician, and producer, and watching her journey to do many amazing things and create “good fucking art!” 

Quotes from Emily Kopp
“A manager needs to be someone with good intention, and not trying to sell you a fake dream.”
“With anyone you’re going into business with, especially a manager, needs to be someone that has integrity.” 
“If they don’t know what they’re doing exactly, they need to be willing to go to know what they’re doing.”
“Sometimes the work we physically see being done, it feels like being productive, but it’s not actually.”
“Touring is what you get to do only when your art is in a place where that’s justified.”
“The main goal should be making the best music you can and finding yourself as an artist.”
“You need to be making good fucking art!”
“Just because you played one festival one time, doesn’t mean the rest of your career will just begin to unravel.”
“It’s important now more than ever to get yourself a little recording rig and start learning how to record.”
“When no one is looking and paying attention, that’s the time to explore.”
“Always come prepared with a seed of an idea, because that is king.”
“Being a good listener is the most important thing.”
“I also suggest doing three-way writes.”

Highlights from this Episode
[4:38] Working with a Management Company
[7:20] What should artists look for in a manager and how do they let go?
[11:40] Making great art versus touring
[17:35] Playing at Bonnaroo 2019
[20:32] Touring with Kacey Musgraves and playing the Ryman Auditorium
[22:40] How much has living in Nashville impacted her career?
[25:15] Moving to a major music market like Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles
[30:23] New single “Morning, Mourning”
[32:25] Emily’s journaling process
[34:45] Changing her name from Emily Kopp to Lowen
[38:48] Where to being when it comes to co-writing
[40:30] When to write with more established songwriters
[45:14] Learning production as a songwriter and getting a starting rig
[49:25] The communication of setting up a co-write
[51:42] What to bring and prepare to a writing session
[53:07] Things to avoid during a writing session
[57:25] Getting to Know Emily Kopp 

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Chance the Rapper
Kacey Musgraves
Bonnaroo
Ryman Auditorium
Jack Antonoff
R.LUM.R
Brandi Carlile
Chris Stapleton
Jeffrey James [Episode #041]
Max Martin
Blue Microphones
Logic [Recording Program]
Pro Tools [Recording Program]
Cubase [Recording Program]
Destiny’s Child
Christina Aguilera
Brene Brown
Oprah SuperSoul Sunday Podcast 

Emily Kopp’s Definition of Making It:
“When you’re in the flow of a path of finding your total happiness, your total joy, and making choices that align with those things. You’re making it.” 

Get in touch with Emily Kopp
Instagram | Twitter
https://www.earthtolowen.com/ 

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Kelly Kapp - VP of Touring and Executive VP of House of Blues Entertainment Talent at Live Nation - 17 Years of Touring and Artist Development

Kelly Kapp with Adora DORAble Duchess of Fluffington

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Kelly Kapp is the VP of Touring and Executive VP of House of Blues Entertainment Talent at Live Nation. She is the first executive working in a dual role with both the Clubs & Theaters division and U.S. Concerts division, reporting to both Bob Roux and Ron Bension.  Kapp has been with Live Nation for 17 years, where she started as a Project Manager for North American Concerts. One of her first major tours was Ozzfest, where she got to work with the team of former Live Nation touring VP, Jane Holeman, President at AGI and Agent, Marsha Vlasic, and Sharon Osbourne. In 2006, when Live Nation acquired House of Blues, Kelly Kapp became the first tour buyer working with Kevin Morrow. In this new dual role she books over 800 shows per year, and will now be able to develop artists from clubs and theaters to the next level of arenas and venues over 2,000 capacity. 

Some of the tours Kelly Kapp has worked with include Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Breaking Benjamin, Bring Me the Horizon, Dita Von Teese, Hanson, Frank Turner, Anberlin, Korn, Chevelle, Ghost, the Used, Hollywood Undead, All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional, Bullet For My Valentine, Sum 41, In This Moment, Black Label Society, Elle King, HIM, Bad Religion, Stone Sour, Circa Survive, Between the Buried And Me, Hobo Johnson, August  Burns Red, Mayday Parade, NOFX, Parkway Drive, Volbeat, Asking Alexandria, the Maine, Meshuggah, Motionless In White, As I Lay Dying, Black Veil Brides, Limp Bizkit, Trivium, 3OH!3, Nothing More, Amon Amarth, Taking Back Sunday, Against Me!, Issues, Seether, Periphery, Papa Roach, Pierce the Veil, Testament, Marianas Trench, One Ok Rock, Falling In Reverse, Sleeping With Sirens, Megadeth, I Prevail, Simple Plan, Beartooth, Clutch, and Dethklok, and many more. (List from Celebrity Access Interview)

I had the honor of working with Kelly Kapp for a short time when I was at House of Blues New Orleans. Our office booked quite a few of her tours at both our House of Blues Music Hall (850 capacity) and the venue I was responsible for, The Parish (370 capacity). It’s not everyday when you have people that believe in you and are supportive of you. It’s been very humbling and inspiring in the last couple of months to find so many supporters in one place. That’s a story for another time. I’m excited to share this conversation with all the listeners. This conversation is such a gift, and Kapp really dove in deep sharing lessons and wisdom from her time so far in the music industry. Thank you, Kelly Kapp!! 

Adopt a pet, learn more about the Bruce Kapp Animal Fund

Quotes from Kelly Kapp
“Everyone that’s in this business, is very lucky to be in this business.”
“It is really important to make connections, and stay in touch with people.” 
“Be so good at your job that nobody ever thinks about your gender.” 
“Letting people that are flying off the handle know that they’re being heard, is super important and it deescalates the situation.” 
“If you put it down in black and white, and send it over email, it’s going to live in infamy. And by the way, that email can go anywhere.” 
“If you have a relationship, nurture that relationship.” 
“There are not many industries where you are that entrenched with people outside of your company that you do work with.”
“The operations part of what we do is such an unsung part of our business.” 
“Talk to people that have been successful at it, but also talk to people that had to close their doors.” 
“We have production managers who are then asked to do math after a 16 hour day.” 
“Get to a place where you are an expert at deal types.” 
“A team behind a new artist is way easier to get going than just a lone wolf.”
“You don’t want to add people to your team just to add people to your team.” 
“The most successful artists out there have surrounded themselves with people that care as much about their career as they do.”  
“You are not going to be a successful artist if you cannot perform live.” 
“If it’s your goal, you need to be clear cut with your goal and not get side tracked.” 
“Have respect for yourself.” 

Highlights from this Episode
[8:56] New roles as Vice President of Touring and Executive Vice President of House of Blues Entertainment Talent
[12:40] Growing up in the Music Business 
[14:58] Starting in the business as a Project Manager 
[19:08] Turning point of falling in love with the business 
[21:47] Working with old mentors 
[23:37] Building good relationships 
[28:35] The women of Ozzfest 
[32:25] Dealing with bad tempers 
[38:12] Staying organized with 850 shows per year 
[41:56] Major Markets, Secondary Markets, and Tertiary Markets 
[44:02] Working for House of Blues with Kevin Marrow 
[48:26] Lessons learned from her father, Bruce Kapp 
[53:01] Advice for someone wanting to open a venue 
[56:35] Courses college students should take to prepare for the music business 
[1:00:15] How do tour deals come together 
[1:07:10] What role does touring play into Artist Development? 
[1:09:30] Does an artist still need a label if they have a good manager, agent, and are able to do a Live Nation tour? 
[1:13:15] What every artist needs to be successful 
[1:14:50] Becoming a successful Talent Buyer 
[1:19:30] Getting to know Kelly Kapp 

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Nick Storch, Agent at AGI
Bruce Kapp, VP of Talent at Live Nation
Jane Holman
As I Lay Dying
Steve Martin, Agent at APA
Bob Roux, Live Nation President of US Concerts 
Marsha Vlasic, President and Agent at AGI
Sharon Osbourne 
10% Happier App
Katie Davie, Project Coordinator at Live Nation
Falling in Reverse
Ron Bension, President of House of Blues Entertainment
Ben Weeden, COO of House of Blues Entertainment
Kevin Morrow, CEO at Steel Wool / former President at Live Nation New York 
Tim Borror, Agent at Sound Talent Group
Eric Tobin, EVP A&R at Hopeless Records
Lizzo 
Frank Turner
Cypress Hill 
Amon Amarth
Dita Von Teese
Chris Carrabba 
Promoter 101 [Podcast]
Agent vs Promoter [Instagram] 
Pollstar
Celebrity Access 
Variety 
Dave Shapiro, Founder of Sound Talent Group
Ryan Harlacher, Agent at CAA
Jared Martin, Agent at CAA
Eric Powell, Agent at Sound Talent Group 
Ice Nine Kills 

Kelly Kapp’s Definition of Making It:
“Everyday I still get up and strive to be better than I was the day before. There are still artists that I wanted to work with that I haven’t worked with.” 

Get in touch with Kelly Kapp
https://www.livenation.com/ 

Related Articles & Episodes: 
Ben Weeden, COO of House of Blues Entertainment at Live Nation
Michael Yerke, President of House of Blues and Live Nation Talent
Jim Mallonee, Senior VP of Southeast Booking for Live Nation and HOBE
Promoter Deals and Settlements
Inside the Life of a Talent Buyer

Kristen Agee - Synch Licensing for TV and Film and Sound Design

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Kristen Agee is a business owner, musician, composer, producer, and all around awesome person with great philosophies on the music business, relationships, kindness, and mentorship. She is the owner of 411 Music Group which focuses on music publishing, licensing, administration, and sound design.  Agee secures global partnerships for 411 and oversees the creative and strategic business, and one of the most impressive about her, is that not only did she started as an artist/writer/composer, but she continues to make music and executive produces a number of the scores and custom work the company does for  their clients in the film, television, and visual media space. 

Kristen is a classically trained violinist and started playing multiple instruments at the age of 7. After high school, she received a certificate in sound engineering at the Los Angeles Recording School and in the mid-200o’s built and opened a studio in Silver Lake, California where she recorded punk bands and wrote music for various artists, all while touring as violinist and bassist - she learned how to play bass from Darryl Jones (of the Rolling Stones), and was his first student - with numerous bands before transitioning into writing full-time.  Her writing led to work with a number of publishers and in 2012 she started 411 Music Group and launched a 200 song catalog just two years later. In addition to running 411, she was asked to run the music department at All3Media America (a production company based in Los Angeles) which she did in the Spring of 2017 to the summer of 2018, all while running her company and continuing to produce music in her impressive home studio. 

In this episode, we discuss synch licensing for TV and Film, what her company looks for in artists she pitches for synch opportunities, sound design and much more. This was such a fun interview full of amazing insight on the music business, and I really loved her philosophies on how we should treat other people. Love what she stands for, and had a great time during this conversation. I hope you all enjoy this episode! Excited to be back with a new season of the podcast!! 

Copyright Masterclass with Davey Jay

Quotes from Kristen Agee

“The music is giving you melodic tone and telling you how to feel in a certain moment. Sound design is giving you an atmosphere and soundscape.” 
“Always send streaming links....we don’t like MP3’s as email attachments.” 
“Our job is to understand what type of music people need for this type of media.”
“If you’re signing a writer to a publishing deal, typically that writer is signed to you as the publisher for a term, and everything that is written during that term you control as the publisher.” 
“It’s good to know what each company does and how they differ and what they specialize in, so you can design what works for you.”
“Anything that’s happening that’s Top 40 at the moment, is an ask.” 
 “First of all don’t write a novel [when pitching].”
“The intention of what you’re looking to do, and the breakdown of rights as a basic starting point, and a link is all I want [for a pitch].” 
“Typically we are looking for songs that already exist. If it’s at demo stage it’s ok, but we really want to hear finished songs” 
“We also brief out writes specific for our catalog.” 
“Just getting as much experience as you possibly can is the goal.” 
“It is good to go to school and make friends with all of your peers, because those are going to potentially be the people you work with forever.” 
“Be nice to everyone just on a basic human level. Those are the people you’re going to work with and you never know where they are going to end up.”
“Be nice, learn as much as you can, and talk to everybody.” 
“Being healthy in a mindframe and mindset and being good to yourself and being good to people is really important, and a part of being an artist.” 
“Being conscious and aware and a good human in general, is a starting point to creating better art.” 

Highlights from this Episode
[5:50] Running a Studio and Recording Punk Bands
[7:32] About 411 Music Group 
[10:25] Difference between commercial synch and sound design
[13:00] Sound design project for Game of Thrones
[23:15] Process of getting a song licensed for TV and Film 
[28:28] What it means to clear music for synch 
[32:58] What is a brief? 
[35:00] Sending out playlists to Music Supervisors 
[38:11] Difference between publishing deals and licensing deals and administration 
[42:28] Types of styles, tempo, and lyrics needed for synch for TV, Film, and Video Games
[44:16] What should an email or submission to a Licensing or Publishing company look like? 
[46:58] Resources artists should have available when working with a licensing or publishing company.
[50:50] How do co-writes work? 
[52:58] Songwriting camps 
[56:40] Path to working for a licensing agent or publisher 
[1:01:58] What 411 Music looks for in potential interns
[1:06:04] Getting to know Kristen Agee

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
MIDEM Panel with Kristen Agee
Game of Thrones
Ghost in the Shell 
“The Musician’s Handbook” by Bobby Borg [BOOK]
“All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald Passman [BOOK]
The Smashing Pumpkins
Garbage 
411 Music Submissions 

Kristen Agee’s Definition of Making It:
“As soon as we get sued, we know we made it.” 
“For me, I’ve never made it and I never will, and that’s sort of the journey.” 
“When I’m happy with who I am and where I am at in my life, and totally present in what I’m doing and helping people and giving back.” 

Get in touch with Kristen Agee 
Website | https://www.411musicgroup.com/ 
Twitter | https://twitter.com/411musicgroup 
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/411musicgroup/ 
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/411musicgroup 
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx5mdbMWZFSpyI-rGkuaD3g
Soundcloud | https://soundcloud.com/411musicgroup

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Strategies to Playing Live & Building Your Email List featuring Lessons from Ari Herstand, Bree Noble, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, and Shannon Curtis

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

The questions I receive the most are related to touring and building a fanbase. Regardless of where you are in your career, whether you’re just starting out or have been grinding for a long time but you’re just not where you want to be in your career, this episode is ideal for you. In this episode, I expand on and string together some clips from past guests to help you build your most ideal strategy for playing live and building your email list. These strategies are beneficial for all genres. In this episode, we discuss utilizing house shows as a strategy to building your audience. House Concerts are not just for singer-songwriters and folk artists. There are and have been artists from all genres performing in people’s houses. From Hip-Hop artists performing at and organizing house parties, to metal bands playing in people's garages. This episode features valuable lessons from Ari Herstand, Bree Noble, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, and Shannon Curtis.

Guests Featured in this episode
Ari Herstand from Episode #016
Bree Noble from Episode #082
Cheryl B. Engelhardt from Episode #083
Shannon Curtis from Episode #038

Quotes from this episode
“When there is excitement, people want to come and be part of the show.”
“Nobody ever got signed just because they played the cool venue in town.”
“Facebook people doesn’t want people leaving Facebook, on email you can send them
wherever you want.”
“When you have email subscribers, send them an email that you would send to a friend.”
“Send an email that people would want to open and look forward to reading.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Steve Aoki
Email Marketing Stats from Mailchimp
Pre-Writing Your Automated Emails
Rick Barker
Anthony Snape
[BOOK] How to Make It in the New Music Business by Ari Herstand
[BOOK] All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman
[BOOK] No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender by Shannon Curtis

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

June Millington - A Fearless Pioneer for Women in Rock N’ Roll and Co-Founder of the All Girls Rock Band Fanny

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

June Millington is one of the founders of Fanny, the first ever all-girls rock band to release an album on a major label. In 1970, Fanny released their self titled debut album on Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. All together Fanny released four albums on Reprise Records. As a young girl, June and her sister, Jean, moved with their family to the United States from the Philippines. From a very young age, June had to overcome many challenges being from a different country and being a female musician in the 60’s. Along with these challenges, June discovered a little later in life that she was deaf in one ear. However, she was determined to not let anything hold her back and be a musician. Playing music was something that always felt natural to her, and her courage has made her a true pioneer and someone who has made an impact on the history of music.

In 2018, Fanny reunited as Fanny Walked the Earth, and released a brand new album. Over the years, June has met some of the many legends in the music industry, and has some amazing stories and lessons she learned along the way. June is also the co-founder of the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA) along with her partner Ann Hackler, where they provide music camps, lessons, a studio and much more for young aspiring girls in a positive and inspiring environment to create music and learn their voice. In this podcast episode, June shares some of the amazing stories and lessons from her journey, before, during, and after the original line-up of Fanny. I hope these stories will inspire you, and you enjoy listening to them as much as I did. June just might inspire you to overcome your fears and not let anything hold you back, and KICK SOME FANNY!

To learn more about June Millington visit https://www.fannywalkedtheearth.com/  and http://www.ima.org/.

Contribute to Jean Millington’s Go Fund Me Campaign

Highlights from this Episode
[8:15] What does Rock N’ Roll Mean to June Millington
[14:40] Being the First All Girl Rock Band to Release an Album on a Major Label
[18:38] June’s Rock N’ Roll Girls Camp
[24:32] Making Decisions at Turning Points
[28:05] The Night at the Troubadour that Fanny got Signed
[39:50] Memorable Moments after first getting signed
[43:00] Working with Allen Toussaint
[51:27] Advice for Young Musicians
[53:50] Working as a Producer
[56:25] Which relocation made the biggest impact on June Millington
[59:00] Lesson young girls can learn from June’s journey
[1:02:10] Lessons that took June the longest to learn
[1:04:00] Rapid Fire Questions - Getting to know June Millington

Quotes from June Millington
“Rock N’ Roll is a Spiritual Calling”
“We were not fooling around, this was take no prisoners”
“When you play a part, you have to find a part when people play it later, they have to find your part.”
“Go for it, but get enough sleep”
“Take care of yourself, and never give up.”
“It’s not going to get any easier for you...it’s all going to take work.”
“You have to find your courage”
“You can’t give up, tomorrow is another day.”
“There are going to be high points, there are going to be low points, hopefully the average is something you can live with.”
“It’s magic and technology when you’re recording.”
“Life and death where that snare hits on 2, it be better be in the pocket, because I’m not going to stamp your passport.”
“Learn how to work with the fear.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Fanny Walked the Earth
Sly & the Family Stone
The Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA (Music Venue)
Angela Davis
Ann Hackler
Grateful Dead
Jefferson Airplane
Buffalo Springfield
Jimi Hendrix
The Monkees
Frank Zappa
Ella Fitzgerald
The Kinks
The Fillmore West (Music Venue)
The Fillmore East  (Music Venue)
Whiskey A Go Go (Music Venue)
Dr. John
Allen Toussaint
ISIS (All Girl Jazz Band)
David Bowie
Lady Marmalade
Patti Smith
Marry Watkins
Cris Williamson
Tina Turner
Ike Turner
[BOOK] Land of a Thousand Bridges by June Millington

June Millington’s Definition of Making It:
“Everything when it gets really good, no matter what’s going on around you, it gets really quiet, and that’s the place I like.”

Get in touch with June Millington
https://www.fannywalkedtheearth.com/
Follow June on Facebook
IMA.org
fabjune@aol.com

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Cheryl B. Engelhardt - Building, Managing and ROCKIN’ Your Email Subscribers for Musicians

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

When you post on social media, on average, anywhere from 0% to 5% of your audience see your post. The acception to that algorithm rule is when people are actually engaging with your post by commenting, sharing, and liking it. However, the less engagement, the lower the impression rate. Meaning, if you have 1,000 followers - 0 to 50 people see your post. However, the average open rate on emails is closer to 20%, and if you write really good emails that percentage can be significantly higher. This means instead of 0 to 50 people, 200+ people are actually opening and reading your email, and 66% at least see your email. That’s 660 people on your list of 1,000. With those kind of odds, don’t you think email management and building your email list as a musician, and really any business, should be part of your strategy? Maybe even one of the main focuses of your strategy? What has been holding you up from building, managing, and ROCKIN’ your email list? Is it lack of creativity on what to send or do you think it’s to time consuming? Today’s guest Cheryl B. Engelhardt raised over $40,000 from an email list with less than 2,000 subscribers. Motivated now?

Cheryl B. Engelhardt is a true pioneer in the world of DIY Musicians, and one the only or very few people that extensively talks about building and managing your email lists. In this episodes, she shares some amazing insight on creating a welcome series or welcome sequence for your email subscribers. Also, she shares some of the strategies she used for her crowdfunding campaign to raise over 5 figures on consistent basis with less than 2,000 subscribers. We discuss some amazing insight on the right time to start asking your audience for money, and when to start a crowdfunding campaign. The beauty of it all is that Cheryl is a fellow musician and songwriter at the core. She started her journey writing jingles and scores, and continues having a successful career in synch licensing. One of my favorite things about Cheryl is that she used the tools that have helped her with her career to teach other musicians on how they can do the same. She offers some amazing courses to teach you how to ROCK YOUR EMAIL LIST, writing a Perfect Pitch, and so much more.

There are so many ways to make a full time and fulfilling living being a musician in today’s world. You don’t have to wait for a label, manager, or agent to give you permission. Give yourself permission to educate yourself, learn new thing, and becoming a practitioner in the things you learn. The only way to get better is to start doing. Cheryl is a great example of how so many musicians today can find creative ways to “live the life they love.”

To learn more about Cheryl check out http://www.inthekeyofsuccess.com/ and https://cbemusic.com/

Highlights from this Episode
[4:05] Working with Ari Herstand
[7:40] Writing Bio’s, books, and more
[12:57] Sharing your story and journey
[17:25] Scuba Diving for the United States Government to a Music Career
[21:48] Coaching Resources for Musicians
[29:45] Communicating with your audience over email instead of social media
[33:00] Strategies to building your email list
[38:42] Email welcome series
[43:15] Sending a regular newsletter or broadcast
[50:42] Creating a Year’s Worth of Content with 30 Emails
[54:35] Crowdfunding through your email list and asking fans for money
[1:00:00] Rapid Fire Questions - Getting to Know Cheryl B. Engelhardt

Quotes from Cheryl B. Engelhardt
“It’s so easy now days to find the person before you even find the music.”
“The things that makes the story and the bio really interesting, is the points of transition.”
“What were the transitions, and what then were the decisions.”
“It’s awesome to not have to be full-time on the road and still have an artist career.”
“Get clear on what you want so it’s very obvious on your website and emails.”
“You get undivided attention when you’re reading an email.”
“Emails are way more likely to get delivered and seen than a Facebook post.”
“66% of people are more likely to purchase something through your email than the same ad over social media.”
[About Email and Social Media] “It’s not one or the other, it’s about how we can make these things work together.”
“Every email should have a call to action even if it’s not a promotion.”
“Your welcome series is meant to train them [subscribers] and engage with you in a certain way.”
“The most opened email will be the first email, because people sign-up for a thing, and they want the thing.”
“The key is to be consistent, so they can manage their expectations of you, and you’re not surprising or disrupting them.”
“The once a month rule, is a very outdated music industry rule.”
“If you can write 30 emails, and send one out every 2 weeks or 3 weeks, that’s a years worth of content.”
“When someone is reading a newsletters with so many things in it, you’re distracting them from yourself.”  
“If that person said no, Fuck It, on to the next.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Ari Herstand
“Inevitably” by Cheryl B. Engelhardt
United States Geological Survey
Cornell University
Lou Playa
ReverbNation
SXSW
Anthony Snape
Pre-Writing Your Automated Emails
Sara Bareilles
Dave Matthews
Tim Reynolds
Amy Porterfield
Key Conversations with Cheryl B. Engelhardt

Cheryl’s Definition of Making It:
“Where I’m constantly participating in projects that allow me to be fully self-expressed in partnership and creative.”

Get in touch with Cheryl B. Engelhardt
All the stuff I offer musicians lives: inthekey.co/results
Rock Your Email List course: inthekey.co/emailcourse
The Perfect Pitch course: inthekey.co/perfectpitch
Free Checklist on Pitching Music: inthekey.co/prime
MX4 course: inthekey.co/mx4
Podcast: inthekey.co/keypodcast
Cheryl’s music: cbemusic.co/official
Instagram: cbemusic.co/cbegram

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Bree Noble - A Path to Being a Profitable Independent Musician

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

The beauty of today’s music business, is that there are so many ways musicians can make a living. It’s important to remember that every artist is a business, and with being a business there are certain fundamental and advanced techniques that everyone can build a successful career with. Bree Noble is a singer-songwriter, podcaster, coach and co-founder of the Profitable Musicians Summit. Bree is focused on mentoring and coaching musicians through a step by step program that helps guide musicians through their journey of making a living doing music. In this episode, Bree discusses some of her principles on how to build email lists, touring and show strategy, and much more.

To learn more about Bree Noble http://femusician.com and get the free guide of 19 sources of income at http://femusician.com/income.  

Highlights from this Episode
[4:45] The Profitable Musicians Summit
[11:17] Resources available for Musicians by Bree Noble
[12:44] Projects Bree Noble is involved in
[17:37] How Bree got started in the music industry
[21:05] “The Music Industry Game” and common mistakes artists make
[22:46] How to know if an artist needs a manager or when to get one
[24:55] How often to play when first starting out
[27:08] When to transition from playing open mics and coffeehouses to house concerts
[29:28] Building the first 100 email list subscribers
[34:40] How often to send email newsletters to fans
[36:35] What to send to your mailing list
[40:40] Writing engaging posts on social media
[43:30] Facebook Groups versus Newsletters
[45:45] Touring strategy and when to start playing outside of your hometown
[51:25] Rapid Fire Questions

Quotes from Bree Noble
“I just started getting out there and got scrappy.”
“We get into these tracks with all these gatekeepers out there, and getting them to open the gate.”
“You need to be doing is not going to get a manager, you need to get customers, fans.”
“Become an entertainer, instead of someone who just does music.”
“Every fan that you get, you need to feel thankful and lucky for them.”
“In the foundation stage, you’re building your email list to 100 people.”
“Once you get that ball rolling with house concerts, it becomes easier.”
“Some people think you have to earn every single fan through blood, sweat and tears, that’s not true.”
“It doesn’t have to be as complicated as most of you are making it.”
“I wasn’t afraid to ask for a referral.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Femusician.com
Profitable Musicians Summit
Angela Mastrogiacomo
DIY Musician Conference
Female Indie Musician Community
Tyrone Wells
Zac Brown Band
Carlene Thiessen
Dawn Beyer
Rick Barker
Wham!
The Pointer Sisters
[BOOK] “The E Myth” by Michael E Berger
[Documentary] 20 Feet from Stardom
[Documentary] Metallica “Some Kind of Monster”
[Documentary] Metallica “This Monster Lives”

Bree Noble’s Definition of Making It:
“Doing what you love that gets you excited to get out of bed everyday, and not doing it on anyone else's schedule.”  

Get in touch with Bree Noble
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Musician's Profit Path Masterclass: www.musiciansprofitpath.com
Income Guide: http://femusician.com/income
Main site: http://femusician.com

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Dawn Beyer - Building a Music Career on Your Own Terms with Live Video as the Foundation and How You Can Do It Too (S02, E01)

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

The Podcast is BACK with Season 2!! This season, we’re coming back with a deeper focus on education and lessons for independent musicians and music business students across the country. The podcast will range from inspiring independent musicians living a career on their terms, to influential marketers and entrepreneurs, and highlighting many of the different careers within the music business.

The first guest of the new season is the return of Dawn Beyer! Dawn Beyer is a true pioneer and living proof of how you can build a career as an independent artist in today’s music industry. In the last episode, we learned about her journey as a struggling musician in Nashville making the rounds on Broadway, where she was playing for tips. After getting sick and worried about how to make ends meet by not being able to play on Broadway, she discovered Facebook Live. This discovery was a career changer for Dawn. In her first year, she made over $74k from tips with Facebook Live and a PayPal tip button. This new journey has led to true fans of Dawn’s music, who went from watching on Facebook Live to paying her to play in their living rooms, parties, and so much more. Today, Dawn offers some amazing coaching to teach other musicians on how she did, and how they can do it too.

After my first conversation with Dawn, I was really inspired by her amazing spirit and positive attitude to take on the music industry and find her way to push through and live her dream. Dawn didn’t wait around for a manager, label, or agent to give her permission to make a living doing music. She gave herself permission, and she went out and did it. In the first episode, she shared her amazing journey on how she made a living and built the foundation of her career after discovering Facebook Live. Today, she is touring the country playing for fans she made from her Facebook Live videos, but is also giving back and teaching other musicians how they can make a full time living playing music, and do it on their terms.

To learn more about Dawn Byer, please visit https://www.therealnashville.com/ and http://www.therealmakingit.com/

Highlights from this Episode
[4:12] What’s new in the life of Dawn Beyer
[7:28] Dawn’s 30-Day Tour
[8:55] Structure of Living Room Concerts
[10:58] Finding people to host you for a house concert
[15:26] Dawn’s content strategy
[17:03] What types of emails do people want to read?
[18:18] The programs Dawn is offering for musicians
[25:32] Songwriting process
[28:53] How often Dawn writes
[34:00] Details about Dawn’s courses and what people can expect
[36:48] Success stories from the program
[40:10] Creating a virtual tip jar
[46:35] Common mistakes musicians make  
[50:34] Philosophy on Touring
[58:00] The lesson that took Dawn the longest to learn
[1:00:11] Rapid Fire Questions

Quotes from Dawn Beyer
“You have all the opportunity, and all the platforms available today.”
“I didn’t even have a laptop when I first started this.”
“Gather your core group, figure out who they actually are, and send them to where you can connect with them.”
“Figure out what making it really is for you.”
“There might be some other way, there might be some other making it.”
“It’s about not caring what other people think you should do, and making it for you.”
“The best way to play your own music is to get off Broadway.”
“The platform is what puts us out there and lets us connect with someone.”
“You have to have the ability to come through someone’s phone and be in their living room.”
“Once they are connected, they will be there for every album, every show, and everything you do.”
“If you’re writing about something you don’t care about, people will feel that.”
“Being real and raw, and just putting it out there, is the thing that anyone can do.”
“I don’t see any reason why you would start out playing bars first, when I can play in front of 50 people on Facebook right now.”
“If you’re going to go on the road driving from place to place, make as much out of that online as you can.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Dawn Beyer - First Episode on the Podcast
The Real Making It
Rick Barker
Mailchimp
Garth Brooks
Cosmic Contract
Pearl Mae Foundation
Jim Palmer

Connect with Dawn Beyer
dawn@therealnashville.com
https://www.facebook.com/dawnbeyermusic/
https://www.instagram.com/dawnbeyermusic/
https://www.therealnashville.com/
http://www.therealmakingit.com/

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Jim Mallonee - 35+ Years of Booking and Promoting the Greatest Artists of our Lifetime at the Highest Level

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

One can’t do a lot of things great at one time, but one can do a lot of great things over a lifetime. Jim Mallonee is the Senior Vice President of Southeast Booking for Live Nation and House of Blues Entertainment. With over 35+ years of promoting concerts in the Southeast United States, he has worked with some of the greatest artists in our generation. Any reputable booking agent that has booked a show in the Southeast over the last 35 years, has worked with Jim Mallonee. He is a true legend of our industry, and established longevity in the music business through kindness, mentorship, and building amazing teams around him. This podcast was recorded live from University of Central Florida (UCF). In this conversation we cover some of the many stories that Jim has to share, his journey, advice on getting into the business, and much more.

I met Jim Mallonee prior to working at House of Blues in New Orleans. It was while I was still at the Plaza Live. At the time, I had already interviewed for HOB New Orleans the first time, and didn’t get the job offer. From that interview I learned a lot, and the importance of relationships. I really wanted to get to know Jim Mallonee, and learn what characteristics it would take to get a job with Live Nation in the future. When I reached out, he invited me to lunch at House of Blues. From the first minute, he was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met in the business full of wisdom, passion to teach, and wanting to empower others. I remember him ordering multiple desserts, just because he wanted me to try them. That was such a fun meeting. It was 2 years later, when I finally got a job offer to come to House of Blues New Orleans, where I met so many amazing people who have become my mentors. It’s a real blessing to have been able to work for Jim Mallonee’s team, and still having him as a friend many years later.

To learn more about the shows Jim Mallonee is booking visit http://www.houseofblues.com/orlando or http://www.houseofblues.com/myrtlebeach.

This episode was recorded LIVE form the University of Central Florida - the National Football Champions!!

Highlights from this episode:
[3:54] How Do You Stay Motivated
[5:47] Good traits of a Talent Buyer
[12:58] Background of Musician Days
[18:53] Day to Day Schedule
[23:09] Low Turnover Rate @ Live Nation
[26:24] Life Lessons
[28:23] Changing A Show Lineup Last Minute
[31:36] Social Media
[31:47] Small Artists Blowing Up
[33:33] How Artists Change Over Time
[35:20] Some Things Students Should Work on to Build Resume
[37:11] Booking Artists
[42:57] Balance Between Personal and Work Life
[46:34] First Concert
[46:53] Something Jim is Excited About
[48:28] Guilty Food Pleasures
[50:22] Hollywood Vampires
[52:15] Storytime

Quotes from Jim Mallonee:
“You need to listen with your head, not your heart. You’ve got to be able to be profitable."
“You’ve got to listen to what other people say about this artist.”
“Show em, be truthful, be ethical. Be ethical every minute of every day.”
“If they can count on you, they will remember that next time when something good comes along.”
“People by and large, people don’t forget when they see you take hard times and make them into as good as they can be.”
“I make myself manually a list of my goals for the day. And these change a lot. We work in a business that is very so peaks and valleys. You win big and loose big.”
“I don’t like to hire people that I have to boss and tell what to do everyday.”
“You’ve got to respect different styles. I want people of varied opinions, different backgrounds.”
“I bug the crap out of everyone I deal with. I say 'REALLY give me your opinion on this or that.’”
“Don’t get blind-sided. This is about a hell of a lot more than you. Quit being a bull-head SOB and move forward.”
“Take the first thing that makes sense with the company you are with, take the lowest level dog, work like a mad-demon. Make sure you take on 3-people’s jobs. Make yourself indispensable at all times.”
“It will take you 2-3 years to do 2-3 people’s jobs so you will be of value.”
“80 hours a week, every week without fail.”
“I generally do listen to every artist before we book them.”
“With breaking artists, it just don’t work with radio anymore.”
“Sometimes you just have to take the weekend off."
“Michael Rapino gives a damn about the people.”
“I’m inspired by moments.”
“Music industry needs heart."

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
House of Blues
Live Nation
Tabernacle
Fillmore Miami
Foo Fighters
Lady Gaga
John Mayer
Dillon Francis
Dua Lipa
Imagine Dragons
Black Sabbath
Masters Tournament
Ceviche
Jimi Hendrix
John Bonham
Donald Fagan
Steely Dan
Dave Grohl
Justin Timberlake
Michael Rapino

Jim Mallonee's Definition of Making It:
"To get those (exceptional) moments"

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

S’von - A Musician's Journey Through the Music Industry Performing with Legends on the World's Biggest Stages

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

S’von is currently the keyboard player for the legendary Smokey Robinson. Prior to that his journey began playing in clubs and small tours, until his journey one lead him to the inaugural American Idol Tour, where he met Kelly Clarkson. Since that tour, S’von has toured with many legends of the business such as Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, and Smokey Robinson. He has performed on some of the biggest TV Shows in the United States such as Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Ellen Degeneres, Jay Leno, and many more. In this episode, S’von shares his journey along with many lessons for musicians such as what gigs to take, how to not get taken advantage of, tour etiquette, and much more.

To learn more about S’von, visit http://www.svononline.com/.

Highlights From The Episode:
[3:10] Inspiration to speak with students
[5:19] Day to day schedule on Tour
[6:40] Early musical inspirations
[8:00] Local Community & Growing Up
[8:29] Practicing
[10:56] Current Listenings
[11:47] What it takes to learn keys
[13:37] Favorite Gear
[15:40] Doing music full-time
[20:20] Before first big tour
[21:33] Choosing Gigs
[26:08] Advice on What to Ask For (Money-wise) 
[30:41] Relationship Building/ Being A Good Hang
[35:54] Lessons/Advice
[39:26] Storytime
[50:58] Frist Concert Experience
[51:39] Favorite Venue
[52:10] Interests
[52:51] Cryptocurrency
[53:39] Spotify IPO
[56:34] Guilty Pleasures
[58:28] Hollywood Vampires 

Quotes from S'von:
“I love interactions.”
“I would be gone for 6/7 weeks at a time, every time is different, it depends on how you manage it (tour).”
“To be honest, I was inspired by local musicians, I was inspired by local players, local clubs, churches.”
“When I went to college, the music was more-so about the people I went to school with."
“I practice less now, because I don’t want to loose the love of it. I felt like if I did it all the time, it would become more like a job and more mundane. I have to step away and not touch the keyboard for a bit.”
“If I keep trying to be a virtuoso, then my way of communication would be so complex in order to keep me interested, that the average person might not relate. I keep it less to keep the love there.”
“I’ll listen to other things, I didn’t grow up listening to a lot of keyboard players, I listened to a lot of other musicians."
“I try to create my own colors I don’t try to copy musicians work word for word, note for note.”
“On the keys, you have to spend time on it, it doesn’t have to be super complex. Start off with the basics, learn your scales, chords in every keys, 1,3,4,5 in every key. Play things in every key.”
“When you start to become comfortable with the instrument, and you are fluid with it, anything is possible."
“Take 30 days to commit to it, it will do wonders for you.”
“Once you learn how the instrument speaks, then you can play anything. I can play anything.”
“Literally I had a cell phone and a credit card. That was it. I had absolutely nothing, but I was really determined to get in.”
“I was really just looking for any opportunity. I was just lucky that my opportunities were at a bigger scale.”
“Say yes to mostly everything.”
“New people are trying to overvalue themselves. They X themselves out of a lot of opportunities.” 
“I’ll take whatever makes sense in the beginning. You have to pay your dues. Thing don’t just come in a straight line like that.”
“Once you get in the game, you figure out OK what’s worth my time, and what’s not worth my time.”
“If you have no experience, take the gig offered. If you feel like you are being exploited, then leave.”
“You learn from your experiences.”
“Ask your friends and contacts in the industry about what to ask for for money.”
“That’s what counts at the end of the day in the music business. You can be as talented and crafty as you want, but it matters how you handle your business. And people see that.”
“People choose you because they like to hang around you.”
“If you’re not a person people don’t like to hang around, that’s how it’s going to be in the business too”
“If a production has a million dollar budget, they don’t want to deal with a keyboard player with an attitude.”
“Work on your personality, play friendly with others, and you will be good."
“I treat a regular gig like it’s a big gig.”
“Just keep doing it, if you keep doing it, and you stay consistent, you will make it.”
“Patience is key. I was broke on Monday, and then I’m rich on Friday. It’s all the stuff that happens in between. If you don’t, you will burn out, and you will compare yourself to everyone else. What you see is not what you get.”
“Sometimes you think that you are ready, and you’re not. If you’re not ready, you’ll lose it quick.”
“You have to learn other rigs really fast sometimes.”
“I’m really into investing, stock trades and commodities, to leverage myself to not have to take certain gigs when I don’t want to.”
“Do your homework.”
“If your interpretation is off, you will make bad and emotional decisions.”
“I try to stay as healthy as possible, but catering will get you, man. You can’t smell celery!"

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Smokey Robinson 
Clay Aiken 
Rihanna
Kelly Clarkson 
American Idol 
Roland Instruments
Korg Kronos 
Yamaha Motif 
Hammond B-3 
Randy Jackson 
CD Baby 
Chris Stapleton 
Saturday Night Live (SNL) 
Ellen DeGeneres 
Ryan Seacrest 
Chris Smith Podcast
Los Angeles Lakers
Spotify IPO
John Lennon

S'von's Definition of Making It:
"When you feel you happiest and your at peace." 

Get in touch with S'von:
http://www.svononline.com/
IG: @svon1
Twitter: @svon1

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Opportunities for DIY Musicians with Airbnb Concerts, the State of Social Media, Spotify Going Public, iHeart Media Bankruptcy and more. - Headlines and Q&A #001

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

This episode features a new format. It is our first ever news/headlines that musicians and students of the music business should pay attention to, along with a listener Q&A. In the listener Q&A we go in depth with specific questions that our listeners ask. If you’re interested in having your question heard and answered on the show, please visit www.makingitwithchrisg.com/ask.

Highlights From The Episode:
[5:25] Airbnb Concerts
[14:02] iHeart Media Debt & Radio
[23:38] Spotify IPO
[35:23] Social Media Use Declining
[39:00] Review of the Month
[42:16] Working with other Musicians
[46:45] Favorite Podcasts
[54:39] How do you choose your Podcasts
[59:48] How to reconnect with fans after shows
[63:31] Lineups

Quotes from Show:
"Airbnb is valued at 30 billion dollars, which would make them the second biggest promoter in the world, competing with Live Nation."
"Monetize your emotional connections.”
“Who knows where the limit it, it’s this really wide open idea that’s really refreshing.”
“Jump on this Airbnb opportunity right now.” 
“I don’t know if radio stations will ever disappear.”
“A Media company can be on many different platforms.”
“Podcasts are actually outpacing social media.”
“Video streaming is a very big thing in Sports Radio.”
“Spotify is about to go public. It’s a company valued at 23 billion dollars.”
“There’s interactive streaming and non-interactive streaming.”
“Social Media experienced a 79-67% drop.”
“Work with other musicians who are serious about their business and are excited to play in front of people, not just their 4-5 friends.”
“If I see an artist that blows me away the first thing I do is like their pages or sign up for their mailing list.”
"The average email open rate is 12-15%, if you’re sending a good one, it’s 40-60%.”
“Send them an email you would want to open. One of my favorite ones was from the Foo-Fighters, and it was a handwritten note to their fans.” 
"The first band 30 min, second band 40-45, the headlining band is playing an hour set. Last two bands should have a significant draw.”
“Most DIY bands want that middle slot. They get to mingle afterwards and beforehand as well.”
“If you can headline, and keep people there at the end, then you’re worth money, you’re worth people buying tickets.”
“We make sure our headliners are on no later than 9:30PM/10:00PM.”
"For hip hop shows it’s different. Keep it to max 5 artists, first 3, 10-15, co-headliner is 30 min, headliner 45- an hour.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
WrestleMania 34
Shannon Curtis 
Airbnb Concerts
Jack Antanoff 
Fran Snyder 
Concerts In Your Home 
GigSalad
Spotify 
Pandora 
Facebook 
Instagram
Snapchat 
iHeart Media 
WWOZ
Jordan Esker
Ross Golan 
Joe London 
And The Writer Is 
Promoter 101
Ari Herstand 
CD Baby 
Social Media Examiner 
Tim Ferriss 
Lewis Howes 
The GaryVee Audio Experience 
Big Questions with Cal Fussman 
Talk is Jericho
Greg Rollet

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Jovan Polanco - Founder of Swerve Presents, An Independent Promoter and Content Creator with a Focus on Creating a Brand with Culture

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

This episode was recorded live from Florida International University (FIU) 

When the average concert goer goes to a show, they don’t know the difference between Live Nation, AEG Presents, or whomever else is promoting the show. They are there to see their favorite artists, or go see a great show at one of their favorite venues. Jovan Polanco, is a independent promoter, talent buyer, and content creator that’s looking to change that. As the founder of Swerve Presents, he’s looking to create a concert promotions brand with a culture and personality that fans will remember. In this conversation, we discuss the process of booking a concert, competing in a very competitive environment, strategic partnerships, brand building, and much more. This episode is the first ever live podcast, recorded at Florida International University, in Music Business 101.

To learn more about Jovan Polanco, visit http://swerve.life/.  

Highlights from this Episode
[4:45] About Jovan Polanco
[5:56] Learning how the Music Business works
[7:00] Using content to build a concert promotions brand
[8:36] The Swerve Presents Team
[9:58] Having first priority at venues
[10:14] Dealing with venues and creating partnerships
[11:55] The history and business model of Swerve Presents
[16:25] The booking process
[19:34] Biggest challenges as an independent protomer
[21:33] Dealing with agents
[25:36] Plans for Swerve Presents
[27:22] What gets Jovan’s attention as a Talent Buyer
[30:55] Drawing attention from a market for you events
[33:25] Booking Artist’s that don’t fit the company culture
[38:38] Growing contacts from volunteering at festivals
[41:21] Philosophy on how to learn the ins and outs of the music business
[47:50] Getting to know Jovan Polanco

Quotes from Jovan Polanco
“I was doing other things in school to prepare me for what I‘m doing now.”
“Learning how to market parties, translates into marketing shows.”
“As a independent promoter that doesn’t own venues, your venue deal will make or break your shows.”
“When you’re working with other promoters, definitely have a contract.”
“A lot of times people don’t want to jump on, until they see something is moving and happening.”
“To gain leverage in Talent Buying, I need to book multiple markets.”
“In the beginning it’s all about creating a connection, and get the agent to know who (you) are.”
“Our mission is to change the face of the industry.”
“Most of my first bookings came from meeting the agents at conferences.”
“If it’s good music, and we can get behind it, we should support it.”
“Going to the conferences is super pivotal if you want to do this.”
“When you go to a conference, you should have something you’re working.”
“If I approach a person at a conference, think about how you can add value to them.”
“College creates the environment to learn things on a micro level.”
“If you want to survive in the next 20 years, you need to be putting out content.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Swerve Presents
Florida International University (FIU)
Live Nation
AEG Presents
TSA-Showcase
WRLD Entertainment
Revolt Music Conference
SXSW
Billboard Booking & Touring Conference
Dan Larson
Okeechobee Music Festival
Lil Uzi Vert
21 Savage
Meg White (Agent at ICM)
J.I.D
Moneybagg Yo
Trippie Redd
Maggie Rogers
Billie Eilish
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
William Morris Endeavour (WME)
Promoter 101
Gary Vaynerchuck
Short Story Long (Podcast)
The Come Up Show (Podcast)  
Martin Luther King
Jay-Z
J. Cole
[BOOKS]
All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman

Jovan Polanco’s Definition of Making It:
“Being able to do what I love full time, and being able to support myself of it.”

Get in touch with Jovan Polanco
http://swerve.life/
IG: @swervepresents
Twitter: @swervepresents

Related Articles & Episodes:
1. Ron Richard - Talent Buyer at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans - Episode #071
2. Life of a Talent Buyer - Lessons to Becoming a Concert Promoter - Episode #036
3. Dan Larson - The Spectrum of Talent Buying - Episode #023

Kevin Calabro - Co-Founder of Indie Record Label Royal Potato Family, and Founder of Calabro Music Media on Running an Independent Label, Artist Development and More.

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

The music industry is not a career, it’s a lifestyle. Kevin Calabro is a veteran of the business, whose passion for music connects everything he touches from the way he treats and works with his artists, to how fans experience listening to records. Along with Marco Benevento, he’s the co-founder of Independent Record Label, Royal Potato Family, and also runs the Artist Management and PR company, Calabro Music Media. He works with many amazing artists such as Living Colour, Marco Benevento, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and many more. In this episode, we talk about the day to day of running an independent label, songwriting, advice for DIY musicians, his philosophy on touring, and much more.

To learn more about Kevin Calabro, visit https://calabromusicmedia.com/ and http://royalpotatofamily.com/.  

Highlights from this Episode
[3:38] Early Record Collections
[6:02] The energy behind the music versus the math
[8:15] Current Projects and Background
[10:32] Standing out in a niche market
[15:48] Songwriting for artists in other genres
[20:51] Writing better songs
[23:35] Best practices for social media
[27:22] Creating consistent content
[29:25] Philosophy on releasing more singles
[30:24] Touring strategies for artists
[35:28] Creating a culture and a vibe for a label
[38:23] Choosing to work with artists as a label versus management or publicist
[39:37] The album release process
[43:16] Kevin Calabro’s team
[48:48] Process of filtering through emails
[52:40] Sending emails and getting more responses
[54:45] Getting to know Kevin Calabro
[59:32] Artist Stories

Quotes from Kevin Calabro
“It comes down to being able to stick around and staying in the game.”
“Real artists rise to the top over time.”
“Bob Marley was Jamin’!”
“A good solo in the middle of a generic song, is not going to do a whole lot for anyone.”
“It’s important to keep singles coming out, and dropping little things without having huge gaps in between projects.”
“Content is really important right now, more so than ever.”
“Every artist has their own trajectory of how it’s going to happen, and you just have to be tuned into it.”
“I’m envisioning everybody who buys our records, listening to records the same way I do.”
“Be freaking smart about what you send.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Journey
Styx
Joan Jett
Neil Young
The Allman Brothers
Grateful Dead
Muddy Waters
Howlin’ Wolf
Royal Potato Family
Calabro Music Media
Oliver Wood
Tinsley Ellis
Marco Benevento
Chris Robinson
Grayson Capps
Larry Coryell
Willis Alan Ramsey
The New Yorker
The Office (TV Show)
Corey Glover from Living Colour
Leslie Mendelson
Eric Krasno
Phil Lesh
Marcus King
Aaron Neville
Soulive
Stanton Moore
Galactic
Tipitina’s
New Orleans Jazz Fest

Kevin Calabro’s Definition of Making It:
“Being able to do what you love, with the people you love, is everything.”

Related Articles & Episodes:
1. Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Episode #043
2. Corey Glover of Living Colour - Episode #047
3. Leslie Mendelson - Episode #057
4. Oliver Wood of the Wood Brothers - Episode #070
5. Mark Samuels of Basin Street Records - Episode #069

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Rodney Hazard - Creating Beautiful Artistic Content and Building Powerful Relationships with Fellow Collaborators Through Social Media

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Rodney Hazard is an Art Director, Producer, and DJ based in Brooklyn, NY. On February 23, 2018, he released his second album, Sain or Savage, which premiered on Noisey.com. Rodney was first introduced on the podcast by Mark Schaefer on Episode #073, where Mark spoke of Rodney as an example of creating very creative and exciting content with his videos and music on Instagram. Rodney has created many amazing projects to which he has contributed as a director, music producer, videographer, photographer, graphic designer, or a combo of them all. He’s someone that’s a great example of a musician expanding his creative talents, and applying them to create beautiful and powerful content, with very talented collaborators. In this episode, we discuss the value of collaborating with others, how Rodney reaches out to complete strangers via Instagram or Twitter DM for collaboration projects, and much more.

To learn more about Rodney, visit http://rodneyhazard.com/ and make sure to follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rodneyhazard/.  

Highlights from this Episode
[3:24] Collaboration with Chasing Rooftops
[5:05] Where Rodney’s collaborations come from
[5:39] Meeting Mark Schaefer
[6:52] About Rodney Hazard
[8:05] What he looks for in potential collaborators
[9:12] Reaching out to people on social media
[11:45] What to say when reaching out to people on social media
[13:58] Overcoming being a perfectionist and start putting out content
[16:08] Putting out content
[18:10] Rodney’s process of creating content
[19:30] Getting someone’s attention on Instagram
[20:55] Rodney’s Team and workflow process
[22:51] Finding management and what to look for in a manager
[24:28] Approaching a manger
[25:20] Best practices for Soundcloud and Spotify
[26:52] The journey of Rodney Hazard
[31:52] Nvr Sleep - A Party for the Creative Class
[34:11] Lessons learned from collaborations and Heavy D.
[38:22] Booking and opening for other artists
[40:08] Equalizing Music Project
[43:27] Getting started in Film Scoring
[47:57] Expectations when reaching out to potential collaborators
[48:26] New Album - Saint or Savage
[52:47] Preview of 2018 for Rodney Hazard
[53:47] Philosophy on Touring for Hip-Hop and Producers
[56:12] A live performance that stands out and turning an audience into fans
[58:52] Getting to know Rodney Hazard

Quotes from Rodney Hazard
“Don’t be afraid to break rules and make noise.”
“How can we help each other push forward?”
“Always thank people for their time.”
“Art is never finished.”
“You’re always going to look at your old self, and cringe.”
“You have to see how people react to what you’re doing.”
“Let the world see it, let the world hear it.”
“You should always be creating.”
“If you’re practicing all the time, and doing things all the time, you’re going to get as great as you want to be.”
“All of things get flipped on its head. Why not be the first one to start that wave?”
“You should choose your manager, it shouldn’t be the other way around.”
“Sitting around and waiting for somebody isn’t the right way to go about it.”
“It’s all about creating a new conversation.”
“There is always something to learn, as long as you look at the craft as, I’m forever a student.”
“You can’t expect everyone to do what you want to do.”
“You should constantly be doing shows.”
“You have to be able to perform whether it’s a small crowd or big crowd.”
“You have to get on stage and bring something a little different.”
“Be willing to create a conversation with the crowd.”
“Making the music is the fun part.”
“I want people to feel something when the hear it.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Chasing Rooftops
Mark Schaefer
AZ
Heavy D.
Halley Hiatt
Saint or Savage Premiere on Noisey
Sundance Film Festival
Questlove
The Roots
Method Man
Joe Budden
Nvr Sleep
GioDee
Bipolar Sunshine
TED Talk with Matt Goldman of Blue Man Group
Snoop Dogg
The Game
Jesse Draxler
Altered Carbon
Marvin Gaye
Prince
Tupac
[BOOKS]
Theory by Kenneth Goldsmith

Rodney Hazard’s Definition of Making It:
http://rodneyhazard.com/  
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud

Get in touch with Rodney Hazard
“Traveling the world, sustaining a good life, and doing what you love to do.”

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Jason Davis - A Lifetime of Songwriting and Entrepreneurship at the Highest Level

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

Jason Davis is a serial entrepreneur, A&R, and expert in artist development. He’s a co-founder and president of multiple companies including One One 7, Radar Label Group, and Awaken Records. He has worked with artists such as P. Diddy, Boyz II Men, Jay-Z, Dolly Parton, Lonestar, and many more. He wrote his first Billboard #1 single at 23 years old, which was a song called “Captured,” performed by Aaron Benward. In this episode, we talk about Jason’s journey in the music business and what it takes to be a songwriter at the highest level. From this journey, someone can learn many valuable lessons on how to get started as an artist, to have an amazing work ethic, how much you should be writing, and much more.
 
To learn more about Jason Davis check out https://oneone7.com/, https://www.awakenrecordings.com/, https://www.radarlabelgroup.com/, and http://fcmgt.com/.

Highlights from this Episode
[3:08] Time in Delray Beach, FL
[4:25] Advantages and Disadvantages of living in a major music market
[7:29] Current Projects Jason Davis is involved in
[13:20] Narrowing your focus when first starting out
[20:25] Where Jason’s journey began as a musician
[27:27] Process for Booking Shows
[30:28] Writing the #1 Song “Captured” with Aaron Benward
[41:33] The journey after writing a #1 song
[45:50] Pitching a song to an A&R
[49:30] Time management and working on your craft for Songwriters
[54:37] Sharing a story from your perspective
[55:52] Getting to writing with artists on a bigger scale
[1:03:44] Defining your WHY and purpose to your music
[1:10:18] Finding the right people that don’t give up on you
[1:19:15] Working and getting involved with Care for Kids
[1:22:04] Getting to know Jason Davis

Quotes from Jason Davis
“We have a habit of looking at someone that’s become very successful and not processing it’s taken them 20 to 30 years to get to where they are.”
“It’s about having a very concentrated laser beam focus on one thing at a time.”
“Focus on one thing to become great at.”  
“When music is done at the highest level, and only the highest level...it’s a glimpse of how good the music in heaven is.”
“It was more about growing and the journey, than getting people’s approval.”
“The door just cracked open, and I’m not going backwards.”
“The only thing I can do is work to have a relationship with you, and then I have permission to play you a song.”
“(You) should be writing a little bit every single day.”
“Challenge yourself to write and finish at least one song a week.”
“Dare to be crazy creative.”
“You should be studying the Top 20 to 50 songs.”
“You should be studying the song titles and song content.”
“Anyone on the other side of a 10 to 11 year journey to success, will tell you the 10 to 11 years didn’t really take that long.”
“If you play your cards right, and work hard, you can sustain that success for a lifetime.”
“How do we make the best possible music here on earth?”
“Usually once an artist meets the right people, it’s still a 2, 3, 4 year journey.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Awaken Records
Austin French
Rising Star (TV Show)
First Company Management
Newsboys
Ryan Stevenson
7eventh Time Down
Radar Label Group
Jimmy Eat World
Neon Trees
Plain White T’s
Unlikely Candidates
Ariana Grande
Justin Bieber
Michael Jackson
CTK Management
Dolly Parton
Will Smith
Paradigm Agency
Aaron Benward
Mandy Moore
And the Writers Is… (Podcast)
[BOOK]
Your Love Pursues by Jason Davis  
The Bible 
All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman
The Operator by David Geffen
To Be Loved by Berry Gordy
Virgin King by Richard Branson
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Piero Melograni

Jason Davis’ Definition of Making It:
“Making music at the highest level it can be made.”

Related Articles & Episodes:
1. Emily Kopp - Touring, Licensing, and Backpacking the World
2. Jeffrey James - An Adventure in the Nashville Songwriter Scene
3. Mark Samuels - A 20 Year Journey & Counting as an Independent Record Label
4. Oliver Wood - An Adventure with Musical Greats, Independence, and Creative Freedom

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Mark Schaefer - Strategies to Building Your Personal Brand and Becoming KNOWN

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher |

One of my favorite topics in marketing since starting the podcast is the concept of content marketing and building media companies. It’s something that’s been happening for decades. As Joe Pulizzi mentioned, he modeled the Content Marketing Institute on Disney’s business model as a media company. Over the last 10 years or so, there have been some brilliant marketers that have studied content marketing or building a business around being a media company. They’ve done endless amounts of research, built media companies themselves, and have many amazing success stories. Musicians should be the best set-up at building media companies because they’re building a business around media. Yet unfortunately, many musicians struggle with building an audience, including their labels. However, there is a ton of amazing information out there and marketing strategists that have identified simple steps on how someone can build a media company, and become KNOWN. One of these marketing strategists is Mark Schaefer, the guest for this episode on the show.

Mark Schaefer is a marketing and social media strategist. He’s a six-time author, which includes the book KNOWN - “The handbook for Unleashing Your Personal Brand in a Digital Age.” Mark is one of the Top-10 Most retweeted marketing authorities, a public speaker, a professor at Rutgers University, well-known blogger for the blog {grow}, and even has his own podcast, The Marketing Companion. In this conversation, we discuss the book KNOWN, and how musicians can use these strategies to find their sustainable interest, build a powerful brand, and creating an effective social media strategy to grow your business, and become KNOWN.

Grab a copy of KNOWN by Mark Schaefer on Amazon

Highlights from this Episode
[2:31] Mark’s first memorable live music experiences
[6:15] Mark’s Story
[7:45] Why KNOWN is a good start for Musicians
[13:10] Finding your sustainable interest
[15:34] How to find your sustainable interest
[19:57] How to find the right space that’s not already oversaturated
[23:34] Four types of “rich” content to consider
[27:32] The importance of focusing on one type of content on one platform
[31:58] How consistent and patient do we need to be?
[37:52] Using Twitter advanced search
[42:10] Where is the trend of content consumption going in 2018
[46:25] How Mark Schaefer would design a Music Business program
[48:40] Mark’s Hollywood Vampires
[50:01] Getting to know Mark Schaefer

Quotes from Mark Schaefer
“There is only one thing that matters today. Either you’re known, or you’re not.”
“Being known is really the only sustainable competitive advantage a person can have today.”
“Every single person, in every field, everywhere in the world, did the same four things to be known.”
“I didn’t follow my passion. My passion followed me.”
“To be known, you have to identify your sustainable interest.”
“All of the great musicians have combined genres, they’ve combined cultures.”
“Many of the musicians we look up to today, when they started, they didn’t have it right. But they started.”
“If you want to stand out in some way, you have to find a way to do it that really hasn’t been done before.”
“There are so many new and exciting opportunities out there.”
“The whole idea is to be discovered and to create something new in a new space, where you can be discovered and loved.”
“A social media audience is different from an actionable audience.”
“On average it took people [from the book] two and a half years to tilt.”
“The key is focus.”
“Twitter is the most powerful way to find a targetable audience.”
“The number one consideration has to be; what brings you joy?”
“If you’re not having fun, not having joy, the audience will find that.”
“When you put content into the world, it’s a daily performance review.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Bruce Springsteen
Pat Metheny
Hologram Electronics
NAMM Conference
Isadora et Marisa (Food YouTuber)
Rodney Hazard
Slide Share
“Got Twitter? You’ve been Scored” (NY Times Article)
Advanced Twitter Search
Rutgers University
Walter Isaacson
Elon Musk
Ernie Watts
“Blogging and Your Moment of Truth” (Article inspired by Ernie Watts)
[BOOKS]
KNOWN
The Tao of Twitter
The Content Code

Mark Schaefer’s Definition of Making It:
“Peace in your heart. When you get to a place when you get peace in your heart, you feel satisfied, you feel rewarded for giving back to the world in whatever way. That’s the ultimate definition of success for me.”

Get in touch with Mark Schaefer
https://www.businessesgrow.com/
Twitter: @markwschaefer

Related Articles & Episodes:
1. Joe Pulizzi - Killing Old Marketing Practices and Building Media Companies
2. Jasmine Star - Building a Successful Business with the RIGHT Fans
3. Greg Rollett - Taking Your Marketing Game to the Next Level with Content Creation
4. Kyle Lemaire - Disrupting the Traditional Music Business

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

8 Keys to Continue Thriving in 2018

According to Business Insider, 80% of Americans give up on their New Year’s resolutions and goals by February 1st. We can’t afford for you to give up on your goals. On January 1st, did you say that this year will be your best year ever? What were those goals that you set to achieve this year? What did you try to put behind you from 2017? The world needs you to continue to pursue your goals and passion. So does your friends, your family, and especially you. Creativity and entrepreneurship can change one person, which means your music, your art, your ideas, can change one person. If you can positively impact and change one person at a time, you can change the world. In this episode, I want to share 8 keys with you to hopefully inspire you to stay on track or get back on track with your goals for 2018, and to continue to THRIVE!!  

Highlights from this Episode
[6:04] First - Get Back up
[10:32] Two - Focus on Health
[13:06 ] Three - Spiritual and Gratitude
[16:46] Four - Work on Your Craft
[20:55] Five - Give to Your Relationships
[25:39] Six - Have a Gameplan
[28:20] Seven - Learn & Grow Always
[33:34] Eight - Create Your Community

Quotes from this Episode
“It’s time to get back on track.”
“We need to be inspired.”
“If you give up on  your goals, not only you lose, but we all lose.”
“If we have more people doing things they love and make them thrive, the more positivity we’ll have in world.”
“Get daily time with something that brings you joy and makes you thrive.”
“If your music or craft connects with just one person, you can change the world.”  
“We need you to stay inspired and share your gift with the world.”
“Taking care of you will help you be more creative, productive, and happier.”
“Thank one person every day with no expectations.”  
“If you want to be a songwriter, you should be writing 10 to 20 songs a month.”
“Always work on your craft and try to get a little bit better every day.”
“Don’t make someone have to think how you can bring value to them. You find the way!”
“If everyone wins, that’s the best type of relationship to start.”
“Reverse engineer your goals, and create smaller goals.”   
“When you’re interviewing and having conversations, it’s important to listen.”
“Build positive, encouraging, and motivating tribes.”
“Surround yourself with people that inspire you, motivate you, and want you to succeed.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Brad Mason
Tim Ferriss
Tony Robbins
Gary Vaynerchuck
Christian Gratitude Journal by Ben Greenfield
Headspace
Oak Meditation
Malcolm Gladwell
Greg Rollett
Chris Stapleton
Toastmasters
Plaza Live Orlando
Live Nation
House of Blues New Orleans
Joe Pulizzi
Jacko Willink
Lewis Howes
Herb Gonzalez
Brandon T. Adams
Game of Thrones
City Park in New Orleans
Full Sail University
Blue Zones
[BOOKS]
Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuck
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Articles & Episodes:
1. Brad Mason - Finding Motivation by Being Fully Engaged

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits:
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp