Music Growth Talks: Podcast For Musicpreneurs

Tradiio is on a mission to change the music industry. Sounds familiar and ambitious? Well, check the platform out, and you will see that it may be exactly what the music ecosystem needs right now. On Tradiio, instead of merely discovering and following the artists they like, listeners affect favorite creators' careers by "investing" in them, using virtual coins. And as more fans support a music act on the platform, that act gets access to exclusive opportunities – from studio time to major label deals, and festival slots. Consequently, over a hundred (and counting) industry professionals and companies are connected to future breakthrough talents through this crowd-sourced A&R system. And the music fans get very real perks for being active in the app, as well. In this WeSpin Recipes podcast, Miguel Leite, a co-founder of Tradiio, talks on why the music industry needs to change, opening more opportunities to indie artists, and his platform, of course: how it works for listeners, musicians, and brands, and

It's never been easier to create a high-quality music video, with any budget you've got, thanks to a UK-based company called Radar Music Videos. Radar connects artists, managers and record labels (both indie and major) with music video creators from all around the world. If you need a lyric, live, or official music video – post a brief, name the budget, and wait for pitches to come in. New video directors are scouted weekly, and it doesn't cost you a cent as a commissioner. The guest of this week's WeSpin Recipes episode is Caroline Bottomley, the founder and CEO of Radar Music. On the show, Caroline explained how the platform works, talked on why a music video release is a more important event than the release of a record, gave tips on creating a perfect brief, and covered the topic of female entrepreneurs in the music business. Listen to the podcast in full to learn why not to create too detailed video briefs, and what benefits of having a professional music video you may have missed. Go to http://wespin

Cheryl B. Engelhardt is a singer-songwriter, an entrepreneur, and a seasoned music business veteran based in New York. She's currently finishing a collaborative record called "Inevitably", and is preparing the launch of a new edition of her MX4 course for musicians. In this WeSpin Recipes episode we talked with Cheryl on her rich background in the music industry, the MX4 Course and the Key Conversations podcast, the reasons artists fail to achieve success in music, and how to be a thriving musician without playing huge stadiums and having a worldwide recognition. Listen to the conversation to also learn how to fight the fear of failure, focus on what you truly should do to succeed, and earn money through one of the three types of income sources available for musicians. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr54/ for the show notes and http://getacard.wespin.co/ to learn how to get a free WeSpin postcard by supporting the podcast.

This podcast episode is a part of a series of features from the Future of Music Policy Summit 2015, covered by Dotted Music’s Josh Urban and Cory Wolff. Read an introduction to today’s WeSpin Recipes conversation from Josh below: Kiran Gandhi didn’t need sleep. She hadn’t seen any in a long, long time, but that didn’t seem to diminish her magnetizing intensity. The drummer, Harvard MBA, Georgetown graduate, feminist, public speaker, and ideas lady stood backstage at Georgetown University after her feature talk on the value of data, strategizing with Yvette Nimako, manager of US operations for the Global Shea Alliance. I waited off to the side, reporting on the Future of Music Coalition’s annual policy summit in Washington, DC. “Would you be willing to come speak to my class sometime?” one of her alma mater professors asked, to which she agreed. Another colleague leaned in for a hug. Things quieted down a bit, and both women graciously agreed to an audio interview. Without further ado, here’s our conversati

Stuart Epps is a legendary UK-based record producer, who has worked with the likes of Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Bill Wyman, and Twisted Sister. Earlier this year, Stuart announced that he’s now working with independent artists remotely. When we learnt that, we had to interview Stuart for the podcast to find out the details. Listen to this WeSpin Recipes episode to learn the amazing story of Stuart and the artists he has worked with, why there are fewer truly successful bands these days, and what his new production company EMP offers to indie musicians. Some of the topics covered in the episode: - Stuart Epps: from ‘60s to nowadays. - How the industry has changed over the past decades. - In the new era, “music still has to be great”. - Why Stuart doesn’t get excited hearing new music as often as he did in the past. - The level of dedication you need to achieve success. - What assistance you can get from Stuart’s production company. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr52/ for the show notes an

This podcast episode is a part of a series of features from the Future of Music Policy Summit 2015, covered by Dotted Music’s Josh Urban and Cory Wolff. Keep an eye on the Dotted Music blog and this podcast for more coverage, and read an introduction to today’s WeSpin Recipes conversation from Josh below: The lunch line was bustling in the Hoya food court. The Future of Music Coalition’s 15th Annual Policy Summit was well underway at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and I was hungry. I had set out to procure a veggie burger. I found it, and the future of music sales. And to think I would have been excited about a side of fries... It happened like this: While waiting in the cue, two guys in Peertracks polo shirts walked up, also foraging for lunch. We got to chatting, and they explained how they were building a way to sell music with blockchain technology (think Bitcoin), and take it directly peer-to-peer. “Like an iTunes killer?” I queried, eagerly asking if they’d do an interview. The result of th

Ilpo Kärkkäinen, a.k.a. Resound, is a drum & bass producer, blogger, music production instructor, and the author of a new WeSpin course called “Smart Productivity for Musicians – Accomplish More as an Artist and Live a More Meaningful Life”. In this anniversary WeSpin Recipes episode, Ilpo reveals the course he worked on for around 18 months, and talks about the topic of one of the Smart Productivity’s chapters – why musicians procrastinate. Ilpo goes over the six most common reasons behind procrastination, and solutions for overcoming them. Listen to the show to learn why not all time you spend being “unproductive” is procrastination, how to understand when you do procrastinate, and then to overcome it. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr50/ for the show notes and sign up to the Smart Productivity for Musicians course at http://www.resoundsound.com/smart-productivity/

Eric Louis, a digital marketing consultant and DJ, has been involved in B2B sales and online advertising for years now. Recently, he implemented his business knowledge to promote his mix in a DJ contest through a Facebook ad, and was pleasantly surprised by the results of his $30 campaign. Now he shares with us his findings, as well as what else he discovered while analysing Facebook pages of some of the top producers and clubs. In this WeSpin Recipes episode, Eric talked on how musicians can benefit from Facebook Advertising – not blindly wasting thousands of dollars, but doing smart, targeted ads, optimized for specific results. He also put up a page with examples of Facebook ads run by well-known music artists (see the link in the show notes). Listen to the conversation to learn the basics of advertising on Facebook, and see how it can become a part of your marketing strategy. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • How Facebook forces you to spend money on ads. • The “direct response” approach to

In this special WeSpin Recipes podcast episode, recorded in Berlin, Andrew Apanov is joined by the Dotted Music’s COO Frederic Sahyouni and CMO Cory Wolff to reveal their new community platform called WeSpin Tech: http://tech.wespin.co/ Listen to the conversation to learn more about the Dotted Music crew, what we do at our music marketing agency and the WeSpin growth training platform, and what kind of startups you will be able to find at WeSpin Tech (“the Product Hunt for music apps”). The video recording of this podcast is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/AVPmIPOtYDM Go to http://wespin.co/wsr48/ for the show notes and http://getacard.wespin.co/ to learn how to get a free WeSpin postcard by supporting the podcast.

This WeSpin Recipes episode features someone who we hosted on the show in the past, and how many of you know as the author of The SoundCloud Bible book – namely Budi Voogt. Budi, who’s also the founder of Heroic Recordings, returned to the podcast to talk about the impressive recent growth of the company, his upcoming music business course, and SoundCloud (and if you should keep using it). Listen to the show to learn the exciting story of the Heroic’s artist, San Holo, and how he achieved a lot of success in a short period of time; find out what Budi is looking for in artists before signing them (besides their music); hear insights on the SoundCloud monetization, the Music Marketing Academy (our October 6th), and much more. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • Heroic Recordings: the growing empire. • Characteristics of a highly successful music producer. • The course Budi is working on right now. • “Continuity is essential.” • What’s new in the second edition of The SoundCloud Bible. • Should you

Tape.tv, a Berlin-based “social music television web platform,” has just launched tape express, a free mobile app that offers a personalised music video discovery channel to users across 27 European countries. Tape express is powered by the largest dedicated indie music video catalogue in Europe, featuring 30,000 videos at launch, and allows music fans to curate their own music television experience as they watch, by swiping to ‘like’ or ‘skip’ videos. In this WeSpin Recipes podcast episode, Andrew Apanov talks to tape.tv’s CEO Conrad Fritzsch and Project Manager Jakob Fricke just a week after the launch of tape express. Conrad and Jakob share their thoughts on the booming world of indie music videos, the challenge of delivering the user experience people want, and explain how they’ve been supporting indie artists through securing deals with rights-holders since day one. Listen to the conversation to also learn how to submit your music video to tape express, and much more. Some of the topics covered in the

Mike Mowery is the President of Outerloop Management, overlooking over 40 artists. Mike has been in the industry for over 20 years, with roots in the DIY scene and playing in the hardcore punk band Good Clean Fun. In this WeSpin Recipes podcast episode, Dotted Music CMO Cory Wolff talks to Mike about the tough world of music management, the art of developing brand new acts, what you have to produce besides the music to succeed nowadays, and much more. Listen to the interview to also learn what managers are looking for in artists before starting to work with them, and where the success is really coming from. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • How the music industry has “flattened” over the years. • The artist manager working as your co-captain. • Use feedback to find new opportunities. • Challenges to overcome on your way to success. • “Having great music alone is not enough.” • The world of brand partnerships. • Define what a success is for you. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr45/ for the show notes

Spire Recorder is a new mobile app by iZotope, an Emmy Award-winning audio tech company famous for its products like Ozone and RX. The free iPhone application is a 4-track recorder, which offers performing musicians the ability to quickly record, mix, and share songs. In this WeSpin Recipes episode, Stacey Dyer, the Creative Strategist at iZotope, talks about the digital signal processing technology that powers Spire, explains who the app will be most useful for, and shows several pro tricks on getting the most out of it. Listen to the conversation to also learn how the recorder app can be used as a source of engaging audio content for your social networks, and how to be noticed by iZotope through using Spire. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • What’s so special about Spire and who is it for? • “A little version of Ozone in your pocket.” • Examples of how the app can be used. • Hidden features of Spire. • The mixing screen and XY Pad. • What’s coming up next for the app. • Tagging Spire on socia

UniqueSound is a young French/American startup, which won the Midemlab competition in 2015, and which claims to be the first platform to find and hire music composers. Currently in beta, UniqueSound allows composers and sound designers to create portfolios to showcase their work, and to get hired directly by clients - including global brands, advertising agencies, production companies, directors, and music supervisors. In this WeSpin Recipes interview, conducted after a meeting at the Midem conference, the company’s COO Alexandre Imbeaux explained how exactly the platform works both for composers and brands, how to apply, and what are the various advantages of having a UniqueSound profile. Listen to the interview to also learn what to expect from UniqueSound later this year, and why no one should forget about the value of music compositions. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • Composers: your music is expensive. • What UniqueSound is, and where its idea came from. • UniqueSound costs and fees (an

Music is becoming a utility - available everywhere you want it, as much as you want. But is the distribution of streaming revenues aligned with the value of an individual subscriber? Per-user vs. pro-rata income distribution from streaming services was the key theme at this year’s MIDEM presentation by Toolshed’s Dick Huey, who already was a WeSpin Recipes guest in 2014. In this podcast episode, Dick discussed the new distribution model in the context of providing a living wage to indie artists, and covered other topics from his MIDEM session. After an overview of what the music industry has been going through in the past decade, he also looked into market growth through hi-definition audio sales, explained how music is priced, and evaluated new business ideas that show revenue promise for the future. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • The state of the music industry today. • The two must-read books Dick refers to in his research. • The gap between early adopters and the mass market. • Why the “

IQzic is a recently launched music discovery service, which lets fans select which bands they think will do best in terms of fan engagement (think of it as picking stocks). Currently going through the pre-launch phase 1, the service is mainly targeting music fans, and works with songs already available on YouTube. Later this year, however, a lot more features are going to be rolled out for artists – including the ability for fans to financially support the acts they like. In this New Music Seminar edition of the WeSpin Recipes podcast, our writer Josh Urban learned how the app works in the conversation with the IQzic founder, Jim Hodson. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr41/ for the show notes and http://getacard.wespin.co/ to learn how to get a free WeSpin postcard by supporting the podcast.

Clowdy is a new online platform that tries to solve two issues faced by the music industry. First, artists don't have a résumé like most, as their history is about their projects – not where they worked. Hence LinkedIn doesn’t quite work for creatives. Secondly, too often many those who contribute to a project (like session players, vocalists, editors or producers) aren’t properly credited and recognised. In this WeSpin Recipes podcast interview, the Clowdy co-founders Stuart Logan, Damien Shiells talk on how their social network works. In short, when someone publishes a project they credit the people that contributed to it. The project is then automatically added to everyone's profile – giving everyone the recognition they deserve. Listen to the conversation to learn who Clowdy mainly targets right now, and how to use it as a personal creative portfolio. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • Why LinkedIn doesn’t work well for the creative industries • How Clowdy’s projects and profiles are created

Ehco, The Entertainment Helping Company, is building nothing less than a “giving channel” – the platform’s focus is to connect music artists and their fans with social causes. Artists who “truly want to change the world” can offer exclusive merchandise through Ehco, giving half (50%) of everything they make from the sales to the 501(c)3 social partner of their choice. Scott McElroy is a co-founder of Ehco, and in this WeSpin Recipes podcast episode he talked on how artists should use their influence to help causes they care about, why giving becomes a necessity these days, and how exactly Ehco functions. Listen to this conversation with Scott to also learn how to keep a partnership with a non-profit authentic and genuine, and where to start if you want to work with a social partner. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • Empowering fans to give to the causes you and they care about • What Ehco is for artists, fans and non-profits • Ways to improve the partnerships between artists and causes • Other

Vinny Ribas is a Nashville-based music industry mentor, the President of LeaderBridge, and CEO of Indie Connect. Being a guest of the 38th episode of the WeSpin Recipes podcast, Vinny talked on the income streams musicians often times overlook (like selling covers, and optimizing your website for sales), the importance of a clear Call To Action, and how to find unique business opportunities everywhere around you. Listen to the episode to learn Vinny’s thoughts on what it takes to be a financially successful songwriter, and how to become a certified music business coach. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • The need for music business education. • The most common questions musicians ask. • Vinny’s top two tips on increasing artists’ income. • How to get better at sales. • Brand-building for songwriters. • Vinny Ribas’ personal case study. • Indie Connect: coach certification program. Go to http://wespin.co/wsr38/ for the show notes and http://getacard.wespin.co/ to learn how to get a free WeSpin po

Jonathan Yaari is a co-founder of Soundudes. This new app for musicians is currently in beta, and will be publicly launched in late June. The promise of Soundudes is pretty straightforward: “We’ll find your Soundcloud super-fans and connect them with your music.” How does it work though? If in short, the services finds relevant to you Soundcloud accounts using a sophisticated algorithm, and follows them on your behalf. While the concept may not sound new, the Soundudes’ approach to the task surely does. In this WeSpin Recipes podcast episode, Jonathan talks on the Soundudes’ mission to help artists, and the app’s algorithm and features. In the interview you are also going to learn what other platforms Soundudes is going to support soon, how to sign up for the beta, and how to avoid the non-personal and harmful automation in your marketing efforts. Some of the topics covered in the episode: • Being confident to enter the “risky” music tech space. • Artists’ challenges Soundudes is trying to solve. • How the