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How I Got Started in The Music Business (and More)

Aaron Bethune of PlayItLoudMusic came through Nashville last week. We sat down together in a hotel lobby and he interviewed me for his podcast, Above the Noise.

An un-edited recording of the interview is below. In this interview, I talk about:

• How I got started in the music business
• Why I'm not a musician anymore
• How Music Business Radio started
• What scares the bejesus out of me (and most musicians)
• Canada vs. US music business
• The death of music conferences
• How to break through the noise with your music
• The birth of my new book, Six-Figure Musician (and why it's free)
• What musicians can learn from junk mail
• Dirty marketing secrets to sell more music
• The danger of good marketing
• Why marketing and advertising only go so far
• My $100,000 book guarantee
• Where $100,000 (or more) in the music business comes from
• How to get more people to your gigs
• How to get more people on your mailing list
• Defining your fanbase
• Rich musicians vs. famous musicians
• Justin Bieber
• Embracing the slow burn
• Crazy, new age "woo woo" stuff
• Is talent enough?
• Why musicians die young
• The hungry ghost
• Half-ass music performances
• Being upstaged by Freddie Mercury
• Old women who dig Rick Springfield
• Licensing your music to radio and podcasts 

I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter.

 

The Death of College Radio

The following comments from the newsletter of DJ Ron, which talks about Vanderbilt University's radio station, WRVU, pretty much sums up what is happening (or had happened) to college radio stations across the country...

On Tuesday afternoon around 2:30pm, WRVU 91.1 FM went off the air.  An agreement was made by the Vanderbilt Student Communications board to sell the broadcasting frequency to WPLN.  WRVU will be off the air for the summer and will return next fall as an online stream and a WPLN HD channel.   There are so many things that are wrong with this based on my perception.

WRVU was Vanderbilt's only media outlet that reached out to the Nashville community.  One of the statements that VSC board say is that students don't listen to FM radio.  That might be the case, but Nashvillians do.  WRVU offers a wide range of music and cultural programming that no other station does.   A lot of people grew up listening to WRVU and have a strong personal connection to it and the university because of it.

HD and online radio is not the same as FM and to say that is the same is both classist and elitist.  Who actually has an HD radio?  Online radio requires an internet connection on a computer or an advanced smart phone.  This kind of radio should be free and available to all regardless of financial means.  Making this content exclusive / unavailable to a lot of people is against the DNA of community radio. 

People at WRVU had no say or representation in the decision making process.  The Vanderbilt Student Communications board is made up of faculty and a few students at large.  When I was at Vanderbilt the VSC board actually represented its members - with people from each division helping make the decisions.  How can a board which doesn't include input from its members effectively govern it?

Every step of the way, this was handled by VSC board in a seemingly underhanded way.  When the exploration of a broadcast sale was announced to us in September, I tried to register SAVEWRVU that night.  Mysteriously, the three domains .org/.com/.net were bought more than a week before and were pointing to the insidevandy.com page (which had a seemingly biased article in place). The mysterious owner of the SaveWRVU domains agreed to point the sites to savewrvuradio, but I am wondering how much longer this will last.  DJs and students were under the impression from the VSC board that changes would not be made during the summer / when the students were out.  We didn't receive any notice and even the website  wrvu.org disappeared on Wednesday.

As a Vanderbilt alumnus and someone who has had the honor and privilege of broadcasting on WRVU for nearly 20 years, I am personally appalled on how all this was handled.   It makes me feel very upset at the both VSC board and Vanderbilt University for allowing this to happen.  

Personally, I have been an emotional basket case most of this week. WRVU-FM has been a major part of my life for all these years.  It is what kept me at Vanderbilt after my disastrous freshman year.  Doing the LGBT show gave me confidence and freedom.  Spinning the dance show allowed me to develop my skills as a DJ.  Without WRVU, I wouldn't be doing  who I am today.   

Technology is changing and college students are often the first to jump on things like listening to radio programming via mobile phones or computers, but I think he brings up a good point that, for a lot of people, broadcast radio is extremely important as it's a cheap and easy way to get information. You can get a radio for $5 and it works without a subscription or any kind of special software. Computers aren't there yet.

And then there is the "public interest" argument... Many commercial stations today have no "local" programming, having replaced it with syndicated content from who knows where. And what commercial station is going to run something controversial like gay/lesbian programming?

As far a music goes, local/regional acts don't stand a chance on most radio stations these days, with many music programming decisions being made hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away, by people who know nothing about the communities their stations serve, beyond how many people in those communities that Arbitron says are listening.

College radio is a vital part of the community. Not only because of local programming, but because it's a great launching pad for both new broadcast talent and musicians.

For example...

I started in radio in 1991, when I was a Freshman in college, doing production work for WSMS (University of Memphis). After graduation, I worked at WUMS (University of Mississippi), where I hosted a weekly show featuring music and interviews from independent acts from around the country. When I started my radio promotion company in 1995, college radio was the vehicle that helps us get bands exposure.

Like Ron mentioned above, without college radio, I probably wouldn't be doing what I am today.

Would you?

Something to think about... If you have a situation similar to the one going on with WRVU, I hope you'll consider these things before making a decision.

And I'll hope you'll add your "college radio stories" below, to show others reading this how important this medium is for the community...

Behind the Scenes at Music Business Radio

Recorded an episode of Music Business Radio with Brent Maher earlier this week... You may not recognize the name, but you've heard his work.  He's one of music's most successful and critically acclaimed producers as well as a hit songwriter with songs on over 20 #1 records.  He's won six Grammy Awards and has worked with dozens of top acts over the years including Ike and Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Duke Ellington, Kenny Rogers, Nickle Creek, and more.

This one is currently being edited and will be available soon.  To make sure you don't miss it, subscribe to our podcast...

I get a lot of emails from people asking about how the show is created and also asking how to get booked as a guest, so I decided to put up a few details for you, using the episode with Brent as an example.  Not every episode goes exactly like this, but they're usually similar, unless we're doing something on at a location other than our home studio at Tuned In Broadcasting, such as a music festival, television taping, or concert.

Step 1 - Booking

All of the booking is handled by the show's producer, Gary.  He is looking for one of two things-- you've either got to be well-known, with some success in the industry, or you've got to have an interesting "hook" that we haven't covered before.

An example of a good hook is an indie group that is selling 10,000+ downloads via MySpace or licensing its music in big ways and is willing to share the secrets of how these things are happening.  We're looking for a story that will entertain, but also information that will educate our audience.

Another example... We've had several attorneys on and have covered the basics of copyright a few times, so that is something we don't need to cover again (right now), but we have an upcoming episode with an attorney who is coming in to talk about the legalities of sampling, mashups, and some other music trends people are getting involved with.  We had an attorney come in to talk specifically about copyright reversion, since this is something that affects our audience.

We have a lot of producers come though.  Stories are great, but it's a plus if they can bring in alternative versions of songs people know.  Here is an example of a track list (with my notes) from a CD Brent Maher brought in...

Step 2 - Pre-Interview

Once the episode has been booked, the next step in the process is a short phone call where I talk to the guest and try to come up with a basic outline for the episode.  This usually happens a few days before the episode is taped and is pretty loose, more or less just going over things like what the guest can expect while in the studio, since some people (even those who record things for a living, believe it or not) can get nervous when the red light comes on and I want people to be as relaxed as possible.

Step 3 - Record the Episode

Everybody meets up at Tuned In Broadcasting, usually about 30 minutes before we start recording. The guest is introduced to the Music Business Radio staff, Gary the producer and Dan the engineer, that will also be in the studio.

We go over last minute details, such as how the guest will be introduced.  This changes, depending on what the guest feels comfortable with.  Below is my original typed "fact sheet" for Brent Maher, with some additional notes, based on suggestions from Brent and Gary the producer. 

I use this for segment IDs, intros, and outros, so some of the "non-Brent" stuff I've written here is to remind me to mention what is coming up in the episode.

At this point, we go into the studio (pictured above) and start the tape rolling.  I have a basic idea for how the show will go, but beyond the "how did you get started in the music business" question I usually as at first, it can go anywhere.

Brent had just gotten in from Los Angeles when we recorded his episode, so there was no pre-interview to go over specific questions.  Sometime we have guests that talk a lot and sometimes we have guests that don't say much.  Not knowing what I was getting, I came up with about 30 general questions for this episode.

Fortunately for me, and for our listeners, Brent was a great communicator and had some amazing stories of working with acts like Ike and Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, The Judds, Carl Perkins, Duke Ellington, and others, so I let him run with it.

Here is the first page of my list of questions, with notes based on where our conversation went...

Step 4 - Record Promos and Liners

After we get enough content for an episode, which usually takes about 90 minutes, we go over highlights of the show and record a promo.  I intro the guest and ask, "What are we going to talk about?"  The guest gives some of the highlights and that is turned into a promo, which runs on stations the week before the episode airs.

We also have the guest record a liner, which is something like, "Hi, I'm (insert name here) and you're listening to Music Business Radio."

Step 5 - Editing

The raw content goes to an editor and gets smashed down into a 54-minute episode.  This is usually the most time-consuming part of the process, as there is often a lot to edit, with episodes often going long, depending on the amount of content, mistakes, etc.

Step 6 - Broadcast

Episode is aired on broadcast stations.  If you want to be the very first to hear the new episodes, listen to the stream of our flagship station, Lightning 100, on Sundays at 7pm Central.  In Nashville, you can listen on 100.1 FM.

Step 7 - Podcast

Episode goes up via the Music Business Radio web site and podcast.

How You Can Get Involved...

Syndication Info:

Have a broadcast station that should be running Music Business Radio?  Call Gary at 615-242-5600 for syndication details.

Demo Submission Info:

Have music you want reviewed on the air?  Send a CD and press kit to:

Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203

Seth Godin on the Music Business

This is a special, Internet-exclusive episode of Music Business Radio featuring Seth Godin.  This episode was taped backstage at the 40th annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, TN.

We talked about the changing music business, how musicians and labels can make more money, how to get raving fans, word of mouth, tastemakers (and how to be one), licensing, and much more.

Special thanks to Jeff Walker and the staff of AristoMedia for help with this interview!

For future Internet-exclusive episodes, subscribe to our podcast.

How to Get Music on the Radio

Here's an interview I did with Jhani Kaye of KRTH in Los Angeles. Jhani is one of radio's preeminent programmers.  Since taking the helm as the Program Director at KRTH in 2006, his unique approach has brought the station to the Top 2 in the Los Angeles market among general market adult listeners.

We talked about the business of radio, how musicians can get the attention of radio, the importance of relationships in the music business, and more.

To get more interviews like this, get the Music Business Radio podcast.

Another Nail in the Coffin for Independent Music on Broadcast Radio?

Indie 103.1 in LA has pulled the plug on its terrestrial station.  But does it matter?  They're still online and don't most fans of independent music have Internet access?

Post thoughts below...

From the Indie 103.1 website:

Indie Activist:

This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience -

Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option --- to play the corporate radio game.

We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.

This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative - simply put, only the best music.

For those of you with a computer at home or at work, log on to www.indie1031.com and listen to the new Indie 103.1 - which is really the old Indie 103.1, not the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.

We thank our listeners and advertisers for their support of the greatest radio station ever conceived, and look forward to continuing to deliver the famed Indie 103.1 music and spirit over the Internet to passionate music listeners around the world.