In episode #368 of the DIY Musician Podcast, we sit down with Jack Conte, co-founder and CEO of Patreon, as well as one-half of the musical duo Pomplamoose and co-leader of Scary Pockets. Jack shares his unique insights on what he calls “the end of the follower era” in 2024. We dive into what it means to be a musician today, how the changing digital landscape affects creators, and why metrics still play a crucial role in shaping careers. Whether you’re an artist or simply curious about the future of content creation, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the evolving role of social platforms, fan engagement, and much more.
#367: Branding for Musicians feat. That Good Sh*t, arabbitshole, and The Luna Collective
Your personal brand doesn’t stop at what you post on Spotify, TikTok, and Instagram. It’s also expressed in the way you interact with other artists in your community, how you pitch your music to tastemakers, and how you present yourself in interviews.
These forms of outreach expose you to new audiences who could make a genuine connection with you and get invested in your music — and it all starts with a great first impression. What will you do to stand out in a way that’s authentic to you and your music?
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Via Perkins, Senior Communications & Content Manager at CD Baby, takes a deep dive with Annabelle Kline-Zilles, founder and host of That Good Sh*t, Daylon Hicks, founder of arabbitshole, and Meleah Hartnett, host of The Luna Collective podcast, to answer this question, including a Q&A featuring questions from CD Baby, That Good Sh*t, The Luna Collective, and arabbitshole audience members.
#366: How to Start a Band that No One Wants to Quit
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Cristina and Rachel offer insight into the process of building a band from scratch. Join them as they navigate the intricacies of finding the perfect performers and nurturing relationships within the group. Together they discuss some practical tips like how to keep a consistent rehearsal schedule, band calendar, how to communicate effectively, and much more.
#363: Breaking In: Finding, Building, and Captivating Audiences in The Bahamas
In this captivating episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, host Cristina delves deep into the tropical realm of The Bahamas alongside CD Baby’ Erika Parr, and Lyndera Pinder, the founder of Music With a Twist. Together, they unravel the secrets of success for independent artists yearning to make waves in this vibrant archipelago. From uncovering hidden stages to expanding your network amidst the island backdrop, they share invaluable insights and best practices tailored for breaking into new regions. Join them on this journey as they illuminate the path to finding, building, and captivating audiences in The Bahamas.
#361: So You Want to Win a GRAMMY? with Kaytee Long Becker
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Cristina delves into the intricacies of pursuing a GRAMMY with Kaytee Long Becker from DIY PR Group. Together they celebrate Carla Patullo, a CD Baby independent artist and composer who won her first Grammy this year! They explore essential topics such as understanding FYC campaigns, distinguishing between album release and FYC strategies, determining the optimal career stage for submission, eligibility criteria, crucial deadlines, category selection significance, indispensable FYC campaign elements, a golden rule for success, and common pitfalls to avoid during the FYC journey.
Connect with Kaytee Long Becker and learn more about her Express PR Campaign offer:
https://www.instagram.com/kayteelongbecker
kaytee@diyprgroup.com
#359: Put Your Fanbase Growth on Autopilot with Megh Vakharia – Symphony OS
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Cristina engages in a conversation with Megh Vakharia, CEO and co-founder of Symphony OS, exploring the necessity for artists to streamline their marketing efforts. Megh sheds light on Symphony’s innovative solutions tailored to ease artist marketing burdens, freeing up valuable time for creative pursuits. With Symphony’s tools, artists reclaim control over their careers, empowered to shape their destinies without relinquishing ownership. Symphony’s mission is clear: to empower the next wave of a million artists to thrive independently, building their businesses on their own terms.
Learn more about Symphony OS and claim your CD Baby discount here: https://www.symphonyos.co/partners/cdbaby
#339: How to Reach Fans Beyond Social Media
There’s no doubt, great social content can unlock so many doors in your music career.
But “social” can also feel tired and impersonal, like you’re shouting into the void.
In this episode, Chris & Cristina discuss how to engage audiences without relying on big platforms or one-off posts.
Check out this inspiring list of alternative ways you can interact with your fans so that your messages and conversations feel personal and surprising!
#140: Roundtable – The Biggest Album launch in History?
In this edition of the remarkably entertaining and educational DIY Musician Podcast, The Bolt has a baby, Kevin launches a fan funding campaign (and gains a few grey hairs in the process) and the Podcasters discuss the surprise album release by U2. U2 partnered with Apple to give all iTunes users free access to their newest album. Apple and U2 are calling this the largest record release of all time. But not everybody is happy about the way Apple went about it.
In the news: CD Baby launches CD Baby Free! Now you can sell music on CDBaby.com without signup fees. More info on CD Baby Free here. Soundcloud is getting in the advertising game and select artists may reap the benefits. But will Soundclouds changes benefit indie musicians? Also . . . streaming music subscribers are growing in leaps and bounds.
Tune in for all this goodness and more!
#139: Jack Conte – Turning fans into patrons
Jack Conte became well known for being half of the musical duo that makes up the band Pomlamoose. A few years back Pomplamoose burst onto the scene through the usage of YouTube and “video songs.†You can hear more about that video song concept in episode 96 of our podcast.
In this episode, Jack is back with a new concept and a new company called Patreon. With the desire to find a simple way for Pomplamoose to collect a small amount of money from fans every time a new video is released, Jack decided to build his own solution. The result was www.Patreon.com . Patreon helps artists turn fans into patrons, who support them monetarily whenever new art is released.
If you’ve been considering the different fan funding models out there, this is definitely one to check out.
Link to previous episode Jack was on:
https://podcast.cdbaby.com/2010/07/096-jack-conte-pomplamoose-and-the-video-song/
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com
#136: Mary Gauthier – Love, Trouble, and Indie Success
I
n this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Kevin interviews Americana Troubadour, Singer, and Songwriter Mary Gauthier. Mary is currently on a world tour to promote her new album, Trouble & Love. Mary is a shinning example of an how an independent artist can wrangle the music industry, find success, and stay independent. Mary shares her thoughts on the changing music industry, on building a team, connecting with fans, and creating and selling a record. Don’t miss this episode!
Check out Mary’s new album and tour dates on her website!
#135: Roundtable – Does your artist image matter?
Soundcloud removes music creation tools from their popular app. Google buys Songza. Music Vault opens their vault by publishing 12,000 concert videos on YouTube. The podcasters discuss a recent blog article from the DIY Musician Blog by Brandon Seymour Your image is more important than your music — especially if you’re an indie artist. Plus, your emails and phone calls!
Mentioned in this Podcast:
Read the study at West Point HERE
#132: Mike King – Music Marketing
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Kevin interviews Mike King, instructor and CMO of the Berklee Online school of music.  Mike has written and teaches four courses for Berklee Online: Online Music Marketing with Topspin; Music Marketing 101; Online Music Marketing: Campaign Strategies, Social Media, and Digital Distribution; and Music Business Trends and Strategies. He’s also author of Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail (published by Berklee Press in 2009).
Mike King has worn many hats over the course of career, from intern at Ryko Disc to running the largest online music school in the US. Mike discusses how the music business has changed over the years, what challenges musicians face today, and what marketing techniques work and which don’t.
If you’re interested in growing your fan base, and marketing your music, don’t miss this podcast.
#131: Ari Herstand – Should You Pay to Play?
Ari Herstand is asinger/songwriter and bloggerbased in Los Angeles, California. Ari has played over 600 shows and writes about being an independent musician on his blog, Ari’s Take. He also regularly contributes to popular indie music news and advice sites, including our very own DIY Musician Blog.
In this episode, Ari sits down with CD Baby’s Kevin Breuner to talk about the phenomenon of “pay to play” gigs for bands. Ari recently penned an article on the subject and it garnered quite a bit of attention, not to mention a lot of interesting responses. Before you consider paying for a gig, listen to Ari’s take on this controversial practice and learn how to look out for the pitfalls and scams that can leave an unwitting band in the lurch.
Get more info about Ari and his music at http://ariherstand.com
Check out his new album Brave Enough HERE.
#130: Benji Rogers – Fan Participation and Pledge Music
Benji Rogers founded Pledge Music to help musicians and fans share in the experience of creating albums. 6 years ago when Benji started Pledge Music, there were fan-funding platforms popping up left and right, but nothing that really focused on fan participation.
Benji explains that fans are given “thousands ways to buy music,” but what they are not getting is really compelling reasons to participate in an artists life.”
Benji believes that traditional crowd funding focuses too much on the amount of money being raised and not enough on the creative process and the artist-fan relationship. Pledge Music is designed to bridge that gap.
Questions or comments about this episode? Let us know in the comment section below!
#129: Ariel Hyatt – Fans, Fears, and Funding
Kevin interviews Ariel Hyatt, digital strategist, international speaker, author, and owner of Cyber PR. Ariel shares social media tips, music career advice, and her experiences and insights with crowd funding.
Ariel stresses that artists need to move past vanity metrics (likes, shares, and followers) and work on making real connections with real people. “Share, don’t sell” she says, referring to how artists should interact with fans. She also stresses that it’s important to build an email list, so that artists can connect with their fans beyond the confines of social networks like Facebook.
Ariel also discusses her upcoming book on crowd funding, and insights from her own experience raising funds via crowd funding.
Don’t miss this episode!
#124: Brian Thompson – Get Your Music Heard
This week on the DIY Musician podcast, Brian Thompson (also known online as Thorny Bleeder) joins us to talk about online music promotion and how the music business has changed over the course of his career. Brian started his own record label (Thorny Bleeder Records) in 2006 along with Jonathan Hetherington, and Greg Bradley (founders of Art Of Dying). As the company evolved it went from a label to an artist consultancy and Brian became a sought after social media guru, blogger, podcaster, and artist advocate. Listen, learn, and find out why Brian goes by “Thorny Bleeder” in the first place.
#003 : Alicia Rose – The woman behind the curtain
Club bookers can be an elusive bunch, but they stand between you and your next gig. Who is Alicia Rose? She books the musical talent at one of Portland’s hottest clubs, the Doug Fir Lounge. Both nationally touring acts and local bands alike, covet the chance to take the stage at the Doug Fir. So what does it take to make an impression on a booker like Alicia? Well first of all, you’ve got to know how to say hello! Alicia makes it clear that getting to know the people behind the scenes is an important step that many musicians neglect and then suffer the consequences. So take her words to heart as you approach the club booker in your local music scene. Now go get your foot in the door and your band on stage!
Check out the Doug Fir Lounge click here!
Glossary
(Alicia mentions these other Portland clubs in her interview)
Berbatis Pan
Dantes
Ash St. Saloon
The intro theme song is by our very own Chris Robley
The featured music in episode 3 is by Boy Eats Drum Machine
#001 : An Introduction & We Make Mistakes!
Welcome to the maiden voyage of the DIY Music Podcast! We start off with an introduction to the podcast by our host Kevin, and then jump into the very first DIY Music Podcast roundtable discussion. For this segment, Kevin will be joined by Chris and Robert to discuss some of their own musical foibles, bungles, mishaps, and misunderstandings. Our conversation really just scratches the surface as we could have gone on for hours, maybe even days, talking about all the not-so-smart things we’ve done in our musical pursuits. We hope our discussion helps prevent the same mistakes in your musical journey! If you’re wondering about who we are, check our profiles on the About page.
The music featured in this episode is by our very own Chris Robley. You can hear more by clicking here!
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