Bridge The Atlantic

Joining us this week out of California is Darrin Pfeiffer! Darrin is best known as the drummer of Platinum selling pop punk band Goldfinger, but as well as being a musician he is also an accomplished label owner and radio host.

Darrin is the owner of High 4 Recordings & High 4 Management, and presents the Dangerous Darrin show on Idobi Radio where he interviews musicians and athletes. In this interview, we hear the advice Darrin would offer to musicians who are seeking management or label support, and more!

Highlights:

• Darrin Pfeiffer on artist management: “I know what bugs musicians and the things I wish I didn’t do!”
• When approaching a manager or label you have to ask yourself “do you have the songs?”
• “Managers and agents are going to put a lot of work in for free, so they want to make sure the time they invest is going to be rewarded down the line” - Darrin Pfeiffer
• “You HAVE to have a presence online” - Darrin Pfeiffer
• “You have to be nice and over the top appreciative when contacting labels, and be diligent with your responses and follow ups” - Darrin Pfeiffer
• “Don’t make decisions when you’re angry - when you’re in a band, you’re going to be angry with your bandmates, and I’ve made bad decisions when I’ve been angry” - Darrin Pfeiffer
• We hear about Darrin’s new Idobi Radio show, The Dangerous Darrin Show

Guest Links:

• Website: http://high4recordings.com/
• Twitter: @darrin99

Sponsors:

• Social Surge

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-SIDES episode, we're looking at touring, and whether with the opportunities that social media brings, if you need to tour to build an audience and have a successful career. This episode was inspired by an answer Nick Blagona gave to a question about the common traits he sees in successful artists - we'd love to know what YOU think!

Highlights:

• Nick Blagona shares his thoughts on why artists need to be touring
• Nick shares some examples of why touring is beneficial for artists
• “If you can find an area in the world where you’re popular on the internet, go there and do a gig in that city” - Nick Blagona
• We believe that with social media, you can still be a successful artist without going on the road
• There’s still a lot of money in touring, but it’s not the be all and end all, as you can find your audience online
• We talk about other ways that artists can make money without touring
• We talk about how it used to have to tour in order to find your audience, whereas now you can find them without touring
• “There’s no substitute for real life, human interaction, but it’s not the only way to reach and engage your audience” - Marcio Novelli
• We talk about how artists can do shorter tours, or online shows, if they can’t go on the road for months at a time
• “The magic of the world we live in today is that you can build a following online before heading out on the road” - Marcio Novelli

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week out of Toronto is mastering engineer João Carvalho. João began his mastering career in the mid-1990’s while producing records for many of Canada’s groundbreaking artists of the time, and opened his own studio, João Carvalho Mastering in 2003.

In 2011, to further his passion for the ultimate in audio production, João partnered with three colleagues and opened the doors to Revolution Recording. To date, Joao has worked on over 2000 records, with clients including The Smashing Pumpkins, Alt J, Fun, and Protest the Hero. In this interview, we hear more about the mastering process, and the advice João would offer to musicians.

Highlights:

• Joao tells us about his experience of being nominated for a GRAMMY
• Joao breaks down the role of a mastering engineer for us
• We hear how most mastering engineers start out recording and mixing before moving into mastering
• Joao explains to us what a mastering engineer does, and why it’s important to have your mixes mastered
• “Loud is good! I’m not afraid of loud as long as you can still make it sound dynamic” - Joao Cavalho
• Joao tells us how artists can make sure their mixes are as mastering-ready as possible
• We talk about how a good mastering engineer will know when less is more

Guest Links:

• Website: http://www.joaocarvalhomastering.com/
• Twitter: @jcmastering
• Facebook: /joaocarvalho.mastering

Sponsors:

• Social Surge

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-SIDES episode, we're talking about what to do when you're sick - when you've got commitments or deadlines that you really can’t push back or cancel, or a show to play. What should you do? We explore that further in this week's episode. Enjoy!

Highlights:

• We talk about how to decide what to do when you’re sick but have projects or performances to do
• We discuss how when you’re sick it can be useful to do light work, rather than taking the day completely off
• When you don’t practice self care, you end up getting sick!” - Marcio Novelli
• We talk about how to decide whether you should cancel a show when sick, or if you should go ahead with it
• Be upfront with people you’re working with when you’re not feeling well - it just ensures that everyone knows there are reasons for delays
• We talk about how it’s important to make progress if you can, but your health always has to come first

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week from Hamilton, Ontario is musician, filmmaker and educator, Nathan Fleet. Nathan runs the Hamilton Film Festival and the entertainment production company, Blue Pick Media. As the director of the Hamilton Film Festival, Nathan is helping to grow, enhance and connect the filmmaking community in Hamilton and abroad.

As a professional musician, he has helped almost one million musicians with his music lessons on YouTube. In this interview, we hear more about Nathan's experience in the creative industries and the advice he would offer to his fellow creatives.

Highlights:

• We hear how Nathan got started in the creative industries and what led him to the Hamilton Film Festival
• We learn that Star Wars played a huge part in getting Nathan into film and music
• “In the film industry one job leads to another, and to another” - Nathan Fleet
• Nathan shares how he ended up running the Hamilton Film Festival - and it started by getting his foot in the door as a ticket collector!
• We hear how the Hamilton Film Festival select which films are included, and which aren’t
• Nathan shares his advice for creatives who are balancing multiple projects
• “Take on jobs that interest you and that will take you to the next step” - Nathan Fleet
• “Don’t be afraid to fail!” - Nathan Fleet

Guest Links:

• Website: http://www.nathanfleet.com/
• Instagram: @nathanfleet
• Twitter: @nathanfleet
• Facebook: /nathanfleetfanpage

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week is Juno nominated producer and engineer Nick Blagona out of Ontario. Nick’s credits include Cat Stevens,The Police, Deep Purple, Alexisonfire, Foo Fighters, Green Day and our very own Marcio Novelli.

Nick has been integral to the history of music recording in Canada and internationally, and he has created recordings that played pivotal on the world stage for almost 45 years. In this interview, we hear about the mistakes Nick has seen musicians make over the years, how artists should prepare for a studio session, and more. Enjoy!

Highlights:

• We learn that as well as being an awesome producer/engineer, Nick is a terrible golfer, loves music from the 1930s and writes screenplays
• Nick shares some of the biggest mistakes he’s seen musicians make in the studio
• “Sometimes mistakes end up being a hit record!” - Nick Blagona
• “In the recording studio, you should be allowed to make mistakes” - Nick Blagona
• Nick tells us what artists should be looking for when choosing a producer
• Nick shares some mistakes that artists make when hiring a producer for their project
• “If hiring a producer, do it for 2 songs and see how it feels” - Nick Blagona
• “You really have to follow your gut reaction!” - Nick Blagona
• Nick shares what a producer looks for when choosing whether to work on a project or not, and it’s all down to one thing!
• “An artist should always know his or her limitations” - Nick Blagona

Guest Links:

• Website: http://nickblagona.com
• Twitter: @nickblagona

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week out of Ohio is founder of Video Creators, Tim Schmoyer. Tim has published thousands of videos, racked up millions of views, and is even certified by YouTube in “Audience Growth.”

With Video Creators, Tim helps YouTube creators effectively spread their message to reach people online – and we’re excited to hear the advice he’d offer for musicians and other creatives.

Highlights:

• Tim shares how you should be thinking about why you do something rather than simply what you do
• “If money is your goal, it’ll ruin your life” – Tim Schmoyer
• Tim shares some of the misconceptions that creators have around building an audience online
• “The people who make art make it look so easy” – Tim Schmoyer
• On YouTube success: “It’s not just about working hard – it’s about learning new things” – Tim Schmoyer
• Tim shares some tips for creators on keeping their motivation levels up
• “Make sure your goals are aligned with your mission” – Tim Schmoyer

Guest Links:

• Website: http://videocreators.com
• YouTube:  /videocreators
• Instagram: @videocreators
• Twitter: @timschmoyer
• Facebook: /videocreators

Sponsors:

• Social Surge

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-SIDES episode, we're talking about the importance of self care in the music industry. We're all told that we need to be hustling 24/7 in order to succeed in this business, but that often leads to burnout. We discuss times that we've felt burnt out ourselves, the dangers of overworking, and ways to look after ourselves to make sure we can continue being productive and healthy in the music industry.

Highlights:

- Marcio shares times when he’s felt burnt out due to lack of self care, especially when it comes to recording music

- We talk about finding a balance between working hard and taking care of ourselves

- Marcio shares a story about when he went into the studio when he was already burnt out, and the time it’s taken to get back to well enough to record again

- We talk about the dangers of overworking, and the importance of setting boundaries

- Ross shares how he’s started to create boundaries and be stricter with himself over working hours to avoid burnout

- We talk about how we’re told we need to make ourselves available 24/7, but discuss how that’s not always good advice

- We talk about doing things for yourself vs doing things for your career

Sponsors:

- Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

- Music Entrepreneur HQ

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More:

• For more episodes, visit http://bridge-the-atlantic.com
• Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bridge_atlantic
• Subscribe on iTunes: http://bridge-the-atlantic.com/itunes
• Support us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/bridgetheatlantic

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us this week out of Toronto is Darryl Hurs, owner and programme director of Indie Week. Indie Week is an annual music festival held over four days/nights, featuring local & international acts performing in the heart of Toronto, Canada.

Indie Week’s showcases are judged by members of the music industry, and the top scoring act receives a paid trip to headline Indie Week UK. In this interview, we talk about how you can apply for music festivals, the benefits of attending music industry conferences, and SonicBids.

Highlights:

• Darryl tells us about the benefits of music conferences and conventions, and what artists should do before attending
• Darryl shares how he thinks many music festivals/conferences should actually be described as conventions
• “It’s what happens off the stage and behind the scenes that makes what happens on the stage successful” - Darryl Hurs
• We hear about the submission process for artists who are interested in showcasing at Indie Week
• Darryl talks about why festivals use SonicBids for submissions, despite many artists being against it
• “Many artists apply to festivals and showcases before they are ready” - Darryl Hurs
• We hear about the benefits of applying to play at festivals as early as possible
• Darryl tells us why festivals charge submission fees
• “It’s better to attend a festival and start building your story rather than submitting to play when you’re not ready” - Darryl Hurs

Guest Links:

• Website: http://indieweek.com
• Instagram: @darryl_hurs / @indieweek
• Twitter: @darrylhurs / @indieweek
• Facebook: /indieweek

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Valentine's Day! In what's becoming a yearly tradition, we're back with a new Valentine's special for you.

In this episode, we play "Two Truths and a Lie" with Nashville based singer/songwriter Kris Allen, and singer/songwriter Jena Irene Asciutto out of Detroit.

Enjoy!

Sponsors:

• Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.