Chris Herbert put together the Spice Girls when everyone around him was telling him to make another boy band. He looked at the market, saw it was saturated, and went the other direction. He cast them like a TV show (Friends, specifically), giving each member an individual identity so the audience had someone to identify with. It became one of the biggest bets in music history.

In this episode, Chris talks about how he spotted the gap nobody else could see, what he looks for in an artist now versus the 90s (and why "I can sing, what are you going to do for me?" is the wrong question), why the UK has stopped developing artists while America still does it brilliantly, and why authenticity isn't optional anymore because the public sees through everything in a nanosecond.

If you're an independent artist trying to figure out what makes you different, Chris has one answer: find your identity first. Everything else follows.

New episodes every Monday.

un:hurd music gives every independent artist a fair chance of success. Start free for 7 days: https://unhurdmusic.com

Alex Brees has watched 200,000 artists sign up to un:hurd. He's seen what the ones who grow do differently from the ones who stay invisible. In this episode, he gets out of the interviewer's chair and answers questions directly from the community.

Alex breaks down why playlisting is only part of the strategy and what artists should be doing alongside it, the three things that separate artists who grow from artists who stay invisible (creativity, consistency, resilience), why most artists are chasing the wrong goal and the difference between optimising for a million streams versus £30,000, why where you're based doesn't matter as much as you think and how artists in developing markets actually have a hidden advantage, and why the journey taking 5 to 10 years is a feature, not a bug.

Questions from Oisin Murphy (17 years old), BECKO, Luke (In Pools), Hway (Adrian), TheEnough, and The K.I.J Experience.

If you've ever wondered what the founder of a music platform would tell you if he had nothing to sell, this is the episode.

Find Antzlive here: https://www.instagram.com/antslive/?hl=en

New episodes every Monday.

un:hurd music gives every independent artist a fair chance of success. Start now: https://unhurdmusic.com

Matt Spetzler has closed over $5bn of music deals including Kobalt and Native Instruments. He now runs his own fund backing independent music companies. He's seen how the money flows from every angle, and he says most artists are missing it.

In this episode, Matt breaks down exactly where independent artists are losing money they don't know about (publishing alone is an extra 20%), why chasing a million streams is the wrong goal when 100,000 loyal fans spending $100 each is worth $10 million, why you should never split your rights even when someone offers you a deal, what investors actually look for before they back a music business, and why he thinks AI is making it both easier and scarier to be an independent artist in 2026.

He also answers community questions from CJ Snaii on building a career investors would believe in and Max Skalla on the biggest AI red flag in music right now.

If you're an independent artist who's never understood how the money side of music actually works, this episode will change that.

New episodes every Monday.

Josh Denzel went from a recruitment job he hated to presenting for the BBC, Sky, Amazon, and Netflix with over a million followers. He started by filming on Snapchat for seven people. Nobody handed him a microphone. He just picked up his phone.

In this episode, Josh talks to Alex Brees about why consistency is the hardest part and he still struggles with it, the Nike video that hit a million views in three hours and opened every door after, how he earned his way into rooms with Neville, Keane, and Carragher by just being himself, why Love Island was a huge catalyst but actually hindered his sports career for years, the worst piece of advice he ever received ("it might not be for you"), and why it's all personality driven no matter what you do.

He also answers questions from the f:nd your frequency community, including how to find what gains traction early on and how to transition from successful producer to a brand people want to partner with.

If you're trying to build an audience from nothing and wondering where to start, Josh's answer is simple: hook them in three seconds. You don't need a following. The algorithm will do the rest.

New episodes every Monday.

Fraser T. Smith has produced some of the most important records in British music. Gang Signs and Prayer with Stormzy. Set Fire to the Rain with Adele. Psychodrama with Dave. Black at the Brits. A Grammy, multiple Ivor Novellos, and a career that spans from Craig David to Kano to Celine Dion.

In this special episode recorded live at SXSW London, Fraser talks to Alex Brees about what every great artist he's ever worked with has in common, why the 13th hour after a 12-hour shift washing dishes is where musicians are really made, how he created the safe space that got the best out of Adele, Stormzy, and Dave, why AI has actually been positive for the creative community, and what it felt like to play piano on stage at the Brits having never performed in public before.

He also opens up about Future Utopia, his own artist project, being five years in and still in the trenches, and why being uncomfortable is now one of his core values.

If you're an independent artist wondering how long the journey takes, Fraser has one answer: Ray released her first music in 2014 and broke through globally in 2024. That's 10 years to become an overnight success.

Thanks to SXSW London for hosting us at their Podcast Studio, and Kieron Banerji and Callum Baker who were the onsite producers.

New episodes every Monday.

ANNABEL STOP IT had already tried to make it in music once. Community radio in Brixton. A show on Radar Radio. She gave it everything, couldn't pay her rent, and walked away. Took a 9-to-5. Put the DJ dream in a drawer.

Then during lockdown, she set up a Twitch stream in the corner of a shop with no plan and started playing for whoever would listen. Six-hour sets. Chat room regulars. No strategy.

Four years later: 6.5 million views on a single house party set, Leeds Festival to a crowd of 20,000, a Tomorrowland debut, an Adidas partnership, and a Twitch community that shows up every two weeks like clockwork.

In this episode, Annabel talks to Alex Brees (un:hurd music) about why you have to be bad to start with, the house party set she almost didn't go to that changed everything, what it felt like to come off stage at Leeds and cry with her sister, why her dream still isn't enough to sustain her financially even while playing Tomorrowland, and how she manages a community of thousands by remembering their names and staying in the DMs.

She also answers questions from the find your frequency community, including how to maintain your underground identity as you grow, how to navigate putting yourself out there with no luck, and what made her try again after giving up.

If you're an independent artist wondering whether it's too late, whether there's a way back in, or whether the grind is actually going somewhere, this is the episode.

New episodes every Monday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.