Most indie artists are drowning in everything except the music. This week Deraj and Frank get into how to flip that — how to earn more by doing less and build a music career that doesn't need you 24/7 — plus a Heat Check on Drake's surprise triple drop, a sync masterclass, and a few detours nobody saw coming. Pull up.

🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/

🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/

📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/

Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ

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Chapters

0:00 Cold open: the show almost got pushed back over tech problems

3:43 Road trips, newborns, and saving money on the drive to VA

5:00 Deraj got his hair braided by a dude and it tested his whole masculinity

12:38 Heat Check: Drake drops three albums at once — is it any good?

14:10 Why Frank thinks we have to thank Kendrick for hungry Drake

17:48 Does losing a rap battle even hurt your career anymore?

20:35 The only two things that can actually end an artist's career

25:00 Django and Zorro are getting a crossover movie nobody asked for

29:40 The Neo robot factory and why Frank doesn't trust home robots

33:39 The AI town that descended into chaos when nobody controlled it

40:52 Wolverine on PS5 and why gaming became a guilt trip

48:47 Writing music for brands: knowing the audience is the whole game

52:44 The uncomfortable truth about ads made for specific cultures

58:25 What actually separates the record that lands from the one that gets passed

1:01:01 Main topic: how to earn more by doing less as an artist

1:05:00 "I can do everything" was the problem, not the flex

1:09:30 Eat That Frog: do your highest-value work before anything else

1:13:24 Built to Sell: turn your music into a product, not a custom job

1:19:47 Work the System: write the SOP so someone else can run it

1:24:03 Buy Back Your Time: why your first hire is an assistant

1:26:40 Who Not How: stop asking "how," start asking "who"

1:28:34 Procrastination is a signal, not a character flaw

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Resources Mentioned

- Eat That Frog — Brian Tracy (time management; do your highest-value work first)

- Built to Sell — John Warrillow (productize your offering instead of custom work)

- Work the System — Sam Carpenter (document your processes as SOPs so they can be handed off)

- Buy Back Your Time — Dan Martell (regain hours; your first hire should be an executive assistant)

- Who Not How — Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy (ask "who can do this" instead of "how do I do this")

- Booksy — the app Deraj used to book the now-infamous hair appointment

- Fiverr / Upwork — where Deraj recommends finding affordable help when budgets are tight

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