Middle Class Musician

Our first ever repeat guest!

We were so excited to catch up with Holley Maher (from episode 1) about what she's been up to for the last 5 years.

We cover:

• Her journey of creating a pop side project
• Her process to authentically stay relevant in the sync world as music tastes change over time
• How pain and heartbreak can at times lead to high levels of creativity - and at other times do the opposite
• How she uses free writing to create great songs "on demand" in cowriting sessions
• The differences between an LA cowrite and a Nashville cowrite
• why the idea of a "tortured artist" is not a helpful construct
• how to manage multiple income streams at once

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Learn the artist focused approach to getting your songs on TV / Film / Ads:

www.nashvilleforhire.com/licensing

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Learn more about Holley:

holleymaher.com

theothernashvillesociety.com

winkwinkpaperco.com

Follow on socials:

@holleymaher

@winkwinkpaperco

@officialzoa

@we.are.vala

@theothernashvillesociety

Have you ever wondered what its like to be a country artist outside the U.S.? To have a career around a genre that has its roots so firmly in American culture?

We talk all about that this week with Canadian Country artist Justin LaBrash.

Out discussion covered:

• How Canada is creating it's own form of "country music"
• Why he's not trying to move to Nashville
• How he gets his singles on radio as an indie artist (and why he does it himself)
• Why he would design a country cover set differently in Canada than he would in America
• The difference between booking shows in Canada vs. America
• How he broke 100 gigs in 2018 and was able to make his artist project bring in a full time living
• Why he's glad he took online berklee classes (and which classes he's glad he didn't take)
• What the heck "French country music" is

Find Justin on the interwebs:

www.labrash.net

@justinlabrash

Kicking off season two with a GREAT conversation with Vian Izak - producer and founder of Vohnic Music.

-- We cover topics like --

• understanding the "why" behind your own music
• how to get on Spotify playlists
• the role "community" plays in your creative process
• balancing your art with your business
• how to create systems that allow you to grow your business (whether your business IS your music or otherwise)
• the confusing response that Vian used to get from labels when submitting his own music (and why he now uses it himself)
• how to differentiate yourself as an independent artist or indie label

---Learn the artist focused approach to getting your songs on TV / Film / Ads:

www.nashvilleforhire.com/licensing

Learn more about Vian:

vianizak.com

Check out his label:

vohnicmusic.com

Over the last few years I've been diving deep into the land of music licensing (aka getting my music onto TV / Film / Ads / Trailers etc.) 

I decided to create a few free videos explaining some of what I've learned as I've started to have success in this space.

Sign up to receive them here: www.mcmpodcast.com/syncvideos

Topics covered: 

• How do I write songs that are actually attractive to shows / movies / commercials / etc ?
• What level of production is needed to be successful in music licensing?
• Who is in charge of choosing my songs and how I do access those people? 
• How to speak about my music in ways that make them attractive to decision makers?
• Where do I even start?

This batch of videos is time sensitive so don't wait! 
www.mcmpodcast.com/syncvideos

Great chat this week that I think will be really inspiring to any songwriter and / or indie artist.

This conversation covers:

• why Jordy's debut album is actually his 5th album
• why taking control of your own music career is so important (especially if you're independent or just starting out)
• how playing live helped guide the production of his album "Dark in the City"
• how he gets booked for colleges around the country
• his philosophy of finding fans over finding venues
• the crucial difference between "Fan Gigs" vs. "Money Gigs" (and how both are important)
• his driving force that inspires him to keep creating music

and a LOT more!

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Learn the artist focused approach to getting your songs on TV / Film / Ads:

www.nashvilleforhire.com/licensing

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Learn more about Jordy at Jordysearcymusic.com and follow him @jordysearcymusic on the socials.

Trying to figure out the best way to leverage social media as a musician?

This one is for you.

In this week's chat with drummer and educator Tim Buell, we cover:

• Creating passive income as a musician
• setting yourself up for a future in the music industry
• how to treat social media as a musician
• exploring different paths throughout your career
• the true cost of traveling as a musician
• selling online courses
• strategies to get through the slow months as a freelancer
• why he'd lose to me in Madden and much more!

Follow @timbuell on all the things.

Free Stuff from Tim:

timbuellmusic.com/gift

timbuellmusic.com/howtotranscribe

MORE TIM:

timbuellmusic.com

This week we cover all things pertaining to the indie artist life with singer/songwriter Jessica Lamb.

We talk about her motivations for songwriting, how she planned her first tour, how she handles other's opinions about her music, how she stays productive when she's not on the road, the nuances of her transition into doing music full time and MUCH more.

Learn more about Jessica: www.jessicalambmusic.com

What is the #1 thing you get out of this podcast? Email your answer to [email protected] (please)

How do you reinvent yourself after being on the road for 20 years?

How do you balance family and touring?

What are strategies for growing a new network?

What are the two main qualities to look for when deciding to collaborate with someone?

How do you transition from a "band member identity" to a solo freelance "producer identity"?

We cover all that and MUCH more in this week's interview with Charlie Lowell!

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Learn more about Charlie at hollowhum.com

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What's the #1 reason you listen to the Middle Class Musician podcast? Email me your answer: [email protected]

What's it like to be the guitarist for the Allen Stone band?

How does a band foster a positive "tour culture"?

What is "road life" really like with a band?

How do you balance artistic integrity and the prompting of a label in the writing room?

What's it like to play on Conan for the first time?

Why is it important to develop multiple passion points?

Our conversation with Trevor Larkin answers all of those questions and more.

Find Trevor Online: www.trevorlarkin.com

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Artist or songwriter?

Download the FREE guide from Nashville For Hire:

"The #1 Reason Your Music Isn't Getting Synced: Get your music on TV / Film / Ads / Trailers by correcting this ONE thing"

www.mcmpodcast.com/sync

Andrew and Bryce do a casual deep dive into what their lives / careers are looking like at the moment.

Some big announcements, discussions of the pros and cons of working from home and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Nashville For Hire - the easiest way for you to hire Nashville's best music professionals for your next recording project from anywhere in the world.

Find the music pros your music deserves at www.nashvilleforhire.com