More Than Streams w/ Finch Bergling

I once hired a producer to finish my song and told him to make it good enough for editorial playlists.

I'm back after two months off, and I recorded this one at Matt Mayzner's studio. Matt is a producer and mixer who has worked with dozens of musicians, he's a SubmitHub curator like me, and he's the only person I ever taught Ableton to (he switched to Logic).

We talked about what to have ready before you hire a producer, whether to spend your feedback money on SubmitHub curators or a pro on SoundBetter, what a producer is there for, why your DAW doesn't matter, and if music school is worth it.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 I'm back, live from Matt's studio

01:11 What Matt would tell himself in year one

03:07 How to learn production on your own

04:51 Feedback from friends vs professionals

08:52 $100 for feedback: SubmitHub or SoundBetter?

11:59 When you're ready to work with a producer

14:02 What a producer is for, from Rick Rubin to Jack Antonoff

16:53 What to bring when you hire a producer

19:58 My mistake with Have You Changed

22:26 What makes a song sound professional

24:44 The most common mistake in demos

25:35 Ableton, Logic and which tool to use

27:45 Is music school worth it?

30:30 Matt's last tip

🎁 Free for you

🧩 Free Playlist Guide: https://morethanstreams.com/go/ewwbh

Mentioned in this episode

🧩 SubmitHub, with my coupon: https://www.submithub.com/coupon/finchbergling

Connect with Matt Mayzner

🧩 Matt's website: https://mattmayzproduction.base44.app/

🧩 Hire Matt on SoundBetter: https://soundbetter.com/profiles/451635-matt-mayzner

🧩 Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matanma12/

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

A video with 100,000 views can leave you with zero new fans, and the reason has nothing to do with your music.

In this episode I break down the journey people take from seeing your content for the first time to buying a ticket to your show. I also explain what social media, Spotify and your email list each need to do along the way.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 What happens after a viral video

01:54 A funnel connects all your work

02:23 Four stages from stranger to fan

04:20 Social media brings new people

05:45 The engagement pyramid

08:05 Spotify keeps listeners coming back

11:27 Move fans to your email list

14:22 Find the broken stage and fix it

🎁 Free for you

🧩 The free 100K Challenge: https://morethanstreams.com/go/gdtqv

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

$683 in ads turned into 112,000 streams, and the idea came from a meme of Elmo dancing on the moon.

In this episode I reverse engineer the campaign for Karner H's song Extra Bite, where more than half the streams came from Spotify's algorithmic playlists. I believe these are the best ads of my career. You'll hear the exact targeting settings and creative approach I used, so you can copy them whether you run ads yourself or hire someone.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Why run ads after release day

01:55 Meet Karner H and Extra Bite

02:23 The results after three months

03:21 Streams per listener is the key

04:48 The dancing Elmo video idea

05:47 First week results and ad costs

07:15 Lessons from this campaign

08:42 Turn off Meta Advantage options

🎁 Free for you

🧩 Free tools for musicians: https://morethanstreams.com/go/dpbqq

Mentioned in this episode

🧩 Label Level Ads, my ads course: https://morethanstreams.com/go/q2vwh

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

If you have twenty dollars a month, you basically have a marketing team.

I've barely slept the past few days because of what AI can do for music marketing right now. In this episode I show you how I use Claude to segment email lists, translate newsletters into any language, build a website, and handle the tasks you never have time for.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 AI help for $20 a month

00:57 Claude as your marketing coach

02:48 Splitting fan emails by language

05:38 I built my website with Claude Code

07:34 Teach Claude your voice with 50 questions

09:01 Organize your life with Notion and Claude

10:56 Turn one newsletter into more content

11:50 Find your biggest fans in comments

🎁 Free for you

🧩 Free tools for musicians: https://morethanstreams.com/go/dpbqq

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

"Grow on Spotify" is too vague to ever hit.

In this episode I break down the SMART goals system and show you how to turn a vague dream into something specific you can hit, with a plan you can stick to for the rest of the year.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Halfway through 2026

00:59 What I did in six months

03:22 What SMART goals mean

04:20 Vision and goals are different

04:49 Make goals specific and measurable

06:37 Keep goals attainable and relevant

08:54 Give every goal a deadline

11:15 Be kind to yourself and get support

🎁 Free for you

🧩 The free 100K Challenge: https://morethanstreams.com/go/gdtqv

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

I got scammed by a botted playlist, and that's how More Than Streams started.

Earlier this year I met Jon from The Racket House in Vietnam, and we recorded my first in-person interview, with me as the guest on his show. We talked about my whole story, from making music on a cracked copy of FL Studio at twelve to realizing I was a better marketer than musician.

We also got into the digital nomad life, how I use playlists to trigger the Spotify algorithm, why hyper specific ad targeting beats generic campaigns, and what it takes to turn listeners into fans.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Why this episode was recorded in Vietnam

01:58 Welcome to The Racket House

05:37 Escaping winter for the nomad life

11:06 My music story from age twelve

22:17 Why musicians misjudge their own songs

27:33 How I got into music marketing

30:42 Why every artist needs their own playlist

42:35 Mixing ads and playlists for the algorithm

50:42 Getting scammed by a botted playlist

1:03:00 Quick questions and would you rathers

🎁 Free for you

🧩 Free Playlist Guide: https://morethanstreams.com/go/ewwbh

Connect with Jon Gilman

🧩 The Racket House: https://www.therackethouse.com

🧩 Jon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therackethouse/

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

Your Spotify profile has to pass an authenticity check before you can get the Verified badge.

In Part 2 I walk through what that check looks for: linked social accounts, concert dates, and a bio that gives people a reason to follow. I also share the release strategy GAYLE used to turn one song into seven releases, and how to turn one video into a full week of content.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Recap of part one

03:15 Link socials, shows and merch

05:00 What Spotify says about AI

06:55 How to write a better Spotify bio

10:06 Release more with song versions

13:28 Turn one video into nine posts

14:50 Fake streams and platform rules

16:43 How long the badge can take

🎁 Free for you

🧩 Free Branding Guide: https://morethanstreams.com/go/977ya

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

Spotify's new Verified badge quietly sorted every artist into three groups this year.

In Part 1 I break down the first requirement, 10,000 monthly active listeners, and why that number is different from the monthly listeners you keep checking. I also cover how saves and follows move you toward it, why playlists alone won't get you there, and how to build followers automatically with Action Pages.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Back in Bulgaria and travel news

01:26 New More Than Streams website

02:49 The badge splits artists in three groups

05:06 Three things Spotify checks

06:25 Monthly active listeners vs monthly listeners

08:18 Targeted Meta ads bring the right fans

10:36 Playlists alone and releasing often

12:25 Get 1,000 followers with action pages

🎁 Free for you

🧩 The free 100K Challenge: https://morethanstreams.com/go/gdtqv

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

AI can generate a song in minutes. It can't give you the experience of making one.

This episode is for you if you've been building something for years and you're still waiting for the numbers to catch up 💗

⏱ In this episode

00:00 Why this episode is different

00:57 Thinking back on the AI episode

01:54 A song about my friend's story

03:48 Making that song with AI today

04:47 Why streams were never the point

06:14 For musicians who feel behind

08:07 Why I am proud of you

🎁 Free for you

🧩 The free 100K Challenge: https://morethanstreams.com/go/gdtqv

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.

You can hit 100,000 streams and still feel like nobody knows who you are.

In this episode I walk you through the full system for turning Spotify listeners into long-term fans, where you lose people along the way, and how to fix every step. I also show you which number matters more than your stream count.

⏱ In this episode

00:00 10,000 streams pay only $30 to $40

01:49 Spotify is where fans find you

04:36 The five steps from viewer to superfan

06:27 Hooks and links that get the click

08:50 First 10 seconds and your Spotify bio

12:13 How superfans are made

12:38 What it looks like in numbers

🎁 Free for you

🧩 The free 100K Challenge: https://morethanstreams.com/go/gdtqv

More from me

🧩 Get your song reviewed for $5: https://morethanstreams.com/go/s7cus

🧩 My courses: https://morethanstreams.com/go/6djbg

🧩 Work with me: https://morethanstreams.com/go/trpmd

🧩 My weekly newsletter: https://morethanstreams.com/go/4a5ac

🧩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchbergling/

🧩 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finchbergling

Thanks for listening 🙏 Follow More Than Streams so you never miss an episode.