Music Rookie

A conversation with Justin Osborne, who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of Charleston, SC band SUSTO. Justin is going to discuss what worked -- and what DIDN’T work -- as the band progressed from “total DIY” regional success all the way to present day touring Europe regularly and a legitimate record deal with Rounder Records. 

SUSTO Official Website

A conversation with Jimi Palacios from Gimme Country, a digital radio channel that's grown extensively over the last few years. And as it turns out, they don't only play country music.

Jimi is a multi-year Ameripolitan Award nominee for DJ of the Year. We spoke to Jimmy about Gimme Country, his process in selecting music for his daily radio show and we also chatted about what makes a good on air interview. Plus a lot more.

This week on the podcast I’m talking with David Barbe, Director of the Music Business program at the University of Georgia. 

David's career in the music business spans over 40 years, ranging from time as a touring bassist in Bob Mould's band Sugar, running a studio in Athens, GA (where he's worked with Drive-by Truckers, Deerhunter, and more), and ultimately landing in his current role as a professor. He knows the ins and outs of the music business as well as anyone, and, well, it’s literally his job to educate people on it. While our conversation touches a lot on studio work / audio production, he gives us advice that is applicable in almost any facet of the music business.

A conversation with Brandon Kinder, a musician who’s been putting out records for over a decade with his band The Rocketboys and his solo project The Wealthy West. His music has been compared to the likes of Bon Iver and Band of Horses, and written about in Rolling Stone, Paste, and American Songwriter, and many more.

He’s landed placements in dozens of commercials, films, and television shows.

Since we’ve spoken to a sync agent and a music supervisor, we thought we would round out the trilogy with a musician’s side of getting music placements.

This week I’m talking with Reed Watson, a founding partner at Single Lock Records. Launched in 2013 in Muscle Shoals, AL (and recently expanding with an office in New Orleans, LA) Single Lock has released a litany of successful projects from the likes of Lera Lynn, Nicole Atkins, Erin Rae, Penny & Sparrow, Cedric Burnside, and many more. 

Reed walks us through what a label release plan looks like, answers that ever-pressing question of “how do I get signed?”, and offers his advice to artists looking to take the next steps in their career. 

A conversation with Dan Koplowitz who owns music sync firm Friendly Fire Licensing. He is a former label owner that now does sync licensing exclusively. Whether it is for commercials, blockbuster movies, arthouse films, or an array of online content — music supervisors reach out to him to find the perfect music for their projects.

In our talk, we discuss why this is a fantastic time to be looking for syncs as there are more opportunities than ever before with all of the content being made. He also gives advice on how you can get pitched and the format your music needs to be in for you to be taken seriously.

a conversation with Phil Egenthal, a booking agent at MINT Talent Group, which is a brand new boutique agency formed in 2020. Mint currently represents a broad swath of artists across all genres, and their roster features multiple grammy winners and rock and roll hall of fame inductees. You can check out their full roster here.

Phil has also previously worked as an agent at both Paradigm and Madison House.

During our talk, Phil breaks down how the role of booking agent has evolved over the years, shares advice for artists who are looking to add an agent to their team, and he details what agents are looking for when considering bringing on a new client. He’ll also touch on how you can be your own booking agent (although we didn’t frame the question exactly that way; the advice is still worth heeding).

A conversation with Music Supervisor Joe Rudge who is known for his edgy projects such as Room, Blue Valentine, The Big Sick, Eighth Grade, and Midsommar. But he works on bigger projects too, most recently working with Netflix and Ron Howard on Hillbiily Elegy.

We talk about where he finds music, the best way to connect with a music supervisor, and why this is such a great time to get sync licenses.

A conversation with Entertainment Lawyer John Seay, who recently became a founding partner at the new Atlanta-based legal firm Carter + Woodard (so new, they don't have a website!). John previously owned and operated his own practice, the Seay Firm, where he’s represented acts across a wide span of genres and with labels the likes of Atlantic Records, Interscope Records, Secretly Canadian, Merge, and many more. 

As we’ll touch on in our conversation - there are a TON of different questions one might have for an entertainment lawyer, but John is going to help us demystify what exactly an entertainment lawyer does, and when a musician like YOU should approach someone like him for his services.

A conversation with Dallas Jackson who is the Editor-in-Chief of quintessential music magazine American Songwriter.

The magazine was purchased in 2019 and has gone through quite a few editorial changes over the last year. In our conversation, we discuss some of those changes, the magazine’s new podcast network, how analytics have moved front and center, and Dallas gives us the lowdown on what he is looking for in a pitch, which we were surprised by...!