Welcome to Products of Music, where you will hear inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode:

In this episode host Adam Wakeling speaks with Jamie Stillman, Founder of EarthQuaker Devices about the impact of tariffs on small US businesses; why Jamie is not concerned about the current generation of digital modelers like the Quad Cortex and Helix, as well as how EarthQuaker Devices approaches product development at the company.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_O3xHoxGFw

To learn more about EarthQuaker Devices, visit: https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/

Many thanks to this episode's sponsor Chase Bliss.
To learn more about Chase Bliss, visit: https://www.chasebliss.com?utm_source=productsofmusic 

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

01:15 Intro

02:17 EarthQuaker origin story

05:00 Catalyst for scaling

05:53 Julie's impact

06:58 Product development approach

09:24 Data-driven development

10:48 Trends in the market

14:31 Chase Bliss Sponsor

15:34 Analog versus digital

18:36 Guiding product principles

22:50 Every pedal has a song in it

24:03 Inspiration for pedal ideas

27:39 Ideas thought process

29:25 More complex EarthQuaker pedals

32:50 Hedgehog concept in business

35:19 What EarthQuaker is best at

41:45 Getting pedals to be ready

47:12 Jamie's concerns for the future

49:28 Quick-fire questions

52:55 How fans can support

55:30 Customisation capabilities

56:51 Pedals close to being scrapped

59:08 Bright pedal LEDs

01:00:03 Outro

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Welcome to Products of Music, where you will hear inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode:

Host Adam Wakeling speaks with Joel Korte, founder of Chase Bliss, about his founder journey, the 'chase bliss way' of product development, as well as his successes, failures and market insights.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKX8kSsQsw

To learn more about Chase Bliss, visit: https://www.chasebliss.com

00:00 Preview

01:50 Intro

03:05 Joel's founder journey

09:00 Meaning of 'Follow Your Bliss'

12:25 EOS business tools

15:00 Chase Bliss way of product dev

18:30 Definition of 'best'

20:42 Biggest success story

25:36 Pedal release timing

28:36 Why Joel discontinues pedals

33:25 What makes a pedal last?

37:45 Analog versus Digital

42:52 Future innovation

45:37 Chase Bliss midi controller?

47:24 Enamel pins

48:30 Habit design

50:09 New form factor?

50:44 State of the market

57:35 Chase Bliss budget pedals

58:30 Most painful pedal implementation

01:00:01 'Quick fire' questions

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode, host Adam Wakeling speaks with Dave Friedman, founder of Friedman Amplification, about his approach to product development at the company; the analog versus digital debate; and what the future of boutique amps looks like.

View on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmHFXvpvXw

To learn more about Friedman Amplification, visit: https://friedmanamplification.com/ 

00:00 Preview

01:24 Intro

02:25 Dave's founder journey

06:15 Developing amp building skills

08:20 The key to creating a company

13:10 Option paralysis in digital modeling

15:13 The lack of unique guitar tones today

20:23 How Dave finds new product ideas

23:16 Unsuccessful product releases

24:25 Biggest Friedman product success

29:10 The difficulty with US tariffs

33:35 Early lessons learned

38:10 Digital detoxing/experience of analog

41:45 How buyer expectations have changed

44:10 When to expand the product range

45:50 Some insights for entrepreneurs

48:40 A few quick-fire questions

51:15 Why the amp naming convention?

54:14 Friedman takes on other amps?

55:05 New Vox-style Friedman amp

56:00 How Dave adds his unique touch to vintage amps

56:55 Outro

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode host Adam Wakeling speaks with Brian Wampler, Founder of Wampler Pedals.

From the humble beginnings of modding pedals in his garage to producing some of the most sought-after boutique pedals in the industry, Brian Wampler’s journey is one of passion, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of the perfect guitar tone.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C4sYXrSJY8Y

To learn more about Wampler Pedals, visit: https://www.wamplerpedals.com/

Guitar Pedal Courses: https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/ 

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

01:03 Intro

02:07 Brian’s founder journey

05:44 Importance of networking

08:40 The Wampler product development process

12:39 Getting feedback and external data

15:40 Brian’s approach to hiring

20:10 When to release new products

24:14 The expectation of digital products

28:50 Wampler’s audience and expectations

30:38 The different USPs in guitar pedals

37:13 Diversification of revenue streams

40:27 Threat of digital modeling

48:00 Asking Reddit’s most upvoted questions

56:30 Quick-fire questions

01:03:30 Outro

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing Inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode:

Host Adam Wakeling speaks with Rodrigo J. Ibieta, Director of Product Management, Hardware Products, at Universal Audio.

What to expect:
🟠 Product strategy insights for developing music hardware
🟠 Inside stories from Fender and Universal Audio
🟠 Tips on progressing in Product Management

Chapters:

00:00 Preview
01:00 Intro and background
06:47 Fender Acoustasonic stories
12:00 How Fender segments its customers
15:22 Product Strategy at Universal Audio
19:59 Importance of speaking with customers
20:50 Creating a product ecosystem
24:10 Ensuring product alignment
28:39 Talking Customer Lifetime Value
31:30 Defining a few terms
34:02 Process for New Business Cases
37:32 Competitor landscapes
39:30 Product feasibility process
43:03 Lessons from product disappointments
46:20 Advice to Product Managers
49:46 A few quick-fire questions
53:57 Outro

🌐 Subscribe for free on Substack: https://www.productsofmusic.com
🎥 Subscribe to Adam Wakeling's personal YouTube channel:  @adamwakeling
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/products-of-music/id1683097403
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/07d7lJpIRYIZ0rr31xUa5X

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode host Adam Wakeling speaks with Rob Chapman, Founder of Chapman Guitars.

Rob is an English musician, YouTube content creator, and the founder and co-owner of Chapman Guitars. He is is known for his popular instructional YouTube channel with over 725,000 subscribers and as demonstrator of guitar equipment for Andertons Music Co. 

He is a lead singer and a guitarist, previously playing for the blues/Americana band Clockwork Wolf & Co, and rock band Dorje.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnC9tEEDjNQ

To learn more about Chapman Guitars, visit: https://www.chapmanguitars.com/

Rob's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RobChappers

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

01:07 Intro

02:40 The birth of Chapman Guitars

05:05 The power of customer collaboration 

09:49 How to make a great guitar?

10:41 Rob's skillset that helped boost the brand

13:04 Rob's values and company values

15:12 Steering the ship in difficult times

19:57 The uniqueness of the guitar product market

23:28 Finding 'vibe' in developing products

25:12 The rise of relicing guitars

26:54 Finally talking about the café

28:36 Separating business and creative sides 

33:10 The issue with YouTube product demos

36:17 Agile approach to manufacturing location 

42:53 Decision to release a boutique guitar amplifier

6:10 Rob's final thoughts

48:00 Outro

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode:

Host Adam Wakeling speaks with Daniel Steinhardt, Founder of GigRig, about his 20-year journey founding the company and building it to be one of the market leaders in the guitar pedal accessory market.

GigRig: https://shop.thegigrig.com/

That Pedal Show: https://www.youtube.com/thatpedalshow

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

01:24 Intro

01:50 The idea for GigRig

06:00 Tone struggles and in the studio

08:00 The challenge of complex effects 

11:00 Moving to the UK

12:50 Dan shows very first product

16:15 Common founder story?

20:50 The slow burn of Youtube for promotion

22:20 The niche of the niche of the niche 

25:40 Dan's music and product passion

28:00 The beauty of being agile

31:25 Deciding to launch a new product

34:25 Dan's advice for new founders

40:30 What keeps Dan's drive 

42:50 The 'magic' of musical connections

45:00 Outro and final thoughts

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Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing Inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.

In this episode host Adam Wakeling speaks with Tommy Stalknecht, co-founder and CEO of Single, the direct-to-fan platform for Shopify.

Since its inception in 2018, Single has transformed the way artists engage with their audiences by empowering them to sell music, merch, video and memberships directly to fans. Under Tommy's leadership, Single has facilitated the sale of over 5 million digital albums, reported 16 million albums to Billboard, and hosted livestream events for millions of viewers worldwide.

To learn more about Single, visit: https://www.single.xyz

Chapters:

00:00 Preview
00:45 Intro
01:07 Tommy's LinkedIn post
02:14 Single's origin story
10:52 The MVP of Single
13:00 Validating the MVP
14:53 Analytics feature development
16:38 Live-streaming integration
20:00 Single's org structure
21:08 Being a hands-on founder
22:26 NFT feature introduction
26:42 Are NFTs dead?
28:42 Patreon competitor
31:40 Tommy's product vision
33:30 Single's approach to product development
35:46 How Tommy prioritises
37:58 Tommy's lessons for new founders
42:30 Getting close to customers
43:40 Outro

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Aakash Gupta writes the Product Growth newsletter for over 140,000 subscribers and hosts the Product Growth podcast, where he helps product managers, product leaders and aspiring product managers.

In today's episode:

• Aakash's journey to newsletter success
• The 7 steps to follow to become an AI Product Manager
• Aakash's tips on growing your network and audience

—

Aakash's contact info:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta
• Product Growth Newsletter on Substack
• Product Growth Podcast on YouTube 

—

Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling

In this episode, we cover: 

(00:00) Preview
(00:49) Intro
(02:01) The growth of Product Growth
(07:32) Step 1: Shape your content diet
(12:55) Step 2: Take relevant courses
(20:25) Step 3: Gain hands-on experience
(23:46) Step 4: Structure your portfolio
(26:25) Step 5: Network
(36:38) Step 6: Snag interviews
(41:14 ) Step 7: Ace the homework and interview
(50:52) Final thoughts 

Useful links from the episode:

• AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng
• Jeff Su's YouTube channel
• Dwarkesh Patel's Podcast
• SVPino on YouTube

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Phil Hornby is a passionate product leadership coach. Helping product leaders to think clearly, make strong decisions, and take powerful action that drives high-impact outcomes. 

In today's episode:

• The 'how' and 'who' of product decision making
• Key principles in product decision making

—

Phils's contact info:

• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philhornby
• Talking Roadmaps Podcast on YouTube
• It Depends book: https://www.forproductpeople.com/content/books/it-depends

—

Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling


In this episode, we cover: 

(00:00) Preview
(00:55) Intro
(01:55) Why the book? 
(04:13) Where to start with product decision making?
(07:05) How to decide and who decides? 
(11:51) Product leadership decision foundations 
(16:44) Getting to, making and implementing
(18:33) Resolving dysfunctional teams 
(24:54) The importance of conflict
(28:42) Decision conviction 
(33:09) Prioritisation frameworks 
(37:13) A few extra decision principles
(41:00) The number seven 
(42:40) Final thoughts 

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