Ben McGarvey makes Folktronic music under the name Minute Taker. His music career started out the traditional way - playing shows and flirting with record labels. After joining the Savvy Musician Academy, he learned how to build his career online. Now he’s selling records and seeing his online engagement grow. In this interview Leah and Ben talk about focusing ads, data mining, the necessity of marketing and how marketing can build your confidence. Important things to remember:    Ask your fans who they think your music is inspired by and use that information to target your ads. Data mining helps you read your audience's mind so that you can build the perfect ad. Perseverance and research is the key to success.   Revisit the highlights:   00:20 - Minute Taker 04:20 - The Goal is to Share It 07:21 - Social Media Growth 11:00 - Superfan System 12:38 - Data Mining 18:22 - Focusing your marketing.

Selling Your Music Confidently with Ben McGarvey - SMS017

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Leah’s back! Where has she been? What’s she been doing? Where to from here for music marketing and the Savvy Musician Academy? In this episode, Leah joins C. J. for an in-depth discussion of her new business, Mythologie Candles, and what her plans are for the near future. But they also discuss this podcast because after a recent survey conducted by Leah of followers and students of the Savvy Musician Academy, a lot was revealed that prompted a reconsideration of our efforts. Long story short, Leah and C. J. discuss the plan to take a sabbatical on the podcast in order to invest more in the coaching of our existing students. BUT… there’s a ton of great principles taught in this episode, so don’t miss it! Key Points From This Episode:  Catching up with Leah Mythologie candles is booming! How to market a sister brand Polling your audience The state of the podcast Focusing more on the students People who buy the course but fail to engage 2020 in hindsight How different personality types work together The new Instagram 4 Musicians course  Tweetables: “We know that those who have already invested in courses, if we dedicate more to them, to help them get results, that is probably the best investment of time and money.” - @metalmotivation [00:31:25] “You can make it happen. It really does come down to, ‘How bad you want a music career?’” - @metalmotivation [00:38:54] “That’s where musicians shine is we think outside of the box.” - @LEAHthemusic [00:41:28] “My magic phrase, getting to half a million dollars in six months with this company was, ‘I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.’” - @LEAHthemusic [00:42:30] “Maybe I end up starting another podcast that’s less about the music industry and it’s just more general online business.” - @LEAHthemusic [00:48:24] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Mythologie Candles — https://mythologiecandles.com/  Instagram for Musicians — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m  Explode Your Fanbase — https://explodeyourfanbase.com/

The Last SMA Podcast? - SMS115

Are you trying to figure out how to get more streams on Spotify? Did you know we offer a course on this? This week C.J. welcomes Dave Powers, the co-founder of the course, and Kirk Smith, one of its top students and rising stars. Dave and Kirk tell how they started making hundreds of dollars and thousands of streams a day by focusing on getting on big playlists by building relationships with curators and sending them steady streams of singles. You could do this too and it all starts with learning more with this weeks episode of The Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode:  Introduction to Dave Powers and Kirk Smith Why focus on Spotify? What is a curator? The power of the playlist Releasing singles instead of albums Staying consistent with reaching out to curators A steady stream of content Spotify is content marketing User-generated, algorithm, and editorial playlists Keeping users on the platform The music business is a relational business Getting past rejection Why you should be in the Spotify course Focusing on one music style Bad quality music fails quickly Having faith in yourself and the principles The Spotify course group  Tweetables: “I ought to focus on a platform that actually could make me money rather me spending money to grow.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:04:08] “I put the record out. I probably should’ve been putting out singles, but I learned that lesson.” - Kirk Smith [00:08:39] “I’m starting to see like, ‘Okay, I need to plan stuff out to where I’m putting out every six to eight weeks or every couple months.’” - Kirk Smith [00:11:30] “Spotify is content marketing, and the content is the music… their main thing isn’t to get music to people. Their main thing is to get people to Spotify.” - Kirk Smith [00:11:56] “You have to be consistent with reaching out and with making the content.” - Kirk Smith [00:18:52] “The sole purpose of any platform is to keep people on the platform.” - @metalmotivation [00:21:22] “Selling your music is not the end. It’s a means to an end. It’s one part of all the things that you will do in this new era of social media-driven marketing where you're sharing a lot more of your life than just the music itself.” @metalmotivation [00:22:05] “If your desire with everything that you post is to keep people on the platform, attract them to it, and keep them on the platform for as long as possible, guess what the algorithm is going to do with your content? It’s going to favor it.” - @metalmotivation [00:22:55] “I think in the last couple of years, there’s been a real understanding among artists that culturally people are listening to one song as opposed to albums more frequently.” @Mtncitymusic [00:24:20] “Whereas Spotify is technically the label now. The curator becomes A&R.;” - @metalmotivation [00:30:19] “The music business has always been a relational business, but I don’t know of a time when there’s more opportunity for an artist to develop relationships that can advance your career outside the context of a record label.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:31:42] “If you have bad quality music, good marketing helps bad products fail quickly.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:50:52] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Kirk Smith (Spotify) — https://spoti.fi/2FcCAFM Dave Powers — https://www.facebook.com/mountaincitymusic/  Spotify for Musicians — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/spotify/

How To Make Money With Spotify - SMS114

This week is a paragon case study of a band who has been at it for awhile, doing pretty well, but looking for what they can do to take it to the next level. Insert C.J. sitting down with Elliot and Dave from the band Welter, all the way from Australia, and we have almost two hours of real discussions and problem solving in the new music industry. From things that have worked great to things that have become problematic for Welter, there’s something here you’ve either dealt with yourself or most likely will encounter and the best advice for how to handle it is in this week’s episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode:  Introduction to Elliot and Dave from Welter How to evolve with a tagline Growing beyond your micro-niche Being true to yourself with your posts What is the good life? Fans making their own interpretations of your songs Making the music the focal point Being resolved in yourself Promoting the music and the culture around it Writing copy to get the click Always adding value to the fans experience Creating a healthy sense of obligation Being authentic with your social media What are good metrics? 10x everything A new email campaign idea The algorithm rewards daily posting Fan page vs. fan group Nurture sequence and sales pitch balance How to get someones interest Non-clickbait engagement Creating hashtags from your lyrics The Aspirin of music Using the momentum of your audience against them  Tweetables: “It's the only way I have as a person of getting the paint out or getting the chisel and the cold hammer and etching your name into the wall of time. The only way I have of doing that is by writing some songs and making some music.” - Elliot: @weltermusic [0:07:51] “I'm not in search of a destiny. I’ve chosen the destination." - @metalmotivation [0:09:37] “It’s about honesty, and we need to be honest about who we are and how we feel about our branding, what we post on Facebook, everything that we write, everything that we do, and everything that's seen as us needs to be honest, it needs to be who we are.” - Dave: @weltermusic [0:16:56] “As soon as you write a song and put it out there, it’s not yours anymore, it’s for the listener and they can take on their own interpretation too.” - Dave: @weltermusic [0:25:47] “To witness, for example, the lion attack the antelope up close, we’re taken aback as humans by the ferocity, the violence of the moment, and that’s resolved. That’s the complete elimination of self-doubt. ‘I am a lion and this is what I do.’ You are musicians, and this is what you do.” - @metalmotivation [0:29:51] “There’s nothing more potent in your promotional arsenal than the music itself. Second to that is going to be what you have to say, your relationship, the story of the band, what you believe, your values, et cetera.” - @metalmotivation [0:32:25] “So all we’re focusing on is writing copy that gets people to press play. That’s all we want to do. What can we say in the shortest, sweetest, most powerful, provocative way that forces them to click play?” - @metalmotivation [0:34:00] “Everybody listens to the same radio station, WIFM, ‘What’s in it for me?’” - @metalmotivation [0:35:36] “Which is a good thing to do, creating in them a healthy sense of obligation, creating in them a good debt, a debt they want to pay, which means buying the shirt, going to the event, attending the livestream, getting on an email list, buying the CD, sharing it, those sorts of things. That comes because you continually deliver on that promise to add value to their life.” - @metalmotivation [0:41:10] “The funnel sits on our fan page and that’s where we’re bringing all the potential people.” - Dave: @weltermusic [01:07:39] “I make my funnel approach very, very simple. I want to do one thing through anything that I say or post or share with my audience. I want to add as much value as I can. So I have to decide, okay, well, what adds the most value?” - @metalmotivation [01:23:16] “So why not 10x it? Why not multiply our efforts to excel, because it’s only going to mean more people are going to hear music that’s going to lift them out of their troubled moment for a time. And that’s worth it.” - @metalmotivation [01:46:18] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Welter — https://www.facebook.com/weltermusic  Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m  The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com  Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Getting Fans to Buy Your Music - SMS113

Whether it’s a top of the line music studio, just your phone and instrument, or somewhere in between, you should be using what you have to be making more music, reaching more people, and building the relationships between you and your fans. So how do you maximize your resources and abilities to increase the output and quality of your music from your home? This week C.J. welcomes Steven Wood to the show, someone from outside Savvy Musician Academy, but someone very familiar with the new music industry. They go so deep into how to turn your home into a music factory, that by the end of this episode, you will be inspired and equipped to be pumping out more and better music from your own home than ever before. Key Points From This Episode:  Introduction to Steven Wood Musicians dropping out of the business Studio vs. live musician Trying to get discovered on social media Mixing everyday Reverse engineering Different DAW’s Getting familiar with your gear Producing: less is more Pro’s and Con’s of perfectionism How to do a cover song The emotional impact of music Limiting your area to get things done Keeping it simple and clear The song makes the musician  Tweetables: “A live guy, he’s looking at it different than the typical studio guy. He’s looking at, do I want to continue to keep on going to these clubs and getting home 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:07:02] “You got to think, not just with different hats of production, but also different hats you had to put on when it comes to marketing and knowing that one basket is not the way to go.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:10:15] “Record companies can get you on radio. And to a degree that’s about the only thing that they can do for you.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:12:01] “I think that’s what everybody right now in this new form of the wheel that we’re trying to create in the virtual world of not just music, but everything else. How do we make a living? How are we successful using a computer and a mouse?” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:12:49] “I’ve learned to a degree it doesn’t matter which DAW, digital audio workstation, I use. For some reason, it’s still sounds like Steve Wood mixed the song.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:19:44] “When it comes to producing, really, man, I mean, less is more. It may sound like whole lot’s going on, but it is. But yet individual parts all make up this beautiful pie. And so just let the song tell you where to go.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:21:53] “I believe that the song is what makes the artist, then the artist has a chance.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:26:17] “If you say, ‘Man, all I like to do is play guitar and sing.’ Well, work the hell out of that.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:34:48] “Music is supposed to deliver an emotional experience. I don’t care whether it’s Metallica or Rod Stewart.” - @metalmotivation [0:36:20] “If you have to explain the song before they listen to it, then you didn’t do a good job. Because the songs should be able to play on its own and take you on a journey.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:42:56] “I’m not talking about software. I’m not talking about hardware. I’m not talking about any of these things. I’m talking about what it takes to touch someone else, what it takes to inspire someone else, what it takes to... It’s the human aspect.” - @metalmotivation [0:50:35] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Steven Wood — https://www.facebook.com/stevenwoodmusic  Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m  The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com  Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Making Your Home a Music Factory (Interview with Steven Wood) - SMS112

Are you having writers block? You just can’t figure out what the song is supposed to be about or what goes with that great riff you’ve had forever? It’d be great if the answer just magically fell out of the sky, making it so easy everyone could do it, but we know that’s just not the way it is! Creativity comes from relentless hard work. You keep trying new ideas until… Boom! There it is! It’s perfect! Nothing else will do! It only took 99 other horrible ideas but the 100th one is just the cats pajamas and makes it all worth while. As C.J. puts it so simply and unequivocally, “Creativity doesn’t come from inspiration, it comes from perspiration.” Again, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. So tune in to what C.J does best, motivating you to achieve your full potential and creative ability through daily hard work, and explode your creativity with this weeks episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode:  Fulfilling your creative purpose in life Perspiration not inspiration You ideal workspace Everything starts as a demo Achieving more output Disciplining yourself for daily work Feeding your creative process  Tweetables: “The secret to creativity is not inspiration, it’s perspiration... Perspiration is what gives birth to inspiration.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:26] This is the creative process. It’s not Hollywood. It’s a crucible of relentless, persistent problem solving, where you turn yourself inside out in order to make a… riff into a killer song.” - @metalmotivation [0:14:26] “You’re as capable as anyone to go beyond your present output right now.” - @metalmotivation [0:14:46] “How can you expect other people to appreciate your gifts, talents, and abilities if you’re not treating them well. How do you treat them well? By submitting them to the process of hard work.” - @metalmotivation [0:21:17] “Be faithful to your musical mission, your calling, by working hard daily.” - @metalmotivation [0:23:58] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m  The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com  Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Selling Your Music Confidently with Ben McGarvey - SMS017

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