The David Andrew Wiebe Show

Is there something that keeps you up at night? Can you think of anything that’s been bugging you in 2019?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share how you can uncover your greatest hurts, which is telling you exactly where you need to grow as a music entrepreneur.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – The reflection podcast series

00:53 – Identifying where you need to grow

01:51 – How do you know what you need right now?

02:16 – Consider what your pain points are

03:01 – My pain points

03:06 – I don’t like how I look in photos and videos

03:46 – My dating life seems like a failure

04:14 – There are aspects of email marketing I need to learn about

04:39 – I want to get better at Facebook ads

05:12 – It’s more expensive to solve your problems later

Transcription:

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Welcome back to the podcast series in which we’ve been exploring numerous important questions to help you achieve clarity in your business and career for 2020.

Instead of giving you a long list of action steps, I’ve been having you reflect and think on the year past as well as the year ahead.

The focus in this episode will be identifying where you need to grow.

If you’ve been listening to this podcast series, then you already know how important it is to invest in yourself.

Now, you can choose at random and get some results.

When I was first getting started in personal development, I just went to the bookstore and picked out a few books that appealed to me and started reading them.

And, I ended up finding some value in them, especially Dr. Robert Anthony’s works.

But I would have never found his works if I hadn’t started this journey to begin with.

If I hadn’t read Derek Sivers’ advice, I’d never have discovered Steve Pavlina.

If I hadn’t read Steve Pavlina’s blog, I’d never have gone to the bookstore to look for personal development books.

And, if I hadn’t done that, I never would have discovered Dr. Robert Anthony, and my life would be very different if I hadn’t followed that trajectory.

I’m so thankful I did follow that trajectory.

But my point is that choosing at random is going to limit the effectiveness of your personal growth plan.

So, how do you know what you need right now?

Every single day, I come across plenty of shiny looking offers that promise a better future.

Again, I’m not saying there isn’t any value in these.

I’m sure I would learn something from these resources.

But is it what I need right now?

Probably not.

So, how do I choose what’s right for me?

How do you choose what’s right for you?

There are a few ways of arriving at some good resources.

But I would suggest that the best way is to consider what your pain points are.

I’m not just talking about things that occasionally irritate or frustrate you.

I’m talking about things that keep you up at night.

I’m talking about things that make you want to run away and hide when you think about them.

It’s okay if your pain points have nothing to do with your music career or business.

Honestly, the best way for you to move forward is to personalize and customize your personal growth plan to your needs.

The best way for you to move forward is to personalize and customize your personal growth plan to your needs.Share on X

Forget what anyone else has told you.

You don’t need to focus on marketing unless you have a real pain point connected to that.

You don’t need to learn about storytelling if the lack of connection you’re experiencing has nothing to do with telling or not telling stories.

See how that helps us filter through a lot of information that’s not relevant or important to us?

I’m going to be vulnerable and share with you a few things that are pain points for me:

1. I don’t always like how I look in photos or videos.

I know a lot of people have this problem

The good news is that since arriving in Abbotsford, I’ve been prioritizing exercise more and I’m starting to look and feel better.

But I’m not done.

I think my ideal weight is around 180 to 190 lbs., and I have consistently weighed 40 to 50 lbs. above that, but as I see it this is more a matter of health than anything.

If I’m moving, eating and sleeping well, I know the weight is going to come off and my health will also improve.

Though I don’t necessarily need additional resources to improve in this area, because I’ve already invested in my education, if there is something I need to get, I will spring for it.

2. My dating life is showing up as a failure.

This causes me pain.

This point probably goes hand in hand with the first in some ways, because being unhealthy can affect your self-image and self-confidence.

Online dating feels like a part-time job, and I don’t have the time or energy for that.

I get that this could just as easily be an excuse as a hindrance, but my point is that I’m willing to throw money at this problem to solve it, probably in the form of a matchmaking service.

3. I suck at email segmenting, sequencing and funnels.

I still have a long way to go to becoming an expert in email marketing.

And, in 2020, I will be launching and relaunching several new products, so I’m going to need to brush up on my email game to make the most of the launches.

To that end, I’ve already purchased a digital marketing course, but if I don’t find what I’m looking for there, I’ll invest in another course.

4. I want to get better at Facebook advertising.

I sometimes feel like a failure when I hear my friends talk about the successes, they’ve had with Facebook advertising, because most campaigns I’ve run only diminished my bank account.

Moving forward, I would love to learn more about effective Facebook advertising and ads in general, because I haven’t personally experienced much success with them, even though I’ve driven some amazing results for clients.

I don’t mind spending money on this, though I’m inclined to take a free mini course by an expert marketer that others have raved about.

Are you starting to get a sense of what your pain points might be?

As I’ve shared before, long-term, it’s more expensive to solve your problems later than it is to solve them now.

So, did you see anything for yourself that you need to work on?

What are your pain points?

Please don’t put off your growth any longer.

The time to act is now.

My fourth book is called Start Your Year the Right Way.

The truth is that there is no right or wrong way to start your year.

I created this as a resource to help you get inspired, set goals and put a strategy in place to ensure you have the best year ever.

You can even use it to get clear on what resources you need to invest in to solve your pain points.

Will you be buying a copy?

Learn more at davidandrewwiebe.com/Year.

This is David Andrew Wiebe and I will see you on the stages of the world.

This time of year, people begin thinking about what they’d like to accomplish in the New Year.

Yet, many people are so given up on resolutions and goal setting that they don’t even attempt it.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, we’re going to explore how we can navigate our own resignation and cynicism.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – The end of year reflection series

00:52 – Resignation and cynicism

02:13 – What is cynicism and resignation pointing to?

02:24 – Past hurts

03:00 – Where you’re given up in life

04:01 – The potential for breakthrough

05:28 – Are you ready for change?

Transcription:

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I hope you’ve been enjoying this podcast series on setting yourself up for an awesome 2020.

Instead of giving you a long list of action steps, I’ve been focusing on providing you with questions that will unlock key areas you can work on to have your best year ever.

In this episode, we’re going to be exploring resignation and cynicism and what it’s pointing to.

Some of you are going to hear these episodes and think to yourself:

“What’s the point in thinking about 2020? Nothing’s ever going to change for me.”

I believe it’s healthy to have a certain amount of skepticism and to look at things critically.

So, I’m not down on anyone that feels that way about the conversations we’ve been having.

But know it or not, this is already indicative of resignation and cynicism.

And, while listening to these episodes, if at any point you’ve been asking yourself why you should set goals, plan your year, spend time in study, do any kind of thinking or reflecting – that’s indicative of resignation and cynicism too.

If you’ve been asking yourself why you’d even bother creating another New Year’s Resolution, it’s the same thing.

I know many people, who after a certain age, just gave up on New Year’s Resolutions.

You’re not wrong for having any of these thoughts.

But it’s important to understand that if you’re not going to be actively seeking out inspiration, setting goals or creating a strategy for their achievement, you’ve already given up.

There’s nothing wrong with giving up, but if you’re not doing it consciously, you’re doing it by default.

As you can imagine, that’s a dangerous place to be.

2020 by default will be just another year for you, and that’s the last thing I want for you.

2020 by default will be just another year for you, and that’s the last thing I want for you.Share on X

So, what is cynicism and resignation pointing to?

If we can understand resignation and cynicism at a deeper level, we can do something about it.

Here’s what you need to know:

First and foremost, resignation and cynicism are pointing to past hurts.

Anybody who says they haven’t experienced any tough or difficult moments in their life is lying.

Anybody who says they haven’t experienced any tough or difficult moments in their life is lying.Share on X

There certainly isn’t any way to define the degree of difficulty anyone experienced.

But one thing we know for sure is that these challenges, for better and for worse, have contributed to who you are and how you’re showing up in the world daily.

The more aware you are of the events that have impacted your attitude towards life, the better equipped you will be to step outside your default way of being and create yourself as you want to be.

Second, resignation and cynicism are pointing to an area where you’re given up in life.

This may be obvious from things I’ve already said, but it’s an important point, nonetheless.

I’m not saying you’re not still in the fight, because you may very well be.

But if there’s any part of your work that’s showing up as pointless, meaningless or worthless, it’s likely because you’re given up in that area.

Maybe you’re tired of reaching out to venues to book gigs.

Maybe you’re frustrated with creating industry connections.

It could be that you don’t see any value in posting to social media one more time when your following is so small.

Are you starting to see some areas where you’re given up?

Keep in mind that the only reason you’ve given up on anything is because you’ve had a bad experience with it in the past.

The only reason you’ve given up on anything is because you’ve had a bad experience with it in the past.Share on X

If you were still a child, you wouldn’t be given up on anything, because you knew, deep down, you could achieve whatever you set your mind to.

You can’t be resigned and cynical about anything you don’t have experience with.

Third, resignation and cynicism are pointing to an area where you have the potential for breakthrough.

This is the part that a lot of people miss and don’t understand.

We all have pain points in our lives.

But human nature is to run towards pleasure or comfort and run away from pain.

So, even when something unwanted persists in our lives, our best solution, much of the time, is avoidance.

The truth is, that pain is pointing to an area where you can have a breakthrough.

There are likely areas of your life where everything is going great – this suggests that while incremental improvement may be possible in this area, there are no breakthroughs to be had right now.

Breakthrough is going to come from addressing your pain.

Your pain might seem separate from your passion, but it’s not, because any area of life that’s gnawing at you steals from resources you could be dedicating to areas of your life that are important to you.

Said another way, resignation and cynicism is pointing to an area of your life where massive improvement is possible – but it all depends on your willingness to address that area of your life.

Pain is just letting you know what you need to deal with.

Pain is just letting you know what you need to deal with.Share on X

When you deal with it, you’re going to achieve more freedom in your life.

If you don’t deal with it, then you can expect to live with it.

You can expect it to show up at the least opportune moments.

It will dictate your attitude towards life, as well as the behavior that stems from it.

This is the insanity many of us are living in.

Are you ready for something new?

I have a solution to help you set yourself up for an amazing 2020.

It’s called Start Your Year the Right Way, and it’s a training resource in addition to being a workbook.

It’s made up of three key parts:

Inspiration.

Goal setting.

Strategy.

It will even help you drop your baggage from 2019 as you head into 2020.

You don’t want to carry last year into next year – that’s a recipe for failure.

So, will you be picking up a copy of Start Your Year the Right Way?

Go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Year for yours and get a head start on 2020.

Time is your most valuable resource.

It’s time to learn how to make the most of it.

This is David Andrew Wiebe and I will see you on the stages of the world.

How The holidays are the perfect time to reflect on the year past and think about what you want to achieve in the year ahead.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share about a practice Bill Gates himself adopted to review and consider suggestions Microsoft employees gave him.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – Continuing the reflection series

00:52 – I want 2020 to be a breakthrough year

01:08 – Think Week

02:08 – One thing I’m going to be thinking about

02:33 – One thing I’ll be learning about

02:59 – One thing I’ll be analyzing

03:29 – One thing I’ll be creating

04:30 – Will you be engaging in Think Week?

04:37 – Questions to ask yourself

05:19 – Resource to help you in the New Year

Transcription:

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.

I trust you’re enjoying yourself this holiday season.

As with last episode, I wanted to give you some thoughts to meditate on as we move into 2020.

If you can’t tell, I’ve never thought longer or harder on my leadership, growth, strengths and shortcomings than now.

That’s because I want 2020 to be a breakthrough year.

I want 2020 to be a breakthrough year.Share on X

I’m tired of the same old, same old.

If I want 2020 to be different, that means I will need to create new habits.

If I want to create new habits, I will need to take new actions.

If I want to take new actions, I will need to think new thoughts.

Something that has made its way into the Music Entrepreneur HQ culture is “Think Week.”

I’ve been wanting to do this for several years now but didn’t necessarily have the proper structure or even time to do it.

This year, I managed to take a week off between December 25 and January 1, so I though to myself, “what better time?”

If you don’t already know, this practice has its roots in a regime Bill Gates himself adopted, and he was the one to coin the term Think Week.

Basically, twice per year, for an entire week, he would retreat into a remote cabin, read through all the suggestions and proposals Microsoft employees gave him and decide which to implement.

My Think Week will take a similar form, though I only have so much to review in terms of feedback or suggestions.

With that in mind, I’ve been making note of everything I want to think about, study and learn about, analyze and create.

I’ll give you a few examples of what I’m talking about, so you can structure your own Think Week if you choose to implement this practice for yourself.

First, let’s look at one thing I’m going to be thinking about.

Something I’m going to be thinking about is turning podcast episodes into shorter video clips.

Some questions connected to this item include:

Is this something worth doing?

What kind of return can I expect from doing this?

How long will it take?

Can it be outsourced?

If so, how much will it cost?

How many clips do I want to create?

And so on.

Second, here’s one thing I’ll be learning about.

In an episode of SuperFastBussiness, my coach, James Schramko, talked about a German notetaking method he started using.

There are many ways of taking notes, none of them wrong, but it sounded compelling enough that I wanted to explore it in more detail.

Notetaking and journaling are kind of hot topics right now, and to that extent, I don’t want to get sucked in, but if there’s an easy system I can implement and get results from, I’m all for it.

Third, here’s something I’m looking to analyze.

I’m going to be analyzing the top performing blog posts, podcast episodes, videos, emails and products of Music Entrepreneur HQ.

My basic thesis for 2020 is that things that aren’t going to get results aren’t worth creating, and that’s going to require a bit of a mindset switch.

But if I have a list of high performing content ideas, topics, headlines and keywords I can work with, I’m more likely to create things that help me achieve desired results.

Fourth, here’s something I’m looking to create.

Several weeks ago, I ended up creating something I call a Takeover Plan.

It’s a framework that helps me identify opportunities in any niche.

Within the framework I create a big list of products, keywords, questions, podcasts that apply to the niche I’m looking to get into.

There was a niche I was thinking about getting into outside of the music industry, which is how I stumbled upon the idea to begin with.

I may not be getting into that niche after all, because I have established goals for 2020, but I had some thoughts of templatizing the Takeover Plan, which I will give more thought to over Think Week.

So, now you know a few areas where I’m going to be poking around a bit.

My list obviously includes other items.

I just wanted to give you a sense of the kinds of things I will be spending an entire week looking at.

It’s entirely possible that I’ll be looking at other items as I get into Think Week, so in that sense, it’s okay to think of the process as being fluid.

While you’re thinking and studying, it’s more than likely that you’ll come across a few other topics worth exploring.

So, if you choose to engage in Think Week, what will you be thinking about?

What will you be reviewing?

What will you be learning?

Here are some questions to help you come up with your own list:

What ideas have you come up with that you’re thinking about implementing in 2020?

What are some things that caught your attention in 2019 that you’d like to learn more about?

What was working well in 2019? Conversely, what didn’t work?

What are some things you’d like to do more of? What are some things you’d like to spend less time doing?

What are some frameworks or structures you could create that would make you more productive in the year ahead?

Don’t forget to carve some time out of your schedule to think on these questions before you dive into Think Week.

After all, you want to make the most of the week and not lose sight of the purpose, which is to get clear on your next steps.

Speaking of getting clear on your next action steps, there’s a resource I’d like to share with you.

I’m not going to be doing any special holiday offers this year, because I already have the perfect product for goal setting and achieving big in your music career.

It’s called Start Your Year the Right Way, and it’s both a book and a workbook, and it achieves three key things:

It helps you get inspired again.

It helps you set goals for the year ahead.

It helps you create a strategy, so you’ll take actions that are consistent with your goals and achieve them.

Will you be buying a copy?

Go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Year to get your copy now.

This is David Andrew Wiebe and I will see you on the stages of the world.

You’re a music entrepreneur. And, as a music entrepreneur, you are a leader.

Even if you aren’t a leader to a team or anyone specifically, you are a leader to yourself.

So, the question is, what kind of leader have you been?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share some thoughts about how I led myself, others and my team, what I discovered, and how I’m going to change moving forward.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – Happy holidays

00:56 – The reflection series

01:07 – Don’t let 2020 drift by

01:31 – As music entrepreneurs, we are leaders

02:05 – Thank you for being so difficult

02:52 – Ways in which I can improve as a leader

03:35 – A forgiving leader

04:20 – A cynical and resigned leader

05:18 – Your leadership is the ceiling on everything in your business

05:55 – Invest in yourself in 2020

06:45 – Let’s get excited about growing again

Transcription:

First and foremost, happy holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I hope you’re spending plenty of time with loved ones, eating loads of delicious foods, resting generously and enjoying giving and receiving gifts.

I’ve talked about several productive things you can do during the holiday season in a much earlier episode, so if you need a refresher on that, go back to episode 23 of the podcast.

This holiday season, I don’t want to give you more to do.

Instead, I thought I would put together a series of episodes that would leave you with some important things to reflect on and think about.

2020 is just about here and the last thing we want to do is let it drift by and be “just another year.”

It’s the last thing I want for you and honestly, it’s the last thing I want for me.

We want to make 2020 the best year we’ve ever had, because wins tend to stack.

It’s easier to stack your wins than to start from a place of failure and try to build wins on top of it.

As music entrepreneurs, we must recognize that we are leaders, and leaders need to stay ahead of the eight ball.

We need to be conscious of the kinds of leaders we are – the leader we are to ourselves as well as the leader we are to others.

In 2019, I made plenty of mistakes and dropped too many balls to mention.

That’s the last thing I want to carry into 2020.

So, I must evaluate what went wrong, establish clarity around the lessons I learned and put new structures in place to ensure the level of performance I expect from myself and my team.

That’s part of my responsibility as a leader.

I was also recently prompted to think about my leadership when I watched a video by my coach, James Schramko, on SuperFastBusiness titled Thank You For Being So Difficult.

If you’d like more context for this episode, I would suggest taking a moment to watch this quick two-minute video – you’ll find the link in the show notes at davidandrewwiebe.com.

The key point of this video is that adversity shapes who we are.

Adversity shapes who we are.Share on X

There can be difficult people in our lives – band mates, collaborators, bosses, coaches, investors, board of directors and so on.

But there’s a lot we can learn from difficult people.

We can learn about how not to act as a leader.

And, these experiences also shape who we are.

So, after watching this video, I started asking myself, what kind of leader am I?

I take pride in squeezing a lot out of my days.

Yet, I can also see areas where I could improve:

For most of 2019, I didn’t maintain a consistent routine.

There were some days that I didn’t even start work until noon when I’d intended to start much earlier.

I fell behind on several projects that ended up further on the backburner than I’d ever intended.

I said that my health was important to me, and I still often abused caffeine, didn’t exercise as often as needed or ate badly.

I could go on.

The key is that I started thinking about what kind of leader allowed this to happen?

And, that also had me looking at who I was to others, because I figured that would offer some clues as to who I was to myself.

First, I began to see that I was forgiving of myself.

And, we all know how important that is.

The National Science Foundation found that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, and of those 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive.

The average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, and of those 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive.Share on X

This could be one of the reasons positive thinking alone does nothing – it takes monumental effort just to maintain it.

So, that had me thinking how I could talk to myself in a way that was positive yet firm, so that I would start on time and wouldn’t let things slip through the cracks.

If I could be a positive and firm leader for myself and others, I would be able to achieve more and be less wishy-washy about decisions I need to make.

Next, in addition to being forgiving, I could also see that I was cynical and resigned.

With each passing year where things don’t go right, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing and no matter how hard you try, you end up feeling like you’re getting nowhere.

With each passing year where things don’t go right, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing and no matter how hard you try, you end up feeling like you’re getting nowhere.Share on X

The problem with that is that you can end up taking your foot off the gas pedal without even thinking, and when you do that, you naturally make less progress than you did the year before.

Worse, you don’t even notice it.

You end up stopping by the side of the road, smelling the roses and engaging in the sights.

And, we all need to do that occasionally.

But if you don’t keep your eyes on the prize, you’ll never achieve what you set out to do.

So, that had me thinking about how I could maintain a childlike enthusiasm for my projects in 2020.

It had me thinking about how I could look at it as if it was a clean slate, so that I could maintain consistency.

If I could unload my baggage from the past and look at 2020 as a free year, surely, I could bring optimism to everything I do.

So, those are a couple of areas where I’m looking.

I don’t know what kind of year you had or what kind of leader you were to yourself and others in 2019.

But I want you to spend some time thinking about it because your leadership is the ceiling on everything in your business.

Your leadership is the ceiling on everything in your business.Share on X

Whether it’s traffic, revenue, email subscribers, social media followers or some other metric, whatever growth you experienced or didn’t experience is 100% reflective of your leadership.

That being the case, we can’t afford not to invest in ourselves as leaders.

If we don’t grow, how can we expect our revenue, business or following to grow?

It simply won’t.

So, I urge you to invest in yourself in 2020.

Identify your struggles and purchase solutions that will help you solve those problems.

Stop hunting around for free information on everything.

Free information is not free at all – it costs you time, and your time as a leader is incredibly valuable.

Further, you end up having to put together all the puzzle pieces yourself, and you could still end up with costly knowledge gaps.

Long-term, it’s more costly to spend nothing on yourself than it is to spend money on a solution now to move things forward.

Do you want to be dealing with the same problems next year?

I know I don’t.

Between 2018 and 2019 alone, I put well over $3,000 into my ongoing self-education.

I still have struggles, which means I will be putting just as much if not more than that amount into my personal development in the next two years.

So, let’s get excited about growing again.

Let’s get excited about growing again.Share on X

Let’s not give into cynicism and resignation.

If you’re ready to invest in yourself, I would love for you to pick up a copy of my fourth book, Start Your Year the Right Way.

The new working title for this workbook, by the way, is The Music Entrepreneur Power Year.

It will help you find inspiration, set goals, plan your year, achieve big and more.

Will you be buying a copy?

You can learn more about Start Your Year the Right Way at davidandrewwiebe.com/Year.

This is David Andrew Wiebe and I will see you on the stages of the world.

Are you looking for a way to promote your live shows? Do you wish you could reach more people and encourage more ticket sales?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I pass the mic with Managing Partner of Bandsintown, Fabrice Sergent, who shares valuable insights into live performance as well as entrepreneurship.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – What is Bandsintown?

01:44 – How and why was Bandsintown created?

03:10 – It’s a great platform for independent artists too

03:48 – Will live performance continue to be the most profitable sector of the music industry?

05:39 – Live performance and the struggle of being independent

05:54 – The greatest myth of all

08:18 – Creating an experience for your fans

10:51 – It doesn’t happen by accident!

12:48 – Talent, perseverance and hard work favors luck

13:06 – The importance of keeping your fans engaged

13:41 – Bandsintown’s new functionality

17:08 – Utilizing data well to have a successful career

19:14 – Charts on Bandsintown

21:32 – Hypebot acquisition

22:57 – What is the greatest struggle you’ve overcome?

25:43 – Loneliness in entrepreneurship

26:31 – What are the greatest victories you’ve had as an entrepreneur?

28:04 – Are there any books that have helped you on your journey?

29:22 – Building a thriving live music community

30:06 – On loneliness

Transcription:

Coming soon.

Are you getting enough rest? Do you constantly feel tired and exhausted?

The music industry is a hardworking industry, and it can place many demands on someone with big ambitions.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share the mic with wellness coach, artist and songwriter Katie Zaccardi, who shares valuable tips on changing your attitude towards hustling and grinding, implementing a self-care routine, managing your time and more.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – Who is Katie Zaccardi?

03:37 – Changing our attitudes towards hustling and grinding

07:42 – Focusing on the right things

11:09 – How to implement a self-care routine and eliminate burnout

19:47 – How can we make the most of our free time?

22:43 – How can we manage our time?

28:50 – How to deal with procrastination

31:38 – Automate, eliminate, delegate

32:49 – Katie’s anxiety journey

41:09 – What are the biggest challenges you’ve overcome?

43:51 – What are the most significant victories you’ve experienced?

44:41 – Are there any books that have helped you on your journey?

46:35 – Listen to your gut and ask for help

47:35 – Being in action

Transcription:

Coming soon.

Are you trying to get your independent label set up? Are you looking for tips on how to run and grow your own label?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk to Nick Sadler of NSDMT and The Label Machine. He shares from his many years of experience and offers valuable tips on how to make a business plan, how to budget and more.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – Who is Nick Sadler?

04:55 – Studying and ongoing self-education

05:44 – What is The Label Machine?

11:13 – What are the benefits to starting your own label?

16:27 – What does one need to focus on when they’re getting their label established?

22:33 – “Success stories” and thinking critically

25:46 – How to set up your business plan

33:09 – How should one spend $1,000,000 to get national exposure for their label?

39:11 – What are the most challenging aspects to navigate as a label owner?

45:02 – What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve overcome?

53:26 – What are some of the biggest victories you’ve experienced?

56:46 – Are there any books that have helped you on your journey?

1:03:12 – Wrapping up

Transcription:

Coming soon.

2020 is almost here.

What will you be doing to stay current? Will you be making any changes to your approach?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share some of the challenges facing Music Entrepreneur HQ, and what we’re going to be doing to stay ahead of the game.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – The importance of content

01:41 – Things are about to change at Music Entrepreneur HQ

02:34 – Content marketing is turning a corner

03:07 – Keeping a balance between creating new content and optimizing old content

03:37 – Adapting to changes in SEO and tech

04:25 – Futureproofing your business

05:06 – Media-rich content

05:41 – A summary of changes

05:51 – Repurposing and curating content

06:35 – Creating more media-rich content

07:00 – Keeping the winners, cutting the losers

07:49 – Experimentation

10:40 – How will you be adapting in 2020?

Transcription:

Although content is something I’m constantly thinking about, it doesn’t dominate the conversation here on the podcast.

The reason I consider it important is because practically everything we do at Music Entrepreneur HQ revolves around content.

Much of our marketing is achieved through content – advertising, social media, email marketing and so on.

Products are essentially the best parts of our free content refined and boiled down into their key components.

So, as I’ve mentioned before, it makes a lot of sense for me to dedicate most of my productive time to writing.

And, the main reason I don’t talk about content all the time is because there are much juicier, more important topics to cover:

Music streaming, live performance, merchandise, social media and more.

So, my content process, which is something that has been honed through much trail and error, is mostly for me to know and for you to find out.

Unless, of course, you’re interested in learning about what’s going on behind the scenes. Be sure to request an episode about our content marketing strategy if that’s the case.

Anyway, the reason I wanted to talk about content today is because things are about to change at Music Entrepreneur HQ.

This is certainly of some interest to you, since your questions and requests have driven a lot of the content that has been created to this point.

Here’s what’s interesting:

I’m becoming present to the fact that between the 800 some odd blog posts and podcast episodes on the website, as well as the various books and products we’ve got, we’ve answered the most common questions on the topic of the music business.

This doesn’t mean I don’t have more to talk about, nor does it mean there isn’t room for innovation.

In many ways, I’ve tried to remain at the forefront of innovation at Music Entrepreneur HQ, while being realistic about the new platforms and apps that come along, because frankly those tend to come and go while the fundamentals of marketing remain the same.

What’s important to know is that content marketing as a whole is turning a corner and it’s time to start thinking differently about it.

Content marketing as a whole is turning a corner and it’s time to start thinking differently about it.Share on X

It’s funny, because looking back, I was beginning to talk about all these changes and how we were planning to deal with them in episode 107 of the podcast.

As I was contemplating these changes over a year ago, I think I was afraid of doing anything drastic because what I was doing was working.

But at this point, Music Entrepreneur HQ’s organic traffic has taken a dive a couple of times, the most recent occurrence being about a month ago.

One of the most important lessons that has come through this is that it’s challenging to keep one eye on the future while keeping another eye on the things you’ve worked on leading up to that point.

A meaningful balance must be struck between the two.

What I mean by that as a publisher you need to keep creating new, up-to-date, innovative content while subjecting your archives of content to audit, review and optimization, especially if it’s falling desperately out of date.

You must keep creating new, up-to-date, innovative content while subjecting your archives of old content to audit, review and optimization.Share on X

So, as I look ahead, I think content curation and repurposing are going to become key to the survival and longevity of this business.

This is underscored by some other fundamental changes in tech, including the emergence of AI.

I think it will still be a while before AI is building websites and writing content for us, but those days are coming.

The question, then, is what’s going to happen to content?

I believe the same old listicles and how-to guides are going to have limited effectiveness. At some point, it’s going to become a complete waste of time to work on them.

It’s a bit of a harrowing thought as someone whose livelihood for the last seven to eight years has been building traffic and sales generating content for various businesses, but this well could dry up.

I don’t expect this to happen overnight, but if I want to futureproof my endeavors, I need to keep these things in view.

Content curation and repurposing will prove especially worthwhile in coping with these changes, and I’m even planning to make some of my paid content available for free.

This should also buy me some time to work on various unfinished projects in my life, which will likely form the foundation of the new content I create.

So far as futureproofing is concerned, I’m glad that I spent time building our presence on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube and other popular platforms, as media-rich content is only going to increase in importance in the years to come, and it can reduce single-source dependency too.

The podcast has proven an important source of traffic for us, and the listenership is starting to grow again after remaining stagnant for a couple of years.

And, yes, Music Entrepreneur HQ does have a YouTube channel and we have been uploading some content there, even if it hasn’t been regular.

A lot of you have been telling me to create video content and I think video’s time has finally come in full force.

Video’s time has finally come in full force.Share on X

People are spending less time reading than ever, and although I think there will come a time when we remember how important it is to read, for the time being, video is going to become crucial to a business’ success.

I’ve been talking somewhat fluidly between points, so I’ll take a moment to summarize specifically what’s going on and what we’re planning to do moving forward.

#1: I’m going to be spending more time repurposing and curating content.

This isn’t necessarily going to happen in a noticeable way at first.

I have several podcast interviews in the can, and these will be rolling out as usual.

But because most common questions have been answered through the many pages of content available on the website, it’s going to prove worthwhile to organize these answers and make them easier to find and access.

To that end, I may be creating video and podcast content on all the subjects already covered, especially if these answers are only available in written form.

I will also be turning some of my paid content into free content, and you can expect to find it through the podcast as well as our YouTube channel.

#2: I’m going to be putting more effort into media-rich content, including video.

This goes hand in hand with the last point, but it bears repeating.

Organic traffic will come and go, and though it is our biggest source of traffic, single-source dependency is problematic.

It’s time to create more video content and distribute it across various social media platforms so that we continue to get in front of the audience that wants the content.

#3: I’m going to be spending more time analyzing what’s working.

This ties in with the points already mentioned as well as the points I’m about to share.

The key is that it’s easy to spend a lot of time on things that may never lead anywhere.

With over 800 pages of content and about three years of data, I now have a good sample to analyze.

I can easily see which posts have driven the most engagement.

I can see which videos got the most views, which podcast episodes got the most listens and which emails got opened most.

I can see which products have driven the most sales and revenue.

This is the same advice I’ve given to many, and it’s the same thing I need to apply to my business:

Keep the winners, cut the losers.

By focusing on the topics and content types that have yielded the most meaningful results, I can increase my effectiveness.

#4: I’m going to be experimenting more.

This is only something I’ve been hinting at throughout this podcast episode, but it is an important point and the one that has the greatest bearing on your experience of Music Entrepreneur HQ.

Music Entrepreneur HQ has its roots in some of the work personal development author and blogger Steve Pavlina has been doing throughout the years.

One of the things Pavlina did, and still does after all these years, is run 30-day challenges and blog about his results.

At this point in my life, 30 days isn’t enough to measure or finish much of anything, so I’m thinking about trying 90-day, 180-day or even 365-day challenges.

Earlier, I alluded to “unfinished business”, and this is the area I want to tackle through these challenges.

We’re human, and that being the case, we go through life leaving things incomplete.

I don’t know if you can ever get to the point where you feel like you’re complete with everything.

The key is to recognize where you’re incomplete, and once you’ve identified what areas need addressing, begin taking action towards completion.

I think one of the most useful things I can do at this point – both for myself and for you,...

Are you stagnating in your efforts to sell more music or merch? Do you wish you could maximize your sales and revenue everywhere you go?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share a new way of approaching the sale that will result in a breakthrough result.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – What is a distinction?

01:08 – Increase your music sales immediately

01:37 – If you’re interested in X, check out Y

02:29 – X and Y are two different things

03:33 – No pressure in the message

05:31 – You’re not asking for the sale

07:11 – What to do instead

08:14 – Things to look out for

09:11 – How to get paid for your passion

Transcription:

I’ve been quietly developing something I call “distinctions” for the Music Entrepreneur HQ.

A distinction is anything that can replace our assumptions and default way of doing things with a new approach that produces a breakthrough result.

These distinctions are only developed over time, through research, experience, observation, experimentation and testing.

After all, I have “breakthrough result” as a criterion for distinctions, so they don’t come together by accident.

I don’t expect to be sharing new distinctions all the time. These don’t come together in a hurry.

But the distinction I want to share with you today is an important one, as it can help you increase your music sales immediately, whether you’re selling online, at your gigs or elsewhere.

Don’t think too concretely in terms of music sales here, because you may be selling fewer CDs or digital downloads than ever.

This could be applied to merch sales, streams, email signups or otherwise.

Whenever you’re making a call to action, I believe this distinction will make a difference for you.

So, the distinction takes this form:

If you’re interested in X, check out Y.

Now, keep in mind this is the default way we do things.

It works well enough but doesn’t offer a breakthrough result.

We’ve all said statements that take this form.

“If you enjoyed our show, check out our merch table.”

“If you dug our first album, you’ll probably dig our second album too.”

“If you liked this episode of the podcast, check out my books.”

So, why is this bad?

It’s not bad.

Again, as I’ve already said, this is the default way of doing things and we keep doing it because it works just fine.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with “just fine.”

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.

But let’s cross-examine why statements that take this form lack power.

1. X and Y are Separate

Ever notice how nobody says:

“If you liked our music, check out our music?”

It’s nonsense, right?

And yet, that form would still be more effective than the one I’ve already introduced.

Why would I say that?

You see, when you gauge interest in X and ask people to check out Y, you’re creating a disconnect, because the two are unrelated.

If people like your live show, does that mean they should like your album too?

You’re rolling the dice here, because the people in attendance might just enjoy concerts.

Maybe they like going for a drink with their friends.

Maybe they like to dance.

Maybe they just need a night out.

There are too many possibilities to mention.

X and Y are separate, so gauging interest in X and trying to sell people on Y is kind of like asking whether they like food and if they’ll check out your new BBQ grill.

I love food and I enjoy the occasional BBQ dishes, but that doesn’t mean I’m a good prospect for a BBQ grill.

I can tell you right now I’m not!

And, the disconnect can extend well beyond that.

2. There’s No Pressure in the Message

Don’t you wish you could speak in a way that results in others acting?

You can!

It’s just that, to this point, you probably haven’t thought about it.

If you’re not talking to cause action, why are you talking?

If you’re not talking to cause action, why are you talking?Share on X

I get that you wouldn’t necessary talk in this manner in everyday ordinary conversations.

But when it comes time to ask for what we need in a meeting, during a phone call or at a show, we often clam up and cower in the corner.

“Oh, I don’t want to offend them” you say to yourself.

Meanwhile, you’re losing whatever power you had in the conversation.

That’s the problem with this form:

If you’re interested in X, check out Y.

There’s no pressure in the message.

“But I don’t want there to be any pressure” you may say.

Well, do you think it’s fair that you’re faced with pressure every single day?

When you choose whether to hit the snooze for your alarm, you’re in the presence of pressure.

When deciding what to have for lunch, you encounter pressure.

When your coworker asks whether you can stay late to help them with their work, you’re faced with pressure.

Contrary to popular belief, “pressure” is not bad.

Contrary to popular belief, pressure is not bad.Share on X

Pressuring, on the other hand, can be a problem.

I would define pressuring as convincing someone of something they don’t already believe in.

That’s called manipulation, and this distinction has nothing to do with manipulation, even if it takes guts to implement it.

But the key here is that if you’re not speaking in such a way that leaves others with the pressure, you’re not making a strong enough statement.

It’s like saying to your crush “I’m kind of into you” without letting them in on your intentions, just in case they reject you.

You’re left with no power, and you’re letting the other person answer how ever they want to answer.

Preferably, when asking for something that’s important to us, we should leave people feeling they need to give us a “yes” or “no” answer.

Ultimately, this is more authentic and genuine than beating around the bush or veiling our requests in wishy-washy language.

3. You’re Not Asking for the Sale

When you say:

If you’re interested in X, check out Y.

You’re not asking for anything.

As I’ve already pointed out, the first half of the statement is just gauging interest.

People are free to answer “yes”, “no”, “maybe”, “kind of” or any shade in between.

They can even respond with something completely irrelevant, like:

“Yeah, your music is kind of interesting. It reminds of this other band. Oh, which reminds me, my friend Sandy told me to tell you that your brother is kind of cute.”

See where that conversation went?

Know it or not, what you’ve been saying this whole time is this:

If you’re interested in X, and only if you’re interested in X, you should check out Y and I’m not going to tell you what to do with Y.

Are you starting to see why this form has limited effectiveness?

You’re not asking for anything.

There’s no pressure in the message, so it doesn’t have the opportunity to go anywhere.

The pressure is not with you and it’s not with the audience either.

It disappeared into thin air.

No wonder it’s “just fine.”

When asking for something, the pressure needs to be left with the person you’re talking to, and you need to be willing to face the answer, regardless of whatever it may be.

But always keep in mind:

If they say “yes”, you’ve gained something you didn’t have before.

If they say “no”, you’re in the same position you were before you asked.

Basically, there’s nothing to lose.

“If you’re interested in X, check out Y” is what we say when we want to skirt the issue completely.

It’s our nonchalant, non-committal way of asking for something so that we don’t feel rejected when someone says “no.”

Once you’ve seen the inauthenticity in the form, you can’t un-see it.

So, What Could We be Doing Instead?

Again, it’s not what we should be doing or ought to be doing instead.

It’s what we could be doing to produce a breakthrough result.

I suggest replacing the form already introduced with this one:

This is X. Will you be buying X?

This statement solves the issues already mentioned.

There’s no separation. You’re not talking about two different things. Your focus is solely and completely on X.

You’re leaving your audience with all the pressure. Now they can’t be wishy-washy about their response. They must answer “yes” or “no”, and if they don’t, you know they’re the ones skirting the issue.

You’re making a genuine and authentic ask. You’re not beating around the bush. You’re being clear and specific about what you want.

This statement could look something like this:

“This is our new album. Will you be buying a copy?”

“This is our latest T-shirt. Will you be purchasing one?”

“This is my book, The New Music Industry. Will you be picking up a copy?”

We still need to be careful when using this form, however, because we can easily slip back into our old way of doing things.

The temptation is to talk about two separate things instead of keeping our focus.

The temptation is to take the pressure off the person you’re talking to instead of leaving it with them.

The temptation is to beat around the bush and not ask for what you want instead of eliciting a binary answer, whatever the outcome may be.

This is what it means to be human.

Regardless of whatever discomfort you might initially experience, stick to the formula as closely as possible:

This is X. Will you be buying a copy of X?

I’ve already been using this new form on Music Entrepreneur HQ and it has resulted in additional book sales.

Give it a try for yourself and see what happens.

I’d love to hear about any breakthrough results you produce.

And, I look forward to answering your comments in the show notes.

Do you wish you could play better gigs? Do you want to engage in the type of projects and work that will leave you feeling happy and fulfilled?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I pass the mic with Robonzo of The Unstarving Musician, who’s got a podcast and a book of his own. He shares how he was able to build a profitable live performance career and how he helps other musicians do the same.

Podcast Highlights:

00:34 – The podcasting journey

01:39 – How did you get started with The Unstarving Musician?

04:59 – The value of subbing

08:20 – Being a good hang

09:18 – How can musicians better leverage live performance?

12:34 – Having too many lines in the water

15:57 – Taking care of yourself

17:41 – Depression in the music industry/success doesn’t make you happy

20:44 – Who do you know that isn’t a starving musician?

24:48 – The Music Entrepreneur Code

25:49 – Why did you get into podcasting?

31:14 – Current social media marketing trends

36:19 – Making new music

37:52 – Why did you write a book and what impact has it had?

42:11 – Are there any books that have helped you on your journey?

43:49 – Wrap up

Transcription:

David Andrew Wiebe: Today I'm chatting with host of The Unstarving Musician Podcast, Robonzo. How are you today, Robonzo?

Robonzo: I'm great. That was like one of the smoothest intros ever because as we were just saying pre-episode, we've just been chitchatting, ice breaking. I love it. I'm doing great. Thank you.

DA: Awesome. Yeah, we just been chatting away. I don't know how many times I've said the intro like that now but I guess something people wouldn't know necessarily is I have been podcasting since 2009 with the David Andrew Wiebe Podcast, which quickly turned into David Andrew Wiebe Interviews, a music business podcast, which then became DAWCast: Music Entrepreneurship.

And then, when I realized that nobody understood the cleverness behind the name of DAWCast: Music Entrepreneurship, I temporarily quit, and then reboot it. And that's The New Music Industry Podcast, which is also the namesake of my book. But it's been an awesome and fun journey. We'll be getting into that too because you're also a podcaster.

Your website makes it fairly clear that you're passionate about helping musicians, especially in the area of live performance. So, where does that passion come from? How did you get started in the space?

Robonzo: Yeah, that's where I started. I am a lifelong gigging musician, drummer, and singer. I recently confessed in another conversation with the podcast that I years ago used to play guitar and just stopped and picked that back up because I think it's from talking to so many songwriters. I'm like, “Wow, I'd like to write some songs.” So, I picked that up as well. But it did come from gigging a lot and being very proficient at it in terms of being… I was fond of saying, you know, when I was in the markets, where there are the opportunities that I could gig at will, you know, when and where I wanted to and get paid.

I guess, you know, the story I usually tell is one December, a while back, I realized my gig calendar had one or more gigs per month in the coming year. I was like, “Oh, that's pretty cool. I should maybe share that with some people.” Eventually, it drove me to write a book called The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to getting paid gigs.

Once that was done, maybe during the process, I thought, “What can I do to make this a little bigger?” Because if this does help musicians, surely there's, you know, I can take it to a broader audience over time. Though, from talking to a number of songwriters, musicians, industry people, content creators that are in the music space, and learning all these other things that we're able to share, I'm able to share, you know, even outside the podcast. So, my new thing I'm fond of saying is, “I feel like a curator of you know, expertise, mistakes, and new trends that independent musicians want to use.” So that's how it started.

DA: What kind of gigs were you playing at the time?

Robonzo: I have always been predominantly like a club, private events, winery type of gig person. There are the occasional things that I consider a little unusual like playing at a Google corporate event or in a wedding occasionally. So, just getting out and gigging with rock bands, pop bands, dance bands, occasionally filling in for other types of genres.

And just for me, not every musician as you know, is of this ilk. But for me, I put myself out there to be a sub whenever possible to grow my network as a musician. So, just put myself out there and that started happening more and more. And before I know it, I have wonderful opportunities to work with four or five bands in any given quarter. A lot of them are cover bands and then some original artists. So that's predominantly what I was doing.

DA: Yeah, I think subbing is probably underrated. I used to do that quite a bit as a guitar teacher. And honestly, some of the most fruitful times as a guitar teacher were when I was subbing for a group of teachers who are working at the same store, Long & McQuade, up here in Canada. It was probably some of the best pay scale I've seen for teaching. So, I'm kind of glad to be out of the teaching space at this point, but I remember those being really good pay days.

Robonzo: Yeah, it's a blast. And, you know, if you're putting in your best, it's so fun to perform with a group of new musicians rehearsed and rehearsed. And, you know, they generally make you feel like a superstar. If you just go and make them look good, that's a lot of fun.

DA: That's so true. Yeah. And that's a really great tip too, is to be mindful of the musicians you're playing with and then complimenting them.

Robonzo: Totally. You know what? You also reminded me, I have a good friend who's got this monster of a band called The House Rockers. Once upon a time they were the Silicon Valley House Rockers which I almost said, but the House Rockers are a nine-piece band. The guy's a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. And I don't think they do any original music, but they are a working musician’s band. Many of the guys were full time musicians, not all of them. So, some of those guys sub quite a bit. And in fact, I got to play with one of them on a couple of his side projects. But anyway, back to my friend who leads the band, he really doesn't like it because he wants these guys to be available always, 100% of the time. And he's pretty good. I mean, what he's producing for his band and the musicians that he’s playing with is pretty special. The pay day is always good, and they really enjoy it. So, for the most part, they're probably 99% available, but there's the occasion where they're like, “Dang, you know, I can't do it. I got myself put on this other thing.” He really gets a little… I imagine he gets a little tense around the shoulders when I talk about subbing.

DA: I mean that is the life of a session musician, though, right? If you don't have your own band, or if you're just the kind of artists that everybody wants on their record or at their live show, I mean, that's the life. That's the way it is.

Robonzo: Yeah, yeah. And, you know, to state the obvious, on top of being a good player, and a conscientious player and, you know, listening to the musicians around you at all moments, being a nice, you know, a nice guy or a nice gal, to those that you work with. And beyond that, just like doing this personal inventory, or whatever we call it these days to make sure that we are because I have my moments where I'm not always the nicest guy or I get, you know, get my buttons pushed and say things I wish I wouldn't have but anyway to just always be mindful of that too. That, to me, you know, just the effort of trying to treat everyone like rock stars and being appreciative and having gratitude for all the opportunities took me so far. Just with gigging and so you know. I mean that transcends into everything we do, right?

DA: Yeah. I've had Matt star on the show. I remember him talking about the fact that it was so weird sort of like introducing himself to Ace Freely, or like Mr. Big, or whoever it was, and hobnobbing with them and trying to build that relationship so that he could ultimately get the gig. He's like, it's not really the intention. The intention, first and foremost, was to build that good strong connection and relationship. But I think it's still necessary, right? No matter how awkward or uncomfortable it feels, you just got to be a good hang and be around these people if you want the gig.

Robonzo: Yeah. I think it was my very first or second interview for the podcast was a friend from Texas who's been a working musician has done some really cool stuff over the years. One of the things he talked a lot about was, and he used that word, he’s from spending time in Nashville - the hang. He said it's all about the hang and relationships.

DA: Yeah, exactly. It really is. What other kind of tips are you sharing with musicians to help them improve their gigging income?

Robonzo: Outside of improving that, but it is related. Actually, it's very related, is to make sure that whatever projects you're working in, that you're happy with. If they're not creating joy, helping you create or realize joy in making the music that you're making, to just take a step back and think about how you can rectify that. Sometimes that means changing the situation. So that's a big one because you know. And I share this one lately because I've kind of experienced this in two facets of my life where I was doing something a little longer than I should have. But, you know, eventually, either by my own doing or by external forces, I am presented with the opportunity for things to change. And lo and behold, when you're doing things that you really enjoy, you're a lot more productive both financially and just kind of in t