You may know him from his ridiculously catchy mega-tunes ‘Cheating’ or ‘Girlfriends’. You may know him for playing sets to fans so dedicated you’re gonna be glad you brought your Loop earplugs. OR you might just know him from being a lovely, v charming human being.

This week’s guest is Michael Aldag. An artist that in the past five years has experienced a lot of the things most musicians dream about. Touring. Songs going viral. Building a dedicated fanbase. And on this ep, Michael is v open and honest about all the lessons he’s learnt along that journey.

Plus we get our first John Pork mention on the show, so there’s that.

MICHAEL IG - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/michael.aldag/

OUR IG - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/ ⁠

Episode Features:

- The three things Michael wishes he could tell himself starting out in music.

- The importance of sticking to your guns.

- The challenges you face at the first signs of success.

- Michael’s journey and lessons from Tik Tok.

- How to balance personal and professional life and not go insane.

- Some epic butterfly effects that changes Michael’s life.

- The importance of being authentic when it comes to art.

- This new chapter of Michael Aldag.

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New episodes every Monday x

If you're a musician whose music even remotely comes under the Dance or Electronic music worlds - then this is your dream episode. 👀

Lois Marshall - Head of Radio and Club Promotions at the legendary Defected. This show is full of all the gems, tips to increase your chance of getting listened to, plenty of examples of why ya need to shoot your show, PLUS overcoming the shyness of networking and getting out there in music.

LOIS IG - https://www.instagram.com/loismarshall__/

OUR IG - https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/

Episode Features:

- Lois' three tips to increase your chances of getting your song played on the radio and in the club.

- Overcoming that initial shyness when it comes to getting yourself out there.

- Send. That. DM!

- Lois' inspiring story of how she got her job.

- Some banging case studies of artists that have proper put the graft in and are now getting their flowers.

- The importance of radio in 2025.

New episodes every Monday x

A guest this week who cares about helping musicians just as much as us.

You might know Sean as the founder of Drowned in Sound - a legendary music blog which at its peak had 3 million readers. You may know him as an artist manager. A guest on all of the sick music industry panel events you’ve been too.

Or you might just know him cos he’s very vocal about trying to make the world a better place - for musicians - and tbf, non musicians too.

SEAN IG - https://www.instagram.com/seaninsound/

DROWNED IN SOUND POD - https://pod.link/1037405920?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeZGjH2mDZAQ_4PrW6uMMd7DcHKJC2p0TifwQkWPWmplLdfdErMuAgRXYPIYw_aem_aqutVNv_vpb163cWGKHXaA

OUR IG - https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/

Episode Features:

- Sean’s top three things you can do to take steps towards a sustainable career.

- How do you define your artistic identity?

- The importance of world building - and how to start.

- Connecting with your audience.

- How tf do you navigate the ‘attention economy’.

- Some great stories of ways artists caught Sean’s attention.

- The importance of having an ‘offline’ strategy.

- Unique shows and environments to play shows in.

New episodes every Monday x

Today's guest is Ari Herstand, author of 'How To Make It In The New Music Business'.

Which, as you can tell from the title, means he is a human very aligned with us in trying to help you make a living from your music.

Not just that, Ari is a v talented musician himself too. He's been through the releasing music process, he's done those touring logistics. He has that empathy.

And now, tries his best to help musicians with the skills and information needed to live a fulfilling life from your music.

An incredibly valuable show. Whack open your Apple Notes and get involved.

ARI'S SHOW - https://aristake.com/new-music-business-podcast/

ARI'S BOOK - https://book.aristake.com

ARI'S IG - https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/

OUR IG - https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/

Episode Features:

- Why you need to set 'SMART Goals'.

- And how you can do that.

- Knowing your 'why' as a musician.

- The key challenges you face as an artist at the start of your career.

- New platforms which are great for helping you connect with your fans.

- How you can use that fan data.

- Why you want fans, not followers.

- Low hanging fruit - easy wins to help you take the next step.

- Some important music industry terms you may not be familiar with.

New episodes every Monday x

Something a bit different this week - no guest - so instead we dig into the new Spotify Loud & Clear Report - and try our best (pinky promise) to pull the data from it that is inspiring for you as a musician at the start of your career.

We get a bit number heavy on this one - but the good news is there are genuinely quite a few stats in here that are positive for you if you're dreaming of making a living from your music.

OUR IG - https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/

LOUD & CLEAR - https://loudandclear.byspotify.com/

Episode Features:

- How many artists on Spotify are making a living from their music?

- Some positive stats on the diversity of artists making a living from their music.

- How many artists are uploading to Spotify in 2025?

- Wtf was Snoop Dogg on about in that viral clip of getting basically no money from a song that has a billion streams?

- The differences in streaming revenue splits.

- How many songs are now in the million streams club?

New episodes every Monday x

Frontman of Nightly, songwriter for a bunch of your favs (like Kane Brown, Valley), and arguably most importantly - a very lovely human being who clearly loves making music.

Fresh from the launch of Nightly’s new album ‘Songs to Drive To’ - we chat w Jonny about how quickly industry peeps can change their opinion. Some beaut ways to nurture your fanbase. The importance of collaboration. And so much more, all with the goal of helping you as much as possible with your own musical goals and dreams.

Oh, and Sam tried his best to not be a massive fanboy too.

‘Tried’ being the key word there.

NIGHTLY IG - https://www.instagram.com/nightly/?hl=en

JONNY IG - https://www.instagram.com/jonathancapeci/

OUR IG - https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/

Episode Features:

- The three things Jonny wishes he could tell himself starting out.

- Why you gotta back yourself.

- A crazy story on how industry people can change their mind when they see success.

- How to nurture your fanbase / community.

- Collaboration and the benefits of it.

- Songwriting, for yourself, and for others.

- The magic of social media - and how a song can connect overnight.

New episodes every Monday x

Founder of Different Sauce - a company who basically specialise in helping musicians get their music in front of people. Not just PR. Influencers. Creators. And also the old-skool blogs etc. Working with artists like Milky Chance, Caribou, Gabrielle Aplin, LP Giobbi and more.

He's also a v talented musician himself (FNP) - an artist so talented - he actually had a massive Tik Tok moment himself. He just didn't find out til a year later. Oops.

AIDAN'S IG - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/fnp_aidan/⁠

DIFFERENT SAUCE - ⁠https://www.differentsauce.co.uk/⁠

OUR IG - ⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod ⁠⁠⁠

Episode Features:

- The top three things a musician can do to get your music in front of people in 2025.

- Are platforms like SubmitHub worth it in 2025.

- Why you should be taking inspo from artists that aren't mega-famous.

- You've got £500 - what do you do as a musician to get your music in front of as many people as poss.

- What blogs / similar are still relevant in 2025?

- If you're going to put the money into influencers - what do you need to be putting out yourself?

- Are there any non-cringe 'music influencers'?

- Influencer vs tastemaker?

- Why it might be worth 'paying for a blue tick' on Instagram?

- How Aidan's own tune ended up being used by Sony, Bolt, UGG and more.

- Make sure you have an artist account on Tik Tok.

New episodes every Monday x

19 Billion streams. Has written 3 Grammy winning songs (!!). Host of his own banging podcast (Songs You Know), where he talks to some of the greatest songwriters of all time.

A man behind songs pretty much everyone you've ever met will know (John Legend's 'All Of Me', Fergie's 'Big Girls Don't Cry).

This is a special episode. Toby shares all sorts of actionable tips on how you can stay inspired as a songwriter and get what you're feeling across. As well as sharing a bunch of stories about those iconic songs mentioned above.

TOBY IG - ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tobygadmusic/⁠⁠

TOBY'S POD - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/songsyouknowpodcast ⁠

OUR IG - ⁠www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod ⁠

Episode Features:

- Toby's top three tips for staying inspired as a songwriter.

- The importance of keeping a notebook with you at all times.

- And how that notepad could lead to songs like Fergie's 'Big Girls Don't Cry'.

- The importance of authenticity in songwriting.

- Why you have to ‘show up’ as much as possible.

- The role of social media. And why Toby thinks Tik Tok is an incredible opportunity.

- What does AI mean for songwriters in 2025.

New episodes every Monday x

VÉRITÉ is a badass independent artist who has racked up 350+ million streams, built an incredible community, plus hosts her own podcast w fellow artists (Anatomy of an Artist).

This show has it all. How to build community and a network as an artist. How to be strategic with which dayjob you get. Plus an unreal story of how one response out of 500+ reach outs led to a Hollywood movie-esque few months.

VÉRITÉ INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/verite

OUR IG - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode Features:

- How to build a network + community for your music when you don't know anybody.

- If you're gonna do a dayjob, could you do one which benefits your music career?

- And why community is so important.

- An absolutely unreal butterfly effect story.

- The story of 1000+ VÉRITÉ postcards.

- "The sea of chance and madness."

- Reaching out to 500+ blogs in one year. And how just one response changed everything.

- Why owning your masters is so important.

x

A human who boasts loads of impressive one liners, but here’s just two…

She’s been on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

She’s worked with David Guetta, Disciples, Cat Burns, Alfa Mist, James Vickery and more.

Defo fair to say that today’s guest - Nikki Camilleri knows what she’s talking about when it comes to working with musicians. And considering one of her main missions is to ‘advance sustainable careers in the music industry’ - she’s very aligned with what we want to help you with. Making a good living from your music.

So we basically interrogate Nikki for all the top tips to help you do just that. Soz Nikki. You’re welcome listener. x

NIKII INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/nikkicamilleri/

OUR IG - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/helpingmusicianspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode Features:

- Nikki’s top three tips to helping

- What does resilience mean as a musician in 2025?

- How do you build it as a musician?

- And how do you analyse your performance without getting too in your own head.

- How do you increase the chance of your music being discovered?

- How to build community and super fans.

- Are any of the paid for music discovery options (

- Creative marketing examples from musicians?

- Nikki’s favourite memories of her music career / journey.

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