Episode 55

Greetings and welcome to another episode, thanks for swinging by!

For this podcast I wanted to take a look into something I think every musician and artist thinks about at one time or another.

What “success” looks like.

If you’ve ever stepped on a stage, written music, performed music or expressed yourself through music I’m sure you’ve thought about what success in music looks like for you.

Does it mean making millions of dollars? How about touring the world? Maybe being able to pick up a weekly gig somewhere in your hometown?

There are many ways to determine what success means and each person this is different. Why is this so important to determine what success looks like for you? That’s what I’m here to share with you.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Why it’s important to define what success means to you and how that can affect your motivation for creating your music.

2). Different types of “success” that can be motivations for us as artists and musicians and why you should decide which is right for you.

3). If we don’t ever feel like we are successful in music does that necessarily mean that we are failures? What things can mislead us into feeling unsuccessful?

4).The most important aspect about “success” no matter what professions or career path you’re on and why understanding that will keep you motivated forever.

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Thanks again for joining me on this episode. Pondering what success looks like and means to you as an artist is an important aspect of our creative lives. We take a lot of time out of our schedules to learn our craft and promote it.

Making sure you know the reasons why you do it and where it can take you provided you put your heart and soul into it is crucial to finding a meaningful creative life.

Til next time, peace n love!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 54

Greeting friends and thanks for swinging by this episode.

For this podcast, I wanted to dive into some things that may be holding us back from getting more done with our music.

There comes times in our music careers where we ask ourselves if we are making the kind of progress we had hoped for or are we where we want to be and if the answer is always “No” then it might help to think about ways we can take charge of our goals.

It’s not easy trying to create a path for ourselves in music and there are many distractions that can derail our efforts. Even when we think we have things under control.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Why it’s a good idea to occasionally take a step back and check your progress as an artist over a 6 month period and how it can help you to make improvements if you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere.

2). How not managing your time in an organized fashion can easily eat away at your aspirations as an artist and what you can concentrate on to get better at it.

3). Different distractions that can be getting in the way of you making music a priority and how to re-focus on your goals to minimize distractions.

4). Different reasons why you could be lacking in motivation to work on your music and the things you can remember if you find yourself with these feelings to help get you back on track.

5). Why envying others and wishing you were where they are can keep you from focusing on your own success. Also, what you can do to help tune everything else out so you can get back to focusing on your own career path.

6). Why installing productive habits in your regular schedule is the key to achieving more and keeping you motivated to hit your goals.

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Thanks again for joining me on this podcast. It’s not easy taking a look at ourselves and finding things that we can improve upon. But in order to create momentum and progress with our music, identifying things that could be holding us back can be a crucial step into finding ways to achieve more and feel better about who are as artists.

I hope you find this podcast useful today and that it helps inspire you to find things in your life and career that you can make changes too or improve upon.

There is no wrong way to self-improvement and self-reflection is a major part of that.

Til next time, Peace N love,

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

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www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 53

Hello and thank you for swinging by this week’s episode!

For this podcast I wanted to go in a different direction than my usual “schpiel”.

Today is all about getting you motivated:)

Motivated to do more for your music. In today’s music space there are many things we are responsible for outside of writing and playing music.

To really build a fan base and sink our teeth into building a following we need to take on the roles of social media marketer, graphic designer, videographer, email marketer, web designer, audio engineer and much more!

Whew!

It can feel overwhelming. But I am here to tell you that it is all possible and there are artists doing all of these things autonomously today.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). What it actually means when I say that we need to do “more” to be seen and heard as artists in today’s modern music landscape.

2). A quick back story into how I realized that becoming autonomous and learning new skills to promote my work through creating own content (video, audio, graphics etc) has made the biggest difference for me as an artist.

3). How we are now the “Learn & Do” generation with unlimited resources available to us to learn and figure out how to do just about anything and why that’s important for musicians.

4). Why defining your goals and where you want to be in a year will help get you started with building a plan to get more done for your music.

5). What it means to have an actual “audience” and how doing more around your music will help build up this layer of people who pay attention to you and your music.

6). Understanding that you won’t be good at creating content and marketing yourself to begin with but over time with continued work. you will get better and slowly find what works for you and your audience.

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Thank you again for checking out this week’s episode. I really hope you find what I talk about here not only useful but motivational.

The world is a DIY (Do It Yourself) place and that definitely includes musicians and artists. There is nothing stopping you from creating the reality you want to see with your music. It just takes patience, an open mind, and work.

Much like most things that are worth it.

Til next time, peace n love!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 52

Greeting friends and thank you for joining me on this week’s podcast!

In this day and age, it’s easier than ever to film and create your own music videos. It’s almost essential now that you have some sort of video representation of you and your music to be taken seriously as an artist.

The good news is that you don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars to create a great video. Most time you can get away with using your phone, some free video editing software and a little bit of know how to get you on the map.

But what else do you need to know to create great videos?

For this episode I’m diving into a few fundamentals you should know before you start filming. Whether you’re hiring someone to do it for you or you’re going at it yourself, there are a few things you want to consider before diving into being the next Steven Spielberg.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Why having some kind of video content to complement your music is almost essential for artists in the modern music industry and how it can legitimize your efforts.

2). Why video is important to artists and why you don’t have to invest a lot of money or shell out thousands of dollars to create your own videos.

3). The different kinds of videos you can create for your music and a few things you’ll want to think about in the planning stages.

4). Some of the basic components that you’ll need to create your videos including camera, cast, software, location etc.

5). Why using lighting reinforcement is an essential part in making your videos look professionally made and how it adds to the attractiveness of your videos.

6). Why creating your own videos not only gives you your own content but also teaches you the skills to keep creating them on your own terms without having to pay someone to do it for you. Autonomy is the key.

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Thanks again for joining me and checking out this episode. Video has fast become the number one consumed media on the internet and it’s easy to see why. It gets your message across quickly in a way that humans can easily understand and consume.

Being able to churn out your own videos regularly can give you a big advantage over someone who still hires out the work. As mentioned, you don’t have to go big with investing in video labor or gear. Some simple creativity, planning and organization will get you where you need to be.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast. Video has a secret spot in my heart when it comes to artists and musicians. Having a DIY mentality about your own videos is only the start and I hope you travel down this journey with an open mind.

Til next episode!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 51

Hello and thanks for swinging by this week’s podcast!

For this episode, I wanted to take a closer look at one of the most powerful tools we have available to us as artists. Facebook Ads.

Regardless of what traditional means we used to deploy to advertise our music, FB ads are the most powerful tool we have available to us to get our music heard by current or new fans.

But when should we use them?

Without having a solid game plan, it’s easy to throw away a lot of money with FB ads especially if you aren’t sure how or when to use them. There are a million resources online showing you how to set up and run FB ads but it can be overwhelming especially for musicians and artists.

Today I’m here to simplify and breakdown the best uses for your hard-earned money in regards to deploying FB ads.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Why Facebook ads is one of the most powerful ways to find new fans for artists but also why you should learn to deploy them properly to avoid wasting funds.

2). Why it’s important to your bottom line not to promote “everything” and why choosing the best content to run ads on is the way to go to get the best bang for your buck.

3). How deploying ads for an upcoming show/event or tour is a great way to get a lot of people through the door if they know who you are. Hyping events through FB advertising can pay off in the long run.

4). Using FB ads to promote your music releases and what types of ads work best to catch people’s attention.

5). Why using your budget to run ads that promote your merchandising is a great opportunity for return on investment.

6). The importance of identifying different audience types (“Cold” and “Warm” audiences) and why you don’t want to jumble everyone in together to the same ad. Deploying tailored ads to set groups of people can give you better results.

7). How finding your audience and deploying successful ads takes time. You may not have the best results right out of the gate but sticking with it is important to building your fan base in the long run.

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Thanks again for checking out this week’s podcast.

Facebook ads can be a great adversary for musicians but can also be a big waste of money if not utilized efficiently.

Ultimately it’s up to you to decide when and what to promote online and how you want to spend your hard earned dollars. Trying to build a music career and following can be challenging.

Make sure your Facebook promotional strategy best represents you, your content and your budget.

Til next time,

Peace N Love!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 50

Greetings and thank you for swinging by this week’s podcast!

For this episode, I wanted to dive into a few important things I’ve learned so far while recording my own album for the very first time.

I truly believe this is a common situation for most musicians these days as we are faced with limited budgets yet cheaper DIY recording equipment.

For me, I made it a goal of mine this year to finally take the step into DIY recording and record my own album with my band mate for our project.

We had both been in the studio many times before but those experiences have always been in professional recording studios with seasoned engineers and producers.

For our own project, decided to try and do things ourselves with just the knowledge, experience and equipment we already have.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Why I felt it was time to try recording an album by myself and why I consider it to be an attempt at an “official” release (hopefully).

2). Why going into a project like this with the will to learn and understand that making mistakes is important to becoming a more well-rounded musician.

3). Some of the more technical aspects of recording that I’ve learned about that I think all musicians should be aware of especially when entering the studio or recording yourself.

4). The importance of “learning how to learn” from the endless amounts of tutorials online and why I think that is the most important aspect of taking on a project like this or something similar.

5). Why not settling for the perfection you hear in your head compared to what you’re hearing through the speakers will make you a better engineer of your own music. Keep working at it and making improvements as you go.

6). How having realistic expectations about your skill level and experience going into recording shouldn’t deter you from trying it and learning more. Everyone starts somewhere and you get better by learning faster.

7). Why the most important aspect of recording your own music is that YOU are happy with it and proud of what you have accomplished.

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If you’re on the fence or have been thinking about finally recording your own music and releasing it then this podcast is for you. I’m here to say that you don’t have to be professionally trained to get started.

All you need is some decent affordable gear, patience and the will to learn. I’ve been learning a lot these past few weeks and wanted to share the most important aspects of DIY recording with you so that you can be better prepared when you’re ready to take on your own project.

I hope you find this episode valuable and helpful.

Til next time, Peace N Love!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 49

Hello and thank you for swinging by this week’s podcast!

This week, I wanted to dive into a topic that I think most musicians think about from time to time if not often.

What does it take to work full time as a musician?

There are many different variations of being a full time musician. You can be involved in touring, session work, fill – ins, weekly gigging, orchestras and musicals etc. The list is endless as to how you can make a living playing music.

However, in order to actually rely on your experience as an artist and musician there are some things that you’ll need to know before you take that big step.

Playing music for a living or full time can be very rewarding but at the same time, it can be quite risky, especially if you’re not prepared for the challenges that you’ll face.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). The many different definitions of what it is to be a “full timer” and how you can strategically position yourself to fill these many roles to maximize your earnings.

2). Why transitioning into a full-time musician doesn’t happen overnight and what things you will have to have in place long before you can quit that day job.

3). Why it’s important to have a deep library of songs that you can play in any scenario and how that will help you get more gigs and consistent work.

4). Why networking and connecting with as many people as possible is important to help keep your schedule filled with work and how it’s the lifeblood of any serious full-time musician.

5). The importance of managing your finances and preparing yourself to take in a musicians income to start off. Also being prepared for times when there is little work.

6). Why considering relocation or moving to a bigger city might be an option for you if the town or city you live in doesn’t have enough opportunities to work full time.

7). Why your main goal when building up a reputation as a full time musician is to be the “go to” person when someone needs to fill a spot for any playing or performing scenario.

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Thank you again for joining me on this episode. Playing music full time is a dream for a lot of musicians. Relying solely on our abilities to either perform or write music has always been a “mecca” for artists and tempts us at every step.

But knowing what you’re up against and the challenges that come with it is important as it can keep you from unrealistically chasing a dream that you may not be prepared for.

Being able to work towards a full time career without going bankrupt and putting you out on the street is a better goal to shoot for ahead of time and there are many ways you can achieve it.

I hope you find this week’s podcast valuable and as always, let me know what you think:)

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 48

For this episode I wanted to dive into whether or not learning cover songs specifically if you are in an original project is worth the time and effort?

Over the years I’ve heard many sides and opinions on whether playing cover songs (playing someone else’s song) is worth the time and energy AND if it really even matters?

There are many reasons why it could be a good idea to include a few covers in your set but you could also make the argument that you would rather focus on your music instead of showcasing someone else’s song.

It can be confusing whether or not to play cover songs in your set, especially if you’re just starting out. There’s also a lot of opinions on which cover songs should you play if you decided to include them in your set.

We’re taking a look at these issues and more:)

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). Some of the different variables outside of how you feel about playing cover songs that could affect your decision on adding them or not.

2). How the vast amount of cover songs performed on YouTube has changed the landscape and attitudes of what a cover song can do for an artist.

3). Some of the reasons against including them in your set especially when your main focus is getting your original music written and heard.

4). Also, some of the reasons why including some cover songs in your set could be a good idea and how it could help you pull an audience back in to focus on you.

5). If you decide to add covers to your set, when is the best time to include them? The beginning, middle or end? This can vary based on how you want to portray your art.

6). What makes a great choice for a cover song which is going to be unique to each artist and how you can make it more interesting to the listener so it sticks with them longer.

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Thanks for swinging by and listening to this episode. Deciding on whether to incorporate covers into your own set list can be frustrating especially when you are really trying to make a name for yourself and your own music.

Relying too heavily on covers could take away the spotlight from your own music, On the flip side if you find yourself having trouble with pulling people into your own music then a cover might help people get re-focused on what you’re doing.

There is no right or wrong answer here. Just what works best for you.

Til next time, peace n love!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 47

This week as I approach the one year anniversary of starting the Songwriter’s Planner – Podcast I wanted to take a moment and reflect on what I’ve learned from putting together this podcast week after week.

The initial idea for this podcast was to support the Songwriter’s Planner and provide helpful content to other artists and musicians out there who have the same questions I have.

The new music industry is a big place with a lot of new opportunities for artists to take advantage of to grow their fan base and get more people to listen to your music. But with this new amazing place comes a lot of questions.

My hopes were for this little podcast to help serve as another resource and tool to musicians and artists alike and help find ways to navigate the new music landscape.

It’s been quite a year and I’ve learned so much so this week I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). The original reason I decided to start a podcast and how it fits into supplementing the purpose for the Songwriter’s Planner.

2). How the landscape of the new music industry has changed and brought the focus back to the “Artist In Charge” mentality. And also why it means we have more responsibilities.

3). The various skills I’ve learned or have gotten better at putting together a podcast week after week and how that has helped me as a musician.

4). The most important lesson I’ve learned this past year as a podcaster and how it’s helped me stay on track consistently.

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Thanks again for swinging by this week’s podcast. I’ve had an amazing time putting together these episodes this past year and have learned more than I thought I would when first starting out.

Applying the same things I’ve learned here to your music ambitions can also help you make progress in such a short amount of time.

Whether it’s new music, starting a blog or vlog or even podcasting to supplement your art, there is always something new to learn that will only help you find more fans.

Til next episode!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.

Episode 46

Greetings and thanks for joining me on this podcast!

Being a musician and trying to get your music heard can sometimes be a frustrating road. There is a lot of competition out there and it seems like there are less and less venues to perform at and less people paying attention.

On top of that, music itself just isn’t selling anymore. All of which can lead to frustration. Sometimes it’s easy to catch ourselves taking it out on the one people we rely on to support us…

The fans.

“Support Local Music!”, “Don’t Steal Our Music”, “Support The Artist!”.

These are all battle cries of artists in a changing industry. But the reality is if we relay this message in the wrong way, we can slowly turn off the people who support us and make it easy for them to gravitate elsewhere.

In This Podcast You Will Learn:

1). How the current landscape of the music industry today (lack of sales etc.) can cause frustration for artists and cause us to lash out unknowingly towards innocent fan bases.

2). The kinds of messages we may be unknowingly broadcasting that can turn fans off to you as an artist. the kind of negative messaging we should avoid.

3). Why it’s still important to work on gaining new fans even if they never pay you a cent for your music and how you can leverage a growing “audience” online and at your shows to generate income down the road.

4). Why making your fans feel appreciated and attracting new ones with positive messaging will make the biggest difference between growing an attentive audience or alienating and struggling to find loyal fans.

5). A few tips on how you can build trust and gain relationships with your growing fan base and how to give them more than what they ask for even when they’ve given you no money. And that’s OK!

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Thanks again for joining me on this episode. As artists navigating our way through an evolving industry it can be very frustrating when things don’t seem to be working the way they used to.

However, the one thing we need to keep in mind is to not take it out on the fans. When one door seems to be closing, a new one always opens. And if you tell your story and bring your fans along with you, they’ll stick with you and feel appreciated.

I hope you found some insight in the episode, as always I’d love to hear your feedback as well.

Till the next episode!

Mike

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Questions, comments or concerns? I’d love to hear them!

Swing by and drop me a line at:

www.facebook.com/songwritersplanner

www.instagram.com/songwriters_planner

Get organized, accomplish your goals and stay inspired. Order your planner today.