Steel pannist and composer Jonathan Scales joined me to talk about his journey in the music world, playing at NPR Tiny Desk, record labels, streaming platforms, and much more.

Show Notes:

0:00 Playing at NPR Tiny Desk

01:36 The Steel Pan

03:24 Classically Trained in Music

06:55 Inspiration, Taste Of Success

09:07 Jonathan's Band

13:05 How to start a band

16:31 The business of a band

20:41 Booking your first venue

23:52 Day in the life of a tour manager

25:07 Revenue share within a band

29:27 Working for free

34:50 How does a record label work?

43:40 Is Spotify stealing from artists?

49:15 How Jonathan makes money

51:01 Reacting to success

53:53 Reacting to failure

57:42 One day at a time

Welcome to The Sagnik Show — where politics, media, and identity collide.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked across legacy and new media, from FOX to independent platforms alongside people like Tucker Carlson, Saagar Enjeti, and Krystal Ball.

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