YOU CAN Make a Living In The Music Industry Podcast

This week I am talking with my long time friend John Dougherty who is the director of Lifest Music Festival in Osh Kosh, WI and Nashville, TN. We are talking about his rise through the ranks from a stage hand to the man in charge of one of the largest Christian Music Festivals in the country.  Also, we are discussing the importance of being kind to festival workers when you are an artist performing at a festival and the steps you can take if you are interested in working at a festival.

PLUS: Lifest is back in business this summer after having to take 2020 off.  I will be performing, hosting a stage, interviewing artists and hosting a LIVE version of the podcast and you can be there! WI - July 8-11, 2021 and TN - July 29-31, 2021. you can get a $5 discount on Adult Full Event Tickets by using the coupon code: JMK at checkout. Go to www.lifest.com for details. I hope to see you there and meet you in person!

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*Being the director of Lifest Music Festival, one of the largest Christian music festivals in the country.

This week I am talking with composer Catherine Joy.  Catherine is the founder and CEO of Joy Music House, which is a full service score production company in L.A.. She is also the Vice President for the Alliance for Women Film Composers. Her music has been featured on projects for Netflix, Amazon and HBO to name a few.  Today we are talking about the importance of having a mentor when starting your career, the difference between, composing, arranging and orchestrating a project and the importance of how you represent yourself when connecting with clients and other composers you want to work with.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*Networking with composers.

With a passion for music and collaboration, Catherine Joy is a composer for film, media and live performance. She won Best Documentary Score for the uplifting feature documentary Gold Balls. She recently scored the multi-award winning documentary The Augmentation of Douglas Engelbart (now streaming on Amazon Prime), the supernatural thriller The Parish and documentary Naughty Books which features narration by Aisha Tyler and Allison Tolman and premieres at Cinequest Film festival, March 2020. 

Catherine is the founder and CEO of Joy Music House, a full service score production company. She is also the Vice President for the Alliance for Women Film Composers.

Catherine has scored a number of series, starting with Capitol Hill which began on youtube and is now televised throughout Canada and Europe. More recently she scored the sci-fi dramady Abby and Tabby Alone in the Desert (now streaming on Seed and Spark) the documentary series Women of the Island, and No Matter What, which released on youtube September 2019. She contributed additional arrangements on the Emmy-award-winning Netflix doc series Wild Wild Country. Most recently Catherine worked on the History Channel 3 night miniseries event WASHINGTON, premiering Feb 16, 2020. Catherine also lead Joy Music House team in score producing Homecoming Season 2. 

Catherine is currently scoring the video games The Endless Mission and Beyond Blue. She is also working on a Ballet in collaboration with choreographer Rival Tribe which will premiere end of 2020.

Catherine & Joy Music House worked on notable feature projects. Catherine score supervised and orchestrated on Minari which one the Grand Jury and Audience award at Sundance 2020 along with the emmy-nominated scores RBG and Love, Gilda. She also score supervised the HBO documentary At The Heart of Gold and the feature Son of The South executive produced by Spike Lee and directed by his long-time editor Barry Alexander Brown. Catherine was also the orchestrator on the animated series High Guardian Spice, set for release in 2020. 

She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts. She then completed her Masters of Music from Boston University and also went through the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring program in 2011.Catherine is from Tasmania, Australia. She moved to the United States in 1998 to pursue a career in music and plays many instruments including violin, piano, and guitar.

This week I am talking with my friend Steven Scharf from Rhode Island. His company, Steven Scharf Entertainment, works with independent artists and producers to get their music licensed in tv and film projects. Steven also served as Senior V.P. Creative for the publishing company Carlin America,  and oversaw the licensing of songwriters and artists like AC/DC, The Turtles and James Brown. Plus, he has worked in the studio with The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Lynyrd Skynyrd and you are going to hear some amazing stories of how he was able to step into that world in the first place.  We are discussing the importance of networking, having a special “voice” in your writing and making sure you know who the people are that you are trying to reach out to and what their companies are all about before contacting them.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*Getting to watch legendary rock & roll and R&B studio sessions recorded live.

Steven Scharf Entertainment was formed in 1991 to manage and develop the careers of independent record producers and recording artists. At that time, Steven aligned himself in a joint partnership with Freddy and Caroline Bienstock of Carlin America, Inc. - one of the most prestigious independent music publishers in the world. Today, Steven Scharf currently serves as Senior V.P. Creative for Carlin America, and oversees the licensing of well established songwriters and artists such as AC/DC, Jim Steinman (Meat Loaf), The Lovin' Spoonful, The Turtles, James Brown, Bobby Darin, and Billie Holiday.

This week I am talking with hit songwriter, composer and producer Alex Geringas from the company Rare Behavior. His songs have been recorded by Snoop Dogg, Jessie J and Cher to name a few and his music is used in multiple movies including Pitch Perfect 3 and The Lego Ninjago Movie and the tv shows Beat Shazam and Trollstopia. We are talking about what it’s like to produce major artists who are recording your songs, the differences in scoring music for film vs. tv and the reality of professionals having to prove themselves with every new project even when you have a list of successes in the business.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*Composing for tv shows and movies.

BIO:

Multi-award-winning Songwriter / Composer Alex Geringas has garnered international acclaim for both his songs and scores.  His music has earned him awards and recognition on several continents including a Grammy award, BMI Awards,Emmy and Annie nominations for his Scores and two Echo awards (the German equivalent to a Grammy). In 2019 Alex was nominated to be a Judge at the Annie Awards.

This week I am talking with Daryl Berg who is the music supervisor for Crown Media which owns The Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.  He has also worked with Fremantle Media as head of music and worked on various game shows. We are talking about the kind of music Hallmark is looking for and the kind of music composers need to create if they want to get into game show music. Plus, the importance of knowing who your audience is when creating music for tv.

Show Notes: 

In this episode we talk about:

*Doing music supervision for Crown Media: The Hallmark Channel, etc.

BIO:

Daryl Berg currently is the Vice President, Music Strategies and Licensing for Crown Media; parent company of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries where he overseas all music strategy and supervision.  Prior to that he re-launched Sound Canyon in Fall of 2015 after serving as Vice President, Head of Music for FremantleMedia North America, where he handled music supervision and licensing, oversaw and grew their publishing assets, and worked with both television and digital departments on the developmental sides. Prior to that he served as Vice President of Music for Shine America from 2011 to 2013, where he was responsible for Shine America's music strategy, expanding the company's music portfolio, helping to develop music-based productions and building licensing properties across scripted, unscripted and digital productions.

Prior to joining Shine America, Berg served as Director of Music for FUEL TV, where he spearheaded the overall music strategy for the network. His responsibilities at FUEL ranged from music supervision to licensing and booking bands to overseeing the network's music marketing campaigns.

Before FUEL TV, Berg was Director, Business Development for EMI Music, developing business opportunities for the company and creating new media licensing proposals, including digital music subscriptions, internet radio, online video and set-top box content deals. Previously, Berg co-created Crusty Old Timer, Inc., a music supervision and placement company based in Los Angeles. He also formerly served as founder/Vice President, Strategic Planning for The Orchard, an independent music and video distribution company.  He’s a graduate of University at Albany and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and lives in Los Angeles with his wife Nina and their daughter Lennox.

This week I’m talking with Glory Reinstein who is the owner of the sync licensing agency Song and Film which I am honored to work with.  We are talking about the day to day aspects of running a sync licensing agency, what to know when starting your own sync agency and the importance of the music needing to enhance, not distract from the story.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*Being the owner of Song and Film sync licensing Agency.


*You need great production.

*Building trust with supervisors.

BIO

Glory Reinstein received her B.S. in Music Education at the University of Vermont and her M.S. at Central Connecticut State University. She taught music at the high school level in three different high schools over the course of 38 years. While teaching, she was a guest conductor for a few high school music festivals and served as President for one term for the Vermont Chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association as well as President for one term for the Vermont chapter of the Music Educators Association. Ms. Reinstein garnered four awards during her teaching career including Vermont Music Educator of the Year. 

This week I’m talking with my good friend Christian Sancho. Christian is a professional touring bass player who is currently working with country artist Ashley McBryde. We are discussing the dos and dont's when auditioning to be in a band for a major label artist plus, the differences in playing small venues vs. large arenas and late night talk shows.

Christian Sancho is a professional touring bass player. Originally from Milwaukee WI, Christian has worked with country acts such as Hailey Whitters, Maddie and Tae and Ashley McBryde. He grew up playing in church and came to Nashville to study at Belmont University. He has toured ever since with cover bands as well as working with various churches until 2017 when he started touring with country artist Ashley McBryde full time. 

This week I am talking with digital strategist Michael Sloane who works musicians, management, labels, and entertainment brands, building successful and profitable relationships. His company Streaming Promotions helps grow audiences for artists on Streaming playlists. We are talking about how to connect with streaming services and get your music in front of the people who can get you in front of an expanding audience. And we talk about coming up with a strategy to reach your audience and demographic.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected]. 

In this episode we talk about:

*Streaming Promotions which helps grow audiences for artists on Streaming playlists.

BIO:

Michael Sloane is an executive leader and digital strategist with a proven ability to develop and increase revenues while building a loyal consumer base in the ever-changing digital space. 

This week I am talking with my friend Kristina Benson of the sync licensing agency Sweet On Top who I have the privilege of writing for. We are talking about what she does as a sync agent, what it takes to start your own sync agency and making sure you understand how the business works before you reach out to get an agent.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected].

In this episode we talk about:

*The Four word secret to the music industry.

BIO:

This week I’m talking with banjo picker extraordinare Matt Menefee who has worked with Ricky Skaggs, Mumford and Sons and Bruce Hornsby as well as other artists from all genres of music.  We discuss the importance of being around the people you want to work with and making your presence known. Plus, how the internet can be your best tool as an indie artist or musician.

Show Notes:

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at [email protected]. 

In this episode we talk about:

*Working with Ricky Skaggs, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Meatloaf, Big and Rich,  Bruce Hornsby, Mumford and Sons, Steven Curtis Chapman and more.

BIO:

TheBanjoPlayer’s name might be simple but the music of the man that wears the moniker is anything but. Rare is the musician that possesses such a strange ability to blend and intersect the complicated nuances of the head with the passionate sways of the heart. And somehow incorporate them with subtlety and power. Transforming an age old instrument into something more like a five string version of Doc Brown’s time-traveling Delorean. Seamlessly dancing back and forth between traditional sounds and future-seeking modern motifs. Lauded by Grammy award-winning banjo player Winston Marshall of Mumford and Sons as his ‘‘biggest inspiration on the banjo'“, MATT’s other-worldly banjo playing has received praise from all corners of the musical universe. 

His unique approach to the 5-string has led him to record and perform with such luminaries as Béla Fleck, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, and Mumford And Sons; just to name a few.  

First introduced to the banjo through his grandpas love for bluegrass music, Matt connected quickly with the instrument. And at 17 his coming out party included winning the prestigious Winfield National Banjo Championship. From there he co-founded two  critically acclaimed bluegrass-acoustic super groups Cadillac Sky and Chess Boxer and circled the planet with his banjo in hand.  Around the same time that Matt was studying the works of Earl Scruggs and Béla Fleck, Matt was also falling in love with the music in video games. Before long Shuckin’ the Corn was cross breeding with Sonic the Hedgehog and in 2018 he decided to combine his most powerful musical influences - video game music and bluegrass - and recorded a record under the name The Hit Points of which Higher Plain Music called The Hit Points debut the ‘Biggest surprise of 2018 to date’ and Gamasutra recognized that The Hit Points gave listeners ‘the album they never knew they needed’.  As FiveSpeedbanjo.com put it, ‘Clark Kent climbs into a phone booth and transforms into The Man of Steel, Matt Menefee climbs into a banjo case and becomes MATT, TheBanjoPlayer.’  Whether it’s carving out sonic spaces within genres as diverse as hip hop, rock, EDM, Jazz, or classical music, or colluding with former C-Sky bandmate Bryan Simpson to create the Alt-bluegrass sounds of The Golden Age or continuing to integrate the compositions of video games with the sounds of bluegrass, MATT, TheBanjoPlayer is just beginning to come into his own. Whether it’s as MATT, TheBanjoPlayer or MATT, TheBanjoPlayer Plays Video Games he is changing the colors and sounds that have for so long ear-marked the banjo. Be on the lookout for MATT, TheBanjoPlayer.

Matt is technically one of the best musicians I have ever worked with. Yes, he is very gifted, but also he works non-stop at his craft. - John Cowan, founding member of New Grass Revival