

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. I find they make a great soundtrack to working, cooking, cleaning – you name it. There’s always opportunity and time to be learning, and if we can be entertained while doing it, then even better!

I wanted to share some of my favourite music industry related podcasts with you in the hope that you’ll find some that you like, and hopefully pick up some great tips along the way.

The Rockstar Branding Podcast The Rockstar Branding Podcast is one of the first music marketing podcasts that I listened to. Headed up by Brian Thompson, Michael Brandvold and Greg Kihn. The podcast’s tagline is “turn your band into a world famous brand” and each show is packed full of debate, advice and insight that is incredibly valuable. The guys cover a wide range of subjects, all with the goal of building your audience and turning this audience into lifelong fans. Topics that have been covered so far include getting fans at your shows to like your Facebook page, branding essentials for musicians, and giving your fans something to love about you. In my opinion, this is one of the must-listen-to podcasts in the independent music industry.

DIY Music Movement Australian musician Joshua Liston hosts the DIY Music Movement podcast where he shares his insight and experience of the music industry as an independent DIY musician. Joshua’s passion for the industry and desire to help others really shines through, and his show is well worth subscribing to. From time to time he features others involved in the industry to provide further insight into specific areas of the business.

CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast The CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast is another one of my favourites. It features interviews with promoters, lawyers, publishers, bookers and artists, and really goes in depth to discuss what can be a tough industry to navigate. Kevin, Chris and Bolton do a great job at educating and encouraging artists, highlighting tips, mistakes and success stories in the independent music scene.

Mad Music Marketing Minutes The energetic Billy Grisack hosts the Mad Music Marketing Minutes podcast (which I was a guest on back in January 2014, by the way!) which covers all topics relating to marketing your music. Billy’s guests have included some big names within the independent music scene, including Rick Barker, David Hooper, Madalyn Sklar and Tom Jackson. Billy’s enthusiasm is unrivalled, and his podcast will definitely help to get you motivated and moving!

The Creative Entrepreneur Bob Baker hosts this fantastic series of inspiring interviews with creative entrepreneurs. While not every interviewee is music-related, there are many valuable lessons and insights that can be taken from each interview. If you want to make a living from your music, art or any other creative endeavour, then The Creative Entrepreneur is well worth your time.

Off The Record Off The Record is a relatively new podcast (at time of writing) which discusses what’s going on in the music industry, with a leaning towards the punk genre. So far they’ve covered subjects like what to do if your album leaks, whether you need a college education to work in the music industry, and the impact of streaming. Hosted by Jesse Cannon (producer, music blogger, author, teacher) and Zack Zarrillo (artist manager, music blogger and label owner), Off The Record is one of my new favourites.

MusicBizCast MusicBizCast is another new podcast on the scene, but is a very welcome addition. Hosted by Kelly Castor, this show features interviews with successful names in the music business with the aim of helping artists, promoters, and others involved in the industry to reach their full potential and achieve success.

Musicians Unleashed Musicians Unleashed is hosted by Faye Nicolette (ExtremeLiveMusic.com) and Tony Rockliff (Indietrak), and features interviews with musicians and other music industry professionals. Faye and Tony’s shows share insights and resources that will help their listeners understand the risks of working in the music industry, while working toward building stable, profitable careers.

Music Marketing Monday If you need a dose of “audio caffeine” to kick start your week, then make sure you subscribe to Music Marketing Monday for your fix. This weekly show is hosted by Bob Baker and Billy Grisack, and is packed full of useful tips to help you have a successful career in the music business. Between them, Bob and Billy have over 30 years in the business and they have a lot of advice to share – and are very generous with it. Expect humour, lots of useful tips and the odd bit of homework to really get you thinking. Great show!

Work Hard. Rock Harder. The Work Hard. Rock Harder. podcast originally started out as a collaboration between Chris Seth Jackson (How To Run a Band) and Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne, Mercenary Management), but is now primarily interviews with musicians who are making a full time living from their music. The show wants to find out what really makes or breaks a band, and to debunk the myths around being a rockstar and get into the reality of how things are really done. If you want to hear from real artists who are getting it right, then this is the podcast for you!

Music Marketing Manifesto If you want to know more about selling your music online, then John Oszajca is the guy to listen to. Music Marketing Manifesto is all about making more money with your music, with subjects covered including crowdfunding, house concerts and the habits of successful independent musicians. John is living proof that there is money to be made in the independent music business, and that you can learn how to do it.

War Stories From The Music Front Ho sted by Michael Brandvold and Loren Weisman, War Stories From The Music Front is available on YouTube and iTunes, featuring debates about all aspects of the music industry. Michael and Loren have covered topics including real record labels vs fake record labels, the importance of band contract agreements and long term planning. They talk about real life scenarios with the aim of helping others to avoid mistakes that have been made before. These guys really know their stuff, and they have plenty of experience and advice that everyone in the music business can learn from. Highly recommended.

The Music Biz Weekly Hosted by Michael Brandvold and Brian Thompson. The Music Biz Weekly is a weekly podcast where Michael and Brian discuss what’s been happening in the music business, the latest music marketing events and ever evolving techniques. Stay up to date with the business and online music marketing with this podcast – it’s another must-have in your collection.

Walking The Dog Walking The Dog features Solveig Whittle’s insightful thoughts and opinions on the music business, social media and music marketing. Solveig is a musician, marketer and lecturer, and as well as being thought-provoking and useful, I find her podcasts to be very soothing and serene. Maybe it’s the birds, maybe it’s her calming tone – it’s hard to explain, but I’m sure you’ll understand when you hear them!

…and lastly, here are a few other shows that aren’t music marketing or business focused, but that I listen to and recommend:

The Circus Life Justin Trawick and Sean Russell host this music and comedy podcast out of Cue Recording Studios in DC. They have live music every week and while they don’t discuss music marketing as such, both Justin and Sean are involved in the music business (a singer/songwriter, and producer, respectively). The show never fails to make me laugh, and I have found a lot of artists whose music I have gone on to purchase and listen to via The Circus Life.

Podcart Podcart is a Scottish based music and comedy website featuring weekly podcasts showcasing the best in grassroots and unsigned artists from Scotland and around the world. They believe artists deserve a platform to showcase their work, and I am in 100% agreement!

Who have i missed?

With so many podcasts out there, and new ones popping up all the time, I’d love to know which are your favourites and if there are any big ones that I’ve missed. Share them in the comments below!