If you recognise the name “Steven Melin” it could be from one of many different places! Steven is primarily a video game composer - and in the show you’ll hear us chat about niching down into specific topics like he’s done - but he’s also an author, online instructor, YouTuber, Podcaster… …you name it, he’s done it! One of the really wonderful things about Steven is that through all of his musical projects he’s always maintained a “Family First” focus - which is the title of his bestselling book, Family-First Composer. His approach to everything he does has been to support his life as a father, foster parent, and husband. I’ve followed Steven for a while and one of the things that I’ve been fascinated by, and the reason I wanted to get him on the show, is his approach to business and marketing as a composer. You might have heard me talk in the past about all the the marketing books and strategies I’ve studied to help me build soundtrack.academy - and I’m always wondering how those books can be applied to composition. Well, Steven has dived head first into implementing and experimenting with a lot of these strategies - many of which I’d just assumed wouldn’t really work in the composing world. So if you’re looking for some new strategies to market yourself as a composer, then this episode is a must-listen for you! Here’s three things you’ll learn: Exactly how Steven has built a team of music assistants, and why that’s essential for growth as a composer Why starting fast and changing slowly can help you build a pyramid of skills that support your main goal How you can increase your income by five-hundred percent without ever having to ask “what’s your budget?” again! If you enjoy listening to the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you left a review to help more people find out about it. I’ll even give you a shoutout in the next episode! And to learn more about Steven and how to become a video game composer, check out Steven’s website, and his (super resourceful) YouTube channel. Start with his “10 Steps To Become A Game Composer” video to see what he’s all about. You can also get his Family-First Composer book on Amazon (UK / US).