Music Publishing Podcast

Composer Chris Cresswell and I have known each other for a couple of years, and we never fail to to have long, rambling, fun conversations. Today was no different in this trans-Atlantic chat about self-doubt, finding joy in composing, and mental health for artists. In this episode: Wearing many hats Finding joy in creating How practical considerations can inform your compositional practice Comparing yourself to other composers Cutting yourself some slack Creating a life that is healthy and sustainable, and also nourishes your art Success and mental health Feeding the whole person How Dennis and Chris try to cope Links: ChrissCresswellMusic.com Dale Trumbore's NewMusicBox articles Nico Muhly: Thoughts on Being Well Jackie Battenfield: The Artist's Guide

Third time's a charm! After a sudden scheduling conflict and a Google Hangouts technological nightmare, Jenn Jolley and I finally sat down to talk about her music, her blog, and the opera company that she helped to found. In this episode, we touched on: Rejection How processing our emotions is time invested in our art Using rejection to springboard into new projects Competitions and how they're run NANOWorks Building an organization that serves the wider community The difficulty of securing second and third performances The realities of running an ensemble or arts organization Taking stock of your situation and re-evaluating your goals When practical considerations inform your writing The need for more operatic roles for women Composer collectives Resource sharing Links: JenniferJolley.com WhyCompose.com NANOWorks Opera AJD•ective New Music

To kick off the Music Publishing Podcast, I sat down to chat with Alex Shapiro, a fantastic composer and friend who writes and speaks regularly about composers' career issues, and is a Writer Member of the ASCAP Board of Directors. Appropriately enough, we sat down on April 15 – usually tax day, except that we got a reprieve this year to procrastinate for a few more days. In our wide-ranging conversation, we talked about: Choosing your own path Redefining success The dissolution of the old composing camps The Magic Bakery The future of copyright in the digital age Self-worth and Self-deprecation Finding a balance in the kinds of work you do Encouraging students to find their own stylistic path The importance of kindness and generosity

So you're in the concert music world, and you're looking to improve your career. Maybe you're a composer who's heard a bit about self-publishing, but you're not totally sure what that fully means, or what you should be doing. Maybe you're a performer who'e pretty good at getting gigs, and you're starting to think about making a recording, but aren't sure of where to start. Or maybe you're thinking of starting your own concert series or putting together an ensemble or getting a little opera company off the ground, but feel daunted by the logistics of it. Enter the Music Publishing Podcast. In Ep. 0, meet composer, vocalist, and MPP host Dennis Tobenski, and learn what the show is about.