Break The Business Podcast

Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, we discuss Ryan's recent Hypebot book excerpt about the nastiness of record deal recoupment. In a nutshell, most record contracts involve artists having to pay back the money a label spends on making (and often promoting) the artist's album entirely out of the artist's royalties. Record deals are not investments by labels. They are loans, and artists are the unwitting debtors.In the second segment, musician and marketing expert Steve Palfreyman stops by to give tips on executing an effective music launch. He also gives information about his Music Launch Summit, a free platform with over 40 master classes from industry experts. It is available now and will be up until October 4th. Check it out at musiclaunchsummit.com and find out more about Steve's work by visiting stevepalfreyman.comIn the final segment, Ryan and Dave talk about Dave's cool metal vest, a sleep-away camp for adults devoted entirely to pizza, and an Ontario teacher who has been disciplined for allege

Hi Podcast listeners! Thanks for downloading!In our first segment, Ryan talks to Dave about his new golden retriever puppy Molly. R & D also discuss a recent article by former Podcast guest Kosha Dillz that appeared in Hypebot about the promotional value artists can gain by appearing on podcasts. In many ways, appearing on podcasts can give an artist more promotional juice than being featured in a blog. Podcasts allow potential fans to get to know more of your story, and the podcasting audience tends to be more devoted to the media they are consuming. In the end, making podcasts a part of your promotional strategy can lead to increased fan engagement. In the second segment, musician and music entrepreneur Cheryl B. Engelhardt stops by. Cheryl talks to Ryan about her platform "In The Key of Success," which provides courses, guides, and other resources for DIY artists. She also provides valuable advice in how to overcome "plateaus" in one's career and push forward to success. You can find out more about Che

Hi Podcast Listeners! Contest Note: thecelebritycafe.com is hosting a contest where you can win a free copy of Ryan's Break the Business Book. Go check it out!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about comedian Mike Birbiglia's NY Times Article "6 Tips for Making it Small in Hollywood. Or Anywhere." Even though Birbiglia's article mainly focuses on achieving success in comedy and writing, his lessons are also important ones for independent artists to hear. In the second segment, musician and industry expert Dave Cool drops by. Dave is the Director of Artist and Industry Outreach at Bandzoogle, a platform that allows artists to create a website and manage their content and merchandise. Ryan talks to Dave about building websites and also talks to him about his e-book "23 Ways Musicians Can Make Money." In the interview, Dave talks about the wide variety of (often unknown) revenue streams that indie artists have available to them to effectively monetize their career. Check out more of Dave Cool's work by vis

Hi Podcast listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about the passing of fraudster and music producer Lou Pearlman. Pearlman passed away in mid-August while serving time in prison for orchestrating a $300 million ponzi scheme. Among the way, Pearlman went on to create, and subsequently allegedly defraud, a number of boy bands, including the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. Ryan discusses Pearlman's acts of exploitation in the music industry and talks about how his actions serve as a warning to all musicians to be careful when deciding with whom you do business. Remember: If someone comes along and promises to make you famous, be wary.In the second segment, celebrated author and music industry veteran Bobby Owsinski stops by. Owsinski talks to Ryan about his books, blogs, and podcasts, and also gives the listeners a lot of great advice on how to move your career forward as a DIY artist. You can find out more about his many projects and learn more from his expertise by visiting bobbyowsinski.com. In the f

Hi Podcast Listeners! The Break the Business Podcast is celebrating its 50th episode, and we have a terrific show for you to enjoy. This week, we have great music industry advice, comedy sketches, and some former guests stop by to congratulate Ryan and Dave on the Big 5-0. In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent David Byrne article in the New York Times about music streaming and who's to blame for artists making little money off of platforms like Spotify. While it is easy to blame the streaming companies, perhaps the blame might lie with major labels who are using mysterious deals to siphon money away from signed and unsigned artists alike. In the second segment, indie folk artist Danielle Ate The Sandwich stops by. We talk with her about her awesome stage name, her experience composing a film soundtrack, and her Kickstarter campaign for her latest album "The Terrible Dinner Guest," which is coming out next month. We premiere a track off her new album on the Podcast! Visit https://www.kickstart

Hi Podcast listeners! In the first segment, Ryan discusses his article that came out in Hypebot this past week: "The Kesha-Dr. Luke Lawsuit Exemplifies Everything That is Wrong With the Music Industry." The article talks about exclusive recording agreements and how such agreements contributed to the toxic relationship of Kesha and Luke--as well as to the culture of abuse in the music industry as a whole.In the second segment, musician and entrepreneur Jack Conte stops by. Ryan talks to Jack about his work as one half of the music duo Pomplamoose as well as his role as the co-founder and CEO of the crowdfunding platform Patreon. Jack discusses the role he thinks Patreon will play in the future of independent music and also gives some tips on how to succeed on the platform. You can find out more about Jack's work by visiting pomplamoose.com and patreon.com.In the final segment, hiphop emcee Kosha Dillz joins the show. Earlier this month, Kosha's latest album "What I Do All Day and Pickle" hit six different Bill

Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading this week!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about Ryan's vacation in the North Carolina mountains. They also discuss Kesha's recent decision to drop her lawsuit against Dr. Luke and the lessons that all indie artists can learn from this harrowing story. Ryan and Dave close the segment by discussing recent articles about projects artists should work on before the end of the summer, and effective crowdfunding.In the next segment, Dave reviews "Suicide Squad" and discusses DC's lack of success in filmmaking compared to Marvel. R & D then discuss other pop culture news, including the new "Gilmore Girls" series and "Stranger Things."Thank you all very much for listening. Rate/review/subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud. Like Break the Business on Facebook. Follow Ryan @ryankair and Dave @metaldave85. And tell a friend about the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi Podcast listeners! It's the Dave Show!Ryan is out of town this week, so it falls to the great and powerful Dave to helm the show this week. Were you aware that red light cameras stink? Because they do. Also, Brandy has filed suit against her label in yet another example of an artist wanting to do the work of making an album, but the label not cooperating and creating a limbo for the artist.We talk to Darryl Neudorf about his new initiative, POLR (Path of Least Resistance). It’s all about creating a subscription based streaming service that is unowned and unownable. The artists are able to upload their works to a cloud based database and the subscribers have access to the complete database. And the best part is, no labels or middle men getting in the way and taking money off the top. All funds go to the artists. It’s a wonderful concept on moving streaming to the truly independent realm. You can learn more at thepolr.org and darrylneudorf.com.Then I (that’s right, I’m writing this blurb, not Ryan) talk abou

Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about publishing administrators and the services they provide for artists. If you are an independent artist, having a publishing administrator is crucial. They make sure you get all the money to which you are entitled for the songs you write. Find out why you need one and how to pick the right one for you by listening here.In the second segment, Julia Pernicone from the publishing administration company SongTrust stops by. Julia is SongTrust's Publishing Operations Coordinator and is also a singer, songwriter, and artist manager. Julia provides further explanation on what a publishing administrator can do for artists and also gives great advice on how to find synch opportunities for your music. She is super knowledgeable and is a great interview You can follow her on Twitter at @heyimjulia, and you can find out more about SongTrust and SongTrust's education programs for artists by visiting www.songtrust.comIn the final segme

Hi Podcast Listeners!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss The DIY Musician's Blog indie musician checklist, a list of foundational tasks that any successful indie artist-entrepreneur must complete. Ryan then adds a couple extra items of his own that are also important. If you can get everything done on this list, you will be in good shape to move your career forward.In the second segment, indie artist Jaymay stops by. Jaymay is a marvelous singer-songwriter who has performed on Late Night and whose songs have appeared on How I Met Your Mother. Jaymay talks to Ryan and Dave about her monster PledgeMusic campaign and her decision to release her PledgeMusic album "To Tell the Truth" in vinyl. Her story is an inspiring one and the adversity she has overcome to achieve what she has makes this interview one you do not want to miss. You can check out her PM campaign by visiting pledgemusic.com/jaymaymusic.In the final segment, Ryan and Dave cut loose with a couple fun game shows. Along the way, we learn the s

Hi Podcast listeners! Here is a special bonus episode of Ryan's speech at his author event for his book "Break the Business: Declaring Your Independence and Achieving True Success in the Music Industry." The event took place at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. In his speech, Ryan discusses the main themes of the book, including the problems with record deals; the resources artists can use to create, promote, distribute, and fund music on their own; and several guiding principles that indie artists can use to foster their career success. Ryan also takes questions from the audience. To help articulate his points along the way, he discusses the success stories of many indie artists, including Amanda Palmer, Ali Spagnola, Meri Amber, JP Kallio, Jonathann Mann, Jaymay, and more. Thanks to everyone for supporting the book! You can get a copy on Amazon or by visiting www.breakthebusiness.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading this week. Our love for you knows no bounds.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss Ryan's book launch event that happened this week at Books & Books and also talk about the recent findings from Research and Markets' Global Music Market Report. There is good news in that report for musicians everywhere, particularly for indie artists who are willing to hustle to make their careers a success.in the second segment, indie artist Omar Velasco stops by to discuss his latest album. Omar has been the guitarist for A Fine Frenzy but is now moving into solo work. For any artists out there who currently collaborate with others but are interested in doing some work on their own, Omar's insight will be valuable in helping you make that transition. In the final segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent Pokemon Go phenomenon and they play a round of "Dave's As Yet Untitled Game Show". Basically, Dave knows that Ryan had a good week with his author event and wants to dest

Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent petition from over 180 superstar musicians and top music companies to have Congress get rid of the safe harbors under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It is a complicated area of law, but it is one about which indie artists MUST be informed. The safe harbor provisions, though certainly not perfect, attempt to strike a fair balance between the rights of copyright holders and the practical reality that platforms like YouTube cannot possibly police every single video that is uploaded to its site for copyright infringement. The safe harbors only make these platforms liable for infringement if they are notified by the copyright owner (it is a little more complicated than that, but that explanation will do for now). Without the safe harbors, platforms like YouTube would cease to exist. And that would spell doom for independent artists who depend on these platforms to distribute their content to the world. Download this episode and fin

Hi Podcast Listeners! Our interview with Star Trek Axanar fan film director Robert Meyer Burnett this week was really awesome. However, he also gave us a lot of great information and we did not have enough time in the episode to fit it all in. As a result, his interview in the episode is heavily edited. But since he was so great on the show, we are releasing the full, unedited version of the interview here as a separate download. If you are a Star Trek fan, you will really enjoy his insight. His comments on the recent #trekfanfilmguidelines are definitely worth a listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent Stairway to Heaven copyright ruling and its effect on indie artists. The legal landscape is changing, and getting more confusing. Download this episode and get informed. In the second segment, indie singer-songwriter Bryan Frates drops by to talk about making website intro videos and innovative CD release strategies. In the final segment, Ryan and Dave get talk about the recent (and ridiculous) Star Trek Fan Film Guidelines created by CBS and Paramount with Star Trek Axanar director Robert Meyer Burnett. It is a really cool conversation with a very trek-knowledgeable individual. He was a great sport and a great interview and we had a really fun time with him.Thank you all very much for listening. Rate/review/subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud. Like Break the Business on Facebook. Follow Ryan @ryankair and Dave @metaldave85. And tell a friend about the show! Find out more about Ryan's book at www.breakthebusiness.com an

Hi Podcast Listeners! If you are in the South Florida area on July 7, Books & Books in Coral Gables is going to have an author event for Ryan's Break the Business book. It will be a great chance for you to meet Ryan and Dave and find out more about the book. We'd love to see you there! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the new Open Music Initiative being created by Berklee and MIT. It's goal: to create an IMDB-type database for every piece of music so that all content creators can be efficiently identified and fairly compensated for the royalties they deserve. If done correctly, the OMI could help level the playing field for indie artists and lead to significant shifts in the music industry. But there are problems with creating such a platform. First, it will be very hard to do. Many have tried and many have failed. Second, there is a danger of this platform falling into the wrong hands and becoming a tool to help music's one percent gain even more power. How do you help bring about the best pos

Hi Podcast Listeners!In the first segment, Ryan talks about recent rumors that Apple might be shuttering its iTunes download store in the next couple years. What does this mean for indie artists? How would a shift away from music downloading change the way that DIY musicians market their music recordings? Will music recordings cease to be a significant revenue stream for artists at all? What opportunities will come about from such a shift?In the second segment, Miami-based indie folk artist Keith Johns joins Ryan in the studio. Keith discusses his transition from physicist to musician and how he has been able to move his career forward in a secondary music market. If you are a musician trying to make it in a city that is not one of the major music centers, Keith's words would be useful for you to hear. You can check out Keith's awesome music (and get the scoop on his new album coming out in October) by visiting www.keithjohns.co. In the final segment, Ryan brings in his friends Evan and Elisa from the HoneyPl

Hi Podcast Listeners! In our first segment, Hollywood Reporter Senior Editor Eriq Gardner joins Ryan and Dave to discuss the ongoing litigation involving American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and his management company 19 Entertainment. The case serves as a prime example of the difficulties that artists can endure when trying to advocate for their rights against big entertainment companies.In the second segment, country pop artist Megan Golden joins the podcast. Megan is an indie artist and a college student at Belmont University. She gives a lot of great tips about balancing a music career with college studies and on creating an effective and engaging PledgeMusic campaign. You can support Megan's crowdfunding campaign for her new EP by visiting pledgemusic.com/megangolden. You can also visit http://thechristopprogram.com/woba-awards-2016.html to vote for her for Best Artist at the WOBA Awards.In the "D Block" segment. Ryan talks about his crazy adventure buying a new car and wonders why car dealers still try

Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for joining us this week.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about indie music star Kina Grannis' harrowing story touring in Indonesia and the lessons that all artists can learn from her misadventure. You can find out more about Kina's story by visiting www.kinagrannis.com (and get some of her music while you are there because Kina is awesome!). In the second segment, one of our favorite guests The Droids stop by. They are a husband-and-wife synth-rock duo. Their music is great, they do a lot of cool things in their career, and they LOVE talking about sci-fi and their awesome eight-year-old daughter Riley. Ryan and Dave then do a rapid-fire segment where they have the Droids quickly answer alternating music advice and parenting advice questions. It is a blast. You can find out more about this awesome duo by checking out www.thedroids.bandcamp.com. They also have a new Patreon page that you can find at www.patreon.com/thedroids. In the final segment, Dave subjects Ryan to a ne

Hi Podcast Listeners! The BTB Podcast has moved into its new studio starting with this episode. We hope you enjoy the improved digs.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about the new studio and then discuss the recent controversy involving Kesha's Billboard Music Awards performance. Kesha is currently involved in a lawsuit with her record producer Dr. Luke. Kesha has accused the producer of sexually assaulting her and is trying to get her recording agreement with him terminated. This week, Dr. Luke originally prohibited Kesha from performing at the BBMA's, but eventually changed his mind and approved her appearance. While many are cheering about Kesha being back on the air, Ryan is wondering why Dr. Luke should even have a contractual right to keep her from performing in the first place. In the second segment, musician/blogger/podcaster/marketing professional Chris Robley joins the show. He talks about his latest album ("The Great Make Believer") and his work at CD Baby, and he also gives tips for artist