Today I’m flying back home to Tampa from having been out in Anaheim since last Wednesday, with the NAMM Show having been the impetus for this latest trip out west. My luggage weighs the same as it did going out there, but I’m sure carrying back lots of new insights gained while in California.
You will be the beneficiary of a number of the conversations I had there, starting with the newest episode of my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, which will be released the day after tomorrow (on Wednesday, April 19th, Episode 479).
The folks that I interviewed at the NAMM Show brought more great information from the front lines, working as producers, singer/songwriters, etc. and I’m anxious for you to hear those conversations.
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I also got to see some past guests while out there. (Be sure you’re following the podcast’s official Instagram account so you can see who I got to connect with in person, as pictures of those visits get posted on there.)
It should go without saying that I also got to meet some new folks and, needless to say, see some new innovations that various exhibitors were displaying.
Interestingly, it was yesterday morning as I was in my hotel room decompressing from it all that an old name came back around and provided me with another new introduction.
Every Sunday on the aforementioned Instagram account I always post a quote from a past episode of the podcast. This week it was Sam Woolf’s turn, with the singer, songwriter, guitar player having been the guest way back on Episode 309 at the start of 2020.
As I was pulling up his Instagram account in conjunction with what I was about to post, Wendy – who helps book guests for the podcast – reminded me that way back when he was on NHTE, his account had been hacked and was down at the time. I was glad to see it back up and running yesterday because it enabled me to discover his song, “Worst Thing.” I really dug the sound and the more I listened the more I felt like it started off sounding like (Christian artist) Jeremy Camp but then very smoothly transitioning into more of an almost country sound.
Suffice it to say, it had my attention enough that I added it to my Spotify playlist.
Coming off of a three-day event surrounded by people in the music making (and recording) world and talking with artists (one of the upcoming new NHTE episodes in particular) about things like an indie artist increasing their Spotify streams and monthly listeners, it reinforced the importance of dropping in the occasional post about a song of yours that didn’t just come out. In Woolf’s case, the Instagram post was new, but the song had actually been released on January 1st.
One podcast guest and I chatted – off the air – at NAMM about walking the line between letting people know about one of your songs and backing off and showing your followers the human side or, at least, other endeavors in your music pursuits besides just posts containing, “Download (or stream) my song”!
It’s really no different than the conversations I know were happening all through the NAMM Show with artists approaching exhibitors and needing to walk that line between an introduction that would catch the attention of the company rep but not begging and pleading for and insisting on an endorsement.
As seen by the conversion that Woolf got from me (unbeknownst to him), the above approach is clearly a good road map to follow as you press on with your indie artist career.
I have been working with indie music artists (not to mention authors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, and even small business owners) for close to 20 years. Tap into all that experience and get on a call with me to talk about the challenges you’re facing and get your questions answered. I welcome the opportunity to contribute my insights to your ongoing professional pursuits.