• Why the music industry’s marketing is not like regular business
• The "problem/solution" myth in music marketing
• The emotional, intangible value of music for fans
• Why competition is different in music vs. traditional products
• Building relationships and sticky points for long-term fan engagement

In this episode, Bree Noble and Tara Brueske dive into the realities of marketing as mature women in the music industry. They share honest insights on staying authentic and making smart marketing choices that actually fit your life and audience.

What you’ll learn:

• Why following trends isn’t always right for older artists and how to choose what works for you
• The truth about social media platforms—should you really be on TikTok, or is Facebook enough?
• Tips for engaging your audience with writing, video, and showing your real life (even the non-music parts)
• Common trends you don’t need to follow and how authenticity creates stronger connections
• The value of playing the long game in music marketing and building real relationships with your fans

Tune in for practical advice you can actually use—no extra pressure or pointless trends!

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

• Why your "most valuable posts" (MVPs) matter on social media
• How to curate an intentional 9 grid that instantly tells your story
• The three-row framework: Hook, Credibility, and Connection/Invitation
• Common mistakes musicians make and how to avoid them
• Simple steps to set up your own 9 grid and make it work for you, even when you're not actively posting

Ready to level up your Instagram profile? Tune in and create a grid that captures who you are and what you offer!

• Why creating music alone isn’t enough to launch your career
• How changes in social media and streaming have impacted musicians
• The importance of building a fan base before releasing music online
• Effective ways to connect with audiences through live performances and thoughtful release strategies
• Additional income opportunities for musicians beyond streaming, including merch, touring, and online session work

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Become more profitable in just 5 minutes per week with the Profitable Musician Newsletter. Sign up at http://profitablemusician.com/join

Join Bree Noble and Chris SD as they dive into the world of music licensing for indie artists. Find out if sync licensing is the right path to grow your income and fanbase, and get answers to your most pressing questions.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The realities and opportunities of music licensing for independent songwriters.
• Why authentic, artist-driven music (even quirky or non-mainstream styles) is often favored in TV and film placements.
• The importance of direct relationships with music supervisors versus going through agents and libraries.
• How much your following or production quality actually matters for sync placement.
• What you should have in place before submitting your music—including copyright, production tips, and industry know-how.

Tune in for straight talk about building your music career through licensing and the honest steps to get your songs in front of music supervisors!

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

• Jesse Flores’ unique background in the music industry and how it led him to Intercept Music.
• What sets Intercept Music apart from traditional and major music distributors.
• The importance of strong customer service and tech for independent artists.
• How Intercept uses AI and in-house expertise to optimize artist growth and distribution.
• Actionable advice for indie artists on building a successful, financially sustainable music career.

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Thinking about ditching social media, or at least making it less overwhelming? In this episode, Bree Noble talks with Seth Werkyser from the Social Media Escape Club about smarter, saner ways for musicians and creatives to grow their audience and stay connected.

• Seth’s music background, his journey from band member to music blogger, and AOL Music
• Why many musicians and creatives struggle with email lists—and why they shouldn’t
• Real talk about the pitfalls of chasing social media numbers vs. real engagement
• Alternatives to social media: email marketing, building a website, and unique fan outreach ideas
• Tips for collecting email addresses at live shows and creating a sustainable off-social-media ecosystem

Ready to learn practical strategies for connecting with your fans—without living on social media? Watch now!

In this episode, Bree Noble and Tara Brueske dig into the necessity of follow-up in the music business and share strategies to overcome common mental blocks. Get practical tips to boost your confidence, improve your outreach, and ultimately land more opportunities.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why musicians often struggle with follow-up and how to reframe your mindset.
• The importance of persistence in booking gigs and the best ways to track your efforts.
• How to use email marketing effectively—including timing, angles, and resend strategies.
• Simple methods for gathering testimonials and leveraging them for future gigs.
• Actionable motivation for when you feel stuck or unmotivated to send that next follow-up.

Get inspired by Jastin Artis' music journey as he sits down with Bree Noble on the PM Podcast Videos channel. Hear how Jastin navigated the twists and turns of the music industry, entrepreneurship, family, and health challenges while building his career.

In this episode:

• Jastin Artis shares how he got started in music, from self-taught guitar lessons to writing poetry and songs.
• His transition from aspiring songwriter to recording artist, and why he finally embraced being an artist.
• How he balanced side jobs, family life, and his passion for music over the years.
• The story behind going full-time in music, surviving challenges like COVID, and building multiple revenue streams as a musician.
• All about his "A&R in Your Pocket" project, focusing on authentic artist development and building a supportive network for independent musicians.

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

In this episode, Elaine Ryan joins the PM Podcast Videos to share her journey as an artist, sync agent, and author. Get the inside scoop on her music career, experience with sync licensing, and her new book for musicians.

• Elaine Ryan’s background: from Ireland to Canada, her leap from law school to a full-time music career
• How she made a living as a gigging musician in Hawaii and the Bay Area
• Her path into sync licensing and launching “Sync Music for a Change”
• Building the Unicorn Sync agency and curating music for supervisors
• Insights from her new book "Living a Music Centered Life" and practical advice for musicians seeking balance and fulfillment

Check out the full conversation for actionable tips and honest perspectives on making music your life!

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

• How Marc shifted from classical training to a successful wedding and events business
• Strategies for getting started in private events without an established network
• The importance of content creation and leveraging Instagram for bookings
• Tips for growing referrals, managing clients, and building a strong reputation
• Advice for young musicians on finding the right niche and giving your best, no matter the gig

Check out the full episode to learn actionable insights for musicians and performers looking to break into the event industry!

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

• How to strategically mix cover songs and original music to build audience rapport
• The importance of stories and banter between songs to engage listeners
• Varying song keys, tempos, and show structure for a dynamic performance
• Creative ways to get audiences involved, from singalongs to interactive questions
• Practical tips for stage presence, visual engagement, and strong show endings

Whether you’re a seasoned performer or just getting started, these actionable tips will help you captivate any crowd.

oin Bree Noble and Tara Brueske as they reunite to discuss rejection in the music industry and how to push through it. In this candid conversation, they share personal stories, advice, and practical tips for overcoming setbacks as a musician.

• The story of how Bree and Tara first connected and launched their creative ventures
• Common experiences of rejection faced by musicians at every stage
• Strategies for handling negative feedback, from booking gigs to live performances
• The importance of community and mindset in building resilience
• How to turn rejection into opportunities for growth and continued success

If you have topics you'd like them to cover in future episodes, reach out to Bree or Tara on Instagram!

• Alicia's background and how she started in music, from early violin and songwriting to becoming a spiritually focused artist.
• Her experience teaching K-8 music while continuing to create and release six studio albums.
• The inspiration and process behind her new project, "Frequencies of Love," which combines songs, mantras, and a companion book called "Sacred Dissonance."
• How Alicia leverages tools like Kickstarter to fund her creative work and connect with her audience.
• The importance of staying true to yourself as an artist, building community, and trusting your creative journey regardless of where it leads

If Alicia’s journey resonates with you, don’t forget to check out her “Frequencies of Love” Kickstarter campaign—it’s super accessible for everyone, whether you want just the digital album, the new book, or even a cozy community session with Alicia herself.

👉 Support Alicia's Kickstarter Project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12rebirth/frequencies-of-love-new-album-and-book-from-alicia-mathewson

👉 Visit Alicia's Website: http://aliciamathewson.com

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

• How becoming a mom shaped the way Brie's music career developed from the start
• Creative, family-friendly gig opportunities and why traditional late-night bars weren’t necessary
• Strategies for efficient time management while juggling family and music
• Bringing kids along on tours and integrating them into the music business
• Encouragement and advice for musicians navigating parenthood, plus resources for celebrating moms through music

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Become more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

To learn more about Mastering, go to: https://profitablemusician.com/mastering

Laura Mustard is an independent artist and songwriter living in Nashville, TN. Her music focuses on themes of self acceptance and body positivity as she is a person living with a catheter, latex allergy and VATER syndrome. Laura's new album Typewriter is coming out in July, which is a concept album about technology and social media.

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If you've been trying to make progress in your music career and you see other artists getting traction, but your career feels more like one step forward two steps back...let's talk about the one hidden obstacle that might be holding you back.

Take the Quiz: http://profitablemusician.com/quiz

I truly believe that all boats can rise with the tide. What does that mean for musicians? It means that if we band together to promote Indie music as a whole, everyone can benefit. If we collaborate and help each other, everyone wins. It means that there is no limit to what we can do together to create more opportunities for Indie Musicians. 

And it means that just because one artist does well, it doesn’t mean another can’t do well too. It’s not either or.

But starving artist syndrome has many musicians believing that their resources are limited. That there’s a fixed pie of fans or venues or income and if others get a piece there will be none left for them. That if one musician succeeds it means another fails. Starving artist mentality has caused so many musicians to believe that fans and venues and income opportunities are scarce and that there’s not enough to go around. It creates division and leads to unhealthy competition. It isolates artists from their community.

But what would happen if the Indie Artist community stopped believing that resources are scarce, and proclaimed starving artist syndrome to be a myth? What if instead of fighting for fans and venues and income, we worked together to better the industry as a whole and make more opportunities for everyone? What if we introduced our fans to other great artists in our genre and they did the same for us? What if we did gig swaps with local artists? What if we shared our wins and failures with each other so we could cut the learning curve for everyone?

That’s what I mean by all boats rise with the tide. My mission behind The Profitable Musician is to create more opportunities for indie musicians and to teach them to work together to CREATE more opportunities for themselves and each other. 

And we WILL create those opportunities through uncovering more streams of income. We’ll create them by coming together as a community of like-minded artists to share what’s working so we all can build our careers. We’ll do it by disrupting the starving artist mentality that is keeping musicians living in fear and isolation, believing that resources and opportunities are limited. And we as Indie artists, and especially female artists, will thrive because of it!

If you want to be part of this movement and rise with us, then join us inside my free Facebook group, the Female Indie Musician Community. We can’t wait to meet you.

She is a Full Sail University Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of soundgirls.org. Michelle is also Creator of the online program LISTEN! Master the EQ Techniques of the Pros to Create Brilliant Mixes.

I have with me my Community Managers in the Female Indie Musician Community, Beth Matthew and Cayla Brooke. They go live once a month to talk about subjects that affect us all and this time, it's about how to keep a spirit of peace in your music career and during this holiday season.

I have a very popular mini-course called "Get More Done in Less Time" and I'm going to talk about that in our boot camp. You femusician.com/bootcamp. Get signed up ASAP since it starts on December 7th.

Do you pride yourself on being a highly-creative musician with tons of great ideas? For musicians, having too many good ideas can steal your time, divide your focus and keep your stuck and broke. You may actually end up with unfinished projects and half-baked plans.

I'm going to show you how the plethora of ideas you have is actually your worst enemy and how it's putting the breaks in your career momentum, and what to do about it. This process has been incredibly helpful for my Female Musician Academy members. It's helped them maintain focus, create clarity and actually build momentum in their music career.

As creatives, we are often praised for our ingenuity and imagination and I know we mostly consider this our greatest strength, but some of time, it becomes our greatest weakness. We have a limited amount of resources to work with, especially our time. We only have so much time to spend so we need to be very intentional on what we choose to spend our time on. When ideas creep in, it can take us off course. We need to figure out a way to harness them. 

The other thing that can happen is you can get ideas by watching other artists and you want to add those things to your plate, which actually dooms what you're currently doing to the unfinished pile. The biggest problem with this is not just the time management issue, or not just that it is dooming what you currently do, but also that you are adapting something that you don't know if will work for you. The artist may be in a different stage than you. You need to assess anything you add in your plate in that way but decide if it fits to your current plan and goals. If it doesn't fit, you need to put it in a place, where you can come back to it when it's already applicable for you.

What to do with your ideas:

Create an inspiration vault. Keep the ideas for safekeeping so you can access them at anytime when it's the right time. You can use a notebook, your phone, or anything else where you can write it down and not forget it.

When to access those ideas:

When you are ready to do your next 90-day goals, you pull out your ideas and put them on your brainstorming document and decide if they fit in to what you want your goals to be in the next 90 days.

If you ever felt pulled in a million different directions by your goals and end up accomplishing nothing, the bootcamp can definitely help you. Go check it out at femusician.com/bootcamp.

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/bootcamp

Gratefulness has a lot to do with our mindset. When someone is grateful, their mindset is different. If we come from a state of gratitude, it makes our music better. When we're positive about things, that makes life worth living. We become more solution-oriented than problem-oriented. It's a really important subject that changes a lot of things in our lives. We can choose to focus on the good things going on instead of the bad. 

Imagine going through this pandemic without technology, we would not be able to do Facebook lives or access courses at a price next to nothing. Depending on our mindset, we can either sit at home and whine or look for something to be grateful for. Even if you don't have support at home, you can actually find support online. We are so fortunate. 

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, the readiness to show appreciation and return kindness. When we're grateful, we tend to look for the positive and attract more opportunities. We can help train our minds to be grateful. We can also do small routines like sending thank you cards to people weekly or thinking of three things to be grateful about each day.

People who are more grateful are less-stressed, less-depressed and more satisfied. It lifts our wellbeing mentally and physically. Even if we don't feel grateful, we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Practicing gratitude makes us happier. If we can start being grateful even in really tough situations, it can help us process things and lessons we've learned. Why don't we start practicing gratitude everyday?

Link mentioned in this episode: woscommunity.com

Allison is a musician and licensed therapist from Alberta, Canada. She started playing the piano at 6 years old and singing at 7. After she did music school, she suffered performance anxiety and it lasted for three decades. 

During a certain performance around seven years ago, she was off-key and everything was going wrong, then she found herself laughing it off during the performance and letting it go. That was when she heard the most beautiful tone come out of her. She eventually learned that her stage fright came from bad experiences in music school that were enough to shake her confidence. 

Performance anxiety is classified as a social phobia. It can be caused by different origins of thoughts such as a previous bad performance, trauma in childhood, learned behavior patterns, some strong personality traits or anything else that could have caused that impact in a person's deep self-esteem. A person may have tendencies but it could be developed by biological or environmental causes. Whatever the origin is, the result is the same onstage, which is stage fright or performance anxiety. No matter what the cause is, this is more about how you respond to a situation. 

To prevent having stage fright, you can do practices outside of the time so you can apply it when you're onstage onstage such as mindfulness, breathing, or being in the moment. Mindfulness is a practice about being in the moment using your five senses. We have to be in our bodies to get grounded in the moment and not live in our heads. When we have stage fright, we're activating our fight or flight response and we need to be aware of the present reality so we can allow our body to be mindful of the true situation and not of our fears or thoughts. 

As human beings, we always have the right to create. Nurturing your muse is giving yourself the freedom and fertile ground for creativity. It helps if you allow yourself to respond in the moment as an improvisation. The skill of mindfulness is being able to return to the moment. You also have to let yourself go and accept that your creativity is limited if you keep on thinking of being perfect. Developing this skill allows you to deal with Performance Anxiety and control your body's reactions.

If there is one step you can take to move out of your stage fright, Allison advises it is allowing yourself to be horrible or to be the weirdest in your own space. Letting go and being free allows you to get rid of stage fright and discovering your best voice.

You can find more about Allison at andersonarts.ca.

Link mentioned in this episode: andersonarts.ca

We're going to discuss a lot of information about data and it may feel overwhelming at first but if you know what your data can tell you, you will love it and will turn you into a fan of knowing your data. If you want to learn more about what we talk about here, go to femusician.com/modernmusician and sign up for the free workshop that Michael Walker will be doing for my community on November 11th.

Michael Walker from Modern Musician is a fellow summit host. Through his brand, he teaches musicians how to build their fanbase and make money from doing what they love. He started from being in a band in South Dakota and he grew his fanbase through grassroots. What they did was approach people who were fans of the bands they have similar music with. 

Michael shares the following steps they use in building fanbase:

1. Find out where the people who will benefit from what you offer hang out

2. Find out the best way to introduce yourself

3. Build a real relationship with them

4. Generate value for them

5. Provide more value over time

How do you use online tools to connect with people and have that deep relationship with them? We need to make sure that even while using automation, you will still have traction and real connection.

What is important either with personal or online connection is to make sure that you are getting on the same page and reaching out to your fanbase where they can really get in touch and resonate with you. Being in tune with them is very important.

Michael will be doing a workshop with us and he's going to teach you his system that will help you figure out about your artist identity, nailing that down into creating a passionate fan base and revenue multiplier. This is mainly based on a marketing funnel and his system will help musicians develop the skillset of using the right online marketing tools. They have a 3-month program that will equip musicians to develop that skillset and get comfortable enough to run it, keep optimizing it and create their own funnels. They also have a team of 18 trained coaches that will do a lot of heavy-lifting for the artist and do one-on-one sessions every week. 

When you start building something, you emulate then you innovate. Once the foundation is built, the last step is the revenue multiplier. They will teach you about a funnel accelerator which allows you to track your metrics weekly. The spreadsheet may be overwhelming but it it best to not know what to track and how to do it. Data also allows you to understand what's happening to help you get motivated about what you do. You will also be taught how to segment people into different categories based on how they answer sets of questions. Then you offer value based on their answers. You also have to analyze the Cost per Acquisition vs Value per Acquisition. The Fanbase Growth Workshop allows musicians to have clarity on what they have to offer. One requirement is to have at least one song that has high quality on it. How do you put it in front of people, create traffic with it and put it in front of the right people. The workshop will teach you how to go from scratch to your first $5000/month. Michael is going to break it up for you so it would be simpler and easier to understand. To join Michael Walker's workshop, sign up at femusician.com/modernmusician

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/modernmusician

Beth has been singing and playing the piano since she was a child but she has tried to push it to the side. She kept having this urge to pursue it and later in her life she eventually decided to listen to it and pursue her music. Knowing your passion is really about knowing what you love, what you're good at and what the world needs. After figuring that out, you need to find out what you can do that people can get you paid for if that's what you like. It would be wonderful to have our passion, profession, vocation, and mission all rolled into one. In pursuing it, there will always be some aspect that you need to learn and get help with but whatever it is, there's always hope to do what you're created to do which is your purpose.

Cayla wanted to perform since the age of three. For her it's like a curse and a blessing at the same time. If you don't follow it, that nagging feeling stays with you and you know that you are on the wrong path. When she started her career, she just wanted to sing and take every opportunity to do it. Later on, she discovered that she didn't like the performances she did at restaurants and bars during that time and that she was looking for something else. For a long time, she toured the show about Eva Cassidy. When she gets off the stage, she felt great and happy and she knew she was doing what she wanted. One night she just realized that she was done with that part of her life and it was time to write and sing her own music. Then afterwards, she found herself needing to speak infront of people. As we grow, we need to rediscover ourselves, rediscover our purposes, learn something new towards our new purpose and following the opportunity when it arrives. We should learn to not be afraid to pivot when needed. We should not regret what we did in the past because you learn from them. 

Some experiences would help you figure out that that's not you. Some would make you feel alive. Following your intuition since it's usually good and usually right. Before Beth turned 50, she knew she wanted to do more with her music. She didn't have fans or a website. She had an opportunity to record her album in Nashville and she did. She had the time of her life, she felt good about herself and learned a lot. Another thing is she had a desire to move to Connecticut from North Carolina. That's when she had the chance to be seated next to her now-husband and they eventually got married. Understanding what your values are, what makes you alive and what makes a difference in our lives to is really important. 

We might let what other people think prevent us from living our purpose and passion but living through what's feeding our soul is what will really make us happy. Your passion should also be aligned to what's really core important to you just as being a voice to people who are voiceless. Your core message comes out in your music because you can't help it and that's who you are. 

Our Music With A Conscience has a lot of songs that were written by people about really amazing themes. You will hear a lot of different viewpoints from those songs. It's so important to hear different point of views instead of just the one we believe. Just like what was in the Netflix documentary, "Social Dilemma", we may have a tendency to stick to our own views and it is important that as musicians, we are critical thinkers and we should not lose that. Just like those artists included in the Music With A Conscience Series, you have the power and you have the mission to get your message out there and make an impact to the person listening to you. Don't be afraid about negativity on social media. Get your music out there and share your message through music. Your purpose is stronger. With your music, you can make a difference.

I've come across something lately that has really helped me manage my tasks. So today we're talking about gamifying your to-do list. In the past, I've talked about breaking your to-do list, knowing how to prioritize and keeping 5 goals within 90 days. Even then there are certain things that keep falling to the bottom because I don't really want to do them.

I've been working with a book called "Free to Focus" by Michael Hyatt and it has helped make things clearer to me on how I can run my business and make sure I get everything done.

How do you get rid of that overwhelming feeling that you have endless things on your to-do list? I learned from the book that we can choose 3 big things for the week and around those big things, choose 3 smaller things per day. 

Before I start my work during Sunday or Monday morning, I organize them into first priority, check the deadlines then I fill in the rest. The gamification comes in here. Usually I procrastinate stuff that I don't like doing so I put them off. Since I started this 3 big things, I only focus on 3 things a day and 1 of those 3 things is something I don't like, and the other 2 are things I like.

It's reality that there are things we procrastinate but with this gamification, we focus on only 3 things a day and 1 of those things is something we don't like. But that's how we go forward. The other 2 things that you like get to be a reward or a motivation that you only need to do 1 thing you don't like and you usually do it first.

Gamifying your to-do list makes you feel more in control of things you need to get done. Doing this makes you feel better and so accomplished.

If you want some help about figuring out your priorities, grab my Smart Goals Workbook at femusician.com/goals

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/goals

I heard about UniqCube from Wade Hutton on the Six Minute Music Podcast, went to their website and I thought this is really cool! This is a product that is great to use for your branding, can be used for gifts to family members or friends and other applications for various events and purposes. You can check how this product looks like on our website, femusician.com and search for Episode 214 or on femusician.com/cube. If you decide to purchase it, you can also use my discount code "BREE".  

UniqCube was founded in 2016 and the product itself was originally created as a home decor. It's basically a cube with a light inside. Since it's a cube, it has six sides which you can personalize and DIY online. Originally, it was not really intended for musicians until record companies started ordering them for marketing purposes. The product design is minimalist so your DIY design really stands out. You can choose to put your photos, logos, website address, social media handle, upcoming albums or releases and so on -- the design ideas are limitless! This is a great way to use offline to promote your merch and also for online promotion.

One way to use it is when you're live streaming. It's a great way to catch people's attention so that when they are scrolling on their phones, they will get visually attracted by the cube and will notice your live. Also, because of its size, the cube is easy to bring from one gig to another. The price is affordable as well for start-up musicians.

Benefits of UniqCube

• Great way to market yourself and your brand
• Helps you stand out in a livestream or offline event
• Each of the six sides of the cube can be personalized
• Affordable
• Minimalist so your own design really stands out
• Small enough to be conveniently brought from one event to another
• Can be used as a unique gift idea for holidays and events

You can check them out at femusician.com/cube and use code "BREE" to get 10% off.

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/cube

Chris started as a touring indie musician in Canada. The band parted ways then he got into music production and working in different roles with bigger artists and won some awards. He was then given the opportunity to move to LA for work. After his wife got pregnant, he yearned to spend more time with his daughter instead of being in the studio for 12-14 hours a day. He thought about moving his work online which he did, then he started getting inquiries about sync licensing. He previously had a similar job in Canada and so he started connecting with music supervisors in the US. So now his job is connecting indie artists with music supervisors for television and film. 

There is so much great music from indie artists but they lack relationship with the right people in the industry. When Chris was working with indie artists in Canada, he did notice that the indie artists were just as good as the bigger artists except that they do not have the managers and labels to push them. 

When Chris started doing sync licensing, he didn't know anything about it. He thought having the connections was enough so he did all the mistakes. He sent the wrong music or sent it at the wrong time and did the wrong approach. By talking with music supervisors and learning more about the behind the scenes, he cracked the code about sync licensing and helped people do that. After teaching people, he brought them infront of the music supervisors and let them build that relationship themselves. 

Here are other important things Chris shared:

Types of Payments from Sync Licensing

• When your music if played on TV or film, you got performance fees from your PRO. 
• Sync Fee - lump of cash to license your music from the production
• Royalties - Everytime that show airs, you get royalties for that. You can have one song playing in more than one show and you can get a lot of royalties for that.

Typical Ways to Submit Your Music for Sync Licensing

• Pay-to-submit sites (ex. Songtradr, Broadjam, TAXI)
• Non-exclusive Music Libraries
• Exclusive Music Libraries
• Licensing Agents

Tips on Sync Licensing

• Music supervisors prefer songs that was written from the heart rathen that music written specifically for sync.
• There's no way to submit a demo. Whatever you submit has to be the final mix that is played.
• Your songs also need to be cleared ahead of time and fully and legally authorized to be used in the show.
• When you get yourself a placement, you have to be ready. You will get a lot of attention but that is fleeting. You need to capitalize that moment. You need to make sure your music is out there and people can find your music and find out who you are. Having your lyrics on your website also helps in a big way so people can search you just by your lyrics.
• The ultimate way of getting your music into TV and film is developing relationships and your reputation with the actual people who play the music.

Chris will be having an amazing event on October 11th at 11 AM Pacific Time where he brings 5 music supervisors and hear all the behind the scenes of sync licensing so you can see a road map on how you can get your music into TV and film. To join, go to femusician.com/chris and register for free.

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/chris

Women's Audio Mission (WAM) is based in San Francisco and Oakland, CA. They are a non-profit organization that use music and media to attract over 4000 women, gender non-conforming folks and girls for music, audio and STEM studies. They have the only built-in studio entirely built and run by women and gender non-conforming folks. Audio is a critically underrepresented field and their mission is to amplify voices of women and gender non-conforming folks in this field.

My friend, Fett, has been sharing to me how women have been producing but their work is not being highlighted and how girls are not realizing that this is a field they can go into. Through WAM, when they see themselves represented in the studio, in the instructors, on stage and behind the board, they begin to realize that this is a road they can choose to take. 

The 8th WAMCon is coming up and this has been an iconic way for Women's Audio Mission to take their mission and community to tap into existing communities. There is such a need for this and this is why they are figuring out how to push it further and reach out to more people in 10 countries using virtual.  

They offer a membership program for $40/year for professionals and $30/year for students. With that, you get access to courses, access to the job board and get to work with our great community. 

The gap between equity inclusion and the challenge is now moving from conversations about that gap to actual change. WAM's mission is being part of the conversation. We have to keep going to push that change and make a difference.

If you'd like to know more about membership or events of WAM, find us at womensaudiomission.org. They are also on social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. WAMCon is coming on October 23rd and 24th and it's a fantastic way to drop in and get some fantastic workshops. They'll also have 3 top engineers talk about their journeys followed by a whole day of workshops.

Link mentioned in this episode: womensaudiomission.org

Comparing ourselves with others is a learned behavior that has been passed on from generation to generation. Everybody deals with comparison and is an unfortunate part of life. With the pandemic, it's more difficult more than ever. It's easier to compare ourselves with other women who we might think are doing better than us.

It all comes down to authenticity and the power that we have as women. We must understand our power as individuals. We all have our individual strengths and individual power. Mary Ann Williamson says that we serve no one by hiding our light. We need to start hearing our own voice and understanding our inner strength as women. Our thoughts that we are not good as others affect our actions and our lives. We should accept ourselves. 

For Cayla, her trauma came from abuse and abandonment from her family. This translated to her comparing herself to those people who have families. She found herself looking longingly at other people with families and asking herself why nobody loves her. She felt abandoned and worthless. She was in that spiral of negative thoughts and emotions for ten years. She lost the prime of her life because of that. When she came out of it, she no longer chose to allow her circumstances to steal away her joy, her power, her life, her strength and her purpose. It is normal to feel those feelings but we should not allow ourselves to stay in them and be controlled by them. We cannot compare our beginnings with somebody else's end game. Comparing should be something that propels us to become better. We should stop it whenever we have negative comparisons in our heads.

Becoming aware of our triggers help us avoid that inner critic. Beth grew up in a loving family but she also experienced some emotional and verbal abuse. It affected her in a way that she became more compassionate. However, it allowed her to put up with more than what she should have and did not allow her to have firm boundaries. When she pursued her music career, battling that inner critic showed its ugly head and gave her thoughts like, "Who do you think you are?, Why were you qualified?" There were a lot of hard things in her family and she learned to hide her authentic self. She remembers being bullied during childhood and that has really affected her. She also experienced infertility in her marriage and she battled with that before too. She compared herself with others but eventually realized that there was a different plan for her which is adoption. Social media also triggers that inner critic. We should set healthy boundaries in our lives and in our minds.

As you continue to grow, aim to be the best version of yourself. Don't beat yourself up when you sometimes fall back into that inner critic and into that spiral. Be aware that your happiness does not come from others but from yourself. Sometimes, we put too much pressure on our loved ones to give us happiness but that is not fair to them. We should accept that our happiness should come from ourselves. Even in social media, people can tell if we are authentic. They care less about what we look like than what we are truly about. We should learn to accept and love ourselves. Do not mind how others might react to you, shine your own light, feed your soul and continue to grow as a person.

When thoughts of the inner critic show up, remember the little light. What's most important is you let your light shine, not the thoughts that get into your head. It's our thoughts that hold us back. Circumstances happen and that brings thoughts and feelings that cause us to hide our true selves. If we could change and re-orient what we think the circumstance means, that can change the way we feel about it and what we end up doing. If we can be mindful of those things and make the choice to change those thoughts and actions, we can shine our light no matter what has happened in our past.

Link mentioned in this episode: woscommunity.com

Tara has an upcoming event called 3 Days to Book Like A Boss from September 29th, 2020. Being in these types of challenges is a great way to keep you accountable and keep you going on your booking. Go to femusician.com/tara and sign up for her free challenge.

2020 has been crazy for musicians especially about booking. Tara previously had 10-12 gigs a month and due to the pandemic, she experienced 50% cancellations. How was she able to bring in income during the pandemic? First, she started calling people right away to offer virtual concerts. Second, she explored different ways of virtual events. She believes there are ways in the midst of hardship.

Tara's Tips on Bookings

• Build and maintain relationships with the people in venues. How we are connecting or approaching people in the venues is important. Make sure that you're in a relationship with places you have events on so that when you contact them in the future you can easily offer bookings (in person or virtual). She called venues and asked if there is a possibility of doing a virtual gig or even an in-person event.
• Have the right mindset. Mindset is also very important before we approach opportunities for bookings. An approach I learned from Beth Matthew is that before you make booking calls, sit down and sing a song to remind you how much you like it and put you in the mood. Also, when you get turned down or feel frustrated, make sure to vent out only when you're off the phone or email.
• Don't think of the person doing the booking with as your enemy. In reality, venues are struggling in this situation, too, so they're not the enemy. Try to think of how you can come together and find solutions. They're just people too who are trying to make a living for their family.
• Remind yourself how much value you can bring to people. Get out of that negative spiral. There is still a lot of preparation and energy you put into a virtual show so make sure to put the right pricing for yourself.

How Bookings Changed in 2020

New things opened up. Big names and even shows like The Voice are doing virtual now. Facebook Live, Instragram Live, YouTube, Pre-recorded Concerts on YT, Zoom meetings, Twitch, Sessions Live -- there are just so many choices now. Online events are now normalized. So many people are used to it now, even going to church is now done online.

There are now so many ways to get tip jars online like Venmo, Paypal, Cash App, Zelle, etc. Allow people to give you gratitude to give you the gift of money to support you.

Some venues are closing down due to the pandemic but some venues that previously didn't have bookings are now opening up. There are definitely people who are going to find solutions and who value music so don't assume that they do not want to work with you.

Diversifying Income for Tara

I have always been stressing the point of diversifying your income. How has Tara dealt with losing 50% of her income through cancellation of events during the onset of the pandemic? 

1. She did have other income streams such as teaching private lessons for piano and voice. She was even able to get more students. 
2. Airgigs and Fiverr among others. You do need to set up equipment for offerings you can do on these platforms. However, it is now much easier and cheaper to have a home studio set up as compared to before and there are free apps you can use too.
3. Online courses also bring in income. You can teach whatever you are good at online.
4. Affiliate marketing. You can promote products on your website and get a percentage from it.

Always look at possibilities. There are always people who are going to give up and those are who are going to find ways. Let us be a part of those that bring solutions. Think about what alternatives you can offer and be that go to person that they want to book.

How 3 Days to Book Like A Boss will be different this year

A. Learn how to approach people and how you are going to say it

B. Learn about pricing

C. Dig in and find ways to get gigs during 2020

Go to femusician.com/tara and sign up. It will start on September 29, 2020. I highly recommend it.

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/tara

In relation to this, you might also want to check out my free masterclass, "How to Confidently Plan and Execute Your Next Release Without Feeling Overwhelmed or Regretting Missed Opportunities". You can find it at rockyournextrelease.com. 

Here are 10 Reasons Why You Should Do a Holiday EP in 2020:

#1 - 2020 needs a little bright spot.

Terrible things have happened and is still happening this year. With a holiday release, you can allow yourself and other people to take your minds off all these things and give you joy.

#2 - You can do this from home.

In 2011, I recorded my whole album at home for 2 months and got it out for Christmas so I know this can be done. During this time, we're already home so why not use that to create an album? You have more time to do this now and technology is cheaper nowadays. You can either do this on your own or find someone you trust who has a home studio and can help. 

#3 - Holiday music is much easier to record especially if you're doing some cover songs.

I found an arrangement for one of the songs I included in my album for $60 online.

#4 - You can create a fun event around your release.

Some places are opening up for events so there may be some opportunities for you do some events during the holidays. If not, you can do an online release party and the good thing is people are much used to these types of online events by now. 

#5 - Spotify allows you to get free promotion. Having holiday music on Spotify allows you to get more followers through this platform.

#6 - Having followers allows Spotify to promote all your music to these people. You can then also find some Spotify playlists to get your songs featured on. 

#7 - Holiday CDs make such great gifts.

#8 - It's great to invest in holiday merch.

Since people have not seen them for some time, holiday merch always seem new. It never feels old and always seems fresh.

#9 - Holiday music can help you create a new program that you can pitch.

I created a program when I released my album, "Gift Beneath the Star". People are always looking for programs during the holidays to use for their events. The program makes it more interesting when you pitch it to people.

#10 - Holiday songs are a fresh new way to promote yourself every year.

Holiday music is almost always new news every single year unlike other songs or releases which eventually feels tired and old after some point.



I hope you guys take my advice and do this. We will be having our Holiday Series on the Women of Substance Podcast as we do every year. We'll be taking original song submissions this year between October 1st and November 10th, 2020. We would love to consider your songs for the show.

If you'll be releasing music, I highly recommend my workshop that will provide you chock-full of great ideas at rockyournextrelease.com

Link mentioned in this episode: rockyournextrelease.com

If you need help in planning and prioritizing things, you can check my Smart Goals Workbook which you can download at femusician.com/goals

Beth Matthew and Cayla Brooke, our Community Managers from Female Musician Academy will share how they balance their lives during this time.

Beth shared about having focused time with no distractions. She works for 25 minutes then takes a 5-minute break and literally gets away from her computer, making sure she does something else and not spend time on her phone screen instead. What she does is called the Pomodoro technique. Those blocks of time are called Pomodoros. There are apps out there that tell you when a Pomodoro is over and when it's time to take a break. This works most for people that have a hard time focusing. 

Cayla talks about some days that felt like managing their business became a total grind but during this time of the pandemic, she is now so thankful for that income. I love how she talks how having gratitude can allow you to be more productive. 

Having a lot on our plate such as running a business, writing a book, doing speaking engagements, Cayla found that organizing her time is very important. Prior to that, she thought that she had to work really hard in order to get anywhere. She also had the mentality that if somebody else is working and you are not working, that somebody is going to beat you to the goal since they are working and you are not. She realized that it was a dangerous path and we have to realize that it's not all about work. I totally agree with Cayla and that is one reason why we decided to stay here during this time in Maine. 

Cayla also talks about organizing using her planner. In relation to what Beth mentioned about the Pomodoro, Cayla does some of her chores during her breaks so technically, she still uses those breaks productively. Since she is old-fashioned, she still loves using her Passion Planner. She loves doing a big brain dump and then figure out what she needs to do in chunks. She suggests that you take a look at your life and figure out what you can do to have time for yourself while doing all the important stuff. Like for example, she pays to have somebody do her meal plans for her but that in turn allows her to have more time for more important stuff on her list. She also bought an iRobot to clean her house for her. So for Cayla, doing that has value. One other thing is doing the task part by part during the Pomodoro breaks allow you to finish a task that could have otherwise occupied your whole weekend. Anything you can delegate, automate, plan in little chunks so you can have more time in your life and allow you to get your life back and enjoy it, is worth it.

I, too, outsource a lot of chores at home to others or my family. Be kind to yourself so you can show up for things only you can do and delegate the rest. 

Beth does her own chores and she agrees with Cayla that it is best to do it in small chunks so that it won't get overwhelming. She shares a quote from Steven Cotler, "If we are hunting the highest version of ourselves, then we need to turn work into play and not the other way around. Unless we invert this equation, much of our capacity for intrinsic motivation starts to shut down much of our passion." For those who are working, due to the current situation, everyone else is at home and we may feel that we are actually working all the time. It's a good motivation that if you are productive and did a good job, you will get rewarded for that. 

Cayla and Beth both agree that doing similar tasks in batches allow you to get them done faster rather than doing one each day or so. You also avoid feeling that you are working all of the time. A good example of such tasks are scheduling emails or creating social media graphics for your business.

Aside from using an old-fashioned Passion Planner, Cayla shared about using an online tool which imports the regular things that you do into a calendar.

Batching, planning, organizing and basically putting structure into your day to day activities allow you to have more time for yourself and your goals.

We should also have a "Stop Doing" list so we can be aware and remove those activities and people that waste our time. Good examples are watching too much television or social media. Once we learn how to do that, we can instead spend that time being more productive and doing something that gives us more energy.

Perfectionism can also cause a waste of time. We need to get started instead of just thinking about it. We also need to figure out when we are most productive. If you are more energetic in the morning, you can do more work including the hard stuff during that time. On the time of day you feel less energetic, you can do other things that need less energy from yourself.

Morning and evening routines are also important. For Cayla, her morning routine starts her day off well. She also has an evening routine to help her shut down well. When she wakes up late, she still makes sure she does a mini-version of her morning routine.

She also plans her week every Sunday. She has her main works and needle mover stuff. Needle mover are little things that allow you to progress your bigger goals. Each day, she schedules 3 main works and 1 needle mover. She also gives herself time for small things that allow her to be happy -- like draw, take pictures, call a friend and other small things that make you feel good. Consciously taking some time for yourself and the little things you want to do allows you to feel better and happier about yourself. In turn, that makes you feel more energized for your work too. 

You can join our very cool Facebook group which has been named one of the top Facebook groups for musicians. Just go to Facebook and look up "Female Indie Musicians Community". 

Don't forget to also get my Smart Goals Workbook at femusician.com/goals.

Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/goals

I met Amy through the Women of Substance Podcast when she submitted her music. If you are interested to get on our show where we can promote you through our different social channels and our listeners, you can leverage that exposure to show your fans that you are doing something fun and also get to rally your existing fans to share it. You can also connect with other artists who are featured on the show and possibly collaborate with them. If you want to submit to our Review Board, you can do so at www.wosradio.com

It all started when Amy was in elementary school. Though she lacked confidence, Amy joined a talent show where she won money by singing "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. That made her feel that music could be her destiny. Eventually, she joined a choir and musical theater while in college.

When she was young, she had anorexia. Through healing, she realized she had to move out of Maryland to seek for opportunities to pursue her passion. She already knew that time that her calling was singing and music. She went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. In that place, she also found a local church. The pastor in that church immediately told her she was to be a lead singer and that started her musical journey.

She only started vocal training in her twenties. Back in Maryland when she was young, she developed vocal chord nodules when she was a cheerleader and had undergone surgery. All her vocal teachers said it was a miracle that she sings the way she does even after that.

Amy knows her calling was to reach people with her original music. Her message through her music is mainly about God's hope, healing, love, grace and other inspirationals like nature and pursuing your dreams. She does not feel the need to stick to the usual genres. She's not afraid to explore other music styles outside of her genre as well. 

Before the lockdown happened, she did shows with her mom on her Youtube channel. During the lockdown, she was able to slow down, take much-needed rest and became more active in Youtube doing home videos to let people hear her message. 

Amy advises to step out of the box and stretch to an area you are not that familiar with as an artist. She invested in doing videos over the years and she has submitted them for competitions. Two years ago, she released an album called "Make Me a Butterfly". Her friend, Robynn, used one of her songs, "Breath of Angels" to close out her short film, "You're Never Alone". She was the one who told Amy about Filmfreeway where she can submit songs and music videos. This outlet has thousands of festivals all over the world and this is where she won a bronze medal for the Global Music Awards and got good reviews and wins for other such competitions. She has gotten a lot of exposure due to joining different international competitions. She also creates promo videos and gets a lot of support from her fans. Even if she doesn't win in some of the competitions she joins, she does get other awards like people's choice and is otherwise happy to get nominated. 

Winning awards has opened a lot of doors for her. People have reached out wanting to work with her and interview her. It also helped build up her credibility. The Global Music Awards is recognized as music's golden seal of approval and they also have affiliations with other big companies. Even big movies are in Filmfreeway. It's an avenue that opened a lot of opportunities for her. It really helps that through this, even during the Coronavirus she has something great to look forward to.

Aside from joining competitions, she also promotes her music even behind the scenes so when judges check her videos they are able to see the views. Her attitude is, even if the song has been released, there are still millions of people in the world that haven't heard it. For example, when she has a new follower on Instagram, she sends them a private message introducing herself and encouraging them with a link to her music. Through that, she has gotten some radio interviews among other stuff. She loves doing this apart from doing Filmfreeway.

If you want to connect with Amy Barbera, you can find her online at www.amybarbera.com. She is also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reverbnation among others -- just look for her name, Amy Barbera.

Links mentioned in this episode: www.wosradio.com and www.amybarbera.com

I would love you to join our Female Musician Academy. The first step is to join my free masterclass on www.musiciansprofitpath.com

Rachel Mason is a jill-of-all-trades and has helped many people internationally. She has always loved music and song since she was around 4 years old. She has a condition similar to Tori Amos called synesthesia wherein apart from hearing music, she can see it as colours and taste it too. 

Music has always been a part of her life. She studied it in school and took up classical music in University during the day and at night, she wrote music in the studio. Recently, she took up Masters in Songwriting. After University, she taught voice to students. Although she loved pop, she took up Classical Music since that was the one available in their schools. She felt her voice did not belong in usual genres so she created her own path where she does belong. 

One time, she had an admin job that she hated. She contacted all the local schools to see if they needed a music teacher. Eventually she found a school that took her and she was able to quit the job she didn't like. She eventually needed to set up a local group for the school and from there, she and her friends set up Euphoria Show Choir. Since show choirs were not common in the UK during that time, that venture opened a lot of doors for her, which included being invited outside of the country for judging choirs.

On top of all that, she also manages independent musicians. She won a competition for self-employed people in the UK as "Freelancer of the Year". It was tough competition but the judges loved that she was so diverse and she's come through really difficult things. She works with independent musicians who do not know how to start and she is like their mom who motivates them and support them in their journey. She manages the artists but it is more of mentorship that she provides. If the publicity side is doing really good and the artist feels ready, that is where she prefers to come into her management. 

Being a mom of little kids, she is grateful to have a good support network that includes her husband, her parents who live nearby plus her sister and her husband. She can be home with her children during the day and does her teaching in the evening. She avoided going abroad too much since that upsets them. She takes it step-by-step since there is no real blueprint for being a working mom. 

She loves writing for herself and collaborating with other people. She is aware that there are some things she is good at and there are some that she is not and that other person may complement it. Aside from that, she also records music and she did one with her 3-year old.

She is also a patron of a Mental Health foundation. She struggled so much going through motherhood, having post-partum psychosis (also known as postnatal depression). Eventually, she admitted to herself that there was a problem and she sought treatment. It's really good that she got the support and treatment she needed and eventually recovered. She also used songwriting to cope with how she felt whenever she was depressed. That makes her really passionate about her company, Lyrical Light. Everyone is welcome to join the group, not necessarily songwriters or singers only. 

I previously thought I had to give up being a mom after I had a child. You do not. Rachel agrees that it's a difficult balance but it's rewarding. You can have it all just at different points and times. 

She has a number of income streams she keeps. Her main one is teaching which she does at home which includes teaching choirs. She's had to do the classes virtually during this time. Aside from that, she writes songs and does commission work for choirs and other outlets. She also writes articles for different magazines and does public speaking. 

Just like Rachel, I always encourage musicians to have 5 or 6 income streams that you build up so that no matter what is happening in the world, you still have something to tap into. There's a lot of opportunities online now which allows us to participate in events outside of our location and still stay in the safety of your home.

You can find Rachel on her website at rachelmasonmusic.com, on her Instagram @rachelmasonmusic, her Facebook Rachel Mason Music and twitter @iamrachelmason.

Links mentioned in this episode: www.musiciansprofitpath.com and rachelmasonmusic.com

If you're interested to get support around your music career, steps on how to build it, what stage you're in and what you need to work on based upon what stage you're at, visit my free masterclass at musiciansprofitpath.com. It will teach you how to attract your 1000 true fans without wasting time and money on the wrong marketing tactics.

I know many of you have started a lot of new things in the past few months. When we embark on a new journey, the first thing we feel is fear. I heard this quote on a podcast: "The butterflies you feel in your stomach means that you've got skin in the game." The nervousness you feel means that that thing is actually worth doing and you are invested in it. Feeling that fear is normal and it's meant to protect you. It automatically appears when you don't know how things are going to turn out. There's nothing bad about feeling that fear but we need to learn how to co-exist with it.

When you want to start something, it's scary but once you say yes the first feeling that you feel is excitement and exhilaration. Then the feeling that immediately follows that is fear and that is totally normal. Whenever I make a new business, I always feel fear around that. Even if I've done similar things before, it's totally normal. That fear is there to protect us since we don't know how things are going to turn out. There is nothing wrong with that feeling of fear but we need to co-exist with it and deal with it.

On a podcast interview with Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the books "Big Magic" and "Eat, Pray, Love", she talked about having a conversation with fear instead of having to push it away. Invite it in for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Let fear in and listen to your fear as to why you are afraid. You can write things down. Once you've let that have its way and not interrupt it, you can see why you have that fear, the worse that could happen, what you need to address, and look at things more objectively. You're going to know the worst that could happen and know how to deal with it.

Sometimes we are so immersed in all our what ifs but once we play them in our mind, we realize that they're not so big at all. Fear doesn't have to hold us back and we just need to understand how to deal with it. "Butterflies in your stomach are just a sign that you've got skin in the game."

Link mentioned in this episode: musiciansprofitpath.com

Michael has a free video series you can subscribe to before July 19th at femusician.com/michael

Early on, Michael played in a band and had no idea about music licensing. During the 90s and 2000s, he moved to Nashville with a dream to advance his music career. He got turned down many times during the 4 years he stayed there and eventually, he decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue his path there. In 2003, he landed a gig on a tv show playing guitar on "The Young and The Restless" which led to his first movie which is "Ella Enchanted" with Anne Hathaway. He still continued his artist path trying to break into the labels but he got no success. He tried to do sync licensing while pursuing his artist career. It got to a point that he was working for 3 shows at a time and it was a great experience. However, due to the stress in the job, he developed alopecia and decided he was going to change his path. He realized that he should focus on sync licensing alone since he is getting a lot of acceptance and projects with it. He pursued licensing and got really good at it. 

There are a lot of opportunities for a lot of different styles/genres. Labels may look for the latest sounds which does not suit what you make but sync licensing opens a lot of opportunities for different sounds. Artistically, you get to cover a lot of ground.

There are different paths to placements but the reality is musicians do not understand the business enough to close the deal with a music supervisor. Michael has done licensing for a long time but since 2011, he had someone else handle it.

A licensing company is like a realtor who sells your music who gets a percentage of your sales. You can choose not to give up the right to your music but allow them to use your music for a certain period of time. Working with a licensing company allows you to continue creating music instead of spending your time selling your music. 

Traditional Music Process:

1. Finish the song.
2. Send it out.

The Music Licensing Process:

1. Finish the song.
2. Recording mixes.
3. Add Metadata.
4. Send it out.

Michael created his licensing course because he noticed others talking about what music licensing is but nobody was showing how to actually do it. He shares his entire process on licensing and how to show music producers how you can make their life easier and bring them what they need.

Why is this the right time to learn sync licensing?

• It creates a back end revenue stream.
• The content world for TV, movies, Netflix, etc. are exponentially growing right now. 
• People are currently craving entertainment.
• Productions have started back again. In another 2 months, they will start again with post production and will be needing your music.

Licensing is a fun and exciting world. It does require work, you have to write good music and your music has to sound good. You're playing in the big leagues. Your music is valued and you're paid accordingly both on the upfront licensing fees and with royalties. 

For a long time Michael looked at his career as a failure but he is so grateful that he landed in the licensing world. He gets to do what he loves which is playing guitar and making music. In the licensing world, it does not matter if you have been turned down multiple times or if somebody did not believe in you. What you look like or what clothes you wear is completely irrelevant. What matters is that your music complements and enhances a story or emotion that is happening on screen. Other things are completely irrelevant. 

If you want to know if your music is good enough for licensing, give yourself half an hour to an hour a day, turn on the tv, close your eyes, when it gets to a commercial, listen to the music that is played. You will hear that it is not the same music that is played in the radio, it is a lot of different genres.

Sign up for Michael's video series at femusician.com/michael while it’s available. 

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/michael

Cayla is one of our Community Managers for the Female Indie Musician Community which is our large free group on Facebook. We talk about why she joined in that group and what she thinks it offers to artists in particular. You can check our group at woscommunity.com. Then we also talk about the Academy and how it's different from the free group, why she joined the Academy and the higher level of benefit she gets from it. If you would like to find out more, you can join my free class at musiciansprofitpath.com

About Cayla

At 3 years old she wanted to be a singer but her mom told her that she couldn't carry a tune. She was still determined to become a singer. She started to sing professionally at 14. At 19, she has toured and performed in several continents as well as for prime ministers and presidents and even in Lincoln Center in New York. She was brought up in the church and in a Christian community. She joined a contest for her church that had 1000 people in it. From there, she joined her church group that toured in Israel and different countries as well as in front of dignitaries.

She also sang gospel music which during that time had various styles and that's what helped developed her music. With her mom's, dad's and musical theater influence, she was a real mixing pot when it comes to music. 

Cayla experienced a lot of struggles including abuse from her family, controlling marriage, abandoned relationships from family, churchmates and friends. Due to the abuse she endured during her childhood, she lost who she was.

Sometime in her 50s, her daughter asked her why she has not pursued her dreams. She explained because she was already old. Then her daughter asked her if she wanted her to give up on her own dreams. That was a wake-up call for her. She realized she was the one who decided to stop pursuing her own dreams and she chose to let life stop her. After that, she joined a gospel choir to get her voice back then it's gone from there. She slowly rediscovered herself and her confidence.

Things she learned through her life experiences:

• Do not be complacent and continue learning and continue bringing ourselves forward.
• We should not stop living our dreams when we reach a certain age because we think we no longer have value and we have nothing more to say. We should show our children that we can reach and live our dreams no matter what age we are.
• Listen to your intuition and follow your own dreams and passions.
• We encounter fears whenever we try something new but your why should be stronger than your fear.
• Find out who you are as a person and as a performer. Do not follow what others say or what others want. You got to do you.

How the Academy Helped Cayla

One way the Academy has helped Cayla was the "brain dump" where you need to write down your plans and target what you want to achieve in 90 days. She also learned about and worked on getting a residual income so she can do the things she wants to do. Ask yourself, "What is it that I really want"?

She is working on a free course that works as a good lead magnet. You can find the Chair Workshop at caylabrooke.com.

How FIMC has helped Cayla

Female Indie Musician Community is a group where female musicians can join and feel safe. It's not a place where you can promote but you do have a place to put your Youtube link or so. You can celebrate your wins and ask questions. Other artists with decades of experience can give you advice. It's also a great place to make friendships with other musicians who understand you.

How the FMA and FIMC differs

Cayla shares that the free group is like being in a big church while the Academy is like being with your girls who support you and care for you. The Academy also conducts expert workshops to expose members to different things and choose which one you want to use.

Learn more about Cayla on her Instagram at @officialcaylabrooke, and on Spotify and Facebook as Cayla Brooke.

You can join our free workshop "How to Get Your 1000 True Fans" at musiciansprofitpath.com to have an idea of how I run my Academy.

Links mentioned in this episode: caylabrooke.com, woscommunity.com, musiciansprofitpath.com

Kris is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Early on, she was writing and pitching songs hoping to get them cut, get film and TV placements, and get songs with other artists. Since she needed to have a professional recording for that, she was spending money for producers to help her with the recording. She had difficulty communicating what she wanted so she did not always get the results she wants. Since she also wrote a lot of songs during that time, she did not have enough money to support producing her songs as often as she needed. That was when she decided that she will learn how to produce.

She was not at all tech-savvy but she decided to get her first laptop in her late 20's and learn it. She did have technological struggles but she was so determined to do it. She made a lot of bad recordings but she kept on learning until she got to a point that her recordings were good enough for her to start pitching her songs. Then other artists started paying her to do their demos. She suddenly realized she is already a producer since artists were approaching her to produce their songs. Now, she is a full-time producer and also teaches other people how to produce their own songs.

Why You Would Want to Learn Producing Songs With Kris:

1. You will save money by no longer needing to pay a producer to produce your songs.
2. You get the results you want. You can either produce your own songs or learn to communicate better with your producer. 
3. You can have the freedom to be in the comfort of your own home and still produce your song.
4. You can release your own music.
5. You can beta test your songs with your market and get feedback before producing and releasing them.
6. If you have the right presentation, you get the full potential of how good your song can be.
7. Learning to use the right software like LogicProX will allow you to plug in and play. 
8. Kris does a listening party for her course enrollees so she can give feedback to their songs and artists can listen to the feedback and learn from each other. 

Kris has a video series she just released which is called "Start Producing Your Song Today in 3 S.I.M.P.L.E. Steps". S.I.M.P.L.E. stands for Structure, Instrumentation, Mood, Production Style, Leave It All Behind and Execute. The first step is "How to easily build your home studio". The second step is "Assembling your tool belt". The third step is "Template: How to Avoid the Blank Page Syndrome". The last two steps are reverse engineering a different song to get ideas for your arrangement.

Find Kris' free video series at femusician.com/boss.

You can find Kris Bradley at producelikeaboss.com, Produce Like A Boss on Facebook, and @producelikeaboss on Instagram.

Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/boss and producelikeaboss.com

I also share about live streaming on 15 Streams of Income to Tap Right Now. If you haven't yet, you can grab this free resource at femusician.com right on the front page. If you're interested in getting group support within the Academy, you can check out my workshop at musiciansprofitpath.com to see how I set up the Academy and how I run that framework.

Starting up as a fan of music, Laura hung around musicians at all-ages clubs. She started by defending musicians to make sure they are getting paid correctly. She eventually did live music photography. She became a journalist for 7 years and after that, she pivoted back to music and worked as a funding officer for a non-profit that helped artists in developing their careers. She also worked in the biggest music market in California where she learned a lot. She was really passionate about doing live music at her own house. She felt that the shows she was able to host at her own house where she helps other musicians earn money was such a beautiful experience. After all that, she put up her first company, The Syrup Factory, which is mainly project management for hire that supports artists in doing their release or putting out a video, etc. 

Side Door was born out of the idea that Laura wanted to make doing live music a better experience for artists. She saw that her beloved musicians didn't really make that much money on tours so she saw a solution in doing house concerts instead. She had an idea of how to simplify the booking process for house concerts. She met Dan Mangan who was doing a similar thing as she was. They made the business what it is to create a fair and transparent platform for artists. With this platform, the idea was to find the best artists and help them find the best venues like houses, churches, breweries, etc. and Side Door matchmakes both sides. The third part was giving access to the audience. 

When this pandemic happened, they had a lot of bookings scheduled for the artists and venues so they had to speak with each of them when the bookings were canceled. A week after what happened, Laura and Dan talked about booking shows online. Since then, they've done more than 100 shows and artists' incomes have become triple what they usually had.

About Side Door Online Gigs:

• They have been enjoying Zoom shows for artists since it creates connections with the artists and audiences both being at their own homes, with their kids, and with their dogs. 
• The cap on a Zoom call's capacity creates scarcity for the shows and that makes the shows really special.
• They put hard tickets on the shows. The average ticket price is between $7 and $8. 
• They have a donate link as well for tipping. Merch can also be sold if the artists prefer. (These items are not currently live. They will be in the coming weeks.) Most people buy more tickets than they need to support their favorite artists. The kinds of fans coming to the shows actually pay for tickets and gift them to others.
• The average income that an artist takes home for a show is $1600-$1700 a show.
• They are also currently working on matching with hosts or other people who could contribute to making the show great.
• Some artists would collaborate with emerging artists. Audiences tend to support emerging artists when they soon have their own virtual show.
• Side Door responds to support requests if they need to have a conversation with the artist and whoever else is involved pre-show to talk about details such as the date of the show, time of the show, etc.
• They are also transparent about how much an artist would take home after fees and taxes.
• Anyone can be a promoter for an artist and that person can earn from this.
•  They are also working on suggestions for similar artists or concerts just like what Spotify does. (This feature is not yet live but in design/development.)

Online shows do not replace live shows since it's a different kind of experience. It looks like online shows will stay even after live shows are allowed again.

Go to sidedooraccess.com and check out their platform.

Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com, musiciansprofitpath.com, and sidedooraccess.com

We are celebrating our 200th episode and I have decided to talk about money. I want to talk about the mindset side. I have learned that no matter how many practical things you know, if you have not conquered the mindset side over money, either you lose money easily or you block money from getting to you.

I want to talk about Money Blocks - I highly recommend the book, "You are a Badass at Making Money" by Jen Sincero - it's really eye-opening on beliefs we have about money that are keeping us stuck. We have these beliefs about money that we don't realize are actually not facts. I want to bring up some common ones that musicians face and I want you to listen with an open mind and think "Are these things that I might be thinking deep down about money?"

MONEY BLOCKS

#1: Money doesn't grow on trees. 

• This means that money is a limited resource.
• Thinking this way makes you hesitant or guilty to sell.
• Money is just an exchange of value. If others think that what you gave was so valuable that they wanted to give you money, you're taking that experience to support you away from them if you think this way.

#2: Money is the root of all evil.

• Thinking that money only comes to the greedy or thinking that money makes you a bad person.
• Money just amplifies what you already are.

#3: You can't be an artist and make money.

• Thinking that you only want to help people with what you're doing and not make money from it.
• Money is just a means to an end. It allows you to put your message further.

#4: Money can't buy happiness.

• Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy you choices. Those choices can bring you happiness and it can make your life better.

Probe and think if you have these deep-seated beliefs. Changing my mindset has really allowed me to have abundance and my business has grown. 

I want to know your thoughts about this touchy subject. I would love to know what you guys think. Find this on our femusician.com/podcast at the top episode and leave a comment. Or you can also leave me a speak pipe at speakpipe.com/femusician. I would love to hear your thoughts on money, music, and abundance.

Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com, femusician.com/podcast, and speakpipe.com/femusician

We have the new and updated income guide, 15 Streams of Income to Tap Right Now. This is centered on all the things you can incorporate especially during this time of the pandemic. Grab it at femusician.com on the front page.

Fiona wanted to be a singer since she was a child. When she was 13, her glee club teacher told her that she had a voice that could sing opera. She sang opera and loved musical theater at the same time.

She finished liberal arts then studied in the conservatory of music. She took up a young artist program and was also a music teacher. She previously had this notion that she is less of a performer and was not successful if she's not able to earn her full income as an opera singer and that she still has to work as a music teacher. She eventually came to realize that that was not true and she was actually successful during that time -- even popular celebrities are diversifying their incomes too. 

Back then, she ran a brick and mortar voice studio. She already had this idea that there were many more possibilities online for her career but she was scared of social media and the online world. After she attended the recent Profitable Musician Summit, it became an eye-opener for her. She never gave up her singing and love of musical theater but she now understands that diversifying her income will give her the lifestyle she wants for her family. So now, apart from being a performer, she's also a passionate business coach. 

She now has a Youtube channel where she creates videos of her as a performer and a business coach. Fiona considers herself a "singerpreneur". For her it means being creative, thinking outside the box, leveraging social media, and diversifying her income. It is considering singing as her business. 

She enjoys Content Marketing, especially on Youtube. It can also be done from different platforms for like Instagram live or podcasts, etc., depending on where you're comfortable as a musician and where your audience is. Another thing she uses for content is doing cover songs. Especially during this time of the pandemic, it's great to diversify and be able to tap into different aspects of yourself.

Fiona has started a Facebook group called "The Profitable Performer" where she discusses growing and leveraging your Instagram bio and understanding how to use Instagram in a way that will help you monetize it. Fiona is passionate about teaching the three M's -- Mindset, Marketing, and Monetization. She believes that we need to uplevel our Mindset and Marketing to increase our Monetization.

Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com

Being Proactive is producing a result that you can control especially in an uncertain situation. It's important to be a proactive musician and proactive business owner anytime instead of being reactive to things. 

Being Reactive is going in a reverse direction. This pandemic has already impacted us and the last thing we want is going further in the reverse direction. 

Examples of Proactive Mentality During this Time:

• Getting out of our comfort zone and trying new things
• Learning a new skill or improve a skill they already have

Examples of Reactive Mentality During this Time:

• Completely shutting down when communicating with your fans
• Not trying to new things
• Thinking fans will not come on board if they try a new platform

I know that if you are listening to this podcast, you are not that negative kind of musician and I want to give you some inspiration from my students on what they have been doing during this time as well as the results they are getting so far.

Cayla Brooke, a singer/songwriter from Vancouver BC Canada as well as a Keynote Concert Speaker

• Started doing online concerts and has created her very first online workshop
• Gained new fans, connected with existing fans and made money

Adrienne Cat, professional singer for many years

• Started doing Facebook Live for Senior Care Facilities and Fans
• Gained new fans/followers and more senior care facilities got interested

Gail Gallagher, a Chicago-based musician with a genre of musical-theater inspired folk-rock

• Started performing live once a week and hosting open mic; Also attempting to produce her own album; Starting her singer/songwriter career
• Connecting with her musician friends all over the world, Building excellent foundations for her singer/songwriter career

Charleessa

• Going live on Facebook and Instagram; Having a virtual tip jar which she linked to her own website
• Fans are loving it and she's getting donations

Colleen Kitchen

• Going lives and tutorials not just about music but other things as well; Working on her guitar skills and encourages her husband to learn OBS so she can better live videos of her

Beth Matthew

• Facebook Live Concerts, Creating and Scheduling Facebook Live Events, Sending Emails to her Email Lists
• Earned income, concerts have received a lot of engagement, getting new fans

Carlene Thissen

• Working on a New Book, Belong to a Singer/Songwriting Performing Group where they recorded and posted covers of each other songs. She's gotten rave reviews about the 2 songs she covered and got included in a Set List. Signed up for Guitar Workshop

Carol Nicodemi, long time Academy Member living in the heart of the pandemic in New York

• Rising up to the challenges of the current situation. Creating and sharing videos and songs from her apartment in Queens, New York
• Bringing more engagement and more fans, more honest and self-searching and made herself a better songwriter and singer

Steffani Timmerman, an art teacher by trade and preparing to have music as her career after retirement

• Started doing more Songwriting classes and Guitar lessons

I hope you have been inspired to be proactive during this time. Go to my free class to know more about the Musician's Profit Path Method that I teach in the Academy. Get more information at musiciansprofitpath.com

Link mentioned in this episode: musiciansprofitpath.com

We have recently updated our Income Guide to the new 15 Streams of Income You Can Tap Right Now To Create Sustainable Revenue from Music. Go to femusician.com right on the front page to get the free guide.

Brooke Castillo developed the CTFAR coaching model that I will discuss with you. You can listen to her podcast at The Life Coach School Podcast.

The CTFAR Model stands for: Circumstances, Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, and Results. Circumstances create Thoughts. Thoughts create Feelings. Feeling creates an Action on your part. That Action, in turn, leads to a certain Result. This model teaches that no matter what the C (Circumstance) is, you have the ability to change things along the way so you can control your Actions and Results.

1. Control the way you think.

You can train your mind to think differently so you can expect different results.

2. Control the way you show up. 

If you are strong in what your values are, it should not be shaken by the circumstances.

3. Control your attention.

Focus on matters that are inspiring and uplifting. Take in what you need to but protect your mind and heart.

Send us your feedback at bree@femusician.com.

Links mentioned in this episode: www.femusician.com

My friends Angie and David, the owners of AirGigs, join me in this podcast. Whether you are a vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, or if you specialize in other skills such as arranging or mixing, etc., the AirGigs platform is a user-friendly tool for diversification of income for musicians where you can offer your services remotely. 

Tips On Maximizing AirGigs to Land Online Session Work

1. You can choose to offer various types of services like album artwork, audio editing, creating backing tracks, etc.

2. Take into consideration that you need to give more time to communication as compared to in-person bookings.

3. Be aware of other expenses (like electricity bill, equipment, maintenance of your gear, taxes) and wrap that into your price. 

4. Provide detailed terms for your listing such as, how many revisions are included, how long is the turn-around time for the project, and instructions to the buyer when they order. You can also indicate if pre-communication is important for you before the buyer places their order. It's also good to mention your gear, your equipment, recording interface, etc. 

5. You can look at the components of a listing that is doing well and you can determine your own rate/price. Some include video introductions for a more personalized feel. Mention your skills in the video to highlight what you can offer.

6. It is important to specify what you specialize in. It could be a particular genre or an equipment you use. Including a sample of what you offer also helps.

7. The current biggest sellers on the platform include Vocals, Song Production, Mixing, Base, and Guitar.

8. You can also respond and send proposals to individuals posting opportunities with the forum page.

Links mentioned in this episode: Grab my new income guide at http://www.femusician.com.

Mental and physical wellness plus building habits go hand in hand with you creating goals for your music career. Grab my free Smart Goals Workbook at femusician.com/goals so you can build your list of 5 tools you can focus on for the next 90 days.

My guest, Katie Zaccardi, was an indie artist/songwriter who struggled with anxiety disorder during college, until she discovered how to cope, figure out her triggers and do yoga to help her.

Eventually, she took up Yoga teacher training and this developed her interest in the spiritual and personal development world. While working in music publishing after college, she experienced stress, anxiety and constant headache. She eventually quit her job, went into freelancing and started her business. Now, she offers music career coaching in a very holistic way - - working on wellness, mindset and strategies to build a sustainable career and not to burn out. She shares the following important information about mental and physical wellness and building habits in this podcast episode.

How to Deal With Fear (Particularly During This Current Situation)

1. Establish your regular wellness routine. Make it a goal to lower your stress level baseline.

2. Make sure you are not keeping the fear inside and acknowledge the fact that uncertainty is going on. The key is choosing how you react to the things that come up in a way that serves you instead of one that doesn't. Work through the emotions by not keeping it all inside. Share it with others or do some activity that will serve as your outlet.

Tips On How To Establish A Wellness Routine Habit

● Have tools or activities in your daily schedule that you can do whenever you need to de-stress to help you feel joyful and calm.

● Have a routine that is pretty set to eliminate decision fatigue. Attach the routine to a usual thing that you do like brushing your teeth or drinking your morning coffee.

● Be intentional in finding time to create wellness and get things done. You can check your family's routines and find ways where you can make it work with your current schedule.

● You do not need to stop once you feel good. This is your goal and this means you actually need to continue what you are doing.

● Remind yourself everyday about your routine.

Basic Things to Start With for Your Routine (One thing at a Time)

1. Sleep - Audit your sleep.

2. Water - Notice how much water you are taking in each day.

3. Breathing - Learn to control your breathing, especially when you're stressed.

You can find Katie Zaccardi on The Out to Be Podcast: Wellness, Mindset and Mental Health in the Music Industry.

DM us on Instagram at @women_in_music or @katiezaccardi

Links mentioned in this episode: Grab my SMART Goals Workbook @ http://www.femusician.com/goals

In this episode, my friend, Tiffany Van Boxtel from the StarSinger.co Podcast, shares how she seamlessly transitioned all her students online.  

When social distancing was implemented, Tiffany sent an email and told her students that due to the situation, they need to change to online lessons. She emphasized the benefits of the online classes to her students and that it was not going to be worth any less than the private in-person lessons. It's fun, it's engaging and it's a great opportunity.

She also included instructions on her first email about how her students can join her online teaching on Zoom. Those who were apprehensive just followed the step-by-step directions.

 She talks about important points to transition to online lessons:

1. Have a positive mindset about teaching online
2. Communicate well with your students and tell them why you need to transition online and highlight the benefits
3. Set clear directions on how to get them started. 
4. Set expectations and give resources to your students.

 Another option she shares is recording your classes. Benefits you can highlight to your students are:

• You can learn at your own time. 
• Bring your lessons with you on the go.
• You will still have regular Coaching Calls
• You will have Masterclasses to get feedbacks

Tiffany offers vocal coaching and she will teach you her system for giving captivating performances. Access Tiffany's free training at starsinger.co/breefreetraining.

The link mentioned in this episode: www.starsinger.co/breefreetraining

The idea of planting a tree comes from the quote, "The best time to plant a tree was 100 years ago. The second best time to plant a tress is today."

Here are the areas you can focus on to "plant a tree" right now:

Email list

Social Media

LIvestreaming

Home Studio

Teaching Online

The links mentioned in this Episode.

http://www.bandzoogle.com Promo Code WOS15

http://femusician.com/ConvertKit

I’ve heard it said that in a crisis, out of every 12 people, 5 will retreat and bury their head in the sand, 5 will freeze like a deer in the headlights, and 2 will pivot and start taking steps forward. Those 2 will be the ones who emerge with a solid career and a stable income after the dust settles. Here are some ways you can start moving forward and be one of those 2 who recession-proof their career and thrive in the “new normal”.

1. Diversify Your Income
2. Embrace Technology
3. Build Relationships With Fans
4. Build Relationships with Fellow Musicians
5. Build Relationships with Venues
6. Expand Your Skill Set

The artists who thrive in the post-pandemic economy will be the ones who don’t retreat or freeze during this shutdown. It is crucial right now to be proactive not reactive. This season offers unique opportunities, and the artists who aren’t afraid to pivot and move forward, taking even one step each day, will build a solid career and stable income on the other side. 

Bree Noble is a music marketing & business coach, best-selling author of "The Musician's Profit Path", recognized speaker, and award-winning podcaster. As founder of both Women of Substance Radio and The Female Entrepreneur Musician, Bree is a champion and go-to resource for Indie artists in all genres. Her most popular offerings are her Female Musician Academy and her Rock Your Next Release program.

DM Bree on Instagram: @women_in_music

Trust me, I get it. I felt that way in the beginning. And almost every musician that comes to me to work with me in my Academy is going through something like this feeling like there's just not a lot of hope in the income department. But that's why I created this video for you. Because sometimes, what is blocking money from music to coming to you and flowing to you is not what you expect. It's not in the physical world. It's something that's happening within you that you may not even realize. So if you're open to this, I want to talk about your money mindset.

How Money Mindset Afftects Your Money From Music

If you're like I used to be, you're pretty skeptical, because I used to think that everything that really matters exists in the tangible physical world. And all I needed to do was to figure out some strategy or tactic that was going to be able to help me get more money from music, and that was going to fix the problem. But over the years, I've realized that there's so much going on in the background, there's so much stuff happening in my head, in my emotions, in just the ways that I think about things or beliefs that I have, that I don't even realize I have, that are influencing how things actually play out in the physical world.

So we might get a little woowoo today and it's not really what I am usually known for. But to me when it comes to money mindset, this is what we need to talk about. It's not about nickels and dimes and figuring out the next tactic to make more money. It's about figuring out why what you're doing already, is not bringing in the money that you desire.

Oftentimes, if we're not getting the money that we want, it's usually because we are repelling it. We are pushing it away. We are not inviting it in. And this is something that happens so subconsciously.

So I want you to think about the way you feel about money. The things that you might think about money that you don't realize the stories that you've told yourself over the years or that other people have told you about money that you've just accepted as truth without ever Kind of investigating them to see if they really are true or not. Things like you know, money is limited. Money doesn't grow on trees. Money is hard to come by. Money is the root of all evil.

And those things all play into the way that you actually receive money on the other end. Because if you're thinking about money in a very scarce way, it's much harder to actually receive the money with an open heart and an open mind. Because you've already got these stories around the money that are not allowing it to come your direction, you're kind of repelling it, you're pushing it away, you're blocking it. So if you do have some of these stories, working in the background, you might actually feel guilty when you receive money.

Because if you believe that money is limited, and if you believe that if someone gives you money for something that means that you're taking something away from them. And then they won't have that to do something else with the money, then you're going to feel guilty. And that is going to affect the way that you ask for money, the way that you accept money, and the way that you even approach money related things.

Start Attracting More Money From Music

So I want you to think of a few things that happen in your music business and think about how you act in relation to these.

So for example, if you are at a show, and you want to encourage people to buy your CD or consider buying some of your merch, come back to the merch table, all of that. Do you even say that during your show? Do you feel very sheepish about saying it? Do you feel like you really can't ask them for this because they've already paid to come see your show and you'd be asking too much and you have this guilt happening in the back Ground?

Or do you just think of money as an exchange, an exchange of value, which is what it is. If they find value in what you're doing, then they want to give you money in exchange for the value that you're giving them, whether it's to come pay for your show, it's to buy something at your merch table, just to even thank you for the experience that they just had. So think about the fact that if you're not offering them an opportunity to do this, then you're actually taking away something from them a value. They really want to be able to show you how much they appreciate you.

And if you're not giving them that opportunity to have that monetary exchange, then that's actually taking something away from them, taking away their joy, of being able to thank you and express gratitude.through money. And that's actually kind of a selfish thing for you to do. So even though you feel like you're protecting them by not asking them for more money, what you're actually doing is taking away an opportunity for them to express thanks, and gratitude to you through money.

What about raising your prices? How do you feel about doing that? I realized none of us love to have to ask for more money. But if you approach it confidently knowing that the price that you're asking for absolutely reflects the value that you're giving, and not just the value today, but the value that you've accumulated, of all of your years of hard work as a musician, any schooling, any training, practicing, you have to do before the gig. You've got to make sure that you have all of that in your head when you approach somebody about a new price. Then you will feel so differently about charging more.

And just know that some people will say no, but that's okay. Because there's plenty of musicians out there that will do it for free. And that's not you, that is not your people. You need to find the people that will value what you do as a musician and everything that you've put into what you present and your program as an entertainer.

So when you think about it in that context, do you still feel uncomfortable or guilty for raising your prices? I hope not.

What about accepting donations? Does that feel really uncomfortable to you? There's many times in our music business where it totally makes sense to accept donations, whether it's at a house concert, or for our crowdfunding campaign or for me when I performed at churches, a lot of times people would give a goodwill offering and These were situations where people were able to give whatever they wanted. And I think that's such a gift to people. Because money means different things to different people. Some people $100 bill means about, like, what a $1 bill means to us. And so allowing them the opportunity to give in a way that that makes them feel good, and makes themfeel comfortable supporting you is such a gift to them. And you never know what's going to come out of it.

I remember a time where I was meeting up with somebody after a concert, and they handed me $100 bill, because they said, you know, they really believed in my music here and they wanted me to get my songs out to more people and that was their way of being able to support me. And I could have been Oh, no, no, no, it's fine. I'm fine, but great. graciously accepting that money was so wonderful for the person on the other end. Because I didn't make them feel comfortable uncomfortable about it at all. I made it such that she could really enjoy that. And I could be appreciative of it. And we could have a great exchange. And I didn't have to be anything weird about it. Because if you notice, sometimes, the exchange of money can get really weird, right? And it doesn't need to be that way.It's all about an exchange of value.

Changing Your Money Mindset Is A Process

So when I asked you in the beginning of this video, if you had any money, stories that you thought might be influencing your beliefs about money or the way that you act around money, what did you come up with? Did you realize that there might be some things lurking in the background that are making it hard for you to receive money to raise your prices, to ask for donations and feel good about it?

If that's true, that's such good news. Actually. Because that means that that's probably what is holding you back from making more money in your music business. It's not your talent or your work ethic. So you can keep doing the same thing. And actually start increasing your income just by making some mindset shifts. Now, these don't happen overnight. And you know, you really need to work on this you need to be conscious of when you start feeling and seeing these like little insidious money blocks creeping in, that are limiting you that are creating this bottleneck between you and the money that you want to receive for your talent and your passion.

So I want to encourage you to really do a little bit of an analysis and see where it is that you might be getting stuck and blocked when it comes to money. And maybe write some of those things down and see if there are ways that you can reframe those beliefs into a positive, more abundant mindset instead of this scarcity, guilt ridden mindset that might be keeping you from increasing your income.

So if you located some of these beliefs that are holding you back, I'd love to know what those are in the comments. I can guarantee you're not alone. I've worked through a lot of these myself and I know many musicians I work with are also working through them. We are a work in progress when it comes to how we approach money, especially in an industry where there's a lot of talk about how we're not getting paid enough, and there's not enough opportunities.

I truly believe that if you find your perfect people, your crowd, your potential is limitless, for how much income you can make. And once you find these true fans and start interacting with them, you'll see that the money will flow so much easier to you especially if you've done the work like we talked about in this video to clear out a lot of these money blocks that are keeping you from receiving the money that you deserve for the hard work and talent that you are giving to the world.

If you’re an Indie musician trying to build a following and make some money from your music, you probably think you need to say “yes” to every gig that comes your way. It’s easy to say “yes” to music gigs, just to get something on your calendar and feel like you’re making progress, even when you’re not excited about it, you don’t think it’s a good fit or the pay feels insulting.

I get it. It’s so much easier to say “yes” than “no, especially in the early stages of your career. You don’t want to disappoint people or act like you’re too good for what they’re offering. Logically it makes sense to say “yes” to someone when they’re offering you an opportunity. Right? But have you ever thought about what that “opportunity’ is costing you?

The Exposure As Currency Effect

As independent musicians, we’re told that getting exposure is key, especially when we’re starting out. In fact, we’re taught to consider exposure as a kind of currency. And we’re competing with other artists who are conditioned to think the same way which drives down the fees that venues are willing to pay musicians, sometimes even to zero.

This “exposure as currency effect” floods the market with a ton of undesirable gigs. When you say “yes” to gigs that aren’t a good fit or don’t pay you what you’re worth, you have less time to focus on finding gigs that are a good fit and will pay you well. If you take every gig that comes your way, you’ll be so busy that you won’t have time to prospect for new gigs, network, and up-level your contacts so you can get better music gigs.  It becomes a vicious cycle.

How Saying “Yes” To The Wrong Music Gigs Is Repelling The Right Ones

And the gigs you do have will be exhausting and unfulfilling. You’ll probably start to resent having to do them. Do you think that might have a negative effect on your whole career outlook?

The negative energy created by resentment and burnout will definitely not help you attract higher-level gigs. It will repel them. 

For example, have you ever noticed that people who are interviewing for a job that already have a job are more likely to get hired? That’s because they present themselves with confidence and poise and give off a vibe that they are worthy of the job. The fact that they know and you know that another reputable employer has hired them helps them give the impression that, while they’d like the job, they don’t NEED the job. That’s attractive.

On the other hand, a job applicant who has been out of work or works a low paying job or multiple jobs will most likely come across as resentful, negative and desperate When they give off this vibe, they become less desirable, even if they are just as talented as the other applicant. It’s not right or wrong. It’s just human nature.

In the same way, once you’ve been paid a certain fee for a gig, it’s much easier to confidently ask for it again. The first time I was paid $1,000 for a gig, I started thinking of myself in a whole different league. I began to think of myself as an artist who lands better gigs and says “no” to gigs that are free or low-paying. I suddenly had the backbone to say “no” to gigs that didn’t serve me. 

Being Strategic With Your Music Gigs

Now I’m not saying you can’t take some free or low-paying gigs in the beginning. We’ve all been there. The key is to be strategic about them and not say yes to all of them. Know your “why” for taking each gig and consider the opportunity cost of time and energy with each “yes”. Every time you say “no” to gigs that are wrong for you, think of it as an invitation for a better gig to come along. 

How To Attract Better Music Gigs

The next step is to start approaching venues as an artist who is already being paid what she’s worth. And no, I’m not telling you to be deceptive. If you truly believe in your talent, you know you’ll make it to that level. So start showing up as your future self. If you present yourself now with the confidence of your future self, you’ll naturally attract better music gigs.

If you’re wondering what skills you need to start commanding higher fees for your music gigs and what types of venues you should be approaching based on the stage of music career growth you are at now, I cover all that and a lot more in my free masterclass at www.musiciansprofitpath.com. It’s free, so head on over there and register now.

What do you do when your music goals just aren’t inspiring you? When you look at that to do list, you get this heavy feeling, or you have a knot in the pit of your stomach, or maybe you just want to run away.

You might start to think,  “Maybe I really don’t want this music career as much as I thought I did. Because if I did, I’d be so excited to tackle my goals. I would jump out of bed every day ecstatic to work on music. Is this just a slump? Or is there something else going on?”

Your Music Goals And Your Journey

If you’re feeling this way, you’re definitely not alone. I want you to know that this is very common. All of us musicians go through periods like this.

When you have lofty music goals, when you have goals that are really important and integral to following your calling and your life’s purpose, you are going to have these periods of feeling disconnected with those goals. Maybe it’s because you’re just tired of the grind. Is it because you’ve got all these shiny objects around you that you think you should be focusing on.

It’s totally normal when you have a very big goal to want to run away from it, especially if you’re getting close to that breakout point. It feels scary when you’re about to do something that’s far out of your comfort zone. If it’s going to take you to the next level, it probably feels a little or even a lot uncomfortable.

Staying Consistent with Music Goals

But sometimes it’s just the grind of consistency. If we really want to accomplish something, we have to work super hard to stay consistent at it.

Remember when you first started learning how to play an instrument, how to sing properly or to write songs? You had to do a lot of work in that area. And some of it wasn’t fun. A lot of it took time when you felt like you were kind of spinning your wheels.

So know that it is always part of the game. There are always ups and downs. And you will experience super high highs and sometimes super low lows. That is just part of the journey.

When It’s Hard

I remember when I was in college and I was performing with the school’s ensemble. We used to go out on weekends and perform all over Southern California, sometimes even Northern California. For me, academics were very important. I was getting a double major so I had a lot of work to do. And I could have just decided to toss these academic goals aside to focus on music, because that’s what was taking a lot of time for me.

But I didn’t. I figured out how to do them both at the same time even though it was hard. I remember times where I was doing homework in the van late at night with a flashlight on the way home from a gig. Often I had to go find a quiet place in between gigs or when we were doing a soundcheck for somebody besides me and just get some reading done because I had very limited time.

So just know, if that’s the kind of thing you’re going through right now, that is totally normal. But if you feel like it’s something else, if you feel like you’ve been super consistent, and you’ve been very steadfast, and you felt good about it for a long time, but now there’s just something going on, I’ve got an idea of what it might be.

Measuring Your Music Goals

When I’m feeling really disconnected from my goals and really out of alignment, the reason is usually that I am using the wrong measure of success. Now don’t get me wrong. I do think it’s important to measure whether our music goals are successful. We need to have a metric for that. But a lot of times you’re using the wrong metrics.

You’re probably using vanity metrics. Vanity metrics are things like how many Facebook likes you have. How many Instagram followers do you have? How many Twitter followers on your account? How many email subscribers do you have? How many people are showing up at your shows?

Now, I’m not saying those aren’t important metrics. They absolutely are. But when it comes down to it, when you’re feeling stuck and unmotivated, those are just numbers. They aren’t something that are going to fuel you forward.

How You Should Measure Your Music Success

Where can you get the motivation you need to keep going? What should you be using as a metric to measure your music goals?

I say the best metric, especially when you’re feeling a little bit in a slump or not excited, is engagement of your fans. Measure in the times when people come up to you after shows and want to talk to you and tell you how much that song that you did or that story that you told really touched them. They explain how it reminded them of a time in their life.

Think about the people sending you direct messages on Instagram telling you how much they love your new single and how they shared it with a friend.

Consider those times when people come up to the merch table and want to buy not just one CD, but two. They want to take one home for themselves to remember the fantastic experience they had. But they also want to take one home for their friend because they weren’t able to make it and they wanted them to have even a bit of the experience that they did at your show.

And then there are those amazing emails that you get. I got a few of these recently that got me thinking about what really fuels me towards my goals. These emails say something like, “what you said on that video, or what you said in your song was exactly what I needed to hear today.”

Staying Motivated

You need to save these emails. Create a special folder for that. Go back and read them when you’re feeling like maybe you want to give up. Read them when you fear you’re not as serious about your music goals as you thought because it feels hard and it feels like maybe you’re just not that excited about it. That’s when you open up those emails and you remember the feeling that you had when you first read them.

These metrics help remind you what you are doing is having an impact on people. We are not just creating music for the sake of creating music. We are making a better world because of our music and because of our message. Don’t ever forget that. Let that light a fire under you to achieve your music career goals.

How To Improve Those Metrics

Are you getting the kind of engagement that I was just talking about? If not, I want to invite you to come to my free masterclass at www.musiciansprofitpath.com. I will teach you how to attract your 1,000 true fans without wasting valuable time and money on the wrong marketing techniques.

So go over to www.musiciansprofitpath.com and register for free now.

As a musician, you always have so much to do to work toward music success. Your mind is constantly juggling priorities. Whether it’s booking your next tour, engaging with your fans online, writing new music, or marketing your new EP,, it can seem like you never have any time to take a breath. You may even have those days where you’re ready to throw in the towel and give up on your music career altogether. 

But let me ask you a question. When in your life have you reached success without being a little stressed, frustrated or overwhelmed? 

Seriously, I want you to name one area of your life that you’ve achieved excellence without experiencing any of those emotions. For example, academic achievement, building a strong marriage, raising kids, mastering a sport or talent. Most things in life that are worth doing aren’t easy and the journey involves a lot of ups and downs.

And when you’re doing something difficult, you’re hard-wired to have negative emotions, especially if you’re doing something really important to you, like working to achieve music success.

But what separates stressed-out musicians from successful Indie artists? It’s simply how they deal with those emotions. 

The Vicious Cycle of Stressed-Out Musicians

You see, where most stressed-out musicians work is from a place of negative emotions and fear. They see their list of to-dos and without even planning out how they can be as efficient as possible with the time they have, they immediately have negative thoughts. “There’s no way I can do all of this. Why should I even bother. With my limited time, I can’t even make a dent in my to-dos. I’m not like all those other musicians with a big team to support them and money to spend.”

Without even realizing it, they’re weighing themselves down with tons of negative thoughts, stories and emotions – all of which keep them completely held hostage. This negativity creates a vicious cycle. After all, how are you supposed to make any progress in your music career if you are always stuck, thinking that you can’t do it?

That’s like entering a bicycle race and then showing up with 2 flat tires. It’s a broken model. And if you’ve experienced any of this, then you get it. You probably already know how much slower your career is moving when you’re caught in the vicious cycle of frustration and overwhelm that most stressed-out musicians live in. 

The Shift That Leads To Music Success

But the good news is, the fix is simple. And it may be easier than you think. You just need to shift your thinking and react to these negative emotions like successful musicians do.

Instead of looking at that to-do list with fear, look at it with excitement and anticipation, with the perspective that each task is bringing you one step closer to the music career you want. Each task helps you accomplish your goals and achieve the impact you want your music to have on the world.

You decided to pursue a career in music for many important reasons. You have unique talent. Your music that needs to be heard. You have a message you are passionate about sharing with others. And each task you do brings you one step closer to making that vision and mission your reality. 

So are you going to let your emotions and those cripplling stories you tell yourself keep you from fulfilling your life’s purpose? Or are you going to put yourself in the driver’s seat and harness the power of your emotions and let that fuel your music career forward?

And once you’ve gotten your emotions in check, it’s time to tackle that to-do list. But first, let’s make sure everything on that list will actually move you forward. Based on the stage of music career growth you’re in right now, some of the things on your list might actually cost you valuable time and money without moving your closer to your goals.

To learn how to know exactly what to put on that to-do list, attend my fee online masterclass at www.musiciansprofitpath.com. Just click the link around this video to register.

There’s a common belief out there that being a mom means you have to put your dreams on hold. A belief that you should prioritize your family over everything else. And when your dream is to be a touring musician, well, that can make following your dreams feel completely out of reach, especially if you have young children.

We hear things like:

I get it. It’s easy to fall into that belief and give up on our dreams because that’s what society tells us.

But if your kids are truly your #1 priority, wouldn’t you want to be the role model who follows their passion. Society doesn’t tell you that. Why don’t they tell you to be the role model who shows their kids that anything is possible?

And how much better of a mother do you think you’ll be if you’re filled with passion every single day. Instead of pulling your dreams aside, your children get to go on the journey with you. They’ll get to see first hand what it looks like to fulfill your life’s purpose.

And yes, I understand there are mothers out there whose passion is being a mother. It’s mine too, but my passion doesn’t stop there. This isn’t for them. This is for the female musician who is sick and tired of putting her dreams aside and is ready to realize she can be an amazing mother, wife and touring musician all at the same time.

I’m not going to tell you that juggling all these identities is easy, because it is not. But it most certainly is possible. It just might look a little different from the traditional touring musician’s path.

I started my music career as a mother of a 2 year old. I released my first album and did several mini tours of California during her preschool years. 

Instead of leaving her home with a babysitter, I brought one along – my own mom. Not only did my daughter get to spend quality time with Grandma, she got to watch me following my dreams, living out my purpose and sharing my music and stories with people who were excited to hear them. 

Instead of bars and venues inappropriate for children, my tours included lots of women’s groups, community organizations, senior groups, fundraisers, large coffee houses, churches and outdoor festivals.

Sometimes my daughter even got to participate by helping setup the merch table. Even at 4, she had a great eye for how the table should look. 

Working at the merch table allowed her to be involved in my work and to see me interacting with my fans and hear how they were moved my vulnerability in my music and my stories. It showed her the impact you can have when you follow your dreams and live out your purpose.

It taught her that a traditional career isn’t the only option and that when she’s a mom, she can be a great mom and continue to follow her dreams too.

So if you’ve been putting your music career on hold because you think being a mom means giving up your music dream, I want to show you how you can do both.

I map it out in my free workshop at www.musiciansprofitpath.com. If you’re ready to stop putting your music career on hold – Register for the free workshop now.

And to hear an interview with a musician mom who was also a touring musician check out my interview with Rebecca Hollweg.

My goal with the Profitable Musician Summit 2019 is to eradicate the starving artist paradigm for good. I realize this is not an easy task. That’s why I not only brought in Music Industry Experts this year, but I also tapped some creative-friendly experts in the financial space.

Our mantra for the 2019 Profitable Musician Summit is “Get smart, get profitable, get back to making music.”

My partner in this summit venture, Steve Palfreyman of the Music Launch Co, and I want to make this whole “money” thing less of an enigma and more intuitive and systematized so you can get back to the best part of your career – making music.

To that end, we chose 33 phenomenal speakers. To join us for the summit, register for free at this link.

This episode gives you a sample of 5 of my favorite sessions from some Music Industry heavyweights.

Cari Cole

Cari Cole is a celebrity vocal coach and A&R consultant.  In her summit session, we talk about how to create a breakthrough release. This process involves artist development, repertoire, finding your signature songs, picking the right producer and more. Making the right decisions when working on your album or EP is crucial to not only spending smarter but also to making the most income from the release. A great release can propel your career to a new level and Cari Cole shows you how to do that during her session.

Ari Herstand

Ari Herstand is a seasoned musician which years of experience in the trenches. In his session he shares his strategies for how to fill your local shows, conquer the college market and budget for your next release with his 50/50 rule. As the writer of his Ari’s Take blog, he has become know as somewhat of an industry watchdog. Along those lines, in his summit session he explains how the “pay to play” venue model works and how not to get caught up in that trap.

Rick Barker

Rick Barker was a speaker on our 2018 summit and we asked him back to share his strategies for finding fans, nurturing them, and offering then new and exciting ways to spend money with you. We also talk about unique fan experiences and how artists can maximize the value of each fan by creating a value ladder in both their live offerings and merchandise.

Corrin Campbell

Corrin Campbell of Indepreneur is a data nerd – in the best kind of way. In her session she explains how to utilize the amazing tools at our disposal today to understand our fans’ behavior and help them to move along the fan discovery journey with us. She breaks it down with plain language that anyone can understand so you won’t be intimidated by experimenting with tools like Facebook Ads.

Graham Cochrane

Graham Cochrane of the Recording Revolution is a master at helping musicians diversify their income streams so they create the lifestyle they want without fear and hustle. In his session he not only gives you the formula for creating income as a freelancer (whether it’s as a home recording engineer or with another artistic skill), but he also shows you how to build an income portfolio that will allow you to create a career in music that fits your talents and lifestyle.

Join Us For The Profitable Musician Summit 2019

If these “sneak peak” snippets from the summit got you curious and excited to hear more from these experts plus 28 other knowledgeable and experienced speakers, then sign up for the Profitable Musician Summit 2019 now. Our live summit starts April 22, 2019 with a live opening party, surprise guests and tons of prizes to give away. Hope to see you there!

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Is music business management, especially the money part, stressing you out?

You’re not alone. Particularly this time of year, you may be scrambling to get your taxes done and realizing that you don’t have a good system for managing your money. Or maybe, you’ve been avoiding music business management and tracking income and expenses completely.

If that’s you, ignorance may feel like bliss right now, but I promise it will catch up with you.

So in this episode of the podcast, I brought in some experts on music business management, some from the music industry and some from the finance industry, to help.

Music Business Management – How To Keep More Of the Money You make

Alexis Louis of Growth Group talks about the biggest mistakes she sees with her clients when it comes to music business management, money and taxes.

Tiana Clewis of Selah Financial gives some really practical advice on how to decide what is a good investment for your music career and what is just a “want” but not a need.

Wade Sutton of Rocket To The Stars gives a great example of a non-negotiable when it comes to investing in your music career. He also explains how to know when it’s time to pull the trigger on making this investment.

Nancy Moran of Azalea Music offers some really practical tips on how to save money while touring and how to make sure you’re considering all of your expenses when deciding whether a tour if profitable.

And finally you’ll get a little taste of my favorite music business management system, Profit First, from Moshe Amsel of Dreambuilder Financial. You will definitely want to dig into both the Profit First book and his session during the Profitable Musician Summit.

And speaking of the Summit, the live online event is happening April 22 – May 1, including full 45-60 minute value-packed sessions from these 5 amazing speakers and 28 more. You can get your free ticket for the  Profitable Musician Summit by clicking this link.

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Whether you realize it or not, as a musician, you are a music entrepreneur.

If you’re wondering what a music entrepreneur is and how to act like one, check out this Podcast Episode.

In order to succeed as a music entrepreneur, you first need to acknowledge that working on your business skills is important. I realize that focusing on the business side of music might not come naturally. You might even be resisting learning about business because you think that either you won’t be good at it or that it will hamper your creative side.

As a business woman and a creative, you can not only learn the business side, but you can find ways to make it easier, fit more with your personality and gifts and even make it fun.

Advice For The Prospective Music Entrepreneur

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with several experts about the practical tools and mindset you need to be a successful music entrepreneur. These conversation excerpts are taken from sessions during the Profitable Musician Summit.

Graham Cochrane talks about how you can create a business model that serves you and your lifestyle.  It is very common for a music entrepreneur to become burned out and give up their career because they are trying to do everything. Graham teaches strategy over hustle.

Randy Chertkow of Make Money With Music explains the process you can use for choosing income streams for your music business model. His method of Tap, Boost & Reduce will help you take full advantage of every income stream and be more profitable.

Debra Russell is on a mission to banish the starving artist paradigm. This passionate creative teaches creatives that music business skills are not hard or out of reach. Just like learning your instrument or vocal craft, you can learn the basic business skills you need to be a successful music entrepreneur and even have fun doing it.

This is just a sample of the great speakers during the summit. There are 33 total sessions from world-renowned presenters from the Music and Financial Industries. Join us for the Profitable Musician Summit at www.profitablemusiciansummit.com

Are you an artist who has tons of great music ideas but has trouble figuring out a plan for them or suffers from overwhelm?

There’s a misconception that having a bunch of great music ideas and actually following through on all of them can be a shortcut to career success. In reality, having too many ideas is actually stopping your music career in its tracks, stealing your time, dividing your focus and keeping you stuck and broke. In this video, I share a process I teach my Academy members, so they can create clarity and maintain momentum in their music career.

Your Own Music Ideas

Other musicians Ideas

Create an inspiration vault

Are you overwhelmed? Check out my SMART Goals workbook, which will help you condense all the great ideas you have into 5 goals and create a plan to achieve them in 90 days. Click here to grab your copy.

Suzanne Paulinski, The Rockstar Advocate, and I discuss topics like mindset, goal setting, planning, productivity and habits .

Although music goals are approached by Suzanne and I in similar ways, they are still very different. With her background in counseling, she brings a fresh perspective when it comes to setting up and running a music business so musicians can find success without the burnout. This podcast comes just in time for my once yearly Get More Done in Less Time training. Get ready for 2019 by setting up a system for success with 5 days of training that starts December 11th. Sign up here.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Rockstar Advocate Business

Getting Over Stumbling Blocks

Setting Music Goals

Working Through Fear and Resistance

@rockstaradvo

The Rockstar Advocate

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Raw, real emotions and struggles inspire pop, gospel, soul artist, Jenn Bostic, to write music that her fans can relate to.

Connecting with fans seems to come easy for Jenn Bostic. Her music is unpredictable and she isn’t afraid to follow her heart in the music she creates. In her most recent album, Revival, she openly shared the struggles she faced when chasing her dreams and focuses on the hard work, the pain and the outcome. In a world where playing the highlight reel is mainstream, Jenn isn’t afraid to keep it real as an independent artist. In fact, Revival has nominated her for International Touring Artist of The Year, International Album of The Year and International Song of The Year at the British Country Music Association Awards.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Booking Gigs

Connecting with Fans

Streams of Income

Revival Record

jennbostic.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Vicki Ambinder has been a professional in the performance and media arts for almost 40 years, helping musicians and artists deal with common issues around performing live and in the studio.

Artist development and performance coach, Vicki Ambinder, works with musicians of all ages, levels and genres to enhance their performing skills in both the studio and on stage and to reach their artistic goals. In addition to working with her clients, Vicki’s extensive knowledge around performance arts makes her a go-to artist development coach and she can be found teaching masterclasses at conferences, camps, festivals, schools and more.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Developing her Business, Practice, and Methodology

Artist Development

Artistic Preparation

Intentional Rehearsal

Resources

Website

Theactorswork.com blog

Alan Arkin – An Improvised Life

Patti Smith – Just Kids

Marcus Samuelson – Yes, Chef

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Tara B shares the tips and tricks she has learned in over 25 years of booking music venues. Her successful strategy focuses on building relationships that lead to bookings and re-bookings.

Booking music venues since the age of 15, Tara B made the realization that as long as she wanted to perform live, booking would be a big part of her business. Booking is a long term process with lots of waiting involved but a strategy that encourages relationship building will lead to booking and rebooking. In addition to her teaching voice and piano lessons, she has been gigging full time for 9 years and now books an average of 170 gigs per year. In her free 4 Days to Book Like A Boss workshop, you will learn how to confidently book new venues, price yourself, value your talent and become a booking boss. 

Before the gig

At the Gig

After the Gig

Using Booking Companies

Building Relationships with Music Venues

When You Don’t Get the Call Back or You Can’t Take The Gig

Mode of Reaching Out

Join the workshop, 4 Days to Book Like A Boss before it starts Monday, October 22nd. You’ll receive bite sized assignments that will help you make progress and gain momentum in booking gigs. 

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Learn how to implement effective promotion strategies for your brand and music with PRESSED PR founder, Dawn Jones.

To have an effective music PR campaign, an independent artist needs to be doing more than just making music. Today we will dive into the promotion of tours, album releases and getting attention with Dawn Jones, of PRESSED PR. Dawn brings a unique view to music PR because she is an independent artist herself and understands the business behind the music. She’s able to relate to her clients on a personal and professional level so she can take independent artists far in their music careers.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Music PR Tips

Artist Branding

Determining Who Makes Up Your Audience

Using Music PR to Amplify What You’re Doing on Tour

Resources

The Crafty Musician Blog 

Girl Code  by Cara Alwill

pressedfreshpr.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

FIMC Community Manager, Beth Matthew, shares the struggles that held her back from concert booking and the steps she took to break through booking resistance.

Concert booking can be nerve wracking for even the most seasoned artists but unfortunately, it’s something we need to work through if we want to share our gifts with the world. Beth Matthew’s mission to encourage, uplift and inspire folks is strong and she made huge strides in booking this year after taking Tara B’s 4-day booking course. She talks about the feelings of fear and resistance she dealt with when booking herself as an indie artist and shares techniques to break through the wall of booking fear. Tara B’s course, 4 Days to Book Like a Boss, was instrumental in Beth’s concert booking success. Join us October 22nd through 25th for the next class.  

Concert Booking Blocks

The First Booking

What Beth Did

Non-traditional Venues

Techniques to Get Through the Blocks

Tara B’s course, 4 Days to Book Like a Boss, is happening from October 22nd to 25th. Join us for this FREE course that will help you decide which venues to perform at, how to price yourself and value yourself so you get paid what you’re worth. 

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

At just 18 or 19 years old, Taryn Southern knew that if she could learn to use the skills and software to produce and record her own music, she would be less dependent on other people.

Youtube music promotion is being used by most artists in today’s world. As an artist and technologist, Taryn Southern started her own Youtube channel and has since accumulated over 700 million views online. She is the first artist to compose and produce a pop album, I AM AI, completely from artificial intelligence and tells us about her current project, a documentary. She also shares the ups and downs of being a musician and online personality, so stick around to the end.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

The American Idol Experience

Music Comedy Videos on YouTube

Creating Value and Building an Audience

New Album Created with Artificial Intelligence

Resources

The 4 Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss

Socials

@tarynsouthern

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

The relationship between artist and fan isn’t the only one you should be building in your music business. D Grant Smith shares some tips and tricks on cultivating relationships with music industry contacts that will foster growth in your music career.

Connecting with music industry contacts is necessary for growth and that’s why D Grant Smith spends his time growth farming. Growth farming is planting seeds within yourself and building connections with other people. These connections are essential to growing your music business and opening up opportunities for music career advancement. The better you get at building these relationships, the easier it is to have the career, success and fulfillment you seek in your life. For more information and tips from D Grant, attend our workshop on Thursday, October 4th at 12 EST. This will be a 4 hour event all about building relationships so you can grow in your professional (and personal) life.

Why we should care about relationships

Kinds of relationships to build

Common mistakes when reaching out to music industry contacts

Upcoming Workshop

If you don’t like reaching out to people or feel uncomfortable about it, you might be doing it wrong. Join us for the workshop on October 4th to learn how to develop relationships over time with influencers. The better we get at connecting, the better we are at creating. 

Resources

Indie Bible

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Running your business as a one-woman operation won’t work as your music business grows. Learn how to find a virtual assistant for musicians and what to outsource.

Finding a virtual assistant for musicians doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be as easy as outsourcing some tasks to family and friends who want to see you succeed. Over time, my business has grown to have three virtual assistants and each has a specific job that contributes to the success of my business as a whole. Today I share how to find virtual assistants and how to delegate tasks so you can get back to creating great music.

What can you teach a VA to do for you?

What can you learn so you can teach a VA to do it?

Do an audit of your musician business

What qualities do you need in a VA?

Where can you find a virtual assistant for musicians? 

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Carolina Castilla, creator of Massive Act, moved from Colombia to Silicon Valley to start her company from scratch, without knowing anyone when she saw a need in the industry. Her mission is to improve live venue & artist communication.

Live venue communication with artists can be difficult in the music business so when Founder of Massive Act, Carolina Castilla, noticed a need while working as a promoter, she created a platform to make live performances easy for artists, venues, agents and sound engineers. Massive Act uses features like In-Mail, festival applications and connections to help artists develop their music businesses and achieve their goals. Carolina has worked as a promotor, manager, tour manager and PR and event manager for bands in the US, Latin America and Europe.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Created Massive Act to Solve Live Venue + Artist Communication Problems

Check out Live Venue + Artist Tool Massive Act

https://sesh.io/

Connect

http://massiveact.com/

Twitter @BogotaMusicLink

Instagram @carocastillav

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Art Munson, founder of Music Library Report sat down with me to talk about the benefits of using MLR to find music libraries accepting submissions.

Art Munson isn’t new to the world of music library licensing. In fact, he’s had placements on Oprah, America’s Got Talent, Entertainment Tonight and ABC World News. When he was younger, he toured with the Righteous Brothers and Paul Williams and acted as a studio writer at A&M. Eventually, this led to Art starting Music Library Report, a site dedicated to artists who want to get their music into TV & film. As he says, music licensing is a marathon not a sprint and is always a work in progress. Therefore, you can visit Music Library Report to discover music libraries accepting submissions and use code FEM25 to redeem a special 25% coupon available to listeners of this podcast.

What is Music Library Report?

Decide whether music library report is right for you and your career focus.

What is a music library?

How is a music library similar to a publisher and what opportunities do they offer?

Benefits of finding music libraries accepting submissions on MLR

How can you use music library report to find contacts and get licensing for your music?

Resources

Music Library Report YouTube Channel

Music Library Report

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Vanessa Ferrer , founder of Merch Cat, is an expert when it comes to music merch. With her background in music and business, she created Merch Cat to help musicians leverage this income stream.

A successful businesswoman for 15 years, Vanessa Ferrer has managed touring artists and consulted with industry pros. In 2015, she created Merch Cat, a platform to help artists sell and manage merchandise at shows, so that musicians could make even more money in their music business. She also gave us tons of resources to put into our toolboxes and offered a free month of Merch Cat to our listeners so they can try it. Head over to Merch Cat and enter promo code FEMPOD.

This episode of the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast is brought to you by the FREE Musician’s Profit Path Masterclass. If you are an artist ready to grow your fanbase and expand your income from music, this masterclass is for you. I’ll show you the 5 stages of music career growth and help you gauge where you are now, what you need to focus on and what not to focus on so you’re not wasting time and money. You’ll also learn benchmarks relating to live performing, fanbase growth, social media, recording and more. Free classes are running everyday!

Tips for Artists

Navigating the Music Merch Ecosystem

Using Merch Cat to Track Music Merch

Once you’ve got your inventory system working, this article will help you do a better job selling music merch at gigs.

Resources

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Music licensing for film and TV can be a lucrative income stream for artists. Taxi Music Founder and CEO, Michael Laskow, answers your questions about his company and their mission.

For 26 years, Taxi Music has been bridging the gap between artists and music supervisors. In fact, having a direct connection to music supervisors has gotten 40% of Taxi members music placed and at least 6% have gotten deals. With about 1,000 listings published each year, a membership to Taxi Music is a valuable resource. Not only do members get the opportunity to submit their music but they also get helpful feedback and advice from screeners, who are experts in the field.

Female Musician Academy member, Michelle Lockey, got her start with Taxi Music. Now she earns a consistent income from licensing her music for film and TV. BLearn more about Taxi by clicking the button below.

How the critique works

Should members have a lot of music in a particular genre to make it worth it?

Benefits of joining Taxi Music

What differs publishers from Taxi Music

2018 Taxi Music Road Rally

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Having been in the music industry for 30 years, Rick Barker knows a thing or two about what works when it comes to being a successful musician.

The music business today is ever-changing so I asked Rick Barker to share his thoughts on some of these changes and what that means for musicians in our season opener of Indie Interactive. Although his extensive knowledge has helped big name artists get record and publishing deals, he is most proud of the courses he has created that help musicians build, grow and monetize their fan base. Helping artists navigate the music business and get their music in front of the right audience is what he thrives at. He was also a big part of our Profitable Musician Summit back in May and I have had the pleasure of being on his podcast. The following information is just a sampling of what we covered in our episode of Indie Interactive.

Should artists still make CDs?

Talking to Music Professionals

Soundcloud or Spotify?

Facebook Groups

Using downloads as freebies

Resources

Rick Barker’s Music Business University

The Music Industry Blueprint Podcast by Rick Barker

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Australian artist, Prita Grealy, didn’t have plans to start a career in music. In fact, it was a breakthrough on a private yacht and an opportunity at a 5-star resort that changed her trajectory.

Travel had always been a passion of Prita Grealy. Growing up in a family that moved around often and a love of music from the age of 3 has led her to performing on stages and touring across Europe. Once she discovered how to book a music tour that also satisfied her desire to travel to interesting places, she had found the perfect fit.

Now, a full time musician for 10 years, her live loop shows, soulful rhythmic songs and vocal performances have turned into a successful full time music career. In addition to performing, she has a course designed a course for non-singers to become singers or for current singers to strengthen and train their voice. Click below to learn more about the Singing for Non-Singers e-course.

How To Book A Music Tour & Travel To Cool Locations

The Looping Pedal

Streams of Income

How To Book A Music Tour

Here’s how to book a music tour that allows you to travel to interesting places.

Resources

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

CDBaby DIY Podcast

The Money Bootcamp with Denise Duffield Thomas

Prita.com.au

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

In our first ever podcast and interview about cabaret theater, Fiona-Jane Weston shares how she has made a career out of producing her one-woman shows.

Interestingly, cabaret theater and artists have never been the subject of this podcast so when I met Fiona-Jane Weston in an online class, I jumped at the opportunity to have her on the show. Fiona-Jane produces and puts on her one-woman shows at different venues in London and on national and overseas tours. Her shows typically revolve around historical themes, particularly women’s history.

During our interview, Fiona-Jane discovered things she needs to work on in relation to her career and joined the Female Musician Academy. She is a great addition to the group and adds knowledge and value in a cabaret theater. Learn more about the Female Musician Academy and how being a member can help your musician career.

Wartime Women Cabaret Show

Pitching a Cabaret Show to a Theater

The Power of PR

Engaging with Fans

Recommended Resources

fionajaneweston.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Global Co-Chair of Membership for Women In Music, Cassandra Kubinski, shares her tips and tricks on how to start a music career and how she stays grounded in her life.

For musicians wondering how to start a music career, Cassandra Kubinksi brings tons of knowledge to the table. As a Profitable Musician Summit guest, back in May, Cassandra talked about crowdfunding.

She is focused on helping women in music and shares some great insight on a time when she wanted to quit pursuing her music career. Next she shares what she did to turn that around.

As a singer/songwriter, Cassandra has released 6 albums, including Holiday Magic and Onward and has recorded and performed alongside Goo Goo Dolls, 1o,ooo Maniacs, Lady Gaga and more. She is also  a certified yoga instructor and uses her yoga practice to ground her and keep her aligned in her music career.

How to Start A Music Career: Overcoming Struggles

How To Start A Music Career By Selecting Music Projects to Pursue

PR and publicity

Crowd Funding Tips

Women in Music

cassandrakubinski.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Wondering how to start a music career, especially if you don’t have any Industry contacts? Being proactive is the secret to Rebecca Hollweg’s success as a musician. She didn’t sit back and wait for someone else to help her start a music career, she got going and did it herself.

Rebecca Hollweg didn’t wait for the stars to align to start a music career. In fact, she jumped right in and never gave up, even though finding success was different than her lifelong idea of what success looked like and how it would happen. Her persistence over the years has built a successful musician career where she has released three albums and toured Europe, Australia and America and even involves her young daughter. Rebecca Hollweg understands the struggles of being a mom and a musician and has some great advice for musicians to start a music career.

*If you want to learn how to start a music career using my Musician’s Profit Path Blueprint so you can find your 1,000 True Fans & start making income from music, attend my free workshop. Register at www.musiciansprofitpath.com

How To Start A Music Career by Start Your Own Record Label

How To Start A Music Career While Balancing Touring and Family

This article will also help you understand the steps to take to go from an unknown Indie artist to a profitable, professional musician.

Booking Gigs

Fan Engagement

Rebeccahollweb.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Nashville native, Abigail Rose, talks about how she came up through the music business. Not only did she gain a lot of connections, but it helped her figure out who she wanted to be as an artist.

Marketing your music can be a daunting task for some musicians, but believing in your product makes it much easier. Through her upbringing in Nashville, Abigail Rose was able to learn about songwriting from some of the best in the business. She started co-writing at a young age which eventually lead to singing and performing at festivals. Over time, her songs have evolved from country to pop/R&B. Feeling like she wasn’t being authentic to herself, the shift allowed a change in her music career where she feels like she is being authentic to herself.

If you are a DIY musician looking for PR, look no further than Muddy Paw PR. They have secured multiple placements and performances for their artists.

Evolving as an Artist

Music is a Business Mindset & Marketing Your Music

Engaging with Fans on Instagram

Resources

Songwriting – Podcasts about successful songwriters “And the Writer is”

Watch performances and learn from them

Presence by Amy Cuddy

Writing Better Lyrics – Pat Pattison

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

fanBridget Kelly loves her fans and spends a lot of time engaging with them but the best way she connects with them, and others, is simply by being kind.

One of the greatest female-fronted blues bands is The Bridget Kelly Blues Band, an electronic blues band. Their latest CD, Blues Warrior, was released on June 1, 2018, inspired by the #MeToo movement and covers issues like the homelessness, human trafficking, heroin addiction and more. Their most recent CD Bone Rattler charted at number 1 for over 6 months on the RMR Electric Blues Chart. Bridget brings lots of great ideas to the table when it comes to fan engagement and credits that to the closeness of her and her guitar playing husband. Her mission statement isn’t about financials or art as much as it is about connecting with her audience.

If you are a DIY musician looking for PR, look no further than Muddy Paw PR. They have secured multiple placements and performances for their artists.

Streams of Income 

Time of Struggle

Booking Gigs for blues bands

Ways to Engage with Fans

Resources

The Blues Foundation (https://blues.org/)

National Women in Blues   https://www.nationalwomeninblues.com/

International Blues Challenge  https://blues.org/international-blues-challenge/

http://www.bridgetkellyband.com/

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Women face a unique set of challenges in the male-dominated music industry. The Female Indie Musician Community (FIMC) was created to give women a safe place to be seen, heard and found for their musical talent.

Female musicians, Catherine M Thompson and Sheila Veerkamp, joined Beth Matthew and I for a discussion about the state of women in the music industry, the unique struggles we face and how we get through them. Joining a community of fellow women in music has given them the encouragement, empowerment and support to create music and make money from it. Join the Female Indie Musician Community, a free group and valuable resource for women in music.

Catherine M Thompson

Sheila Veerkamp

What female musicians have experienced

What female musicians can find in Female Indie Musician Community

Why contribute to Patreon

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Women face a unique set of challenges in the male-dominated music industry. The Female Indie Musician Community (FIMC) was created to give women a safe place to be seen, heard and found for their musical talent.

Female musicians, Catherine M Thompson and Sheila Veerkamp, joined Beth Matthew and I for a discussion about the state of women in the music industry, the unique struggles we face and how we get through them. Joining a community of fellow women in music has given them the encouragement, empowerment and support to create music and make money from it. Join the Female Indie Musician Community, a free group and valuable resource for women in music.

Catherine M Thompson

Sheila Veerkamp

What female musicians have experienced

What female musicians can find in Female Indie Musician Community

Why contribute to Patreon

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Playing great music isn’t the only skill a music entrepreneur has. Today we talk about what it takes to be a successful music entrepreneur and what you need to do if you lack in a certain area.

What is a music entrepreneur? Today we talk about the skills and characteristics you need to possess in order to be a successful musician and entrepreneur. Learn about how much of an entrepreneur you are and what you can do to improve. If you’d like to go further and learn more about the 5 Stages of music career growth, be sure to sign up for the Musician’s Profit Path, tomorrow at noon EST/9am PST.

What is a music entrepreneur?

A music entrepreneur is someone who:

What to do if you’re lacking in these areas:

What areas will you work on first? If you need some more help in determining where you are as a music entrepreneur, join us for the Musician’s Profit Path. This free masterclass being held tomorrow, May 31st at noon EST/9am PST is where you will learn about the 5 Stages of music career growth, what stage you are at and what you need to do to move to the next stage of growth.

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Learn how vocal coach, Sally Morgan, developed her “Sing Like You Speak” method over time through her frustration and inability to find a system that worked for her.

If you’re looking to improve your singing voice, you need to check out Sally Morgan’s book, Sing Like You Speak. Her book and method are designed to restore effortless singing that is natural. After spending over $100,000 in voice lessons that still made her feel like her voice was trapped inside her body motivated her to write her book on contemporary voice technique.

If you are a DIY musician looking for PR, look no further than Muddy Paw PR. They have secured multiple placements and performances for their artists.

Developing Sing Like You Speak Teaching Method

Bad Vocal Habits

Healthy Ways to Warm Up Your Voice & Improve Your Singing Voice

Ways to Work with Sally

Links and Resources

Singing and the Brain by Robert Shewan

singlikeyouspeak.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram

Make progress in your music career by doing just 3 things each day that focus on music. Doing this can combat burnout and eliminate overwhelm associated with lengthy to-do lists.

The habits of a successful musician include doing just 3 things each day. That’s the way I made significant progress in my music career.

Including tasks that are related to my 90 day goals, I’m sure to make progress toward reaching those goals each day. Planning my days helps me feel less guilty when I am unable to get something done and kick burnout and overwhelm to the curb.

The best part is that the tasks usually take about 2 to 3 hours each day so there is plenty of time for self development and family.

Habits of A Successful Musician: Choosing Goals and Tasks That Create Momentum

My Goals for Quarter 2:

Sunday: 1.5 hours

Monday: 1.5 hours

Tuesday: 3 hours

Wednesday: 2 hours

Thursday: 3-4 hours

Habits of a Successful Musician Beyond the 3 Things:

Self Development

Building self development into each day through exercise, reading, classes, listen to podcasts, meditation, self care or whatever “self-development” is to you. It allows you to clear your mind from any clutter and creative blocks. Makes it easier to get things done and in less time.

Ongoing Admin Work

While ongoing admin work won’t necessarily push you forward in your music career, it is something that still needs to be done. Fit ongoing admin work in when there is more free time, putting priority on your 3 tasks. 

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic

As the Founder of Women of Substance Radio Podcast, Female Entrepreneur Musician and the Female Musician Academy, I am no stranger to burnout. Today I share the classic (and not-so-classic) signs of burnout and the changes to make so you avoid burn out mode.

Burnout can effect anyone, in fact, I had my first bout with burnout in my corporate career. Extreme stress and pushing yourself too hard can lead to physical illness and mental depletion. During the recent Profitable Musician Summit, I knew I would be busy so I took proactive steps to keep my health and sanity in check. It got me thinking how hard Indie musicians work. Catching the signs of burnout before they take over can mean more progress, not only in projects, but an entire music career.

Signs of burnout:

Make changes:

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic

Alicia Mathewson talks about how her practice of mindfulness meditation for musicians has set her up for nothing but success in her music career.

Mindfulness meditation for musicians is something Alicia Mathewson practices and shares daily with her clients in Sounding Still Wellness, her private energy and sound therapy practice. Since writing and singing since age 6, she released 4 albums, she has used the transformative power of music to awaken herself and others by incorporating meditation. She believes that it’s crucial for musicians to be in alignment with a set of values that ring true to who they are.

Working Through Struggle Using Mindfulness Meditation for Musicians

When pursuing music, mindfulness meditation for musicians can help you to stay in your own lane and go at your own pace so you can be collaborative and not competitive.

What Does Mindfulness for Musicians Mean?

Mindfulness meditation for musicians combines breath, meditation, rituals and our surroundings.

Mindfulness in Your Music Career

Mindfulness in your music career means approaching things with an open mind and heart and seeking opportunities that are in alignment with your values.

Maintaining Mindfulness During a Crowd Funding Campaign

A crowdfunding campaign can be nerve-wracking. If you utilize the mindfulness tools Alicia talks about, you can stay more positive, more present and more aligned during your campaign which

aliciamathewson.com

Soundingstillwellness.com

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic

As a self employed musician, it’s crucial to have different streams of income. In this podcast, you’ll learn why it’s smart to diversify.

It’s important to have multiple income streams for musicians to diversify their income streams and not depend on one particular source of cash flow. Therefor, by employing a combination of things such as performing live, live streaming and online sales not only increases revenue, but also allows a consistent flow of cash.

Having 5 to 6 income streams coming in can make for a comfortable living.

Income is seasonal: Especially With Live Venues

Because of the nature of the seasons and the calendar, there are many income streams from music that just aren’t available year-round.

Build Multiple Income Streams for Musicians Because Markets Change

Despite our resistance, the market often dictates where and how we as musicians can make money.

Musicians Who Face Health Challenges & Life Situations

I can definitely relate to this. I have had my share of health struggles that have kept me out of the live performing game for a while. Also, I was out for maternity leave. Since we don’t have a company to provide these benefits, we have to be our own benefactors by building multiple streams of income to support us during these times when we can’t perform live.

Increasing the diversity in income streams or increasing each income stream by a small amount can make a big difference in a bank account, especially if there are multiple flows coming in at once. This resource will help you build multiple streams of income for musicians.

Concert Tips I learned from attending a Gordon Lightfoot concert that had nothing to do with his amazing talent and everything to do with audience engagement and interaction.

Today I share 3 concert tips that can be used across venues and genres to improve audience connection and enjoyment. I recently attended a Gordon Lightfoot concert. Although I had a great time, the musician in me is always finding better ways of doing things on stage. Because maintaining an audience’s attention for an extended period of time is a difficult task, there are things unrelated to musicianship that need attention.

Make The Concert Visually Engaging for your Audience

Planning movement, props and important moments ahead of time is crucial.

Make Your Playlist Audience-Friendly to Encourage Audience Interaction

This is not a numbers game. Perform only the songs that you sound good on. Remember, your audience has paid to see you perform so give them the familiar songs they love and not just the ones you love to play.

Concert Tips To Be A Prolific & Engaging Storyteller

It’s not all about the songs. To engage an audience at a concert you need to make those songs mean something by telling stories.

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic

When Greg Wilnau realized what his money blocks were, he was able to change is mindset and take actionable steps to earn an income from music.

To make money making music, we need to understand the money blocks and limiting beliefs that are holding us back. During the Profitable Musician Summit, we will hear from 39 experts on 32 different income streams for music businesses. But before we can put these income streams into action, we need to become aware of the thoughts that are buried in our subconscious and overcome them so we can make money making music.

Be sure to reserve your free spot at the Profitable Musician Summit to hear more from Greg Wilnau and other industry experts and indie musicians.

 Become Aware of Your Money Blocks

Shift your mindset

How to Make Money Making Music

Resources

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic