The Savvy Musician Show

Leah's back! Where has she been? What's she been doing? Where to from here for music marketing and the Savvy Musician Academy? In this episode, Leah joins C. J. for an in-depth discussion of her new business, Mythologie Candles, and what her plans are for the near future. But they also discuss this podcast because after a recent survey conducted by Leah of followers and students of the Savvy Musician Academy, a lot was revealed that prompted a reconsideration of our efforts. Long story short, Leah and C. J. discuss the plan to take a sabbatical on the podcast in order to invest more in the coaching of our existing students. BUT… there's a ton of great principles taught in this episode, so don't miss it! Key Points From This Episode: Catching up with Leah Mythologie candles is booming! How to market a sister brand Polling your audience The state of the podcast Focusing more on the students People who buy the course but fail to engage 2020 in hindsight How different personality types work together The new Instagram 4 Musicians course Tweetables: “We know that those who have already invested in courses, if we dedicate more to them, to help them get results, that is probably the best investment of time and money.” - @metalmotivation [00:31:25] “You can make it happen. It really does come down to, ‘How bad you want a music career?'” - @metalmotivation [00:38:54] “That's where musicians shine is we think outside of the box.” - @LEAHthemusic [00:41:28] “My magic phrase, getting to half a million dollars in six months with this company was, ‘I don't know, but we'll figure it out.'” - @LEAHthemusic [00:42:30] “Maybe I end up starting another podcast that's less about the music industry and it's just more general online business.” - @LEAHthemusic [00:48:24] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Mythologie Candles — https://mythologiecandles.com/ Instagram for Musicians — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m Explode Your Fanbase — https://explodeyourfanbase.com/

Are you trying to figure out how to get more streams on Spotify? Did you know we offer a course on this? This week C.J. welcomes Dave Powers, the co-founder of the course, and Kirk Smith, one of its top students and rising stars. Dave and Kirk tell how they started making hundreds of dollars and thousands of streams a day by focusing on getting on big playlists by building relationships with curators and sending them steady streams of singles. You could do this too and it all starts with learning more with this weeks episode of The Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: Introduction to Dave Powers and Kirk Smith Why focus on Spotify? What is a curator? The power of the playlist Releasing singles instead of albums Staying consistent with reaching out to curators A steady stream of content Spotify is content marketing User-generated, algorithm, and editorial playlists Keeping users on the platform The music business is a relational business Getting past rejection Why you should be in the Spotify course Focusing on one music style Bad quality music fails quickly Having faith in yourself and the principles The Spotify course group Tweetables: “I ought to focus on a platform that actually could make me money rather me spending money to grow.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:04:08] “I put the record out. I probably should've been putting out singles, but I learned that lesson.” - Kirk Smith [00:08:39] “I'm starting to see like, ‘Okay, I need to plan stuff out to where I'm putting out every six to eight weeks or every couple months.'” - Kirk Smith [00:11:30] “Spotify is content marketing, and the content is the music… their main thing isn't to get music to people. Their main thing is to get people to Spotify.” - Kirk Smith [00:11:56] “You have to be consistent with reaching out and with making the content.” - Kirk Smith [00:18:52] “The sole purpose of any platform is to keep people on the platform.” - @metalmotivation [00:21:22] “Selling your music is not the end. It's a means to an end. It's one part of all the things that you will do in this new era of social media-driven marketing where you're sharing a lot more of your life than just the music itself.” @metalmotivation [00:22:05] “If your desire with everything that you post is to keep people on the platform, attract them to it, and keep them on the platform for as long as possible, guess what the algorithm is going to do with your content? It's going to favor it.” - @metalmotivation [00:22:55] “I think in the last couple of years, there's been a real understanding among artists that culturally people are listening to one song as opposed to albums more frequently.” @Mtncitymusic [00:24:20] “Whereas Spotify is technically the label now. The curator becomes A&R.” - @metalmotivation [00:30:19] “The music business has always been a relational business, but I don't know of a time when there's more opportunity for an artist to develop relationships that can advance your career outside the context of a record label.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:31:42] “If you have bad quality music, good marketing helps bad products fail quickly.” - @Mtncitymusic [00:50:52] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Kirk Smith (Spotify) — https://spoti.fi/2FcCAFM Dave Powers — https://www.facebook.com/mountaincitymusic/ Spotify for Musicians — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/spotify/

This week is a paragon case study of a band who has been at it for awhile, doing pretty well, but looking for what they can do to take it to the next level. Insert C.J. sitting down with Elliot and Dave from the band Welter, all the way from Australia, and we have almost two hours of real discussions and problem solving in the new music industry. From things that have worked great to things that have become problematic for Welter, there's something here you've either dealt with yourself or most likely will encounter and the best advice for how to handle it is in this week's episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: Introduction to Elliot and Dave from Welter How to evolve with a tagline Growing beyond your micro-niche Being true to yourself with your posts What is the good life? Fans making their own interpretations of your songs Making the music the focal point Being resolved in yourself Promoting the music and the culture around it Writing copy to get the click Always adding value to the fans experience Creating a healthy sense of obligation Being authentic with your social media What are good metrics? 10x everything A new email campaign idea The algorithm rewards daily posting Fan page vs. fan group Nurture sequence and sales pitch balance How to get someones interest Non-clickbait engagement Creating hashtags from your lyrics The Aspirin of music Using the momentum of your audience against them Tweetables: “It's the only way I have as a person of getting the paint out or getting the chisel and the cold hammer and etching your name into the wall of time. The only way I have of doing that is by writing some songs and making some music.” - Elliot: @weltermusic [0:07:51] “I'm not in search of a destiny. I've chosen the destination." - @metalmotivation [0:09:37] “It's about honesty, and we need to be honest about who we are and how we feel about our branding, what we post on Facebook, everything that we write, everything that we do, and everything that's seen as us needs to be honest, it needs to be who we are.” - Dave: @weltermusic [0:16:56] “As soon as you write a song and put it out there, it's not yours anymore, it's for the listener and they can take on their own interpretation too.” - Dave: @weltermusic [0:25:47] “To witness, for example, the lion attack the antelope up close, we're taken aback as humans by the ferocity, the violence of the moment, and that's resolved. That's the complete elimination of self-doubt. ‘I am a lion and this is what I do.' You are musicians, and this is what you do.” - @metalmotivation [0:29:51] “There's nothing more potent in your promotional arsenal than the music itself. Second to that is going to be what you have to say, your relationship, the story of the band, what you believe, your values, et cetera.” - @metalmotivation [0:32:25] “So all we're focusing on is writing copy that gets people to press play. That's all we want to do. What can we say in the shortest, sweetest, most powerful, provocative way that forces them to click play?” - @metalmotivation [0:34:00] “Everybody listens to the same radio station, WIFM, ‘What's in it for me?'” - @metalmotivation [0:35:36] “Which is a good thing to do, creating in them a healthy sense of obligation, creating in them a good debt, a debt they want to pay, which means buying the shirt, going to the event, attending the livestream, getting on an email list, buying the CD, sharing it, those sorts of things. That comes because you continually deliver on that promise to add value to their life.” - @metalmotivation [0:41:10] “The funnel sits on our fan page and that's where we're bringing all the potential people.” - Dave: @weltermusic [01:07:39] “I make my funnel approach very, very simple. I want to do one thing through anything that I say or post or share with my audience. I want to add as much value as I can. So I have to decide, okay, well, what adds the most value?” - @metalmotivation [01:23:16] “So why not 10x it? Why not multiply our efforts to excel, because it's only going to mean more people are going to hear music that's going to lift them out of their troubled moment for a time. And that's worth it.” - @metalmotivation [01:46:18] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Welter — https://www.facebook.com/weltermusic Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Whether it's a top of the line music studio, just your phone and instrument, or somewhere in between, you should be using what you have to be making more music, reaching more people, and building the relationships between you and your fans. So how do you maximize your resources and abilities to increase the output and quality of your music from your home? This week C.J. welcomes Steven Wood to the show, someone from outside Savvy Musician Academy, but someone very familiar with the new music industry. They go so deep into how to turn your home into a music factory, that by the end of this episode, you will be inspired and equipped to be pumping out more and better music from your own home than ever before. Key Points From This Episode: Introduction to Steven Wood Musicians dropping out of the business Studio vs. live musician Trying to get discovered on social media Mixing everyday Reverse engineering Different DAW's Getting familiar with your gear Producing: less is more Pro's and Con's of perfectionism How to do a cover song The emotional impact of music Limiting your area to get things done Keeping it simple and clear The song makes the musician Tweetables: “A live guy, he's looking at it different than the typical studio guy. He's looking at, do I want to continue to keep on going to these clubs and getting home 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:07:02] “You got to think, not just with different hats of production, but also different hats you had to put on when it comes to marketing and knowing that one basket is not the way to go.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:10:15] “Record companies can get you on radio. And to a degree that's about the only thing that they can do for you.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:12:01] “I think that's what everybody right now in this new form of the wheel that we're trying to create in the virtual world of not just music, but everything else. How do we make a living? How are we successful using a computer and a mouse?” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:12:49] “I've learned to a degree it doesn't matter which DAW, digital audio workstation, I use. For some reason, it's still sounds like Steve Wood mixed the song.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:19:44] “When it comes to producing, really, man, I mean, less is more. It may sound like whole lot's going on, but it is. But yet individual parts all make up this beautiful pie. And so just let the song tell you where to go.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:21:53] “I believe that the song is what makes the artist, then the artist has a chance.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:26:17] “If you say, ‘Man, all I like to do is play guitar and sing.' Well, work the hell out of that.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:34:48] “Music is supposed to deliver an emotional experience. I don't care whether it's Metallica or Rod Stewart.” - @metalmotivation [0:36:20] “If you have to explain the song before they listen to it, then you didn't do a good job. Because the songs should be able to play on its own and take you on a journey.” - @stevenwoodmusic [0:42:56] “I'm not talking about software. I'm not talking about hardware. I'm not talking about any of these things. I'm talking about what it takes to touch someone else, what it takes to inspire someone else, what it takes to... It's the human aspect.” - @metalmotivation [0:50:35] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Steven Wood — https://www.facebook.com/stevenwoodmusic Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Are you having writers block? You just can't figure out what the song is supposed to be about or what goes with that great riff you've had forever? It'd be great if the answer just magically fell out of the sky, making it so easy everyone could do it, but we know that's just not the way it is! Creativity comes from relentless hard work. You keep trying new ideas until… Boom! There it is! It's perfect! Nothing else will do! It only took 99 other horrible ideas but the 100th one is just the cats pajamas and makes it all worth while. As C.J. puts it so simply and unequivocally, “Creativity doesn't come from inspiration, it comes from perspiration.” Again, it's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. So tune in to what C.J does best, motivating you to achieve your full potential and creative ability through daily hard work, and explode your creativity with this weeks episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: Fulfilling your creative purpose in life Perspiration not inspiration You ideal workspace Everything starts as a demo Achieving more output Disciplining yourself for daily work Feeding your creative process Tweetables: “The secret to creativity is not inspiration, it's perspiration... Perspiration is what gives birth to inspiration.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:26] This is the creative process. It's not Hollywood. It's a crucible of relentless, persistent problem solving, where you turn yourself inside out in order to make a… riff into a killer song.” - @metalmotivation [0:14:26] “You're as capable as anyone to go beyond your present output right now.” - @metalmotivation [0:14:46] “How can you expect other people to appreciate your gifts, talents, and abilities if you're not treating them well. How do you treat them well? By submitting them to the process of hard work.” - @metalmotivation [0:21:17] “Be faithful to your musical mission, your calling, by working hard daily.” - @metalmotivation [0:23:58] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Instagram for Musicians — https://www.savvymusicianacademy.com/ig4m The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

This week C.J. is joined by Jason Stallworth, one of our first Elite students. There is so much experience and advice shared that it's hard to pinpoint any in particular. Really what you get this week is a look into the life of someone who is really doing it and their best advice for you. As Jason states, “That's the biggest thing—you have to be in this for the long game. You have to be passionate about your music…that passionate about your music to stick it out.” A lot of people are quick to give up, but by applying what SMA teaches, and what you'll learn in this podcast, you will see results and then scale what's working. It's so simple we often overcomplicate it. Well, this is one decision you don't have to overcomplicate, listen to this week's episode of the Savvy Musician Show to keep building your music empire! Key Points From This Episode: Intro to Jason Stallworth Surveying to find your micro-niche Targeting the right audience Page like ads Writing better copy Putting out organic content Using vulnerability to connect with fans Responding to all your fans Launching and promoting your album Creative ways to promote your sales Diversifying your income Committing to the long run Going back through the course Using what you learn from SMA in other places Tweetables: “I think I made it more complicated than what it needed to be. I was like, ‘Well, what's my micro-niche now?' Going through the steps though, asking your fans, that's the biggest thing that I've seen that's been so helpful to me.” - @jasonstallworth [0:10:57] “Not everything's going to work like you expected, which is why we test things. So, just be authentic and organic. I mean, it's your genre, so, you know how your audience speaks.” - @jasonstallworth [0:22:20] “You have to present yourself and your music in a way that's beneficial to them (your audience).” - @jasonstallworth [0:31:08] “Launching your album, or I should say promoting your album, doesn't stop after it's launched, you have to keep that momentum going.” - @jasonstallworth [0:37:54] “You give that message out there, that authentic message that tells what you are and what you do, but also tells that person that, ‘Hey, I'm one of you.'” - @jasonstallworth [0:45:34] “That's the biggest thing, you have to be in this for the long game. You have to be passionate about your music, that passionate about your music to stick it out.” - @jasonstallworth [0:48:39] “If you're getting frustrated over these types of things, then that frustration is going to show whenever you do put something out there on Facebook or on Instagram or wherever you're putting it on.” - @jasonstallworth [0:52:50] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jason Stallworth's Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/jasonstallworthmetal/ The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

So you've got a social media post to make or an email to send out, but what exactly do you say? Are you seeing the results you want from your posts and emails? Whatever your situation is with your copywriting, it can always improve. This week, we're sharing a live stream from the Savvy Musician Inner Circle in which C.J. teaches a packed lesson on copywriting for social media and email. If you want more results from your posts and emails, tune in to this week's episode! Key Points From This Episode: Traditional copywriting Personal vs impersonal branding Compound marketing Positioning is branding Your ideal customer Audience targeting Direct response marketing Benefit-driven copy Building long-term relationships Tweetables: “Writing copy for your personal brand on social media and email is going to require modifying traditional copywriting. But you must still understand the fundamentals in order to know why.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:40] “You can't write your copy if you don't know who you are.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:45] “Half the battle of great copywriting is audience targeting.” - @metalmotivation [0:11:00] “That's your ideal customer, the person who's going to most going to benefit from what you're offering.” - @metalmotivation [0:11:47] “Direct response marketing relies upon you targeting the right audience with benefit-driven copy.” - @metalmotivation [0:17:38] “People are expecting results quicker than they should. And the reason being is because they don't have a relationship established.” - @metalmotivation [0:20:11] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

When people think of you and your music, what do they think of? Well, whatever that is, that's your brand! What we want, is to design and utilize this idea to build your music business. This idea should be personal, authentic, and we want to amplify it however we can. If you understand how important this is, then you already know the next step is to click that play button and try and learn as much as you can from C.J. in this week's episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: What is branding? Idea-driven branding What differentiates you in the marketplace? The effective marketing strategy Personal branding Brand awareness/engagement/marketing Being authentic Tweetables: “65% of those surveyed following the Savvy Musician Academy… are solo artists, not actually band members.” - @metalmotivation [0:03:23] “Branding is not something seen. It's something that happens first in the mind of the marketplace, in the mind of your potential super fan, when they encounter you and interact with you.” - @metalmotivation [0:06:28] “It's not just an issue of who can spend the most money on advertising. It's an issue of who can most differentiate themselves, which is again, idea-driven branding.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:57] “The new era of digital marketing is really personal branding.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:54] “Your personal brand is something that's already inherent in you.” - @metalmotivation [0:20:38] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: David Williams' Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/weltermusic/ The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Would you keep betting on a horse that never won a race? Seems ridiculous, but people keep throwing money at advertising for posts that never did well in the first place. In this episode, C.J. sums it up perfectly when he says, “If it doesn't work organically without paid traffic, it's not going to work with paid traffic.” It works or doesn't work because of how well you know your audience. C.J. explains that you need to be focusing on understanding your audience, what they respond to, what inspires them, what they will click and share and what will expand your reach. This concept is so simple it is overlooked and yet so important it needs your complete attention. Check out this week's episode so that you don't overlook what you should be doing everyday. Key Points From This Episode: Being the bright side Getting past looking for secrets and hacks Connecting with your audience This is a longterm business model Focusing on organic reach Multiplying what already works Researching friends for superfan information Putting in the work everyday Tweetables: “The whole world is learning the hard way that they should have been building an online music business.” - @metalmotivation [0:00:48] “I almost never see questions about the very thing that creates sales… ‘How can I better connect with my audience?'” - @metalmotivation [0:06:11] “Being an online musician is a longterm business model.” - @metalmotivation [0:07:08] “If it doesn't work organically without paid traffic, it's not going to work with paid traffic.” - @metalmotivation [0:11:18] “The person who's totally abandoned to their audience is the person who's going to learn their audience, and the person who learns their audience is going to be the person who sells. That's going to be the person who succeeds.” - @metalmotivation [0:19:49] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Amy Vanessa Dullum Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/amygoloby/ The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Imagine selling millions of records only to end up starting from scratch in an entirely new music industry. This is the story of J.R. Richards and our SMA student guest joining C.J. this week. J.R. was the vocalist for the 90s band Dishwalla, which had two Gold and Platinum albums, and also won Billboard Music and ASCAP Awards. Now as a solo artist with a mainstream sound, C.J and J.R. tackle how to find his audience through other ways than sub-genre targeting. If your music is more mainstream and you are trying to find your audience, this is the episode for you! Key Points From This Episode: Introduction to J.R. Richards Finding old fans vs. making new fans What is your personal brand? Finding your audience as a mainstream artist Focus through resolve Having an ultimate objective Expanding and targeting key audience demographics Culture-based niche marketing Writing emotionally focused copy The almighty play button Juxtaposition to find new ideas Tweetables: “It's one thing to understand everything theoretically, it's another thing to apply to your own music business, and connect with your fans, and figure out how that monetization needs to work for you.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:10] “I love the idea of being resolved because resolved means there's no second guessing, and I don't want to see someone second guess themselves when they need to be marketing.” - @metalmotivation [0:18:43] “I really don't care what your logo looks like because for all intents and purposes, the only logo that people are seeing is a profile pic and a blue name.” - @metalmotivation [0:46:11] “I'm actually excited about going back through the program again just because it's a lot, and you have to kind of mature with it in order to fully appreciate what's going on. It's like reading a book twice that you really enjoy. You're going to get a lot out of it the second time around.” - @JRRICHARDS [0:54:28] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: J. R. Richards Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/JRRICHARDSMUSIC/ The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

If you are building a music business, should you focus on YouTube of Facebook? Well, both honestly! But as C.J. explains the pro's and con's of both, you'll find that Facebook by far has the advantage. Would you rather have 1,000,000 video views on YouTube or 100 superfans that would buy anything in your store? If you're serious about earning a living from your music, and not just doing this for vanity, the answer is obvious and C.J. tells you how and why Facebook is the answer. Key Points From This Episode: Getting a plan for your music business How YouTube is favoring mainstream media YouTube is a search engine Facebook is a share engine How Facebook is true social media How to find your superfans with Facebooks ad manager Uploading videos directly to Facebook vs. sharing from YouTube Connecting your Instagram and Facebook business profile Personal vs. business profile Tweetables: “You need a way forward to how you can find your place in this online busy world, stand out, gain a following, build your little musical empire, and earn a living making music.” - @metalmotivation [0:02:18] “You can get millions of views on YouTube and it not make a single dent on your bank account.” - @metalmotivation [0:04:03] “YouTube is a search engine. Facebook is a share engine.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:20] “Unless somebody is specifically sitting down and looking for you, it's not likely that they're going to stumble upon you.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:45] “Facebook is true social media. Social media, it's the broadcasting of person to person.” - @metalmotivation [0:07:12] “The first step now to building a successful online music business is going to be connecting with your ideal superfans, and the best way to do that is going to be with Facebook.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:03] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Continuing our look behind the scenes here at SMA, this week C.J. is joined by our very own Steve Harnett, Leah's wonderful husband, and our Chief Operating Officer. This is Steve's first time on the Savvy Musician Show, but he has been with SMA since day one and his experience and insights shared today can not be overstated. Jumping form topic to topic with lots of humor in-between, these two great minds offer something for both the beginner and seasoned online musician in this week's episode, so don't miss out on getting to learn something new and meeting the one and only, Steve Harnett! Key Points From This Episode: The Synergist's four leadership styles Who SMA is for Steve's bio with SMA Being your brand It's all about the principles What it means to take ownership of your business Reasons to add an online component to your business Your music is not for everybody Updates with Tom 3.0 and The Inner Circle The psychology of sales through social media Tweetables: “A lot of conflicts within bands could be easily resolved if everybody just took on this sort of perspective where you realize that giftings are different, they're natural, they're organic, and you should be complementing one another.” - @metalmotivation [0:12:32] “Who we (SMA) are for are the musicians who actually want to make a living with their art, which is not thing to be ashamed of, nobody should ever feel bad about that ever.” - Steve Harnett [0:21:19] “Operational people tend to be the break pedal. Visionaries tend to be the accelerator.” - Steve Harnett [0:27:40] “It's about a movement, it's about independence for musicians… and all musicians are going to be personal brands, and that's perfectly fine, but you have to understand then that you are the brand.” - Steve Harnett [0:30:47] “It's really about the proven principles of marketing because that's all Leah has ever been doing… and those principles can be breathed through anyone who applies them and knows them.” - @metalmotivation [0:33:47] “The online aspect of your business is another leg of your table. You can't have a table with one leg. You better have two or three legs on that sucker, four if you can.” - Steve Harnett [0:38:53] “If you have an audience, you have capital. If you have social influence, you have capital. You have something someone else doesn't. It is all to your advantage.” - @metalmotivation [0:41:14] “Relationship building, culture building, lifestyle building, that's what creates the sale.” - @metalmotivation [0:51:11] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://theonlinemusician.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

If you haven't already, you get to meet our very own Customer Service Director, Amy Roy. This is a treat not only personally but also professionally. You name it, she's seen it and is now giving you priceless insight into a musicians journey through SMA and an online music business. From your first phone call to SMA to years down the road, Amy and C.J. discuss what most musicians wish they had known years ago! Get ahead of the curve with this week's episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: Introduction to our SMA Customer Service Director Amy Roy Jaded musicians not being a good fit for SMA What is seasonal and what is not Be the engagement you want to see Having a clear goal The pros and cons of the course Progressing before establishing your micro-niche Writing copy thats simple and emotionally effective The demand for your music Getting a taste of victory Tweetables: “Success in the online music business is really about principles.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:58] “You have to learn how to do things year round. It can still be in seasons, but you can't just start a course or start building your business but then take six months off because you're not feeling it.' - Amy Roy [0:12:20] “If you want people connecting with you, engaging with you, you better make sure you're also in there connecting, and engaging, and encouraging.” - Amy Roy [0:22:13] “I am a perfectionist, which means I'm also a procrastinator because if I can't do something perfect the first time right away, I don't do it at all.” - Amy Roy [0:30:24] “I think another good thing to do when you do come up with something you're just stuck at is at your desk or wherever have a notepad or piece of paper and just write it down. Getting that out of your brain onto paper.' - Amy Roy [0:33:23] ‘What's going to sell is you communicating with someone emotionally.” - @metalmotivation [0:35:15] “Whatever genre you do, I guarantee you someone needs to hear your music right now, and someone needs to hear your thoughts and your heart right now, and it's your job and your responsibility as a musician to give that to them.” - Amy Roy [0:39:02] “Selling that first shirt, and getting your website up, or your Shopify store up, or reaching your first 1,000 fans, these are big victories. What we want for you is to get a taste of that. We want you to taste victory.” - @metalmotivation [0:41:42] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

C. J. has spent countless hours coaching musicians one-on-one on their marketing and out of it he shares seven reasons why musicians fail in building an online business. What might be surprising to discover is that the main reasons for failure or quitting don't have to do with marketing knowledge or proficiency in technology. It's more mindset and attitude, and most students just need to get out of their own way! Check out this week's episode to find out not just what these seven things are but how to understand them and more importantly what to do about them! Key Points From This Episode: The 7 reasons why musicians fail Not following instructions Standing in your own way/self-defeat Getting stuck on technology Not being resolved Not being consistent Not understanding the significance of social media Being afraid of the future Tweetables: “By the middle of 2020, it should be clear that everybody needs an online business.” - @metalmotivation [0:02:49] “The best way to stay motivated is to know how to solve your most pressing problems.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:28] “Just do something every day, just show up every day, because if you stop and you let that go for a few days, not doing anything, it's so much harder to start up again.” - @metalmotivation [0:17:02] “You don't need to punish yourself. You just need to get right back at it as if you never faltered… Stop turning on yourself. Don't be your own worst enemy, be your best friend.” - @metalmotivation [0:19:27] “Social media is the answer to the music problem created by Napster at the end of the 20th century.” - @metalmotivation [0:21:10] “The key to being unafraid of the future is to strengthen yourself—to equip yourself because your best defense in life is to build a stronger you.” - @metalmotivation [0:24:41] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Leah's been devoted to so many things it's wonderful to have her back on this week's podcast and to hear what she's been up to and her plans for the Summer. As we all know, you can work yourself so hard you just burn out. Leah explains how to recognize signs of this happening and how to go about taking a break and staying healthy. Check in with Leah this week to hear more and also her plans for this summer! Key Points From This Episode: Leah's quick overview of the last years The origin of Mythologie Candles Preventing a burn out Acute vs. chronic pain It's okay to take a break Leah's book suggestions Tweetables: “This idea popped in my head about releasing candles to go with the music, because I wanted to create a multisensory experience and I just thought, wouldn't that be cool?” - @LEAHthemusic [0:06:01] “When you become obsessed with your fans and your followers and your customers, that's where it becomes lucrative.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:13:23] “And let me tell you, burnout, it doesn't always look the way you think it looks and this is something I'm dealing with constantly.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:14:26] “Chronic stress leads to lowering your quality of life and you can't be in an inspired state when you're also in a chronic state of stress and burnout.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:23:44] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com SMA Inner Circle — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

This week C.J. interviews another successful SMA student, Anna Brzozowska, an ethereal pop artist originally from Poland but is currently living in Spain. Anna shares her story of how she almost gave up on her music after the expenses of touring, but after finding SMA, she's back to building a lifetime music career. If you're wondering about your artist identity, how to write your own copy, what is the basis of marketing and building your online business, then this is the episode for you! Key Points From This Episode: Developing your micro-niche as you go along To be yourself or a character? Why you shouldn't just get someone else to do it for you Being yourself in your copy The principles of marketing are still the same The expenses of being a live musician Anna's experience with Savvy The two mental blocks that every musician must get past The significance of having the right mindset and a strong heart  Tweetables: “I want to encourage anyone who's starting out; who doesn't really know what their micro niche are, to not fixate so much on it, and just move on because your fans are going to help you discover that as you go along.” - @aniabmusic [0:02:53] “I think that marketing, to me at least, is just learning how to get in front of the right ears.” - @aniabmusic [0:09:41] “You're the one who's initiating the relationship through your ads.” - @metalmotivation [0:11:59] “I don''t think anyone else can write your copy for you as well as you can. Even if you think you suck at the beginning, just be yourself.” - @aniabmusic [0:14:28] “The best motivation I've ever seen happen in anybody's life is when you understand how to solve your most pressing problems.” - @metalmotivation [0:29:17] “The education is important, but without heart; without the right mindset; without overcoming yourself, it doesn't matter how much information you have.” - @metalmotivation [0:42:45] “I will recommend Leah to the death to a musician, but it's up to them, obviously. If they sign up for a course and watch videos, that's not going to change much for them. They will need to change.” - @aniabmusic [0:43:50] “You're not going to get anywhere until you conquer your mind.” - @aniabmusic [0:44:11] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Anna's Facebook Page — https://www.facebook.com/AniaBmusic/ Anna's Website — http://aniabmusic.com/ The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com The Inner Circle - https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

If you were to ask someone for $20, who would be more likely to give it to you, a good friend or a complete stranger? Obviously a good friend. Have you ever met someone and had so much in common that you immediately became good friends? More than likely. If you can understand this, you know the foundation of building an online music business. That's all it is, getting more and more people to know, like, and trust you, just like that good friend who's willing to give you that $20. What do you and this good friend have in common? Your music and the culture that surrounds it. How do you find these good friends and build these relationships? Social media. In this episode C.J. discusses this fundamental aspect of the business in greater detail and is so important you do not want to miss out! Key Points From This Episode: Are you self-defeated? The unstoppable mindset The essential fundamental to successful online marketing How to build your relationships Funnels Why Facebook and Instagram? Studying your audience Getting comfortable with sharing yourself on the internet Tweetables: “Getting you in connection with your ideal super fan is the core. It's the recipe for success in the online music business.” - @metalmotivation [0:02:19] “You can't be successful when you're self-defeated before you even start… You have to get out of your own way.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:26] “If you believe that there are principles the cause the kind of results that you want, and you believe that you have the ability to apply those principles, isn't that all you need?” - @metalmotivation [0:07:17] “Here's the essential, basic, fundamental truth about online marketing in 2020. Getting more and more people to know you, like you, and trust you as an artist.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:06] “Funnel is the process of taking somebody who doesn't know you to see the first promotion that you ever offer them, bringing them along in a relationship with you until you finally create a sale.” - @metalmotivation [0:29:00] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

If you were to ask someone for $20, who would be more likely to give it to you, a good friend or a complete stranger? Obviously a good friend. Have you ever met someone and had so much in common that you immediately became good friends? More than likely. If you can understand this, you know the foundation of building an online music business. That's all it is, getting more and more people to know, like, and trust you, just like that good friend who's willing to give you that $20. What do you and this good friend have in common? Your music and the culture that surrounds it. How do you find these good friends and build these relationships? Social media. In this episode C.J. discusses this fundamental aspect of the business in greater detail and is so important you do not want to miss out! Key Points From This Episode: Are you self-defeated? The unstoppable mindset The essential fundamental to successful online marketing How to build your relationships Funnels Why Facebook and Instagram? Studying your audience Getting comfortable with sharing yourself on the internet Tweetables: “Getting you in connection with your ideal super fan is the core. It's the recipe for success in the online music business.” - @metalmotivation [0:02:19] “You can't be successful when you're self-defeated before you even start… You have to get out of your own way.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:26] “If you believe that there are principles the cause the kind of results that you want, and you believe that you have the ability to apply those principles, isn't that all you need?” - @metalmotivation [0:07:17] “Here's the essential, basic, fundamental truth about online marketing in 2020. Getting more and more people to know you, like you, and trust you as an artist.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:06] “Funnel is the process of taking somebody who doesn't know you to see the first promotion that you ever offer them, bringing them along in a relationship with you until you finally create a sale.” - @metalmotivation [0:29:00] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

Before we go any further, do you know what your micro-niche is? It cannot be overstated how important it is to be rock solid in defining, understanding, and utilizing your micro-niche, because it is the foundation of building your fanbase and music business. Whether you're just learning this word for the first time, or well acquainted with it, Leah lays out some incredible insights into the micro-niche approach in this week's episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: What is your micro-niche? Standing out in the crowd Being important to the people that matter Being easy to find The difference between SEO and your niche Finding your twist Going smaller Your niche title accurately describing your sound Targeting your sub-genre fans first strategy Tweetables: “You only need to be famous in your micro-niche.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:03:07] “My fans in my genre know exactly who I am, and that's all that matters.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:03:34] “The nice thing about going smaller and becoming the big fish in the small pond is that it makes it so much easier for people to find you.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:05:24] “If you think you can put up a Facebook page and you can put out music and that people will magically find you, you're delusional.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:05:45] “There's a big difference between search engine optimization and keyword titles, say in a YouTube video and a niche.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:06:30] “People should be able to imagine and know what your music sounds like based on what the niche title is.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:08:15] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

This may be the most concise, yet comprehensive, description of where we are in the music industry and what may be the greatest opportunity for artists in the last 25 years. At the end of the 90s, Napster changed the old music industry with illegal downloading of digitized music, and a few years later, iTunes capitalized on that by now selling downloadable mp3s. And just a few years ago, another shift happened when apps like Pandora and Spotify eliminated the mp3 with music streaming. All of this represented just more taking advantage of the artist as new companies made bundles while artists got pennies. They're all just another version of the record labels. But, the problem the internet created by Napster, iTunes, and Spotify has also now provided artists with a way to finally control their own careers and make the money they always wanted without a record label! In this special episode, C.J. breaks this down in such as way that you'll be fired up and ready to go to work on marketing your music. Buckle your seatbelts because you're in for a ride! Key Points From This Episode: The impact of the internet and Napster Sad tales from the road Social media is the new music industry Why being discovered doesn't matter anymore Dialing in your Facebook ads Getting more gigs because of your strong social media presence The super fan system Creating merchandise to sell while having no inventory Tweetables: “Social media is the single biggest game changer for the music industry since it began.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:01] “It's not about potential fans discovering you, it's about you discovering fans.” - @metalmotivation [0:10:37] “If you have a musical brand that you can now push out to an audience and you know how to target those people, then you can build an online music business.” - @metalmotivation [0:16:45] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

Part 2 of “Making Good Use of Your Isolation” gives you more pro tips on what you can be doing right now at home to expand your music business. With so many people at home and online, this is such a great opportunity for you to provide people with some normalcy while building relationships and increasing your sales.  In this episode, Leah and C.J. discuss what you can be doing to reach more people and how to do it as effectively as possible.  Key Points From This Episode: Selling music vs. selling anything else online Short-term vs. long-term fan building tactics Optimizing your online store Incremental long-term profits Nurture emails Spam email trigger words Online concerts A different approach to merchandise Seizing this opportunity with people at home and online Being an encouragement to others right now Tweetables: “Something that screams unprofessional is one product page is using one font and one formatting and whatever and the next product page is a completely different font, different size, different color, different style images, different everything.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:21:30] “Your goal is to just bump that little percentage up half a point at a time. Just continuing until you're getting a really good take rate on that upsell. So, the devil's in the details on those numbers, you don't go for big numbers.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:25:59] “The way to optimize it (your email), first of all, take a look at your open rates and take a look at your click-through rates. That's really the starting point, when I'm looking to improve it, that's the first thing.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:27:13] “Usually the subject line just needs to be changed, we need to try something else. Sometimes certain trigger words will end up in the spam, will cause your email to end up in the spam.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:27:29]  “Sometimes the right shirt or thing to have is one that says something about the person wearing it.” - @metalmotivation [0:31:14] “So many people are home, they're online, they're bored, you have the opportunity of a lifetime to capture their attention.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:33:17] “Take advantage of this time to be encouraging. It's not just about you going on to play, it's about you talking to them, too.” - @metalmotivation [0:33:52] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Sam Morrisson (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/SamMorrisonBand/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

Whether your work has been affected by the pandemic or not, now is the time to seize this opportunity to improve your online music business! People are still online shopping and with Amazon limiting it's service, there's a greater opportunity for you and your business! In this episode Leah and C.J. discuss what you can be doing right now to expand your fan base and earn more with your online sales. There is so much information and tips they have for you that this is just part 1 of “Making Good Use of Your Isolation.” Key Points From This Episode: Leah's booming candle business during the pandemic Focusing on your specialty Synching with your culture and posting more Building your email list organically Creating more YouTube videos The major difference between YouTube and Facebook How YouTube is currently changing Improving your e-commerce store and sales Online shopping has not stopped because of Amazon's “non-essential” policy Tweetables: “I like focusing on the things that you can do, things that are within your grasp, your control.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:16:12] “You're not going to build any followers if you're not posting anything… You need to understand your culture, because then you know what to post.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:21:38] “Focus in on what is the culture you're trying to build, who are you and also think about what your fans have in common.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:23:00] “Because social media enables you to focus in on the culture, and if you can focus in on the culture then you have something more in common than just you and the promotion of your music.”  - @metalmotivation [0:24:03] “YouTube is a search engine, Facebook is a share engine.”  - @metalmotivation [0:26:40] “Put yourself in the shoes of someone. What are they actually searching for?”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:31:23] “When we're talking about making money in an online music business, Leah, e-commerce plays such a major role.”  - @metalmotivation [0:34:06] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Ben Stubbs (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/Flamenco4U/  Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com

Concluding the three part series on “The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class” by Keith Cameron Smith, Leah and C.J. discuss taking calculated risks. How long did you dream about being a musician before you decided to take the risk? What have you risked to get you where you are today? What are you willing to risk for the tomorrow you want? “How do you take calculated risks? Ask yourself these three questions: One, what's the best thing that could happen? Two, what's the worst thing that could happen? And three, what's the most likely thing to happen? If you can live with the worst thing that could happen and if the most likely thing to happen will get you closer to your goals, then go for it. If you aren't able to handle the worst that could happen, and if the most likely thing to happen doesn't get you closer to your goals, then don't do it. The next time you have an opportunity to take a risk, ask yourself these three questions.”  Doesn't that make incredible sense? Wow. There is so much more to this message you have to hear in this week's episode. Key Points From This Episode: Staying in a learning mindset The importance of marketing in the new music industry The correlation between your finances and the rest of your life An abundant mindset Taking calculated risks Failure as a part of the path to success Choosing success over acceptance Playing to win instead of playing not to lose Using money as a seed Deciding nothing will stop you Rejecting complacency  Tweetables: “If you're going to succeed in this new era of the music industry, you have to be a marketer.”  - @metalmotivation [0:06:02] “You can't separate finances from your mental life, your thought life. You can't separate money from your health and your health from your career.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:13:40] “You can do more when you are more abundant. You can do more for yourself, you can do more for the world.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:16:12] “When it comes to money, if you hang on to it, that's the most it'll ever be. If you let it go, that's the least it'll ever be.”  - @metalmotivation [0:29:40] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Sam Morrison (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/SamMorrisonBand/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Continuing last weeks case study of “The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class” by Keith Cameron Smith, Leah and C.J. focus on the distinction of how one handles change. Musicians of all people, with the recent digitalization of music sales and the rise of online culture, should understand how important it is to not only embrace change but seize its opportunities. Keith Cameron Smith says, “Learning to embrace change assures that you are becoming a person who can profit from life's opportunities. The future belongs to those who can change with the times.” Does the future belong to you? If so, you'll be checking out this week's episode to find out how! Key Points From This Episode: Building self-confidence Embracing change Profiting from opportunities Using change to grow Choosing the people in your life Having an abundance mindset You are the bright side A mindset that adapts to change Tweetables: “How do I build self-confidence? Little victories.”  - @metalmotivation [0:02:59] “A choice is backed by belief that you can do it. A wish is backed by a doubt that you can.” (The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class)  - @LEAHthemusic [0:08:46] “Change shows you what you're made of. It reveals what's inside of you.” (The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class)  - @LEAHthemusic [0:09:37] “The number one reason people resist change is fear. Fear blinds you to opportunities.” (The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class)  - @LEAHthemusic [0:10:13] “Learning to embrace change assures that you are becoming a person who can profit from life's opportunities.” (The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class)  - @LEAHthemusic [0:11:13] “Relationships are capital.” - @metalmotivation [0:18:19] “No matter where you are in life, you can always think bigger.” - @metalmotivation [0:20:37] “You will become like the people you spend time with.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:23:01] “When you get into this abundance mindset, you realize how toxic so many people in your life really are.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:23:29] “The less the people around you understand how success is achieved, the more they're going to think you cheated to get it.” - @metalmotivation [0:24:48] “If you want to look on the bright side, look in the mirror, because you are the bright side. And if you can't say that to your situation, then you know you're the problem.” - @metalmotivation [0:27:07] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Dawn Boudreau (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/Dawn.Boudreau.Musician/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

This episode begins a case study into the book, “Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class” by Keith Cameron Smith, and you might be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with music?”  SMA's focus is to equip you as an entrepreneur to create and sustain an online music career, and that means you have to start thinking differently about business and money. For example, having a long-term mindset instead of a short-term mindset is not only one of the main distinctions that separates millionaires and the middle class, but also those who make it in the music business and those who don't. Therefore, if you want a music career, you simply can't think short-term. If you start thinking with a “millionaire mindset,” then your approach to your music business will shift radically, and you'll start to see new results as your thoughts and actions change. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what's in this episode. “Gold,” Leah says, “ This is gold!” Your next step towards success is right here. This is it! Key Points From This Episode: The importance of your mindset Leah's introduction to the book Seeking wealth in every aspect of your life A principle based strategy Getting out of your own way Thinking long-term Seeking freedom over comfort Becoming a whatever it takes kind of person Self-dependence Breaking the shackles of poverty thinking Tweetables: “If you can move it an inch, you can move it a mile.” - @metalmotivation [0:3:31] “If I could spend all of my time on one subject, it would be the way that you think.”  - @metalmotivation [0:05:08] “Tips and tricks and tactics only get you so far and really, if you don't have the right mindset, then they don't even work anyways.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:11:40] “Change your thinking in a sense that you will begin to see increase in your life in all areas of your life, simply because you're no longer standing in your own way mentally.”  - @metalmotivation [0:19:00] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Tracey Forrest (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/KeyTurnerMusic/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

In this episode C.J. interviews elite student Noe Venable, a mother of two living in the San Francisco area, who has experienced great results by faithfully following the course work in the Savvy Musician Academy (SMA). This is more than a plug for our courses. Noe has tirelessly wrestled through multiple challenges trying to dial in her audience and get results, and her breakthroughs have both inspired and taught other SMA students to try and achieve the same. In fact, Noe also applied her new skillset another small business she has, and that has also gone to the next level for her. If you are wondering how to figure out who your audience is and how to motivate yourself to take the next step with putting your music into the world and sustaining yourself by finding your super fans, this is the episode for you! Key Points From This Episode: Self-Determination Background on Noe Venable Finding super fans through culture Frequency of social media posting Sharing content that's authentic and deep Protecting and tending to your fanbase Audience is digital capital Pushing past inner resistance Sticking to the principles Living the culture you portray Maximizing your potential Tweetables: “Success is about you. It's about how much you determine that you are going to make this work no matter what.”  - @noevenable [0:04:20] “If we as musicians want to be successful at getting our work out there and making a sustainable life for ourselves as artists using these tools, we have to be culture makers, we have to be culture nurturers.”  - @noevenable [0:13:18] “It's a joy that you do get to share community that it's not just as you said chumming your fans with just drivel, social media drivel, but very deep conversations.” - @metalmotivation [0:17:57] “Tending a culture really requires a certain amount of fierceness when necessary. I have to be willing to be the tigress sometimes.”  - @noevenable [0:18:38] “True capital in the era of the digital age is an audience.” - @metalmotivation [0:27:48] “If you want to live in a way that lets you bring your deepest gifts to the world, you have to make it sustainable and money is a big part of what it takes to do that.”  - @noevenable [0:29:42] “I've learned from this course how to push past inner resistance.”  - @noevenable [0:33:19] “Scarcity, impoverishment, these are real mentalities that war and neutralize people.”  - @metalmotivation [0:35:50] “You know, the biggest, most valuable thing that I have learned over this last year is this, if people are not really responding, if you feel like you're not being seen somehow, it's because you haven't made it visible.”  - @noevenable [0:37:23] “When we focus on the things that fascinate us, that's when we start to be able to create content that's fascinating to others. We have to be fascinated.” - @noevenable [0:40:34] “Your creativity doesn't have a fear of rejection. Your creativity is not afraid of people.” - @metalmotivation [0:42:51] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Noe Venable (TOM & Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/noevenablemusic/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

At the Savvy Musician Academy (SMA), we have musicians and bands of all kinds and different genres. One of the interesting genres is ambient instrumental music, and our special guest in this episode is a prolific recording artist who's released 15 albums of his ambient guitar music! Jeff Pearce's last album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard New Age sales chart, and he credits what he learned from SMA—became a student in 2016—for helping him achieve his results. In this interview, Jeff shares his recording experience and learned insights that are helping him to continue to build his own musical empire online. Enjoy! Key Points From This Episode: Different approaches to guitar Before the internet First impressions of SMA Audience discovery The extensiveness of The Online Musician Program The importance of enjoying your own genre Targeting your super fans The demand for physical merchandise Updating the course Tweetables: “(The Online Musician) really changed how I approached not only what I was doing in a marketing sense, but also what I was doing as far as audience discovery.” - @jeffpearcemusic [0:15:35] “The course… takes a serious amount of time.” - @jeffpearcemusic [0:16:09] “Google is a search engine, Facebook is a share engine.” - @metalmotivation [0:17:04] “(The Online Musician) challenged a kind of long-held belief that I kind of knew what my audience was.” - @jeffpearcemusic [0:18:46] “You're not looking for millions and millions of just generic listeners. You're looking for the superfans. You're looking for a smaller community of dedicated people who really are invested in this form of music. With that and with that alone, someone can sustain their livelihood.” - @metalmotivation [0:28:50] “My second-most recent album, the one that was released in the fall of 2019, it debuted at number two on the Billboard New Age sales chart. I'm completely convinced it was because of what I've learned through Savvy Musician Academy and the courses.” - @jeffpearcemusic [0:32:24] “What Leah does with her courses that other people don't is that she goes back and updates them.” - @jeffpearcemusic [0:33:03] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Jeff Pearce (TOM & Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/jeffpearcemusic/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

How many musicians have gone viral, or received mass exposure on American Idol or The Voice, and unfortunately still have nothing to show for it? This hoping to get discovered still represents the old model of the music business and will not guarantee your success. In this episode, Leah and C.J. go over what does work and how you can achieve success by reaching your fans through the internet. We're not just talking about just getting on Spotify, YouTube, and creating a Facebook artist page to post your next show. Reaching your ideal fans online is more sophisticated than that, and that's what we're breaking down in this episode! Key Points From This Episode: Billy Corgan's advice to focus 100% on being an online musician The difference between a valuable metric and vanity metric Getting mass exposure but going nowhere with it Targeting and building custom audiences with Facebook videos The new frontier for musicians Losing the old music world mentality Leah's ten year prediction TOM 3.0 announcement Tweetables: “I'm looking forward to my next win because it's addictive.” - @metalmotivation [0:03:30] “The internet is just a vehicle for reaching people.” - @metalmotivation [0:08:10] “I'm going to put all my focus into reaching people through the internet, do my best to build an audience around the world without having left my house.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:10:25] “Out of 2.5 billion people, your audience isn't there? Are you kidding?” - @LEAHthemusic [0:11:26] “The new gold rush for musicians is to get out there and start to carve out their little niche. You don't need to be everything to everyone.” - @metalmotivation [0:24:10] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Online Musician 3.0 — https://explodeyourfanbase.com Annissa Mlhns (TOM Student) — https://www.facebook.com/AnnissaOffi/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

One of Leah's recent surveys showed that 60% of musicians do not believe you can make money online with your music. In this episode, Leah and C.J. discuss why musicians might think this and explain how you most definitely can make money online with your music! You probably already have the motivation, but you just need a clear path to see ahead and take the next step. Listen to this week's episode to discover how you can earn money online with your music and move past the defeating behaviors and beliefs that hold back most musicians!

Sometimes out of the multitude of compliments you receive online, it takes only one negative comment to get under your skin and ruin your day. You start to question yourself, and self-doubt begins to grow. You begin to resent people, and that's not going to help you grow your music business. What do you do? In this episode, Leah and C.J. discuss a recent incident with Leah's new candle endeavor to show you how to professionally and personally handle discouragement. You're going to get a lot out of this! Key Points From This Episode: The difference between an objection and insult Not being valued Giving words their power Developing thick skin The importance of mental health Two secrets of the ages Tweetables: “It's always a vulnerable feeling to put your soul out there to the INTERNET, even just with your music.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:07:23] “I had to quickly learn the difference between, okay, what's an objection in a rude way and what's a flat out insult.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:09:39] “If I'm making a mark on this world, I will have haters.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:12:49] “It's amazing when people do value you, but for some reason the negative always seems to stick out more.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:22:37] “The power of a word over you has as much power as you grant it.” - @metalmotivation [0:24:01] “You got to get used to the fact that you're going to get people who don't value what you do and they've got very harsh things to say about your music.”  - @metalmotivation [0:32:26] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Mythologie Candle Co. — https://www.facebook.com/mythologiecandleco/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com David Williams (Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/weltermusic/ Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

Continuing last weeks episode on Leah's new sister brand product, Mythologie Candles, Leah and C.J. go further in depth analyzing the details of how she achieved what she called “a million dollar day.” Listen to find out what she means by that. It would be great if you could live off of selling your music alone, but these days anything you can do to earn an income as an independent artist should be explored. Take your understanding of creating a sister brand to the next level in this week's episode of The Savvy Musician Show.  Key Points From This Episode: Principles trump tactics Minimum Viable Product Gauging interest in your product Tapping into an existing culture Creating a seed audience Hashtags and DM's on Instagram Doing a pre-launch/Bootstrapping Running an opt-in ad What is a million dollar day? Sharing content related to your culture to build an audience Thinking Big Tweetables: “Principles trump tactics.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:04:48] “If you can't create culture, tap into an existing one.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:15:26] “Hashtags help a lot on Instagram, using hashtags that people are interested in.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:15:33] “I would personally DM them, thank them for following me… And the fact that there's DMs happening, Instagram will now show your stuff in their feed more often because there's been interaction.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:17:59] “It's called bootstrapping. You hold a pre-launch and however much people buy, there's your capital to get the manufacturing done.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:19:04] “You got to wonder why people rush headlong into dismissing something that successful. Is it because they're scared that there's work involved?” - @metalmotivation [0:30:05] “We look ridiculous dressed up in excuses.” - @metalmotivation [0:30:22] “However big you think you're thinking, it's not big enough and you can't be afraid to engage in limitless thinking, you can't. The more limited you are in your thinking, the more limited will be your results.” - @metalmotivation [0:31:32] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Mythologie Candle Co. — https://www.facebook.com/mythologiecandleco/ Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Lora Hodges (Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/lorussmusic Inner Circle Membership — http://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle

When people first encounter Leah, they struggle to wrap their minds around the fact that she earns six-figures annually from her music business. What they don't realize at first is that she's earning that income from more than simply physical or digital music sales. She's also selling merchandise, accessories, and bundles that are all related to her music and culture. Now, Leah is taking this a step further by creating a sister brand for her music business called Mythologie Candles which is a new line of fantasy products catered to the very same culture and audience that listen to her music. If you understood your artist identity and the culture that connects you with your audience, what products could you sell really well? Check out this weeks episode to learn more! Key Points From This Episode: Not getting overwhelmed What is a sister brand? Why you should consider a sister brand. Leah's new Mythologie Candles The benefits of doing your own shipping The three P's of Marketing: People, Positioning, Product Doing what you're into Tweetables: “You can tell those students who you know are going to do well just because of the way they attack their present.” - @metalmotivation [0:05:00] “When we get so fixated on the mountain, we miss how easy it is to take a step forward.” - @metalmotivation [0:06:18] “We are the creative class and that means going outside of the norm.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:08:33] “There's nothing proprietary. It's all positioning. It's all branding. It's all marketing.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:10:13] “You should always do things that make you come alive.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:10:28] “The fun about handmade products is that you can control the quality, you can control even the unboxing experience.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:13:38] “There's no rules saying that you can only make music and you can't stop and go make jewelry for a while.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:15:11] “If the product is crap, or the music is crap, you're not going to sell jack.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:24:48] “Someone learns how to market, they're never going to be without a job.”  - @metalmotivation [0:27:18] “There's nothing that I'm applying in this business that you guys don't already have access to.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:31:04] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Michael J. Arbogast (Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/TheNewRelics/

Leah and C.J. practically give you gold in this week's episode on metrics, where they discuss nine different metrics you will find in any successful ecommerce business. What are metrics? Metrics are a mode of measurement that you need to be aware of and be tracking in order to be a profitable musician. The dirty details of “business” analytics can be off putting to a creative soul, but if you're going to succeed in this new music industry, then you need to know and understand the basic metrics that will propel your music career forward. What are you supposed to be measuring? Tune in to Episode 83 and find out! Key Points From This Episode: Email is still King “What is The Metrics?” Cost of Goods Sold Gross Margins General Overall Conversion Average Order Value Customer Acquisition Cost Lifetime Value Customer Retention Rate Abandoned Cart Rate Return On Ad Spend Tweetables: “If you have 10,000 email addresses, that's a potential of $10,000 a month.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:03:07] “The goal is get those email open rates up.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:03:20] “This has everything to do with how do you make money online, how do you advertise, all the principles of good marketing. But you put music in it and now we're just in a new industry. - @LEAHthemusic [0:03:07] “In e-commerce, you're going to see anywhere between 1 to 3%. That's a normal conversion rate…. So that's going to give you an idea of how much traffic you really need to be getting to your shop in order to be profitable.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:15:42] “If you want to become good at this, start becoming fascinated by psychology, because that's all this is. It's what makes people do certain things.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:18:28] “Your money's not made on the front end. It's made on the back end. All the emails, those abandoned carts, those upsells, those relational emails. It's all email and retargeting, showing people ads later on.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:22:40] “If you listen to somebody's early work, it doesn't sound as good as the stuff they write now, and why? Because they grow as an artist, and you're going to grow as a marketer. You have to give things time to work.” - @metalmotivation [0:33:16] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Andre Tempfer (Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/dretamashi/

Time to plan out your 2020! We're making small steps toward big goals to push your musical career to the next level, and in this episode, Leah and C.J. discuss how to get intentional with your music business. We want you to do more than simply set goals. We desire for you to set achievable goals that still challenge you, and that means really growing this year as an intentional online marketer! In this episode, Leah reveals her own 2020 plan in light of the fact that she's not releasing a new album this year. Will she be busy? What's her focus going to be? Listen in and find out! Key Points From This Episode: Dynamics of a music business team Annual planning session Choosing a theme word for the year Leah's focus for 2020 Optimizing your sales Getting intentional The Map Your Music Guide Writing and speaking life into your goals Tweetables: “I actually have a tagline that is the focus for at least the first quarter of this year in my team, in my music business, and that is analyze, simplify, and optimize.”  - @LEAHthemusic [0:12:08] “There's so much you can do on the on and off year if you're not releasing any music.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:12:21] “Don't wing your life. Get intentional about living.” - @metalmotivation [0:17:00] “Plan and think big enough that you''re slightly uncomfortable with what you've created, but not so big that... I think you know in your gut when it's just totally out of the realm of what's reachable.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:21:01] “When it comes to your businesses, this is your kid, what you put into this is what you're going to get once it all grows up.” - @metalmotivation [0:28:56] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Map Your Music Year (PDF) — http://MapYourMusicYear.com Marcella Puppini (Elite Student) — https://www.facebook.com/marcellapuppiniofficial/

Savvy Musician Show co-host, C.J. Ortiz, interviews Rob Hulford, another Elite student from the Savvy Musician Academy (SMA). Rob's music style is self-described as an “Ambient downtempo chilled genre geared towards helping people to unplug.”  In this interview, Rob explains how SMA helped him discover his true self as an artist, his true audience, and how to communicate with them. Rob shares not only his story but also some helpful advice and insights that will bring you quick results in your own marketing and social media engagement. Key Points From This Episode: Marketing any style of music Making an investment in yourself The impact of the Elite student group and Coaching Mastering the newsfeed Getting paid for your music Trimming your marketing audience Creative merchandise ideas Writing concise and effective copy Viewing yourself as a business Tweetables: “Everything I ever did at the outset, that Leah encourages you to do, worked for me, and it grew my business.” - @robhulford [0:08:05] “What you invest now will pay you dividends later.” - @robhulford [0:10:38] “It's the whole experience that's offered on this course, not just the learning, but the interaction, the one on one, the Facebook group, which is an incredible resource.” - @robhulford [0:13:18] "Stop the News Feed. Disrupt the News Feed. And it's free advertising, if you can post good content.” - @robhulford [0:17:10] “I think that we have a right to be paid for what we do.” - @robhulford [0:21:27] “Reduce your audience size to those who you know will buy your music and you'll find that your cost per ad will just plummet.” - @robhulford [0:29:57] “You could have great success with half the knowledge that Leah shares in the group, if you just could get over yourself, and put yourself out there.” - @metalmotivation [0:31:10] “It's very important for me, to be informed, to have the knowledge that I need to make the right decisions, to not waste time, and to channel my efforts into what's going to serve my music well for the future, and serve me well financially, as a business owner.” - @robhulford [0:33:27] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com The Inner Circle Membership — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle Rob Hulford - https://www.robhulfordshop.com

We have all types of musical genres represented in our Elite students at the Savvy Musician Academy, and some of these genres are so unique that you can assume there's no audience for them. Not true, and our special guests in this episode are proof of that! Jacqueline and Augustus of The Galaxy Electric are a fun musical duo whose niche “cosmic tape music” has a dedicated following of like-minded fans who celebrate both the music and the culture that surrounds it. And it's this understanding that's empowering The Galaxy Electric to carve out their place in the new music industry. You're going to love this discussion! Key Points From This Episode: The biggest hurdle for an independent artist. The importance of digging into your audience and culture. How they found their sound. How things changed when they joined Elite. No creative limits to any niche. The importance of knowing your strengths. Changing the way you see social media. Getting past the fear of rejection. Maximizing Facebook Groups. Tweetables: “I would say the biggest hurdle is figuring out exactly who you are as an artist.” — The Galaxy Electric [0:04:36] “We connected deeply with a very small group of people who encouraged us kind of to keep going.” — The Galaxy Electric [0:11:55] “We haven't been talking to people, we've been talking at people. That is not how you build a relationship.” — The Galaxy Electric [0:20:02] “Staying on the app and having conversations and that's ultimately what Facebook wants.” — @metalmotivation [0:25:20] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Inner Circle Membership — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle The Galaxy Electric — https://www.facebook.com/thegalaxyelectric/

In this episode Leah and C.J. discuss setting boundaries between you and your fanbase in proactive ways to create a better customer support experience for you and your fans. In other words, setting boundaries is for more than protecting you, your privacy, and your time. It's about creating a better experience for them too. As Leah and C. J. touch on their personal experiences, they provide key insights to setting up boundaries, creating customer support techniques, and utilizing guidelines for conversing on social media.  Customer Service is more than what we think, and it's so important in the age of social media and digital marketing that you have to get it right from the beginning, and in this episode you'll learn how! Key Points From This Episode: The new role and accessibility of musicians Separating your personal and business life Different types of boundaries to have The importance of customer service  Handling negative customer behaviors Setting up customer expectations  Professional attitude and mindset Problem solving in the customer service area How to converse on social media Setting up a P.O. Box Setting up business hours Tweetables: “The battle you have to win every day is the battle of the newsfeed.” - @metalmotivation [0:04:26] “I'm going to have a personal page that's for me, my personal profile. I'm going to have a professional page, and that's where I'm going to post all my music stuff.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:08:17] “(Customer's) expectations are incredibly high for response on all platforms at all times.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:010:18] “If there's anything really important that you need them to know put it in the receipt email.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:015:55] “We're always looking to improve what we're doing on our end, so I never automatically blame the person” - @LEAHthemusic [0:016:39] “Put yourself in the shoes of a fan who's buying something from you.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:18:39] “I think what's most important is the change that needs to happen in the artists themselves, to be strong, to learn to be firm, to know that just because this one person is difficult to deal with, is not a reflection on you.” - @metalmotivation [0:21:33] “Boundaries and dealing with customer service are part of growing your empire.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:28:10] “I try to treat every interaction as though this is life or death for my business.” - @LEAHthemusic [0:35:49] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us — http://www.CallSMA.com Noe Venable (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/noevenablemusic/

2019 was one of Leah's busiest years yet with a crowdfunding campaign, launching a new album, and aggressive holiday sales. In this episode, Leah and C. J. discuss her results and lessons learned from her Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. She shares what she spent in ads. She shares what she earned. And she shares the lessons learned and how she's planning the upcoming year. Remember, year-end holiday sales always begins now by bringing in new followers and turning them into superfans who are ready to spend money with you by the end of the year. Enjoy this episode! Key Points From This Episode: Why you shouldn't feel bad about promoting often. The cynical nature of social media. Leah's music marketing team. Leah's holiday sales results. What Leah's focusing on in 2020. Leah's warm audience strategy. Leah's total ad spend. Creating incentives for customers to buy now. Leah's 5 top-selling products. Should you release an album during the holidays? What Leah did differently this year. Email vs social media ads. Tweetables: “When it comes to advertising, people need to see it multiple times.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:04:00]  “My gifts and abilities as a marketer myself, are inspired by someone else's vision, someone else's faith, someone else's success.” — @metalmotivation [0:07:56] “You have more gifts and abilities than you realize, and it's just a matter of learning the skills to go ahead and put it out there to the world.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:11:13] “You're always wanting to replenish that email list.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:19:10] “So when you're planning a sale or a campaign, your challenge is to come up with the reason why they should do anything.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:25:14] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Book a Call With Us: http://www.CallSMA.com Rich Howe, Epoch of Chirality (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/EpochOfChirality/

Keyboardist and vocalist for the internationally popular heavy metal band, Cradle of Filth, Lindsay Schoolcraft joins C. J. to discuss how she's using the principles taught in the Savvy Musician Academy to launch her own album without a record label. Lindsay is an experienced recording and touring artist and speaks directly to the pain points that are reeking havoc on the music industry. This is an inspiring episode! Key Points From This Episode: The problems with rapid change in the record industry. The financial reality that's hitting touring musicians. The confusion surrounding artists. Working with a Grammy-winning artist. How Lindsay to decided to do it on her own. How SMA was life-changing for Lindsay. The toll that's taken by touring. Great awakenings to music marketing. Lindsay's spending and profits. Tweetables: “You go on tour and you find out how much your crew and your bus driver makes and some people just come home breaking even and that's not right.” — @lindzriot [0:06:09] “There's always been an injustice to the music industry.” — @metalmotivation [0:07:12] “We know we have to be online but once we're online, a lot of us just don't know what to do.” — @lindzriot [0:07:22] “I'm doing it all on line. I'm going to do it digital, screw the record labels, they can't tell me what to do. You're not my real dad.” — @lindzriot [0:12:59] “I refuse to allow some other thing that thinks it's greater than me to take control of my music career.” — @lindzriot [0:15:10] “I'm an artist and I just want to put out art and hope people enjoy it.” — @lindzriot [0:16:35] “When it comes to building your own music empire, you want to minimize the mental and emotional challenges as much as you can.” — @metalmotivation [0:20:20] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Belzebubs (Lindsay's cartoon character) — https://www.facebook.com/belzebubsofficial/ Lindsay Schoolcraft — https://www.facebook.com/schoolcraftofficial/

Her online music career began early in the days of MySpace—gaining 30,000 followers—and at one point, one of her music videos gained 12 million views, and yet Karen Barrow still had no money to show for it. Like most artists, she was confused, frustrated, and unsure about her music career because of all the changes in the industry. Then, she found the Savvy Musician Academy, went through The Online Musician course, then joined the Elite program, and that's when things started to change. If you want an honest look at what goes on behind the scenes of our Elite coaching group, then this episode reveals it. Listen in as Karen shares her own story of struggle, awakening, and the progress! Key Points From This Episode: The reality of today's average musician. How Karen refined her personal brand. The impact of music marketing coaches. Overcoming doubt and taking action. Karen's major victory. The power of a pruned email list. How major artists are realizing the power of the internet. Why views and a large audience don't produce results. How Karen took control of her music career. The power of a professional mindset. How ecommerce changed Karen's results. Tweetables: “You need two things for success in any area. You need principles. Whatever principles govern success. Then number two, you need coaching.” — @metalmotivation [0:08:43] “I've started to lose the idea of it's not for me, I can't do it, it's not meant to be.” — Karen Barrow [0:13:37] “Listen, you guys could tear it up with 50% of what Leah teaches you, if you just understand that one element that Leah really emphasizes traditional marketing principles.” — @metalmotivation [0:21:16] “You'll really understand the revolutionary aspect of social media when social media itself disappears and you realize you're just talking to a person.” — @metalmotivation [0:22:45] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Episode #073: Record Label or Independent Artist? An Interview With Jens Hilzensauer Pt. 1 Episode #074: Record Label or Independent Artist? An Interview With Jens Hilzensauer Pt. 2 Episode #067: Leah's Recent Crowdfunding Results, Part 1: 80k in 30 Days Episode #068: Leah's Recent Crowdfunding Results, Part 2: Mistakes & Lessons Learned Episode #069: Crowdfunding Q&A Karen Barrow's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ScarletteFeverOfficial/

In the new era of the music industry, artists are taking control of their music careers through the power of the internet and social media, which means there's more pressure on the artist to deal with their fans more personally. When you have to open yourself up to the world, how do you handle yourself and the interaction with your audience? How much of your personal life should you share? How accessible should you be? How do you deal with problematic fans? That's why we're covering in this episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Key Points From This Episode: Creating perceived value The importance of intangible qualities How to use culture in your posting Sharing your personal life The 3 P's of what to share on social media Having personal and business social media accounts Why you shouldn't use your personal profiles for business Avoiding controversial topics on social media When it makes to be political on your pages Dealing with trolls Toughening yourself up for social media Tweetables: “You need to help your fans understand that, that you are a farmer's market and you're not Walmart.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:07:40] “People pay for water, people pay for Starbucks coffee. They could easily make the coffee at home, but people are obviously paying these prices because of a perceived value.” — @metalmotivation [0:08:56] “I'm going to pay a lawyer more than I pay my landscaper because they just solve different problems, so it's all in terms of value.” — @metalmotivation [0:11:09] “I'm one of those introverted extroverts where I want to be out there, I love people, but I also sometimes shy away from the spotlight and I don't want to be in the spotlight all the time.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:14:50] “You don't want to be airing your dirty laundry online, that's not attractive, nobody wants that and it's not professional.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:15:32] “There's many reasons why you do not want to collect fans on a personal profile.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:19:46] “You cannot advertise from a personal profile, so you shouldn't be collecting fans there.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:19:58] “You have a tremendous opportunity even as an artist to demonstrate leadership.” — @metalmotivation [0:24:32] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Nazneen Rahman (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/NazneenRahmanMusic/ Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers by Jay Baer

In Part 2 of our interview with Jens Hilzensauer, we dive even deeper into the state of the music industry—specifically record labels and record deals. We also discuss the huge learning curve that labels have in order to get up to speed to what we're doing at the Savvy Musician Academy. As a musician, it's important that you understand where things are so that you can make the best decision possible for your career. This interview will help what decision! Key Points From This Episode: You as a person is just as important as your music Thinking of your culture as a lifestyle brand How the music industry resists change What the record labels should do Confusing marketing with advertising Creating brand awareness The current approach to social media by record labels Why record labels will struggle with social media The importance of creating a relationship with your fans What Leah's doing to secure her career and still without touring When you should consider talking to a record label The questions you should be asking yourself Current rates by Spotify What a typical record contract looks like Tweetables: “I think the record business side of the music business was always reluctant to change.” — @jenshilzensauer [0:04:10] “Basically the music industry made Apple rich because they let Apple, invent iTunes.” — @jenshilzensauer [0:04:57] “There is no call to action. That's advertising. Marketing is based on a call to action.” — @metalmotivation [0:09:00] “You've never seen a Starbucks commercial. That's pretty powerful brand awareness without any reliance upon traditional advertising.” — @metalmotivation [0:09:22] “The algorithm is completely indifferent. It's going to follow basic principles that are based on psychographics.” — @metalmotivation [0:13:02] “You must treat your career as though no one will do anything for you. Just treat it as though it's depending and relying on you alone.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:17:24] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jens' Band “Planet Trompeta” — https://www.facebook.com/planetatrompeta/ Schedule a Call with SMA — http://callsma.com

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of Leah's push for publishing and sync licensing her music by interviewing someone who is working intimately for Leah in this process. The results have been eye-opening as our special guest, Jens Hilzensauer, pulls the veil back on what's going on now with record labels. And because Jens is an experienced digital marketer himself, the conversation gets deep into the cutting edge of what innovative artists like Leah are doing now to achieve levels of success that are challenging the beliefs of record label executives. And because the interview went so long, we've decided to break it up into two parts. Believe us, you won't want to miss this interview! Key Points From This Episode: The new era of the music industry What European records labels thought of Leah's success The reality of what A&R people see and sign to a label Why musicians need to take extreme ownership Applying marketing principles to music How effective are labels in their marketing? The power of culture in making sales Tweetables: “What good marketing actually is, relationship building. And I think that's where a lot of labels, and publishing companies still fail.” — @jenshilzensauer [0:19:46] “But this is what makes social media such a revolutionary element, and a huge key to Leah's success because you can now go direct to market.” — @metalmotivation [0:28:57] “You'll really understand social media when social media disappears, and you realize you're just talking to people.” — @metalmotivation [0:29:56] “It's just simple offline relationship building in an online world. And you can scale it.” — @jenshilzensauer [0:32:26] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jens' Band “Planet Trompeta” — https://www.facebook.com/planetatrompeta/ Schedule a Call with SMA — http://callsma.com Rich How (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/rich.how

If you're not planning and working for a specific, desired outcome, then you're hoping or wishing for success—and it's doubtful that you'll ever achieve it. Just like artists would “hope” that they'd be discovered by a record label, so artists today are hoping they'll be discovered on Spotify, or they're hoping their video will go viral on YouTube. What they lack is a plan for success, and the consistent action that creates it. They fall prey to fatalism and wishful thinking. And to pacify their conscience, they engage in “busy work” that doesn't move the needle in their music business, and this just leads to more self-defeat. In this episode, you'll experience a challenge to that way of thinking and discover some powerful ways to move into an action-oriented outlook. Enjoy! Key Points From This Episode: Relationship marketing Planning vs hoping Are you dreaming or planning? Taking massive action Deceiving yourself with “busy work” The remedy to hoping is direct marketing The truth behind standard record contracts The power of conviction Tweetables: “The challenge is for you to create more engaging content with your audience, get them involved.” — @metalmotivation [0:04:34] “People are more hoping that life works out instead of making life work out.” — @metalmotivation [0:06:18] “A dream without a plan is just a wish.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:07:18] “You go from imagining and dreaming to planning.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:08:47] “Don't think that massive action means it's always 100% you doing everything yourself.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:10:27] “The less you work, the more you hope things turn out.” — @metalmotivation [0:21:46] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: “Map Your Music Year Planning Guide” (Freebie) — http://mapyourmusicyear.com. John Thomas (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/JohnAlbertThomasPiano/

Believe it or not, now is the time to start thinking about preparing for your holiday sales whether you're working only to build your list, preparing your special offers, or hitting your holiday marketing full on. The only time it's not conducive is during the holidays, but this powerful episode was created to equip you to maximize your profits during the next holiday season. In this episode, Leah goes into the radical preparation and marketing she did for her recent holiday sales campaign, and it's NOT for the faint of heart! For an independent, non-touring artist like her, you have to maximize your efforts in order to maximize your profits. You're going to get a lot out of this episode, so get something write on to take notes! Key Points from This Episode: What you should be thinking about when it comes to holiday sales. When you should start planning your holiday sales. Do you market to a cold or warm audience? What you should be doing throughout the year. Why you shouldn't worry about sending too many emails. Segmenting your email list. How to handle shipping times during the holidays. Why more emails is better. Tweetables: “Last year, I made an extra $33,000 just from Black Friday sales and holiday, little holiday promos and the majority of that came from email.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:04:40] “Ideally, you would start planning your end of year sales in August and September.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:05:13] “I'm spending the rest of the year building my email list, building my following, building my organic following, building my email list, just building my audience all year long.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:06:50] “What we're really going to focus on is honing in on the existing audience we already have and offering them really attractive deals.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:09:09] “If I conducted myself worrying about offending people, too many emails, I wouldn't send any emails.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:11:15] “Don't let your insecurity make the decisions…you got to do what's best for your business.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:11:39] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: “How to Plan Music Promotions for the Holidays” (Freebie) — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/holiday-guide Lorena Dale (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/LorenaDaleMusic/

After completing her highly successful crowdfunding campaign where she raised $83,000+ in in 30 days, the work was actually just beginning. Leah still had to release her album, and there were still two more phases to doing this successfully. After crowdfunding—which is Phase 1—she still to do a pre-order launch and then the actual launch or album release. In this episode of the Savvy Musician Show, Leah and C.J. discuss the details of how Leah is going about the next two phases of her Ancient Winter album launch. A lot of great tips in this episode! Key Points From This Episode: The 3 phases of an album launch How long is the pre-order period? Making money before the album release Incentives for pre-orders Leah's pre-order bundles The power of scarcity and urgency The advantage of using print-on-demand Giveaways and discounts Tweetables: “Any kind of promotion I run with built-in scarcity, built in urgency.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:09:10] “It takes this level of creativity and planning and forethought to do this kind of revenue.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:11:32] “Let's say I do a video or a photo and it just gets really good engagement that I wasn't expecting, I can then use that and turn it into an ad.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:15:04] “Organic social paid ads, especially Facebook and Instagram ads are what I'm focusing on. And email, email, email.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:17:03] “technical things to the unlearned can appear as magical or witchcraft but I can assure you it isn't.” — @MetalMotivation [0:19:54] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Leah's Crowdfunding Page (Limited time) — http://ancientwinter.com FREE Planning Tool — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/planningtool Call Savvy Musician Academy —   www.callsma.com  Colin Caetano (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/colincayvz/

As we reach the third and final episode of this powerful 3-part, in-depth series on the success of Leah's recent crowdfunding campaign, Leah answer's some of her student's questions on crowdfunding. Having done a few crowdfunding campaigns during her career, Leah is always pushing the envelope and learning more, and even these three episodes on crowdfunding were not enough to cover everything. This is why being a part of her Elite program is so important for anyone desiring to have a full-time career in music by maximizing their music business through online marketing. Still, Leah goes even deeper in this episode by answering the most important questions she received about crowdfunding. If you haven't heard the first two episodes, you should listen to those first, and the content of this episode will be far more fruitful for you. Enjoy the discussion! Key Points From This Episode: The difference between Leah's crowdfunding campaigns. How social media has changed online marketing. The simple things you must focus on. Leah's method of email marketing. Leah's method of using surveys. How Leah keeps fans interested throughout her campaign. How Leah writes her email subject lines. How Leah managed her time. The importance of cleaning out your email list. Is there a certain time of year that's best for crowdfunding? Leah's “trifecta” for marketing success. Releasing singles. Can you manage a campaign by yourself? How Leah organizes her work. The ins and outs of product bundles. The breakdown of costs vs profits. Tweetables: “This isn't the time to go after a whole new crowd, it's the time to advertise to the people who are already following you, and so that's really important.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:07:47] “My advice is do the simple things. Build your audience, build your email list, learn how to run ads.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:08:18] “I don't treat surveys as exact data… It is to get a general feeling and sense for what you could potentially do.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:10:53] “You try it and you figure it out, what worked, what didn't work, and then analyze it after and make it better next time.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:14:04] “You learn a hundred things to do, and a hundred things not to do.” — @MetalMotivation [0:14:10] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Leah's Crowdfunding Page (Limited time) — http://ancientwinter.com FREE Crowdfunding Guide — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/crowdfunding Call Savvy Musician Academy — www.callsma.com Annelise LeCheminant (Student Spotlight) — https://www.facebook.com/AnneliseSongwriter/

In this episode, Leah delves deeper into her successful crowdfunding campaign for her latest album, Ancient Winter, and now she reveals the mistakes she made and the lessons she learned. Leah has tried various ways to crowdfund her albums, and she's always experimenting to find a better, more profitable way to market her music. In this recent campaign, she exceeded her financial goal by $30,000! Key Points From This Episode: The pros and cons of hosting a crowdfunding campaign on your own site. The astonishing amount of people who demanded vinyl. What makes crowdfunding easier. The difference between those who succeed and fail. Why you must expose yourself to marketing training over and over again. The importance of your email list and why email is still king. Leah's amazing results in revenue in 7 days with email. The unexpected things Leah underestimated. How to create a successful landing page. Understanding the psychology of your fans. Tweetables: “Is it time for you to stop wondering about whether you're supposed to do music or not?” — @MetalMotivation [0:02:39] “This is literally just a skill. It's about incorporating who you are, your personality, your authentic self, your authentic music, and just having these skills in place and then, then you can do anything.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:05:40] “You can't just be exposed to it and expect something good to happen out of it. You must become a practitioner.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:08:38] “If Facebook died and disintegrated, turned into Myspace, I could still make a living just off of my email.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:10:17] “You don't have to be a world-class marketer and learn how to market market everything else in the world, just your own stuff, your own music to your own audience.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:12:49] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Leah's Crowdfunding Page (Limited time) — http://ancientwinter.com FREE Crowdfunding Guide — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/crowdfunding Call Savvy Music Academy — www.callsma.com Daniel Coates (Student Spotlight) — https://suntaramusic.com/

In this episode, Leah and C. J. launch in an in-depth 3-part series on crowdfunding taken directly from Leah's recent successful crowdfunding campaign for her fifth album, Ancient Winter, in which she exceed ALL her revenue goals! And to make this even more challenging, she decided to host the fundraising on her own website instead of using popular fundraising software such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and GoFundMe. Her goal was to raise $50,000 in 30 days—ambitious in and of itself—but she exceeded that amount by over 30% for a whopping $80,000+ in just one month! Even though she's done crowdfunding campaigns before, she still learned a great deal during this successful campaign. Her first thought was, “I should create a course on this,” but then decided, “No, I'll share everything on the podcast for free, but it may take a few episodes!” Well, you're in for a treat, because Leah holds nothing back in this episode. Sit back and enjoy! Key Points From This Episode: Success in crowdfunding is not determined by software or tools. Why Leah chooses to crowdfund her albums. The different approaches to all her crowdfunding campaigns. Why you should try crowdfunding. Being crystal clear on your WHY. Why crowdfunding is better than a record label deal. Leah's crowdfunding is not begging. It's pre-orders. Leah's “three launches” for her albums. How Leah chooses the amount for her crowdfunding goal. Leah's secret to surveying her fans ahead of the campaign. Warm vs cold audience. The power of creating scarcity and urgency. The key to crowdfunding is knowing how to sell. How Leah inspires her fans to support her. What Leah included in her crowdfunding offers. Tweetables: “It's very, very important that you are crystal clear on why you are crowdfunding, what the purpose is, where the money is going and what you're going to do with it.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:07:19] “My goal with crowdfunding like this several months before the album launch, is to launch my album with zero debt and zero anything owing anybody anything.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:08:08] “Typically an album or a record deal with a label is essentially a loan.” — @MetalMotivation [0:08:53] “The majority, like 97% of this campaign, the funds are raised from my warm audience, meaning people who already know me.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:18:02] “I've got the skill of copywriting. These are the reasons why it's successful. It's not because of the platform.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:18:58] “You don't need a course on crowdfunding, you need training on how to sell your music.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:26:13] “If you're going to have a career in music and you can have that career in music, you're going to have to be the artist and you're going to have to be the marketer.” — @MetalMotivation [0:46:46] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Leah's Crowdfunding Page (Limited time) — http://ancientwinter.com FREE Crowdfunding Guide — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/crowdfunding Call Savvy Music Academy — www.callsma.com Inessa Hk (Student Spotlight) — https://www.innessamusic.com/

In today's episode, we are talking about what you can do to grow your music career when you are not able to tour. Many musicians are unable to tour for various reasons, such as work, family or other commitments. This inability to tour is a far more common problem among musicians than many of us realize. This does not mean that your music career will not take off because there are many ways to get around the obstacle of not being able to tour. Leah is a prime example of someone, who due to family commitments has never toured, and yet she has still achieved tremendous success. For her, because she has never been able to hit the road, she had to make success happen within her means. Having the internet at your disposal opens as many, arguably more doors than going on tour ever could. There are so many different platforms and ways of reaching out to people than ever before, you simply have to find what works for you. This may sound simple, but it is not an overnight process. It is a long, hard slog that will eventually yield the results you want. You have to define your brand, as well as hone in on your super fan and learn how to speak directly to them. Once you are able to do this, the sky is the limit and you will never need to see the inside of a tour bus, ever! For all this and more, join us today.   Key Points From This Episode: This week's student spotlight and some lessons to take from it. The Internet is the greatest tool you have if you are unable to tour. What lead Leah to create her first course, The Online Musician. Differentiating your music is the key starting point in launching your music career. Defining your niche gives you the clarity you need to build your brand. Why direct marketing is so important in growing your brand. Proactively engaging on social media extends far beyond posting your next gig. Show fans your vulnerabilities and the real parts of your life, rather than hiding it. Build a community around the culture that surrounds your music. An example of how Leah has tapped into what her fans like. To create passionate super fans, you have to celebrate the same things that they celebrate. Keep what you share within the same theme to maintain brand cohesion. Some things to steer clear of sharing online. Ways to generate money from your music career, if you are not touring. Take advantage of all the platforms and their strengths that are available to you. We are all salespeople in some way or another. Learning how to sell organically should come before working on paid traffic. Effective marketing is about answering providing an answer to a customer's need. Entertainment and art have always and will always continue to be a fundamental part of life. Create as many opportunities as possible for fans to buy from you.   Tweetables: “The beauty of online marketing, is you're not trying to be commercial. You are trying to find your tribe of fans.” — @LEAHthemusic  [0:17:07] “People buy from those they know, like and trust.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:20:41] “Nobody cares about me. They only care about themselves, and what my product can do for them.”  — @LEAHthemusic [0:37:55]   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Savvy Musician Academy Elite Progam —   www.sma.com The Online Musician 2.0 —    https://savvymusicianacademy.com/tribe/tom/ Savvy Musician Show Episode 065 —   www.savvymusicianacademy.com/65 Call Savvy Music Academy —   www.callsma.com Jennifer Kessler (Student Spotlight) — https://www.jenniferlynmusic.com/

All of us struggle with fear: fear of rejection, failure and even fear of success. The only difference between those who are successful and those who are not is that successful people choose to pursue their goals despite the fear. It's not that they don't experience those same emotions, it's only that their desire for the dream is bigger and they stop at nothing to get there. Today we continue with our psychological perspective on making it in the music industry, talking about those mindsets that cripple you and that you essentially give far too much power to. The first step to overcoming fear is to tackle them head-on instead of avoiding them, and by allowing yourself to go through those unpleasant emotions of trepidation. Not only are you giving yourself an opportunity to succeed, but you are investing in your personal development and building out your experience and skillset. The recipe of success is quite simple: to believe that the principles of success are out there in the world – that they exist and that you are able to apply them consistently. If you truly believe that, you will be unstoppable!   Key Points From This Episode: How fear is paralyzing you and stopping you from reaching your potential. Realizing that there are people out there who need to hear your music. Why fear is both a massively powerful yet powerless thing. The only thing that sets successful people apart from everyone else. The importance of taking little steps forward, even if you cannot see the full picture yet. Why you can sell anything once you understand the fundamentals of online marketing. The powerful effect of visualizing and mentally preparing before a big event. Making the decision beforehand not to be controlled by fear. The physiological reactions to something that happens in our imaginations. The difference between the fear of failure and fear of success. Believing that all the principles for success are out there and that you can apply them.  Accepting that you will mess up sometimes and that hard times will come. And much more!   Tweetables: “This fear, in general, is completely paralyzing you and it's stopping you from reaching your potential, from doing the thing that you are supposed to do.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:05:12] “Fear is a powerless force but it's still the most powerful powerless force you're ever going to face, and it's robbing you of the only life you've got.” —  @metalmotivation [0:08:02] “Do not let fear make the decision. Your brain needs to make the decision and then you can train your body to do what you want it to after the fact.” — @LEAHthemusic [0:20:40]   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Call Savvy Musician Academy — www.callsma.com Savvy Musician Inner Circle — https://savvymusicianacademy.com/innercircle Welter — https://www.weltermusic.com/ Tony Robbins — https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ David Williams (Student Spotlight) — https://www.weltermusic.com/