Hi, Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss Ryan's exhibit at the book fair and Dave's Trip to New York during their off week. They also talk about A Day to Remember's recent court win against their record label, Victory Records. There is also a discussion of Instagram as a social media tool and doing holiday covers as a DIY artist.In the second segment, musician and blogger Ari Herstand stops by to talk about his upcoming book, "How to Make it in th...
Nov 27, 2016•1 hr 24 min
Hi, podcast listeners! Thanks for downloading.Musicians and friends of the show Evan Lamb and Elisa Melendez are in for Ryan and Dave this week both on the podcast and in these here show notes. Hi! Nice to meet you! Apologies in advance.In the first segment, Evan and Elisa discuss why the popular livestreaming service Twitch might just be the perfect supplement to your existing social media and YouTube presence. They'll tell you how to get set up, best practices when streaming, and what sets it ...
Nov 20, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Hi Podcast listeners! Thanks for downloading.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss this week's election and have a concrete policy discussion on how a Donald Trump presidency could affect indie artists. It is an uncertain political environment, and the future has both positive and negative implications for DIY musicians. How will Trump's policies affect musicians? Find out!In the second segment, indie folk band The Krickets stop by. Fresh off a big night at the Independent Music Awards whe...
Nov 13, 2016•1 hr 17 min
Hi Podcast listeners! Thanks for downloading!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about Dave's recent trip to L.A. and give tips on how to make videos of cover songs legally. This is all the more important in light of the flurry of takedown notices being sent by Universal Music to Facebook users. Cover videos are a great way to move your music career forward. Learn how to do it safely.In the second segment, Ryan sits down with musician, consultant, and Make Creativity Pay founder Leanne Rega...
Nov 06, 2016•1 hr 19 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading. This week, Ryan talks about the death of Vine and the important lessons musicians need to learn from its demise. Ryan also talks about his experience in the recording studio narrating the Break the Business audiobook, which will be available soon.In the second segment, acclaimed music entrepreneur and Cyber PR founder Ariel Hyatt stops by to discuss effective crowdfunding strategies and her new book "Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide to a Powerful and P...
Oct 30, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading!In our first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss how musicians should embrace non-music content to further their careers. In the New Music Industry, it is important to take inventory of your non-music strengths, and find a way to leverage those strengths to move your career forward. You are more than the music you play, and you should use those extra skills to reach new heights.In the second segment, musician/marketer/entrepreneur James Taylor stops by to ...
Oct 23, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading this week.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss last week's Rorie Kelly interview and Dave provides some interesting insight on the current composition of women in the executive ranks of major labels. Ryan and Dave also discuss the recent lawsuit between 19 Recordings and Sony Music. At issue in the case is whether Sony is shortchanging its artists by paying out streaming revenue at an unfairly low rate. The case underscores the outdated contrac...
Oct 09, 2016•1 hr 22 min
Hi Listeners! Thanks for downloading.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about Adele's latest album going Diamond (10x Platinum) and the implications it has for DIY artists and the music industry as a whole. They also discuss the recent Jesse Sterling Harrison article in SonicBids, "Five Non-Musical Skills musicians should work to improve."In the second segment, Ryan interviews indie artist Rorie Kelly. In addition to being an acclaimed singer-songwriter, Rorie is also the executive directo...
Oct 02, 2016•1 hr 20 min
Hi Podcast listeners! This week, Ryan sits down with music marketing and digital strategy expert Michael Brandvold. Ryan and Michael talk about how DIY artists can create VIP ticketing packages without busting their budget. They also discuss the importance of creating effective websites and how to make the most of your social media presence. You can find out more about Michael's projects at michaelbrandvold.com and you can check him out on the Music Biz Weekly Podcast.Thank you all very much for...
Sep 25, 2016•47 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, we discuss Ryan's recent Hypebot book excerpt about the nastiness of record deal recoupment. In a nutshell, most record contracts involve artists having to pay back the money a label spends on making (and often promoting) the artist's album entirely out of the artist's royalties. Record deals are not investments by labels. They are loans, and artists are the unwitting debtors.In the second segment, musician and marketing expert Steve Palfreyman stops b...
Sep 18, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Hi Podcast listeners! Thanks for downloading!In our first segment, Ryan talks to Dave about his new golden retriever puppy Molly. R & D also discuss a recent article by former Podcast guest Kosha Dillz that appeared in Hypebot about the promotional value artists can gain by appearing on podcasts. In many ways, appearing on podcasts can give an artist more promotional juice than being featured in a blog. Podcasts allow potential fans to get to know more of your story, and the podcasting audie...
Sep 11, 2016•1 hr 19 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Contest Note: thecelebritycafe.com is hosting a contest where you can win a free copy of Ryan's Break the Business Book. Go check it out!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about comedian Mike Birbiglia's NY Times Article "6 Tips for Making it Small in Hollywood. Or Anywhere." Even though Birbiglia's article mainly focuses on achieving success in comedy and writing, his lessons are also important ones for independent artists to hear. In the second segment, musician and...
Sep 04, 2016•1 hr 21 min
Hi Podcast listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about the passing of fraudster and music producer Lou Pearlman. Pearlman passed away in mid-August while serving time in prison for orchestrating a $300 million ponzi scheme. Among the way, Pearlman went on to create, and subsequently allegedly defraud, a number of boy bands, including the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. Ryan discusses Pearlman's acts of exploitation in the music industry and talks about how his actions serve as a warnin...
Aug 29, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! The Break the Business Podcast is celebrating its 50th episode, and we have a terrific show for you to enjoy. This week, we have great music industry advice, comedy sketches, and some former guests stop by to congratulate Ryan and Dave on the Big 5-0. In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent David Byrne article in the New York Times about music streaming and who's to blame for artists making little money off of platforms like Spotify. While it is easy to blame...
Aug 21, 2016•1 hr 18 min
Hi Podcast listeners! In the first segment, Ryan discusses his article that came out in Hypebot this past week: "The Kesha-Dr. Luke Lawsuit Exemplifies Everything That is Wrong With the Music Industry." The article talks about exclusive recording agreements and how such agreements contributed to the toxic relationship of Kesha and Luke--as well as to the culture of abuse in the music industry as a whole.In the second segment, musician and entrepreneur Jack Conte stops by. Ryan talks to Jack abou...
Aug 15, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading this week!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about Ryan's vacation in the North Carolina mountains. They also discuss Kesha's recent decision to drop her lawsuit against Dr. Luke and the lessons that all indie artists can learn from this harrowing story. Ryan and Dave close the segment by discussing recent articles about projects artists should work on before the end of the summer, and effective crowdfunding.In the next segment, Dave reviews "Su...
Aug 07, 2016•1 hr 15 min
Hi Podcast listeners! It's the Dave Show!Ryan is out of town this week, so it falls to the great and powerful Dave to helm the show this week. Were you aware that red light cameras stink? Because they do. Also, Brandy has filed suit against her label in yet another example of an artist wanting to do the work of making an album, but the label not cooperating and creating a limbo for the artist.We talk to Darryl Neudorf about his new initiative, POLR (Path of Least Resistance). It’s all about crea...
Jul 30, 2016•1 hr 29 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about publishing administrators and the services they provide for artists. If you are an independent artist, having a publishing administrator is crucial. They make sure you get all the money to which you are entitled for the songs you write. Find out why you need one and how to pick the right one for you by listening here.In the second segment, Julia Pernicone from the publishing administration company SongTru...
Jul 24, 2016•1 hr 11 min
Hi Podcast Listeners!In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss The DIY Musician's Blog indie musician checklist, a list of foundational tasks that any successful indie artist-entrepreneur must complete. Ryan then adds a couple extra items of his own that are also important. If you can get everything done on this list, you will be in good shape to move your career forward.In the second segment, indie artist Jaymay stops by. Jaymay is a marvelous singer-songwriter who has performed on Late Night...
Jul 17, 2016•1 hr 18 min
Hi Podcast listeners! Here is a special bonus episode of Ryan's speech at his author event for his book "Break the Business: Declaring Your Independence and Achieving True Success in the Music Industry." The event took place at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. In his speech, Ryan discusses the main themes of the book, including the problems with record deals; the resources artists can use to create, promote, distribute, and fund music on their own; and several guiding principles that ...
Jul 10, 2016•51 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for downloading this week. Our love for you knows no bounds.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss Ryan's book launch event that happened this week at Books & Books and also talk about the recent findings from Research and Markets' Global Music Market Report. There is good news in that report for musicians everywhere, particularly for indie artists who are willing to hustle to make their careers a success.in the second segment, indie artist Omar Velasco stop...
Jul 10, 2016•1 hr 11 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent petition from over 180 superstar musicians and top music companies to have Congress get rid of the safe harbors under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It is a complicated area of law, but it is one about which indie artists MUST be informed. The safe harbor provisions, though certainly not perfect, attempt to strike a fair balance between the rights of copyright holders and the practical reality that platforms like...
Jul 03, 2016•1 hr 17 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Our interview with Star Trek Axanar fan film director Robert Meyer Burnett this week was really awesome. However, he also gave us a lot of great information and we did not have enough time in the episode to fit it all in. As a result, his interview in the episode is heavily edited. But since he was so great on the show, we are releasing the full, unedited version of the interview here as a separate download. If you are a Star Trek fan, you will really enjoy his insight. His...
Jun 26, 2016•41 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the recent Stairway to Heaven copyright ruling and its effect on indie artists. The legal landscape is changing, and getting more confusing. Download this episode and get informed. In the second segment, indie singer-songwriter Bryan Frates drops by to talk about making website intro videos and innovative CD release strategies. In the final segment, Ryan and Dave get talk about the recent (and ridiculous) Star Trek Fan Film Guidel...
Jun 26, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! If you are in the South Florida area on July 7, Books & Books in Coral Gables is going to have an author event for Ryan's Break the Business book. It will be a great chance for you to meet Ryan and Dave and find out more about the book. We'd love to see you there! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the new Open Music Initiative being created by Berklee and MIT. It's goal: to create an IMDB-type database for every piece of music so that all content creators can ...
Jun 19, 2016•1 hr 15 min
Hi Podcast Listeners!In the first segment, Ryan talks about recent rumors that Apple might be shuttering its iTunes download store in the next couple years. What does this mean for indie artists? How would a shift away from music downloading change the way that DIY musicians market their music recordings? Will music recordings cease to be a significant revenue stream for artists at all? What opportunities will come about from such a shift?In the second segment, Miami-based indie folk artist Keit...
Jun 12, 2016•1 hr 15 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! In our first segment, Hollywood Reporter Senior Editor Eriq Gardner joins Ryan and Dave to discuss the ongoing litigation involving American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and his management company 19 Entertainment. The case serves as a prime example of the difficulties that artists can endure when trying to advocate for their rights against big entertainment companies.In the second segment, country pop artist Megan Golden joins the podcast. Megan is an indie artist and a co...
Jun 05, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! Thanks for joining us this week.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about indie music star Kina Grannis' harrowing story touring in Indonesia and the lessons that all artists can learn from her misadventure. You can find out more about Kina's story by visiting www.kinagrannis.com (and get some of her music while you are there because Kina is awesome!). In the second segment, one of our favorite guests The Droids stop by. They are a husband-and-wife synth-rock duo. Thei...
May 29, 2016•1 hr 10 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! The BTB Podcast has moved into its new studio starting with this episode. We hope you enjoy the improved digs.In the first segment, Ryan and Dave talk about the new studio and then discuss the recent controversy involving Kesha's Billboard Music Awards performance. Kesha is currently involved in a lawsuit with her record producer Dr. Luke. Kesha has accused the producer of sexually assaulting her and is trying to get her recording agreement with him terminated. This week, D...
May 22, 2016•1 hr 28 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! In the first segment, Ryan and Dave discuss the "poor man's copyright" myth (and an SonicBids article on the subject by music lawyer Erin M. Jacobson) and why it is important for indie artists to register their music. A lot of great law tips are presented in a fun way. In the second segment, indie singer-songwriter and friend-of-the-show Mary Jennings stops by to talk about her latest remix album, her pregnancy, and her own feelings on copyrights. Mary is always a great int...
May 15, 2016•1 hr 20 min
