This week, everyone's favorite BTB co-host Dave stops by the studio. Ryan is so happy to see him that he throws out the traditional show format and just has a super-sized pop culture conversation. They bring back some of your favorite Dave segments...and talk about some music industry stuff too. The Break the Business Podcast will be recording from the Independent Music Awards on June 21-22 in New York City. If you're going to be around, definitely come say hi!Rate/review/subscribe to the Break ...
Jun 02, 2019•55 min
For our final episode of National Mental Health Month, Ryan sits down with Gregg Sgar and Matt Pelosi of electronic duo MGSP to talk about the strategies they use to stay grounded in their music careers. Gregg and Matt have written and spoken a lot on the subject and have some great insight to share with musicians. We also discuss their latest single "Signs," a powerful song with a strong mental health focus. You can listen to "Signs" on this week's episode and you can find out more about the ba...
May 26, 2019•15 min
As they move their music careers forward, one of the greatest challenges that indie artists have is handling live show logistics. Self-managing a live performance or even an entire tour can be a daunting task, and handling those logistical issues effectively (payments, scheduling, advance work, etc.) can often make the difference between a show's financial success or failure. On this week's episode, Ryan sits down with Eventric CEO Paul Bradley to discuss these issues. Paul has dedicated his car...
May 19, 2019•17 min
This week, Ryan sits down with Jess and Jimi from Brooklyn indie duo Pls Pls Me. Jess and Jimi talk about their music and how they have worked in their careers to empower themselves and the rest of Brooklyn's LGBT music community with their art. Jess and Jimi put together a recurring music event in Brooklyn called Queer MF, which highlights the work of LGBT artists in the area. The example of Queer MF highlights an important lesson for all indie artists: If you are not getting enough gigs or you...
May 12, 2019•24 min
This week, Ryan sits down with musician and friend-of-the-podcast (and one-time BTB Podcast host) Katie Zaccardi. In addition to making music, Katie is also the host of Out To Be, a weekly interview series that discusses the topics of mental health and safe care. Ryan and Katie discuss those topics this week as they apply to artists and Katie shares some valuable insight on how to avoid burnout as an artist and to manage your time effectively. Powerful advice this week from an excellent guest. D...
May 05, 2019•19 min
This week, Ryan sits down with Emerge Festival founder and CEO Rehan Choudhry. The Emerge Festival is a music event in Las Vegas that will run from May 31 to June 1 and will bring together artists (including Laura Jane Grace and Andrew Bird) and social change activists (like David Hogg) in a powerful blend of art and activism. Ryan talks to Rehan about the festival, the changing landscape of live music events, and whether artists should be more open with their own social views. Lots of great adv...
Apr 28, 2019•25 min
This week, Ryan is joined by longtime friend-of-the-podcast Bree Noble of Female Entrepreneur Musician. From April 22nd to May 1, Bree will be hosting the Profitable Musician Summit, an online music industry conference geared toward helping musicians manage their careers and increase their income. Guest speakers include past Podcast guests Ariel Hyatt, Ari Herstand, Kevin Breuner, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, Cherie Hu, Suzanne Paulinski, and many more…including your BTB host Ryan Kairalla.Ryan talks t...
Apr 21, 2019•14 min
This week, Ryan sits down with acclaimed music industry entrepreneur Diego Farias. Diego is the co-founder and CEO of Amuse, a tech platform that offers label services (including distribution) for all artists without the predatory terms of a traditional label. Recently, Amuse recently introduced Fast Forward, a royalty platform that uses machine learning to allow artists to collect up to six months of future streaming royalties in advance. Ryan talks to Diego about Amuse and gets the details on ...
Apr 14, 2019•20 min
Hi Podcast Listeners! This week, Ryan sits down with Jay Della Valle of the acclaimed indie folk group Owls & Lions. After several years of crushing it on the wedding and corporate gig circuit, Owls & Lions is about to release its first EP of original music. We talk to Jay about his band, get some great advice from him about how to book more weddings and corporate gigs, and get his insight on how to make an effective transition into original music. Jay also talks about his involvement wi...
Apr 07, 2019•27 min
This week, Ryan chats with members of Canada-based band Across the Board. In addition to making powerful pop-rock jams, these award-winning musicians have mastered creating engaging videos that help them build strong connections with their fans. ATB's lead vocalist Jackie Auguste, with additional insight from bassist Andy Ramjattan, share lots of great video tips with Ryan. Whether its making traditional music videos, vlogging their daily life, or filming a carpool karaoke session, ATB is AWESOM...
Mar 31, 2019•23 min
This week, Ryan chats with indie electro-pop singer songwriter Clara Casey. Based in New York and trained in London, Clara is an exceptional artist who just released her first music video for her single "Physical." The video is a beautifully-shot portrait of New York City that complements her music quite well. Clara talks to Ryan about her process in making this video on a shoestring budget and imparts some important advice for artists who are looking to create great videos without breaking the ...
Mar 24, 2019•18 min
This week, we bring you the second half of our two-part in-studio interview with music industry consultant Clara Charron of the Pop of Colour Blog. If you haven't listened to the first part yet, check out Episode 171 first to find out more about our excellent guest who came all the way from Ottawa, Canada to share some excellent music conference hacks with us. Give a listen this week to get some more excellent, practical tips that you can use to get the most out of music conferences. Check out C...
Mar 17, 2019•30 min
This week, Ryan is joined IN STUDIO by music industry consultant and blogger Clara Charron of the Pop of Colour blog. For the next two episodes, Clara trades her normal surroundings of Ottawa, Canada for our studio in Miami. Clara talks to Ryan about her trip to Miami (including an exciting misadventure involving an Uber Pool) and she also shares an excellent list of music conference hacks. If you want to learn how to get the most of music conferences, meet a lot of people, and save some money a...
Mar 10, 2019•31 min
This week, Ryan sits down with New York-based pop, EDM, and soul artist Lachi. Lachi's musical journey has led to her collaborating with artists like Patti LaBelle, Questlove, and Snoop Dogg. And her personal story is as inspiring as her music is as exciting and enjoyable. Lachi talks to Ryan about how being legally blind from birth has influenced her art and given her a unique perspective on moving her music career forward. Find out more about Lachi's music by visiting www.lachimusic.com and by...
Mar 03, 2019•20 min
This week, Ryan sits down with award-winning singer-songwriter James Lee Baker. James talks to Ryan about the interesting way he created his two most recent recording projects. For his 2017 album "Home Again", he was able to recruit musicians from all over the world (and on a modest budget) by using the website Fiverr. And for his most recent project, James will be going into the Leesta Vall Recording Studios in March to record single-copy versions of his songs in vinyl, and each record will eve...
Feb 24, 2019•16 min
This week, Ryan sits down with Independent Country Music Hall of Famer Richard Lynch to talk about Richard's incredible career. They talk about changes in Nashville's music scene, why Richard embraces "traditional" country music, and Richard's charitable work with the Love Tattoo Foundation. Richard gives some terrific advice on the value of persistence in achieving success as an indie artist. Find out more about Richard's work by visiting www.richardlynchband.com and www.lovetattoofoundation.or...
Feb 17, 2019•15 min
This week, Ryan sits down with one of his favorite indie artists, singer/songwriter/author Charlotte Eriksson. Known professionally as "The Glass Child," Charlotte's latest project is her podcast "Behind the Glass." Charlotte's podcast gives her the opportunity to have interesting conversations with her favorite artists, while also giving Charlotte the opportunity to bear her soul to her fans and bring them in to her creative process. Ryan talks to Charlotte about her podcast and also has her di...
Feb 10, 2019•20 min
This week, Ryan answers a listener question about PledgeMusic's recent payment issues. For the past six months, news outlets have reported the crowdfunding platform's problems with paying artists on time. As PledgeMusic announces that it is ready to take significant measures to get its company back on track, serious questions remain. On today's show, Ryan talks about where PledgeMusic has gone wrong, what artists should do about it going forward, and what this story means for the independent mus...
Feb 03, 2019•21 min
This week, Ryan sits down with comedy musician Carla Ulbrich. Carla has made a successful career out of creating funny and insightful folk music. Her comedy songs have been featured on Dr. Demento, the BBC and NPR. Carla gives us some great advice on how to break into comedy music and what to expect from venturing into that world. If you are interested in getting into this genre, or at least figuring out how to inject more humor into your performances, then this interview is for you. Carla's mus...
Jan 27, 2019•19 min
This week, Ryan talks to indie musician/producer Zak Sloan. A former teacher and lawyer, Zak talks to Ryan about how he transitioned from his non-music work into being able to do music full time. His journey is intriguing, and you will enjoy hearing about how he has weaved his former life into his art today. Zak also gives some tips on being effective on Twitter (hint: be a normal person and actually TALK TO PEOPLE!) and how he balances his work as a singer/songwriter and his work as a producer....
Jan 20, 2019•23 min
This week, Ryan sits down with entertainment law expert (and one of his closest friends) Josh Morales. Josh is an attorney at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein in Raleigh, North Carolina where he advises a wide range of entertainment clients on intellectual property and contract matters. Josh gives us some great tips about the role that trademarks play in your career as an indie artist, and provides some unique insight in negotiating contracts and protecting your exclusivity with your music. In a...
Jan 13, 2019•34 min
Happy New Year, Podcast listeners! This week, Ryan gives some advice on making good New Years resolutions for 2019 for your music career. As part of that discussion, Ryan talks about Angela Mastrogiacomo's ReverbNation article "5 New Year’s Goals To Set For Yourself In 2019." Check it out here: https://bit.ly/2FhnVXQ. Ryan also talks about Apple's recent acquisition of label services company Platoon. Apple wants to increase its footprint in the music creation side of the business. What does this...
Jan 06, 2019•21 min
This week, Ryan sits down with friend of the Podcast Cheryl B. Engelhardt to talk about a huge area of expertise for her: e-mail marketing. In addition to being an accomplished singer-songwriter, Cheryl also creates a lot of terrific educational resources for musician entrepreneurs. One of those resources is her "Rock Your E-mail List" course, which you can find at www.inthekey.co/emailcourse. In our interview, Cheryl breaks down a bunch of great strategies for helping you get your e-mail market...
Dec 16, 2018•22 min
This week, Ryan sits down with one of his favorite guests, Australian "geek pop" singer-songwriter Meri Amber. Ryan catches up with Meri about some great things that have happened in her life recently, including her recent marriage and her first trip to America (she was particularly intrigued by the deodorant and breakfast cereals that we have in the States!). We also get some great advice from Meri on how to livestream effectively as an indie artist. Meri's platform of choice is Twitch, and she...
Dec 09, 2018•19 min
This week, Ryan sits down with Martin and Jude Folkman, the founders of the Independent Music Awards. Martin and Jude talk to Ryan about the history of the IMAs, how winners are selected, and how artists can submit their works to be nominated. Now in its 17th Year, the IMAs are an annual celebration of the best in independent music, with its next award ceremony being held in New York City in 2019. The deadline for award submissions is December 7th! Submit your music NOW at www.independentmusicaw...
Dec 02, 2018•17 min
This week, Ryan sits down with music business journalist Amy X. Wang of Rolling Stone to talk about Taylor Swift's new record deal with Universal Music. Ryan talks to Amy about her story in Rolling Stone about Taylor getting Universal to share Spotify proceeds with all of the Universal artists. What does Taylor's move mean for the music industry as a whole? Why did Taylor Swift choose Universal over another label (or going independent)? What will happen to Taylor's Big Machine master recordings?...
Nov 25, 2018•13 min
This week, Ryan talks about how changes in the music industry allow artists to achieve success at any age. In an indie artist music business, there is no such thing as being "too old" to find a place for yourself in the industry. To articulate this point, Ryan discusses some famous examples of musicians who found success later in life. Ryan also talks about his own client, Richard "Catmandu" Barnhill, who just released his incredible debut album "Holes" at the age of 69. You can watch the music ...
Nov 18, 2018•17 min
This week, neo-folk singer-songwriter Eli Lev stops by. Eli is an world-traveling musician whose wanderlust has made him a better artist and has allowed him to build fan relationships all over the globe. Eli shares terrific insight about how he combines traveling, Patreon, and crowdsourcing in interesting ways to build a thriving career in music. Eli's new album Way Out West is out November 16th and the album’s lead single One Road is available now. You can check him out at his website www.eli-l...
Nov 11, 2018•14 min
This week, Ryan sits down with musician, educator, and music entrepreneur Tommy Darker. Ryan talks to Tommy about the importance of failure as a tool to ultimately find success in one's music career. He also talks to Ryan about his upcoming online conference Whiisecon. Whiisecon is a free music conference that features 20 chart topping artists as speakers. The conference will be available online and will run from November 28th to December 2nd. Tickets are available now! Find out more about the c...
Nov 04, 2018•16 min
This week, Ryan breaks down the latest music distribution news regarding Spotify getting into the direct distribution business. Spotify has recently announced that it will allow direct upload onto its services (and other streaming services) through its platform. They appear to be trying to make music distribution companies, like CD Baby, obsolete. But CD Baby is responding with some new services of its own. Spotify and CD Baby are competing aggressively, and they are making quick and powerful mo...
Oct 28, 2018•17 min
