the empowered artist
TRANSCRIPT
The Empowered Artist
Dave Kusek - New Artist Model
Patrick Clifford - Disney Music Publishing
Stewart Halcomb & Holly Helms - The
Springs
Gerald Moss - Entertainment One Distribution
Steel Blossoms• Country / Folk band from
Nashville, TN
• Released their first EP last year
• The Steel Blossoms perform almost every single night in Nashville.
• Doing their first house concert tour.
Steel Blossoms• “We collect donations at our gigs. We’ve found our
fans will support us if we give them the opportunity.”
• “We try to get as many people as possible to sign up for our email list. Being able to contact fans later about a show or a new song is extremely important.”
• “We’re currently trading all the songs on our EP for email addresses instead of selling it. We’re a fairly new band and at this point, those emails are more valuable than a few sales.”
Amy Golby• Folk singer from Texas
• She has released one album: “Left Unsaid”
• Playing at a local festival this summer
• Playing on local TV
• Got local radio interviews
• Received offers from record labels, booking agents, and producers
Amy Golby• “I work to get my music out there anywhere and
everywhere! I submit my music everywhere online to radios, artist development companies, streaming websites, etc.”
• “I stay on top of social media. This is how I invite people to my shows, tell them what I’m doing, keep everyone informed, and grow my fanbase.”
• “I do most of my own booking, and I have a giant list of every venue I know of in my city. I email and call until I get to the booking department. I’ve done two shows every weekend for the past month and I still have a full time job.”
Jean Catchings• Jean was stuck in a ghost writing
situation where he wasn’t getting credit for his music
• He decided to take charge of his situation and pushed himself to break away from ghost writing
• About a month ago he was offered a record contract
Jean Catchings
• “I’m making sure that I’m always networking by doing collaborations and cowrites.”
• “In addition to all the work my label does, I’m still doing a lot of work on my own. In this industry, you can’t wait around for people. You need to make things happen.”
• “I try to make sure my fans know me as a person. That way, I develop a much deeper connection than the typical artist-fan relationship.”
Lisa Leitl
• Pop/Folk/Country songwriter from Florida
• After 20 years as a successful vocalist, Lisa is pursuing a new focus of songwriting.
Lisa Leitl
• “I’m constantly networking, networking and networking to build true relationships.”
• “I take every opportunity to write with other artists or songwriters. I believe this is the best way to stretch myself as a writer and also build new relationships and connections.”
Barry McGuire• Member of the
contemporary Christian Rock group, 288
• Just self-released their 2nd album, “He’s Enough.”
• Performing in Nashville for the first time this month.
Barry McGuire
• “In January, I quit my IT job to pursue music full time. If you want this to be your job, you have to treat it like one.”
• “Networking is big for me. I try to surround myself with people who are better than me and people who are good at things that I’m not.”
Colin Huntley• Pop singer songwriter from
Austin, TX
• Performed on ABC’s Rising Star.
• Performed over 150 gigs at age 16.
• Developed a following of 1400 on YouTube and his original music video, “Best I Never Had” has been viewed over 300,000 times.
Colin Huntley• “Facebook and YouTube is big for me. I post cover videos
directly to Facebook and boost the post. Even just a little bit has made a huge difference in Facebook numbers as well as helping drive traffic to my YouTube channel.”
• “I work to keep up continual engagement and conversation with my fans. I try to understand what they want from me rather than the other way around. It’s supposed to be fun!”
• “Being consistent in timing and quality of what you put out is important. If people expect you’ll be there, they will be too.”
Matt Baker• Jazz musician originally from Australia,
now living in NYC
• Matt has toured all over the world - Canada, the Middle East, and Australia
• On tour with singer Judy Collins
• Has a headlining spot at the Birdland jazz club in NYC
• Grown his Twitter following from 22 to 19,000 in the past year
Matt Baker
• “I’ve been playing online concerts in the last year to reach people all over the world.”
• “I funded my last album project via crowdfunding.”
• “I’m working with people I met through the New Artist Model on my next project.
