Erin M. Jacobson - Music Publishing Deals & How to Become An Entertainment Attorney

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Erin M. Jacobson is an internationally recognized attorney, experienced deal negotiator, and a seasoned advisor of intellectual property rights who protects musicians, songwriters, music publishers, and a wide variety of other music professionals. 

Ms. Jacobson’s clients include Grammy and Emmy Award winners, legacy artists and catalogues, heirs and estates, and independent artists and companies. Ms. Jacobson regularly handles all types of agreements within the music industry, with an emphasis on music publishing, licensing, and catalogue acquisitions. In addition, she is one of the leading attorneys on copyright recapture and termination issues. 

Ms. Jacobson also places special emphasis on her work with legacy clients and their catalogues, as her knowledge of both classic music and current industry practices places her in a unique position to protect and revitalize older catalogues. 

Ms. Jacobson has been named as one of the “Top Music Lawyers” by Billboard, as well as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California. In addition, Ms. Jacobson is a frequent author and speaker, and has been featured in publications including Billboard and Forbes, and on networks including ABC and the BBC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP). 

Ms. Jacobson is the author of the book, Don’t Get Screwed! How to Protect Yourself as an Independent Musician. She also founded and owns Indie Artist Resource, the independent musician’s resource for legal and business protection. Indie Artist Resource offers templates for agreements most needed by independent musicians, as well as a variety of educational materials to empower independent musicians to make informed decisions about their careers. 

More information on Ms. Jacobson and her law practice in Beverly Hills, CA can be found at www.themusicindustrylawyer.com. 

Indie Artist Resource can be found at www.indieartistresource.com.

Highlights from this Episode
**times based on audio version
[3:25] Why this new book? 
[5:20] Common Bad Advice in the Music Industry 
[8:30] Registering singles with US Copyright office 
[11:25] Mistakes independent musicians make 
[12:54] Registering music and collecting royalties 
[15:20] Decision to go into Entertainment Law 
[19:50] The process to become an Entertainment Attorney    
[25:15] How an Entertainment Attorney finds clients 
[28:52] Artist’s getting into bad deal 
[34:22] Explaining publishing deals or Pub Deals 
[36:40] Standard publishing deal structure 
[40:50] Artists getting ownership of a song they didn’t write 
[49:40] Value a publishing company adds for the artist 
[53:37] Songs that count towards your publishing deal 
[55:00] Getting a co-publishing deal 
[59:45] Benefit of being on a label 
[1:02:03] Rapid Fire - Getting to know Erin Jacobson 

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Copyright Masterclass with Davey Jay 
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) 
ASCAP 
BMI
SESAC 
GMR 
SoundExchange 
Harry Fox Agency 
Indie Artist Resource
[BOOKS]
Don’t Get Screwed! How to Protect Yourself as an Independent Musician by Erin Jacobson
All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman 

Get in touch with Erin M. Jacobson

Website: http://www.themusicindustrylawyer.com
Indie Artist Resource: http://indieartistresource.com
Book: https://dontgetscrewedbook.indieartistresource.com
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1736110918/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1736110918&linkCode=as2&tag=iarllc-20&linkId=0016527910220ea12800b25ff906f85
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJmusiclawyer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicindustrylawyer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themusicindustrylawyer/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicIndustryLawyer

Jonathan Stone - Co-Founder of Rocket Songs on Music Publishing for Independent Artists

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Jonathan Stone is the co-Founder of Rocket Songs where independent artists can legally license songs from some of the top songwriters in the world. Stone has been in the music publishing world since 1974 having worked with artists such as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Glen Ballard, Robbie Neville, Mark Mueller, Brock Walsh, and many more. In this conversation, we discuss how Rocket Songs works and how independent artists can license and release music with the platform, publishing deals, stories from his journey in the industry, and much more. 

To learn more about Jonathan Stone & Rocket Songs visit https://www.rocketsongs.com/. 

Mike Mauer - Building Your Music Marketing Arsenal And Learning How to Pivot And Build New Skills for the Music Industry During a Global Pandemic

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

Mike Mauer is the Head of Marketing for White Oak Music Hall in Houston, TX. With over a decade of music marketing experience and promoting some of the biggest festivals in the United States, Mike has a deep expertise and understanding of all things marketing and the music industry. In this conversation, we discuss many different marketing strategies and how people can build and develop new skills to prepare themselves for the future and next chapter of the music industry. 

To learn more about Mike Mauer visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmauer/. 

Benji Stein - Strategies to Getting On Spotify User Generated Playlists with CEO & Founder of PlaylistSupply

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

Benji Stein is the CEO and Founder of PlaylistSupply, a tech company focused on generating lists of every user generated playlist available on Spotify.  PlaylistSupply use a tool that independent musicians can use to find popular playlists for their genre along with contact information, social media contacts, and much more. In this conversation, we discuss how the platform for PlaylistSupply works, how to find playlists, strategies to reaching out to playlist curators, and much more. 

To learn more about PlaylistSupply visit https://playlistsupply.com/

Connect with PlaylistSupply:
https://www.instagram.com/playlistsupply/
https://twitter.com/PlaylistSupply

Wesley David - A DIY Musician Experimenting with Different Marketing Strategies & Pivoting During a Global Pandemic

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Wesley David is a Singer-Songwriter who in 2020 released his debut solo album “Never Late Than Better.” During the release campaign for his album he experimented with different marketing strategies to figure out and learn what works for his music. Before the COVID pandemic, Wesley was touring consistently and made a name in the Piano Bar world where he took that experience from a traditional piano bar out onto the road, which can serve as a tour strategy to build higher paid anchor dates around original shows for a DIY touring musician. In this conversation, we talk about the different marketing strategies Wesley used, his journey prior to the debut album,  figuring out the right social media platforms for you, and much more. 

To learn more about Wesley David visit https://wesleydavidmusic.com/. 
Connect with Wesley David:
https://www.instagram.com/wesleydavidmusic/
https://twitter.com/itswesleydavid
Wesley David YouTube

Allison Ross - A Classical Musician Gone Rogue Living a Creative Life with Liberty

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Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, most of us were forced to make sacrifices. Some were hit harder than others, but musicians and the music industry were hit especially hard. Some completely shut down with no end in sight, and others having to make major adjustments to continue to stay in business or to perform their art. One of the many mandates during these times is the call for social distancing to “help slow the spread.” Live performers depend on the chemistry of everyone on stage, and performing musicians need to hear each other on stage to create that cohesive sound that the audience loves. This is especially true for orchestras and symphonies, where musicians don’t typically perform with in-ear or floor monitors. Their art is created by everyone being packed tight together being able to hear each other, and feed off of each other’s energy. 

Allison Ross is a violin player and classical musician based in Kansas where she performs with several orchestras and symphonies. Since the COVID-19 pandemic musicians have faced many challenges, and Allison broke the silence when the restrictions from one of her orchestras made it so challenging to be an orchestra performer that she decided that it was better to not play at all. She is the author of the book “Allie Went Rogue: How Being an Outlier Helped Me Think Clearly and Live Fully.” Allison is also a music professor, gives private music lessons at home and virtually, and is an advocate for musicians and anyone that wants to live free to have multiple streams of income. In this conversation, we also dive into playing in orchestras, how local orchestra players might end up being the backing players for major touring artists, teaching music, side hustles, Liberty in music, how COVID has affected her and her area of the industry, and much more. 

To learn more about Allison Ross visit https://www.instagram.com/alliewentrogue/

Phil Messier - Synch Licensing and Music Libraries with the Founder of Bopper

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Phil Messier is the founder of the music synch licensing company, Bopper. The company is based in Montreal, Canada where Phil was born, raised. “Phil holds a bachelor's degree in music from the Université de Montréal, as well as an MBA from the EMBA McGill - HEC. He's a musician, entrepreneur, co-founder of Apollo Group. In 2015, Attraction Media bought the Apollo group, except for the Bopper platform, to which Phil devoted himself entirely from then on.” He has a deep background and understanding in the world of creating ads and working with different ad agencies. Phil is a fellow musician and multi-instrumentalist getting his start with the saxophone. In this conversation, we discuss Bopper and how artists can get involved. We also discuss how artists can get their music licensed for synch, music libraries, common themes for synch licensing and the types of music that’s most synch friendly, email etiquette, the structure of synch deals between artists and agencies, and much more. 

To learn more about Bopper visit https://boppermusic.com/

Highlights from this Episode 
[4:00] About Phil Messier & Bopper 
[6:37] Difference between Bopper & Music Bed 
[15:40] Notoriety of Artist Matters for Licensing Revenue 
[18:40] Types of clients and state of the licensing industry 
[22:45] Where synchs come from 
[29:20] Synch deals for artists 
[32:28] How artists get involved with Bopper 
[35:05] Email etiquette 
[39:58] Common themes in synch  
[45:48] Exclusivity with synch deals 
[51:00] Getting to know Phil Messier 
*Times are based on the video version. The audio version will be off by 1 or 2 minutes. 

Phil Messier’s Definition of Making It:
“I gravitate towards simpler things and simpler missions...I like solving problems, especially if it meets a purpose.” 

Get in touch with Phil Messier
https://boppermusic.com/ 
LinkedIn | Instagram |

Ivan Vargas - Lessons from A Lifetime of Discipline & Sacrifice Through Music, TV, Film, and Commercials

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Ivan Vargas is a Videographer and Animator whose journey has led him through the world of TV commercials, film, music, and sacrificing your dreams for family. He’s a man that always put his family first, and is even willing to put his dreams on hold. Ivan has had an amazing journey and tells some inspiring stories. His story is a total underdog story of someone that never gives up to make themselves a better human being by having an endless thirst for knowledge and self-development. From 208 to 2012 he worked with me at the Plaza Live in Orlando, FL as their Bar Manager, and has also helped me behind the scenes with many of my artists. This was such a fun conversation! 

To learn more about Ivan Vargas visit https://www.instagram.com/ivvp_2019/

Benny Pough - Achieving Mastery: A 29 Year Major Record Label Career at the Highest Level to Entrepreneurship and New Adventures

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Malcolm Gladwell famously wrote in his book “Outliers” that it takes 10,000 hours of focused hard work at something to reach a level of greatness. But what comes beyond 10,000 hours is a level of skill that only very few people reach in their lifetimes, and that’s a level of Mastery. In one of my very early episodes of the podcast (5 Steps to Building a Foundation of Mastery in the Entertainment Business), I was studying Mastery for a Masters Course at Full Sail University and identified 5 skills to reaching mastery. Those include studying the masters and collaborating with others, taking risks and trying new things, learning new skills, creating a unique product, and lifestyle and relationships. I could probably break that into 8-10 keys to mastery, but I lumped a few together back then. When it comes to working at the highest level of the major record label side of our industry, Benny Pough, is someone that encompasses all of those traits and has reached mastery many times over again. 

Benny Pough has had a 29-year career working for major labels. He got his start in 1990 working at the legendary Motown Records. His journey leads him to become the Promotions Manager for Arista Records in 1994. Then in 1996, he joined MCA records where he worked his way up to becoming the Senior Vice President of Promotions. After that, he had an 8-year adventure with the historic Def Jam Records as their Senior Vice President. In 2011, Benny became the Executive Vice President for Epic Records, the label that was once home for Michael Jackson. His final stop was as the President for Roc Nation. Benny had a career that most people who want to be in this industry can only dream of. But that came with a lot of hard work, endless hours, and lots of sacrifices. Throughout his career, he delivered radio hits for superstars such as Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Future, DJ Khaled, 21 Savage, and many more. 

After having mastered the record label world, in 2020, Benny went all-in on himself starring his entrepreneurial journey with his own record label, D’Verse Media, the app KANDIID where people can turn one piece of content into multiple pieces of content and monetize them, he’s a life long Real Estate proprietor and manager, and has been working on a book that shares his journey. The book called “On Impact” will be available early 2021, and shares his story, lessons, and philosophies of a 29-year career in the record industry. In this conversation, we discuss Benny’s journey, lessons and philosophies for artists looking to work with major labels, how world events in 2020 have impacted the music industry, Entrepreneurship, spirituality, and much more. This episode was a true gift! Thank you, Benny! 

To learn more about Benny Pough visit:
https://www.bennypough.com/
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Danielle Gray - Building a Strong Foundation with Internships, Freelancing, Starting a Music Business Club and Leadership

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

When you’re in college there is so much you can do to build your resume for the entertainment industry and really any industry you plan to go into. For the music industry, I always encourage students to work as many shows as possible, intern every semester as early as possible, and to find a local band/artist and find ways to help them. Vans Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, used to work as many shows as possible while he was in college. It didn’t matter if he was working for free or if he was paid. Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby, says until you’re overwhelmed with opportunity, you say yes to everything. It doesn’t matter if one gig is a volunteer opportunity, the next one pays $25, and another one pays $150 or more, and anything in between. It’s showing up for these opportunities that build experience, character, and your network. This industry is all about who you know and getting in reps. 

When I first met Danielle Gray, we were working an Imagine Dragons show for CID Entertainment at Amway Center in Orlando, FL. What really stood out to me about Danielle was her work ethic, ease of conversation and getting along with others, initiative, and someone that showed pride in their work. A few months later, I called her to work shows for me at AEG Presents, one of which was the final Vans Warped Tour show in Orlando, FL. Danielle Gray is a total hustler that’s still early in her career and already has a resume full of freelance opportunities working shows for venues, CID Entertainment, AEG Presents, and many others, as well as having worked for the Broadway show Hamilton, an internship at a Major Label, and having started a music business club at the University of Florida. She is still a student at the University of Florida, and already has a show leadership, work ethic, and has the right attitude for the music industry. In this conversation, we discuss Danielle’s journey, how to she landed her internships, freelance gigs, how to start a music business club at your school, and much more. Danielle is someone that sets a great model of what college students should be doing while they are still in college to prepare for their industry. She’s definitely a future star in our industry! 

To learn more about Danielle Gray visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellegray99/. 

Kamal Moo - Entertainment Attorney and Author of The Straightforward Guide to the Music Biz on Becoming an Entertainment Attorney, Record Deals and Protecting Your Art

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

For decades, people in the music industry said that the Donald Passman book, All You Need to Know About the Music Business, is the bible of the music business. It probably is, but that doesn’t make it the best book for everyone to start with. It’s a book that very legally dense, challenging to understand without a basic understanding of the business, and talks about scenarios that definitely 99% of artists will not encounter in the first few years of their careers. But they will write a song, maybe even co-write a song, record a song, and even release it too. You might be a producer or aspiring indie label owner, or you might negotiate your first management deal. Entertainment Attorney, Kamal Moo, introduced a new book in 2020 called “The Straightforward Guide to the Music Biz,” and this book is my favorite new guide to understanding basic legal terms, scenarios that a musician will encounter right from the start of their careers, and much more. 

Kamal Moo is an Entertainment Attorney based in Los Angeles, CA. Since 2010, Kamal has been working as an Entertainment Attorney, he also teaches law as an adjunct professor, has been on the road, managed artists, and is now giving back to the next generation of musicians with his new book. In this conversation, we talk about how he became an attorney in the music industry, the new book, record deals, working with Janet Jackson, and much more. 

To learn more about Kamal Moo visit https://www.kamalandrew.com/.  

An Adventure from being a DIY Talent Buyer & Promoter to Booking the Fillmore New Orleans as a Talent Buyer for Live Nation

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Alex Bowen is a senior Talent Buyer for Live Nation Entertainment in New Orleans, LA where he books the Fillmore NOLA. His journey began promoting shows independently and even owning a small venue. Eventually, Alex started booking the historic Varsity Theater in Baton Rouge, LA. Throughout his journey, he’s booked and promoted shows at many venues and has even managed artists such as Earphunk and the legendary George Porter Jr. In this conversation, we discuss what it takes to be a successful Talent Buyer, running a venue, managing artists, and much more. 

To learn more about Alex Bowen visit https://www.fillmorenola.com/. 

Eva Alexiou-Reo - Owner, Booking Agent, and Artist Manager at FATA Booking on the State of the Industry, Working with an Agent, and Teaching Music Business

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

On November 21, 2020, the touring side of the music industry is still completely shut down due to COVID-19. It has been shut down since March of 2020. 9-months with no revenue has forced venues to shut down and close it’s doors forever. Thousands of personnel in the industry are out of work with no end in sight. In some states, venues and artists are taking risks with outdoor shows, drive-in shows, and limited capacity shows. In 2019, the touring industry had a record year. It’s been steadily climbing for the past 20-years, and now 2020 is one of the worst years since the artists started touring. The industry is basically near zero revenue with no end in sight. There is speculation as to when we can go back to a touring schedule as in recent years, but this could be months or even until 2022 or beyond. 

Thankfully there are some organizations and people on the ground fighting to keep the industry alive. Eva Alexiou-Reo is a member of NITO the National Independent Talent Organization, for which she is the chairperson for the Touring and Live Streaming committee. NITO is an organization that was founded by a group of like-minded US-based independent talent agencies and independent management companies for the purpose of promoting the welfare of our members and their represented artists.  NITO advocates for the direct benefit of our members as well as for the indirect benefit of associate members represented in a broad coalition of entities in the live touring ecosystem. NITO is currently advocating for congress to pass the RESTART Act, Save Our Stages Act, and the HITS Act to save our music industry. As a member of NITO, Eva is one of the leaders in our industry trying to fight to keep businesses alive and for an income for the thousands of workers who are out of a job. 

Eva Alexiou-Reo is also the owner of FATA Booking since 1996, which is a booking agency and artist management company based in Philadelphia, PA. During a time where the industry is completely shut down, this is a great time for learning. There are many great music business programs, podcasts, YouTube channels, books, and much more out there to help prep people for this industry. Eva is one of those educators as a Music Business Professor at Northern Vermont University and also thought for 7 years at Drexel University. In this conversation, we talk about her journey in the music business, starting FATA Booking Agency, what she looks for in artists, teaching, and her work with NITO to help save our music industry. 

To learn more about Eva Alexiou-Reo, FATA Booking and NITO visit http://fatabooking.com/ and https://www.nitolive.org/ 

Danielle Reiss - Music Publicist and Music Business College Student Gets Fired from her PR Job for Going to a Donald Trump Rall

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Danielle Reiss is a music publicist and music business masters student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.  In September of 2020, she started a new job as a publicist at the Po Off Agency and was fired a few weeks later for attending a rally for President Donald Trump. She might sound like a controversial guest, but in this conversation, you will learn that Danielle is someone that seems very sweet, kind, soft-spoken, someone with morals, and someone who gives back to her community and less fortunate people. She’s a hard worker and took a massive risk uprooting her life and moving to Nashville in 2016 with no job or college lined up to pursue her dream in country music. 

She worked several internships to gain experience to then encounter such a heartless totalitarian company that violates all of its own company values, which we will talk about in this episode. I’m not a Trump or Biden supporter, but this whole cancel culture and extreme censorship have gone too far. To fire someone for their political views is absolutely ridiculous, and totalitarian behavior. My fear is that it’s socially acceptable amongst our citizens to censor or cancel someone for being a Trump supporter and that eventually bleeding into our government and the country going down a path towards communism.

America is losing its classic liberals who always fight for the individual against the Government and against companies. Where have they gone? We need their genuine heart, kindness, empathy, and fearless fight for social liberty and justice. True equality and unity give conservative Christian women a seat at the table too. We need to fight for ALL voices, ALL the time. I pray after this election, we put an end to the division amongst our fellow citizens and stop allowing politicians and the mainstream media on both sides to get in between our social and economic liberty. United we will always be stronger! 

Shane Hazel - Libertarian Candidate for US Senate for the State of Georgia talking Music, Marketing, and Liberty

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

When it comes to the 2020 Election, many are saying this is the most important election of our lives. I agree with that statement, but for completely different reasons. Most make it all about Donald Trump and getting him out of the white house, when really, what makes this election so important is our Liberty is at stake. Something nobody in mainstream media is talking about. Our daily lives, health, businesses, savings, investments, creative liberty, art, security, and future is at stake. Over the past 5 years I’ve been leaning towards the Liberty movement more and more each year. The Liberty movement, doesn’t necessarily mean Libertarian, even though most Libertarians will align with that. It means these are people from all walks of life, fighting for our social and economic freedom. 

Shane Hazel is one of those individuals out there fighting for our Liberty. He’s the Libertarian candidate running for the US Senate for the State of Georgia. In this conversation, we talk about music, marketing, and Liberty. We discuss his current campaign, and why he chose to run for Senate, different issues happening in our country and the Liberty solution to these issues, music, marketing, and much more. He has a podcast called Radical full of many amazing guests from all different walks of lives and political views to discuss Liberty, life, current events, and much more. 

To learn more about Shane Hazel visit  http://shanehazel.com/ and http://radicalpod.com/.

Highlights from this Episode
[5:50] First Memorable Concert 
[9:24] First Album 
[13:45] Becoming a Libertarian 
[16:45] Marketing strategy to reach voters 
[20:35] How a podcast has helped reach people 
[22:42] Using Restream for Podcasting 
[24:40] Content focused on Liberty 
[26:07] Inspiration to run for Senate 
[30:08] Credentials to run for Government 
[32:40] What can we do to get a multi-party system? 
[37:48] Top priorities running for Senate 
[40:18] The worse of the Duopoly and how Libertarians are different 
[45:20] Qualified Immunity 
[47:35] Average People Fighting against corrupt bills in Washington 
[55:20] Chances of Civil War and States Leaving the Union 
[01:01:33] Libertarian Stance on Human Rights
{01:03:35] Social Security and Elderly Feeling Safe

Quotes from Shane Hazel 
“Shut down the mainstream media. Stop listening to it...it’s not educating me it’s giving me talking points.” 
“People like authenticity.” 
“The more you Liberty, the more Liberty is coming right back at you. This is a crowd that feeds off of positivity.” 
“We gotta end the never-ending wars.” 
“It’s the hardest period in your life when you start divorcing yourself from all the friends that you had from one side of the duopoly.” 
“I believe the Democrats when they say that Trump is moving to the fascist route, and I believe the Republicans when they say the Democrats are moving the communist route...no thank you to both of them.” 
“One of the other differences with Liberty candidates. We’re gonna tell you don’t vote for the person if they don’t earn your vote, and that includes us.” 
“You as a single individual who may not have deep pockets, who doesn’t have a ton of time or anything can still make a difference.” 
“We don’t need a centralized anything at this point, and really to get away from it is one of the best things we can do to promote peace in our lifetime.” 
”You have a right to nature. As long as you’re not hurting somebody else.”
”We are the all your life, all your Liberty, all your property, all the damn time. You have a right to your rights, and nobody else has any power delegated to them to come and interfere with you at all.”

Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Audioslave 
Chris Cornell 
Rage Against the Machine 
Soundgarden 
Guns N’ Roses 
Radical Podcast
Episode with Haley Wood 
Restream 
Federalist Papers 
Anti-Federalist Papers 
U.S. Constitution 
Ryan Graham - LP President of Georgia
Ron Paul 
Ludwig Von Mises  
Murray Rothbard 
Tom Woods 
John Tayler Gotto 

Shane Hazel’s Definition of Making It:
”Being happy. If you’re happy, you got breath in your lungs, and you can sit there at the end of every day and say thanks for my life, my family, and my health.”

Get in touch with Shane Hazel 
http://shanehazel.com/
http://radicalpod.com/
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter 

Keep in touch:
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg

Credits: 
Host: Chris Goyzueta (Chris G.)
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency  
Music: Emily Kopp

Beth McKee - A Journey of Mastering the Classic Sounds of the South and Building Up a New Generation of Women in Music

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

Beth McKee is a true southern girl having been influenced by some of the Southeast’s best musicians and styles starting in Jackson, MS to Austin, TX to New Orleans, LA, and spending lots of time in the Appalachian Mountain in North Carolina. She’s a Singer-Songwriter, Touring Musician, and Founder of the Swamp Sistas an organization which is a grassroots movement of 2,500 women with a dual passion for music and community activism. 

In this episode, Beth shares her journey through the South and her musical influences.  We also talk about how she got discovered by Jimmy Buffett and signed to his record label Margaritaville Records with her band Evangaline. You’ll learn about record deals, touring strategies, songwriting, building a grassroots nonprofit organization to support other musicians, and much more. 

To learn more about Beth McKee and the Swamp Sistas visit http://bethmckee.com/ and https://swampsistas.com/. 

Lady J. Bookums - Empowering DIY Musicians with Skills in Digital Marketing, Live Performance, Artist Development, and Generating Revenue

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

Lady J. Bookums is a Digital Marketing and Music Business expert, who coaches artists and helps them develop skills in digital marketing, live performance, release strategies, building revenue streams, and much more. In this conversation, we dive into some digital marketing strategies as well as Lady J.’s story,  tips on releasing music, promoting music, branding and much more. 

To learn more about Lady J. Bookums visit https://www.instagram.com/ladyjbookums/.

Justin P. Slaughter & MC King Khan on Producing Music, Home Studios, and Building an Acting Career

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One of the beauties of the Digital World is that creators and artists can completely take charge of their careers to produce music or any type of content. It’s easier than ever for musicians to create demos and completed songs in their home studios. Learning how to record yourself has so many different advantages too when working with producers. It gives you the ability to create a demo of what you envision your sound to be. Also, it opens up the ability for a great side hustle to record other artists. Justin P. Slaughter and MC King Khan are two DIY musicians, who have been building success through always learning, consistency, and always working on their craft.

Justin P. Slaughter has been on the podcast before on Episode 42, and returns to the show to share his journey in the world of acting. Since our last conversation, he’s been featured in Marvel films, worked on a movie with Kyle Chandler, and as well as wrestling legend the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. From the first episode, I always appreciated Justin’s positive attitude and work ethic. After almost having lost his life in a tragic motorcycle accident, he made a decision to never make excuses and to not waste time by always pushing himself to be the best fitness coach for his clients, leading by example, and thriving for excellence in his creative endeavors from music to acting.

MC King Khan is a rapper, producer, and audio engineer who came to Texas all the way from Russia. Khan is a DIY artist who prides himself to always be learning and mastering his art. He’s a student of the business and the art of producing music. Besides building his own music career, his big vision is to start his own record label. With the skills he’s acquired through his work ethic, he has already established a lot of value for himself to when he signs his first artist. Khan has built his own home studio where he’s constantly working on music but has also gained skill as a graphic designer and designing his own merch. One of the things I admire most about him is not only that he’s always working on mastering his craft, but that his family is always the top priority. Justin and MC King Khan met in Texas, and together recently released Justin P. Slaughter’s  song “Ride with Me.” 

In this episode, we discuss producing music, gear, finding and purchasing beats from producers online, how to get started as an actor, and all the different casting agencies that cast for extras, we get into some music promo, and so much more. 

To learn more about Justin P. Slaughter visit https://www.instagram.com/justinpslaughter/, and for MC King Khan visit https://www.instagram.com/kingkhanent/.  

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https://kingkhanent.com/

Bujie Leichtweis - Production Assistant for Alice Cooper & Production Manager for Meridian Entertainment Group on Producing Shows for Promoters & On Tour

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

For every show, there are two sides to putting on a production, the touring and artist side, and then the promoter and venue side. Each side has its own unique ways of operating. The important thing to note is that no show, tour, venue, or promoter operates the same. There are many different methods, styles, and personalities in the music industry. That’s what makes this industry so unique and exciting. Some days you meet amazing people and it’s the best day ever, and other days you deal with challenging people. I like to look at the tough days as the days where you learn and grow. However, it’s all about having the right mindset and attitude. When you work with people who work hard, take pride in what they do, but they’re also great to work with and just have the right mindset and attitude, those to me were always the best days. 

One of those days I really looked forward to was working a show with Alice Cooper last year in 2019. As many listeners know, the artist manager I talk about the most and admire the most is Shep Gordon, who managed Alice Cooper since the beginning. It’s his philosophy of being in service to others, and always looking for win-win scenarios that I respect so much. I was so excited to work that show, and met their Production Assistant, Bujie Leichtweis, who has the attitude, work ethic, and works in service to everyone around her from the tour, the promoter, and the venue. Just what I had expected for someone that works with Shep. 

Bujie Leichtweis is the Production Assistant for Alice Cooper and Production Manager for Meridian Entertainment Group in Michigan. Having been on tour and working festivals and for venues on the promoter side, Bujie has deep experience on both sides of a production. She understands what the venue and promoter are looking for, and what the tour and artist’s team are looking for in a successful production. One of her strongest qualities is to lead with service to others, by going above and beyond to make every day wonderful for all involved, and produce shows with kindness. She’s been on tour with Alice Cooper since 2012 and started with Meridian’s Common Ground Music Festival in 2003. 

In this conversation, we talk about life on the road, working both sides of a production, how she worked her way up in Meridian Entertainment Group, how to produce successful shows, attitude, mindset, how to deal with difficult people, and much more. 

To learn more about Bujie Leichtweis visit https://www.facebook.com/bujierocks/. 

Detailed show notes coming…

Clinton Sparks - DJ, Producer, Songwriter, Serial Entrepreneur, and Author on How to Win Big in the Music Business

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |

After over 100 interviews for the podcast, I’ve learned one of the most important qualities to “making it” is about having the right mindset. Clinton Sparks is a world renowned DJ, Producer, Songwriter, Serial Entrepreneur and now Author. He’s a Grammy nominated artist who has worked with artists such as Akon, Bun-B, Ludacris, Tyrese, Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Jordan Knight, and many more. Today, he’s also an author of the  book “How to Win Big in the Music Business.”

In this conversation we talk about the new book, the importance of having the right mindset, setting goals and having a plan, building real genuine relationships in the music business, balancing family life and being a dad with the crazy music business and all the ventures he’s involved with, and much more. 

To learn more about Clinton Sparks visit https://clintonsparks.com/ and www.winbiginmusic.com/.

Get In Touch with Clinton Sparks:
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https://www.winbiginmusic.com/
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