Artist Coaching Podcast

Sonan made music in his bedroom for ten years without releasing anything. Then he posted one piano clip to 50 TikTok followers, went to bed, and woke up to a million views and every major label in his inbox.This episode is about what came after. Why he signed with a niche label instead of a major, why he finished three tracks before releasing a follow-up, and why he put a two-month trial period on his management deal.Honest conversation about building a career that lasts longer than one song.(00:00) Intro(01:00) Who is Sonan(04:49) The TikTok that changed everything(06:26) A music industry crash course in one week(07:53) Choosing a niche label over a major(10:06) Ten years of making music before releasing(12:34) Using a hit as a runway, not an identity(14:49) The part nobody admits: having nothing ready(17:06) Building a music buffer(18:09) Finding your sound without getting boxed in(20:12) Building a team and finding a publisher(25:01) Why you need a trial period with your manager(27:54) Vision, ambition and being a little delusional(31:17) Sonan and Friends and building community(35:23) Celebrating wins instead of chasing the next one(41:33) Work smart or work hard

Most artists post content and get views, but almost none of it turns into real fans. That is not a content problem, it is a structure problem.In this solo episode, I walk through the Fan Funnel, the model I use in coaching with DJs and producers to explain how a stranger becomes a superfan. Four layers: visibility, relatability, connection, and community. Most artists never leave the first one.There are slides in this one, so watch the video version if you can.Free document and Discord details are in the YouTube description.(00:00) Intro(02:26) What the Fan Funnel is(06:51) Visibility(10:56) Relatability(14:08) Connection(16:43) Community(17:58) Rewarding your community(20:15) Why growth is slow(22:03) Using the funnel in your content(24:52) Closing

Mike Boyd runs the music department at VaynerX, the agency he helped start with Gary Vaynerchuk when it had eight people. He decides which artists get brand money, and he once signed a country artist with 300 monthly listeners on Spotify. In this episode, he explains what he actually looks for, why content often matters more than streams, and why most independent artists rule themselves out too early. We also cover local brand partnerships, free gear, why niche artists are becoming more valuable than famous ones, and what separates an artist from an artist brand.Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:04) Who Mike Boyd is and what VaynerX does(03:10) Sitting on the side that decides(04:35) The artist with 300 monthly listeners(05:57) What brands look for beyond streams(07:41) Budgets from 5,000 to 5 million(08:02) Content versus music(09:55) Why post about things unrelated to your music(12:01) Being liked before being heard(14:06) The biggest misconception about brand deals(16:53) Small brands and local partnerships(18:25) Free gear and knowing your value(21:54) Why niche beats famous(24:32) Why dance music is missing this(26:22) NFTs, utility, and what survived(29:44) What separates an artist from an artist brand(34:00) A question for the next guest(37:04) Posting for free is not a mistake(38:30) Choosing the right platform

Being online is probably good for your DJ career. It also takes something, and nobody talks about that part.We are back from the summer break with Ralph from Bassjackers and Jay Hardway. Jay banned himself from doomscrolling four days before recording. Ralph came off a Tomorrowland run and explains why the smaller stage beat the main stage.Underneath both stories is the same question. How much attention does an online career cost you, and what are you willing to trade for it? Plus an announcement about where this podcast goes next.Timestamps(00:00) Back from the break(00:50) The doomscrolling ban(02:00) This would have looked dystopian(05:20) Ralph on Tomorrowland(08:30) Main stage versus the Great Library(11:40) Calling the streamers from the headset(15:20) Online criticism from people who were never there(23:15) Why vlogs are coming back(25:30) Focusing on how you come across(27:30) The restaurant analogy(29:20) The cost of being chronically online(31:10) An announcement about the podcast(33:20) Discord and closing

Alex Vasi has mixed and mastered more than 30 number-one records in the Netherlands. Last year he started his own artist project, and within twelve months he was playing AFAS Live and the Ziggo Dome. From the outside it looks like it happened overnight. It did not.We talk about what a fast breakthrough is actually built on, why knowing more music theory can make it harder to finish a track, and why he thinks the best producers are simply the best decision-makers.If you are comparing your timeline to someone else's, start here.(00:00) Intro(00:56) Who Alex is and how he started(03:34) Thirty number one records(05:01) Going back to the decks(06:13) What classical training gave him(09:10) How important is music theory(10:08) Why knowing more makes music harder(12:09) Getting back to the kid brain(13:29) What a mixing engineer actually does(15:55) Artist or the person behind the artist(17:17) Being valuable in the room(19:59) Having a say in the creative process(22:17) Should you pay for mixing and mastering(24:17) Is AI mastering any good yet(26:31) The best decision makers win(26:44) Starting at the end of the mix(28:27) Cleaning your project first(30:24) How the project moved so fast(31:22) It's one Google away(33:38) The bootleg strategy(34:37) The ten minute clip(35:53) Stadiums and viral moments(37:15) Getting taken seriously as a producer(38:46) The best sounding song nobody hears(39:25) What artists need from lawyers(43:12) This is how we always did it(44:48) Question for the next guest