Your best strategy will always be your clarity of desire. 

When you know exactly what you want and why you want it. 

I believe that kind of clarity will do more for you than any technique in the world. 

Now…the question is: how do you, as a musician, achieve that kind of clarity in your music career?

To help you explore that, I’m very excited to welcome Dave Stapleton.

Dave is a British composer, pianist, producer, and the founder of Edition Records. Since launching the label in 2008, he’s grown it into one of Europe’s most respected independent record labels, home to a lineup of internationally acclaimed artists redefining contemporary jazz.

Dave’s musical journey—from his early quintet recordings to the work with Slowly Rolling Camera—reflects the evolution of Edition itself: a label that started small and now provides a global platform for boundary-pushing artists. 

In this episode, Dave opens up about why having a clear artistic vision is essential for DIY musicians and independent artists.

We dive into how to define your career direction, the questions that help you decide your next move, and practical, proven strategies for building meaningful, lasting connections in the music industry. 

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your path as an artist, this conversation will give you the clarity, guidance, and confidence to take your next steps with purpose.

Make sure to listen to Dave's insights all the way through! 🎧

Table of contents:

2:48 Creating Edition Records

13:28 Your first step to clarifying your career direction

19:26 Getting honest and clear about why you make music

30:37 2 key questions to sharpen your focus moving forward

38:10 Networking that actually gets responses from industry pros

46:03 Building meaningful artist-fan connections in today’s music industry

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Let's talk about today's episode:
 
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