Tag: Music Business

March 13, 2014

Eggs, Bacon, and Composer Wisdom from Rick Sowash

"Outsider" composer Rick Sowash has 14 beautiful chamber music albums to his name, all self-published and fan-supported. After graduating from a prestigious music school that he hated so much he refuses to name, he vowed to stay independent of any academic or commercial organization. In this episode of Composer Quest, Rick shares his entire strategy for making it as an independent composer, which he's been perfecting for many years. We also get to hear how Rick converted orange juice, French toast, eggs, and bacon into music for a treble clef quartet.

February 27, 2014

The Art of Banjo Songwriting with Ellen Stanley

Ellen Stanley (aka Mother Banjo) brought her banjo over to the Composer Quest studio to share some songs and stories. We talk about everything from her Walden-inspired song to her unusual connection to Paul McCartney. In addition to her banjo-playing career, Ellen is the executive director of the Minnesota Music Coalition, and she worked as a music publicist for the folk label Red House Records. So she also shares some advice on networking, getting airplay, etc.

February 26, 2014

Tax Tips for Musicians

If some episodes of Composer Quest are like delicious deserts, then this one is like eating your vegetables. Just in time for tax season, we have a special episode on tax tips for musicians and other creative professionals. Attorney and CPA Brad Begley shared lots of tax advice at an event hosted by the Minnesota Music Coalition and Music Mafia Minnesota. It's especially helpful for freelancers and people with a growing creative business.

January 22, 2014

Composer Career Counseling with ACF’s Craig Carnahan

Craig Carnahan has been a part of the American Composers Forum since it was small enough to fit in a living room. In this episode of Composer Quest, he shares advice on writing grants, getting performances of your music, and arranging copyrighted material. Craig explains how ACF's Innova recording label works, and why it's such a great opportunity for composers. We also get to hear a few of Craig's original pieces.

January 15, 2014

Freelance Video Game Composing with Chris Kukla

In this episode of Composer Quest, Chris Kukla shares some practical advice about making a business out of video game composing. He talks about where to find gigs, how to get paid, and how to work well with your clients. We also talk about his "ugly guitar chord" game and his tribute to Hitchcock's film composer Bernard Herrman.

November 20, 2013

Philosophies of Music Composition with Richard Russell

Composer Richard Russell is a philosopher at heart. In his mission to become a better composer, he went back to school to study the big questions surrounding aesthetics, music, and beauty. He has dug into both existential and practical composing topics in his podcast Creativity and Composition (one of my favorites). I'm pleased to bring you this Composer Quest podcast interview with Richard, in which we discuss everything from feminist musicology to Plato to getting performance royalties from ASCAP.

November 18, 2013

Charlie’s 3-Step Plan for Artist Survival

I'm thrilled to bring you this incredibly comprehensive flow chart of my advice on making a living with your art.

November 6, 2013

Indie Film Composing with Brooke deRosa

DJ, opera singer, and film composer Brooke deRosa is making a name for herself around LA. She recently sang on Ghostface Killah's 12 Reasons to Die and appeared on Jimmy Fallon with the group. In this episode of Composer Quest, Brooke gives us some practical advice she's learned from scoring over 15 films and TV shows in the past five years. She also shares tips on composing for vocalists.

October 16, 2013

Dutch Dance Music with Ducked Ape

DJ/producer duo Sjoerd Huissoon and Tim van Doorne are on a quest to get one huge dance hit with their project Ducked Ape. In this episode of Composer Quest, I talk with Sjoerd and his manager Budi Voogt about what it takes to break into the dance scene in the Netherlands. We also discuss what Budi looks for in new artists to sign on his label, Heroic Recordings.

September 23, 2013

“I’ve Written a Song. Now What Do I Do?”

In this special episode of Composer Quest, multi-platinum songwriter Kevin Bowe tells us everything he's learned about getting your music published and placed on TV. He also explains how to get the biggest piece of the music royalty pie you can. He's a really entertaining and knowledgeable guy, so I'm happy to bring you these 75 minutes of great music business advice.