More Art Than Science

Carissa Broadbest on why it might be easier for authors as opposed to musicians to make money in the digital age….the world of "badass ladies" in fantasy….the difference between a badass heroine in the aughts and a badass heroine in the 2010s…Sci-Fi vs. Space Fantasy…how to go “exclusive” on Amazon and still sell physical books through other sellers and platforms…how authors/creators are paid by Amazon….…whether Tiktok is harder to use as a promotional tool than Instagram….whether YouTube for books (or BookTube) has an indie scene…why good old fashioned newsletters still serve a purpose…how authors “beta” their work before they go to GA...how technology has enabled indie authors to exist: “We would not be here if the digital world had not become what it is today"

“The ultimate element of playing….is musical integrity and not so much the lack of mistakes”

Badi Assad describes her journey from 2 octave electric organist to world renowned singer, songwriter, guitarist and performance artist.

Composer and musician Kaki King is considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, known both for her technical mastery and for her constant quest to push the boundaries of the instrument. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Kaki has released 9 albums and toured extensively, presenting in such prestigious arts centers as the Kennedy Center, MoMA, LACMA, The Met and Smithsonian Design Museum. She has created music for numerous film and TV soundtracks, including “August Rush” and “Into the Wild”, for which received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. She has performed with symphonies and chamber ensembles, and recorded an album in collaboration with the Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra commissioned by the Berklee College of Music.

Gohar Vardanyan discusses the challenges that face every performing guitarist, her approach to teaching, what it is like to finish an album at the beginning of a global pandemic, and how a running dog of capitalism could just ruin your next performance.

Patricia Price from 8va Music Consultancy on how to make ends meet as a classical musician, the effects of the pandemic on classical musician's careers, the evolution of recorded music from 2005 to 2020, what % of income comes from live performance, how the top performers are surviving the pandemic, the Imperial Death March on the streets of NYC, and how to make classical music more accessible to a wider audience.

Classical Guitar Virtuoso Eliot Fisk on his upbringing, the power of music to transform, the differences in music economics between the US and Europe, and why the great masters and composers are more important to us than our own great-grandparents.

Aaron Larget-Caplan works hard. Nothing was handed to him and he expects nothing to be handed to him. He works 80 hour weeks to make ends meet. He performs, transcribes, presents, and promotes. All that work takes a toll. Aaron is committed none-the-less, and takes time to give back.

Podcast interview of Mark and Beverly Davis, a guitar duo.

Guitarist and arranger Scott Borg describes how he got to where he is and how he makes ends meet.