Making Money in the Music Business

Singer/songwriter & recording artist Carmen Rodgers is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #165. Carmen shares her dynamic journey as an artist including being considered for multiple major labels at the start of her music career to making the decision to be an independent artist in order to stand strong in her gift and craft. She began singing at the age of two (before talking) and has never stopped. Her debut album Free is highly acclaimed and from there she has released 3 subsequent projects including her newest EP release "Hello, Human Vol. 1." Carmen shares how she has positioned herself in the music industry to have rich relationships as well as how she manages her music business for success. Listeners will be inspired by Carmen's enthusiasm through the ups and downs as well as her tenacity to have the world hear her music for years to come. Twitter, IG: @carmenrodgers Facebook: www.facebook.com/carmenrodgers Website: www.iamcarmenrodgers.com Music: Available on all digital platforms including BandCamp

Co-hosts Dr. William Smith & Kenya M. Johnson discuss the topic "Is Clubhouse the New Powerhouse for Networking?" in episode #164.  The newest social media platform "Clubhouse" is discussed including: What is Clubhouse? What are the pro's and cons?  Why should artists consider joining?  Similarly, co-hosts explore and provide advice to listeners about how to improve their communication skills in order to meet the needs of today's evolving networking in virtual environments. Music Tip:  https://buffer.com/ http://makingmoneyinthemusicbiz.com/

Singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and music producer Angela Johnson is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #163. Angela shares her dynamic journey as an artist beginning with being surrounded by a family full of musicians. While her primary instrument was violin for most of her adolescence and early adulthood, once going to college and being exposed to other aspects of music her musical interest shifted towards music production. Angela shares her experiences of being the lead singer for the international neosoul group Cooly's Hot Box, becoming a solo artist, getting music licensing deals and balancing marriage and motherhood. Listeners will be inspired by Angela's extremely diverse talents and learn how to maximize streams of income in today's current music industry. Twitter: @angelajohnson_1 IG: @angelajohnsonmusic Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelajohnson.music Website: www.angelajohnson.com Music: Available on all digital platforms Music Tip mentioned in the show: https://chordify.net/

Vocalist & recording artist Cecily is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #162.  Cecily shares her dynamic journey as an artist beginning with being raised in a family who loved and continually exposed her to music.  From adolescence, having been heavily involved in music programs and choirs, to young adulthood participating in open mics and jam sessions, Cecily provides an eclectic view of what has made her into a consummate vocalist and musician.  She also shares how the pandemic has allowed her to explore other creative and healing gifts including facilitating guided meditations via social media and other digital outlets that are establishing an additional stream of revenue.  Listeners will be inspired by Cecily's ease of stepping into her many talents while remaining committed professionally despite the current ups and downs within the music industry. Twitter, IG: @cecilyalexa Facebook: www.facebook.com/cecily.alexa Website: www.cecilymusic.com Music: Available on all digital platforms Here's the link for the music tip article: https://blog.landr.com/best-free-orchestral-vsts/

Sound engineer & music producer Nate Slackz is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #161. Nate shares his dynamic journey as a young producer and owner of a recording studio. From his early childhood of loving various genres of music and teaching himself various instruments, to leaving high school early, to being a current Bowie State University student, to building an independent recording studio, Nate provides a truly insightful conversation about the importance of resilience and having the audacity to dig deep and be the best you can be in order to go after your music dreams. Listeners will be inspired by Nate's commitment and passion for music while also learning strategies to independently market and build a following in today's music industry. Twitter, IG & FB: @nateslackz Website: www.nateslackz.com Music: Available on all digital platforms

Singer/songwriter Ashley Scott is our next featured "Artist on the Rise" in this week's podcast episode #160. Ashley is a Philly-based artist who has a rich family background in music including his aunt, Helen Scott, who is a part of the legendary female soul group The Three Degrees. Having grown up in a household of classic soul, Ashley discussed his journey in music including being a music major and graduate of Howard University, keeping his classic sound, doing venue management and assisting celebrity R&B recording artist Will Downing. Each experience has allowed him to hone his music business acumen and embrace his classic sound. Furthermore, his journey has allowed him to start his own music label and independently release international music that has hit independent soul music charts. Listeners, especially those who are developing artists, will be inspired by Ashley's commitment to remaining true to the craft of soul music while gaining insight on how to build music business skills in today's industry. IG/Twitter: @ashleyscott3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleyscottmusic Website: www.ashleyscottmusic.com Music: Available on all digital platforms

Tracye Eileen, a jazz and soul singer, does a "follow up" interview in this week's podcast episode #159. Tracye returns after two years almost to the exact date (original episode #70 January 2019) to share all of her wonderful updates including releasing a new EP. The new project includes singles that have charted on multiple smooth jazz radio charts and have radio airplay internationally all during the COVID pandemic. Tracye shares specific strategies she used to not only meet her music goals, but also thrive as an independent artist. Listeners will gain extremely valuable information about the benefits of artist coaching, personal development and investing resources to level up a music career during hardships, especially within today's challenging music industry environment. To learn more about Tracye Eileen, follow her at: Instagram: @Tracye_eileen Twitter: @TracyeEileen Facebook: Tracye Eileen Website: Tracyeeileen.net Music: Available on all major digital platforms

Singer/songwriter and creative entrepreneur Drea D'Nur is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #158. Drea shares her dynamic journey as an incredible artist who has deep roots in the spirit of music and creativity. From singing and playing piano since childhood to now performing internationally, producing music videos, running a holistic food pantry and raising a family of 5 children, Drea has clearly had a plethora of rich experiences that inform her artistry and business acumen. We have an extremely thoughtful and engaging conversation about our purposes as artists and how soul influences creativity. Listeners will be inspired by Drea's journey and passion for music while also learning diverse methods to create streams of revenue as an independent artist. Twitter, IG & FB: @drea_dnur Website: www.officialdreadnur.com Music: Available on all digital platforms

Musician/producer Todd Moultrie of Jazzgroupiez is our special guest in this week's podcast episode #157. Todd shares his dynamic journey as a music enthusiast and producer including how he started in the business making beats for a variety of hip hop artists most notably Master P. After years of producing hip hop beat productions and feeling burned out due to not generating enough income, he decided to take a break from music. The break allowed him to fall back in love with music, particularly jazz. This new-gained love of jazz encouraged him to begin to fuse hip hop with jazz and he returned to the music scene by doing his own music productions featuring various independent artists & musicians. His music is now internationally heard with a significant following in South Africa. Listeners will be inspired by Todd's commitment to music and approaching it from passion instead of being discouraged by the challenges of the music industry. Twitter, IG & FB: @jazzgroupiez Website: www.jazzgroupiez.com Music: Available on all digital platforms

In the new season opening podcast episode 156, co-hosts Dr. William Smith and Kenya M. Johnson discuss the impact of current trends and topics in the music industry as we continue to endure the pandemic and its effects. Such topics as mainstream celebrity artists selling their catalogs and the side effects of COVID on singers and musicians are explored. Listeners will gain perspective on how artists continue to push through this challenging time in the music industry. Also, the podcast has a NEW Spotify Playlist "3MB Podcast Artist Spotlight" which includes music from over 50 interviewed guests. Be sure to subscribe, download and listen to this extremely entertaining playlist in support of some of music's finest artists: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xN80KLkqtfmww9ajjQJym?si=-GRaIzWERaqk0U28ficQTw Grammy session for singers: https://grammy.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vfuytrTojHNBZSR6v5XbLSUbLjZVIt0JB