The first band Kevin Breuner joined after college, Smalltown Poets, received a Grammy nomination for their first album. That band has been through a number of changes throughout the years, but they’re still active 20 years later. Kevin has also stayed active in the music scene, playing in a couple of bands in addition to Smalltown Poets. One of those bands, Hello Morning, recently got included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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When Kevin joined CD Baby, digital distribution was in a nascent stage and CD Baby was an early adopter. That gave him a front-row seat to see how that innovation would go on to transform the music industry. Kevin is currently CD Baby’s Director of Marketing, and he co-hosts their DIY Musician Podcast and helps to organize their annual DIY Musician Conference, which is happening in Nashville this year.
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As an accomplished musician and as someone who engages musicians on a daily basis through his work at CD Baby, Kevin is ideally positioned to give advice about how to stand out in today’s music landscape. Some of the things we discuss in the episode include
- When it makes sense to sign with a label, if ever
- How to get your music on film and TV soundtracks
- Getting traction for your music with a live listening party
- How to get access to the same fan engagement tools that Oasis uses
- What artists like Ingrid Michaelson did to build a successful career while staying independent
- How filmmakers on a budget can work with CD Baby to get memorable music for their films
- What stats to pay attention to on Spotify
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Listen to the Episode
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Sponsor for this Episode
Fable House and I are partnering together to produce distinguished music videos for bands with big visions who want to share their music with the world in memorable, imaginative, and soulful ways.
Based in Louisiana, Fable House is a production company that has produced millions of dollars worth of content. They have shot features for the SyFy channel, produced a number of polished music videos, and shot a short film that screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
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Ready to bring your music dreams to life? Let’s discuss: podcast@nsavides.com
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Related Things
- Kevin’s show, DIY Musician Podcast
- Kevin’s Grammy-nominated band, Smalltown Poets
- DIY Musician Conference in Nashville. This year it is from Aug. 25-27, and YouTube will be recording bands on Aug. 24 as part of the pre-conference festivities. I will be attending, so say hello if you’re in town.
- CD Baby’s site
- show.co, the site that offers the fan engagement tools that Kevin mentioned
- The music video that Kevin mentioned from Chris Robley, co-host of the DIY Musician Podcast.
- Kevin on
- My interview with David Patterson , one of the producers of the Don’t Stop Believin’ doc. on Journey
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Bands & Recording Artists Mentioned
- Bon Iver
- Chris Robley
- Gotye
- Ingrid Michaelson
- Journey
- Macklemore
- The National
- OK Go
- Smalltown Poets
- Twenty One Pilots
- Walk Off the Earth
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If You Liked the Show
- Say hello on Twitter: @nsavidesPRO
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