When Songs Mean Business

Steph Belcher
  • 5.0 (30)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

When Songs Mean Business explores the intersection of real life, music creation, and business. Award-winning educator and business manager Steph Belcher interviews songwriters, producers, musicians, and industry reps to discuss their favorite songs, moments in their lives that inspired their love of music, and business lessons they've learned along the way. She also shares advice from her own experience as a music lover, tax preparer, mother of 3, and a spiritual being on this journey of life. https://www.facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness https://www.stephbelcher.com

  1. 12/21/2022

    Understanding Money in Music - The Four Industries in Music

    Today's episode is an edit from the first class in my new course, Understanding Money in Music. In this episode, you'll hear my story, the data that got me interested in studying the business of music, and you'll hear me dissecting a bunch of problems that I encounter when I'm working closely with musicians on their businesses and taxes. In this episode I begin to explain the four different industries in the music business and why a musician's tax return is more complicated than a lot of other businesses. You'll hear from a few of my students, and stay tuned at the end for a guided meditation on leadership. Check out the new daily planner here: stephbelcher.com/dailyplanner Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Sign up for emails: stephbelcher.com

    56 min

  2. 12/10/2022

    Copyrighting your Album: A Live Consulting Session with Clare Maloney

    On today's episode of When Songs Mean Business, Steph and her guest Clare Maloney sit down to copyright Clare's new album, Daybreaker. What happened during this episode was challenging, confusing, and by the end of it, very empowering. Like Clare says here, there's something really special about stamping your name on a piece of intellectual property. Listen to Daybreaker: https://lnk.to/ClareMaloney Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness/ Sign up for the email list: stephbelcher.com

    51 min

  3. 11/30/2022

    The Art of Recording and Engineering with Andy Reed

    Welcome to Season 2 of When Songs Mean Business!  On today's episode I am chatting with Andy Reed, a recording engineer, producer, singer, songwriter, and musician from Bay City, MI. He owns and operates his own recording studio called Reed Recording Company. Throughout his 24 year career, Andy has worked with hundreds of artists as a touring musician and in the recording studio, including a couple of my favorites, Brendan Benson and The Verve Pipe. Andy explains the different ways to mic, track, and record things, what a producer can bring to an incomplete song, how artists can evolve to sound different on every album, and how to relax into your creativity. We discuss his entrepreneurial journey over the past 16 years, what it's like to have a studio at home, and of course, what he's been listening to lately. I loved this conversation and I hope you do too. Please give us a follow on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for video versions and clips of these episodes, and as always feel free to email me with questions, links are in the show notes.  How to Reach Andy: reedrecordingcompany.com How to Reach us: stephbelcher.com Check out our courses: stephbelcher.com/courses Join the Discord server: When Songs Mean Business Discord

    1h 26m
  4. How to Protect your Music with attorney Cynthia Katz

    07/05/2022

    How to Protect your Music with attorney Cynthia Katz

    Today's episode is a masterclass in copyright law and protecting your music assets. I'm chatting with attorney Cynthia Katz, and she is a wealth of knowledge on how the system works, and what you need to do to protect yourself. If you're writing original music, getting hired for sessions, writing songs, or playing covers, you need to hear this episode.  How to Reach Cynthia:  https://www.foxrothschild.com/cynthia-l-katz https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-katz-goldfrach-544bb810/ How to Reach Us: Support the podcast by joining our Patreon community. Check it out at patreon.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Follow WSMB on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness Learn more about Steph at stephbelcher.com If you want to help us out without a financial commitment, please share this episode and rate us on Apple or Spotify.

    1h 20m
  5. Staying on an Even Keel in Music - with Justin Powell

    06/09/2022

    Staying on an Even Keel in Music - with Justin Powell

    Today I'm talking to professional musician turned financial planner. Justin Powell.  Justin is a classically trained musician who discovered rock music and went on to perform with some of the best musicians in the improvisational jam band rock scene. He was a core member of The Mantras for many years, helping them run their festival. and he's also very active in the Asheville music scene, setting up cool events like the Soul Jazz jam and playing with Blue Bop, a Bela Fleck and the Flecktones tribute band. Justin and I talk about entrepreneurship, planning festivals, being alcohol-free, tips on how to control anxiety, financial management, songwriting, and even more. ** This episode is dedicated to the memory of Kofi Burbridge. As you'll hear in the episode, Kofi gave Justin a piece of advice that changed the course of his life, and without him, this podcast episode wouldn't be here. Kofi was an absolutely brilliant musician who played with more soul than the stage could handle. I have so many fond memories of dancing barefoot in the field of a festival while Kofi poured it all out on stage. To honor his legacy, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi created the Kofi Burbridge Music Matters Fund in partnership with Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to increase access to instruments and music programs for thousands of youth across the country.  To support this cause, please click here:  The Kofi Burbridge Music Matters Fund Key Moments:  06:27 - Finding balance in work and music 15:44 - Festival planning - plan for the unexpected 22:22 - Building a musician's musician community 27:03 - "Don't be afraid to engage with people who are further along in their career" 34:26 - If you don't think you own business, you won't grow like you own a business. 40:00 - An ode to cover songs.  44:28 - You're in the business of throwing a party 54:23 - How to plan ahead in such an unstable industry How to Reach Justin:  Valor Private Wealth, LLC www.valorwealthadvisors.com How to Reach Us: Support the podcast by joining our Patreon community. Check it out at patreon.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Follow WSMB on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness Learn more about Steph at stephbelcher.com If you want to help us out without a financial commitment, please share this episode and rate us on Apple or Spotify.

    1h 9m
  6. Creating Space for Different Perspectives in Music with Rasha Shaker

    05/31/2022

    Creating Space for Different Perspectives in Music with Rasha Shaker

    Today I am chatting with Rasha Shaker, a music marketing professional living in Nashville. Rasha has worked with brands, bands, music festivals, venues and more to design strategic marketing plans, and she's currently pursuing an MBA in Music Business at MTSU. She has helped a touring artist generate over a million dollars in sales, and she lead a marketing campaign with a 14x return on ad spend. But as impressive as these things are, she's so much more than that.  As is usually the case with my podcast, we ended up talking about the human stuff - fitting in to a complicated world when you're neuro-divergent, VR and music in the metaverse, race and gender diversity in country music, and much more. Rasha is an incredibly bright mind with a huge heart for empathy and I strongly encourage everyone to hear what she has to say about neurodiversity in music and making room for people with disabilities at your table. As always, feel free to reach out via email if you want to chat about any topics in this episode.  Key Moments:  02:48 - Neuro-diversity, what does that mean?  09:34 - Calling out microaggressions and flight vs fight vs freeze 17:13 - Passion for music meets passion for diversity inclusion 24:07 - People can exist in these spaces and it doesn't need to threaten your identity. 36:19 - VR as a technology that helps people with disabilities enjoy music 42:50 - What Rasha's been listening to lately (with an interlude - Ode to Lady Gaga) 57:14 - Why companies should hire neuro-diverse individuals to solve their problems 1:01:32 - Turn yourself up to 11 and be unapologetic Follow Rasha:  Website - rashaker.com Instagram - @ra_sha_ker Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashashaker/ Books mentioned:  How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie Dare to Lead - Brene Brown How to Reach Us: Support the podcast by joining our Patreon community. Check it out at patreon.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Follow WSMB on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness Learn more about Steph at stephbelcher.com If you want to help us out without a financial commitment, please share this episode and rate us on Apple or Spotify.

    1h 11m
  7. A deep dive into recording and production with Jake Rye

    05/24/2022

    A deep dive into recording and production with Jake Rye

    Today's episode is so full of incredible production and recording and songwriting information from my friend Jake Rye. Jake owns a recording studio in Michigan called Social Recording Company and was a member of the Grammy nominated band Sanctus Real for several years. We talk about his path into music and all the things he learned along the way, from being in a publishing deal to self-employment, parenthood, and much more. Buckle in - this is a long one and there's a lot of good stuff in the back half of the episode, so try to stick around till the end. Key Moments:  2:30 - The grow-up story 14:30 - 150 shows a year 19:41 - Losing a pub deal: "it was like we never existed" 25:27 - I never thought I'd have a basement studio but I love it 27:49 - Jake's songwriting process 39:00 - Inspiration comes whenever it wants to 51:00 - What tracks to include in a demo 58:15 - Audio recording is a process of stacking bricks 1:04:30 - Thom Yorke didn't use auto-tune 1:14:21 - Listening to a final mix 1:26:08 - Sync licensing - the money is in advertising 1:29:55 - You don't have to change who you are to be successful How to Reach Jake:  Personal website: https://www.jakeryemix.com/ Studio website: https://socialrecordingcompany.com/ How to Reach Us: Support the podcast by joining our Patreon community. Check it out at patreon.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Follow WSMB on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness Learn more about Steph at stephbelcher.com If you want to help us out without a financial commitment, please share this episode and rate us on Apple or Spotify.

    1h 35m
  8. Futuristic Music Technology with Senaida Ng

    05/17/2022

    Futuristic Music Technology with Senaida Ng

    Today i'm talking to Senaida Ng, a Toronto native who is studying music at NYU. Senaida is a sound architect, creative entrepreneur and futurist. Through her work as a conscious artist and thinker, she explores the intersection between art and emerging technologies. Classically-trained in piano, she has performed at prestigious concert halls and music festivals across North America including Carnegie Hall and has won multiple national and international music competitions. She currently attends the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU where she founded the Gender Equality in Music Club and is a DJ on WNYU 89.1 FM. She is the founder and CEO of MiSynth, a music-tech startup revolutionizing music creation with the brain. SENAIDA has released two EPs and is currently working on her first full-length NFT album, The Nothing In Between. Senaida's Website: https://senaida.ca/​ Music Streaming: https://audius.co/senaida MiSynth: https://misynth.io Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senaidaxoxo/​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/senaidaxoxo/​ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/senaidaxoxo/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@senaida_xoxo​ How to Reach Us: Support the podcast by joining our Patreon community. Check it out at patreon.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Follow WSMB on Instagram: instagram.com/whensongsmeanbusiness Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness Learn more about Steph at stephbelcher.com If you want to help us out without a financial commitment, please share this episode and rate us on Apple or Spotify.

    50 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

When Songs Mean Business explores the intersection of real life, music creation, and business. Award-winning educator and business manager Steph Belcher interviews songwriters, producers, musicians, and industry reps to discuss their favorite songs, moments in their lives that inspired their love of music, and business lessons they've learned along the way. She also shares advice from her own experience as a music lover, tax preparer, mother of 3, and a spiritual being on this journey of life. https://www.facebook.com/groups/whensongsmeanbusiness https://www.stephbelcher.com

Information

  • Creator
    Steph Belcher
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2022
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Steph Belcher
  • Show Website
    When Songs Mean Business