How much do you know about your current fans?  How much do you know about your future fans? Do you know where they shop? What they drive? What they like to drink?  In this mini-sode, Lexi and Johnny reveal some VERY cool places in your Facebook app that will help you learn a TON about […]

Do you think your songs are great? Here are a number of reasons you should probably pump the breaks a bit and stop calling your songs great…because it could make you look like a rookie. PS: Are you having trouble getting your songs heard by professional publishers and industry experts? Here’s your chance to submit […]

How would you write this one? Listen to what the first 15 minutes of a pro songwriting session typically sounds like. They have a song title, “Please Don’t Stop Here” that is submitted by a member of the CLIMB Community. Then Brent & Johnny craft up multiple lyrical approaches to writing the song title before […]

Are you a woman, a person of color, an LGTBQ person who feels underrepresented in the music industry?  Are you an artist that feels like there are incredible barriers to overcome in the industry to get a fair shake? You’ll love the breakdown and inspiring analysis that Johnny and Brent give on this Billboard Magazine […]

Have you ever thought about “gaming the system” to get more followers on social media? How about more engagement?  How’s that working out for you? In this Mini-sode, Lexi and Johnny tackle some do’s and don’ts for growing your social media, expanding your audience, and getting your music HEARD. PS: If you’re ready to stop […]

Do you feel like the bigwigs in the business are against you? Do you feel like the industry is full of “insiders” who are keeping you out? Here are a bunch of reasons why publishing companies won’t meet with you.  PS: If you feel like you’re ready to get a recommendation to meet and interact […]

How would you write this one? Have you ever wondered what happens during the first 15 minutes of a pro songwriting session? Brent & Johnny craft up 4-5 different plot twists to writing lyrics for the song title, “Tracks Through The Fog”. PS: If you’d like to work this song title challenge exercise privately with […]

Have you ever felt frustrated or ready to give up on your dream of making a living with your music?  Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you work, you still can’t seem to get any momentum with your career?  It’s because you’re caught in the music biz riptide. If you don’t do […]

Are you one of those artists who avoids social media because you think it’s just about stroking your ego and warm fuzzy feelings? Having a healthy social media footprint with STRONG engagement will GET YOU PAID.  In this mini-sode, Lexi and Johnny discuss 5 hacks that you can immediately implement to get your followers more […]

What are the “rules of thumb” for creating compelling song titles?  How can you craft a title so that you’re “winning before you’re spinning” with a publisher? How is it that the song titles “The House That Built Me” and “Truck Yeah”, which reside at vastly different ends of the artistically-compelling-gene-pool, are both #1 singles?  […]

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter by getting a glimpse of the first 15 minutes of a typical Nashville pro songwriting session. Brent and Johnny craft 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing lyrics for the song title “No Maybes Baby” ***NOTE*** Brent has a new songwriting feedback service. […]

The 2018 revenue numbers are in for all indie artists and they’re ASTOUNDING! Johnny & Brent break down two different articles that explain how the universe for indie artist revenue expanded by at least 35% last year. We discuss, in detail, how in 2019 it will be more feasible than ever to make a living […]

Are you intimidated about creating content? Does it take too long for you to create it?  This is because you haven’t spent the small amount of time necessary to get past the learning curve on your design tool. In this episode, Lexi and Johnny do a quick dive into some killer features of the Pickmonkey […]

Have you ever tried to cold-call an industry executive like a label exec, booking agent, manager, songwriter, or other respected musician? How’d it go? Brent discusses how the publishing company that gave him his first pub deal initially ignored him. The difference was a recommendation. Listen to this episode to get a couple tips and […]

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter. This one seemed like it was going to be a tougher task, but Brent & Johnny crafted up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the lyrics for the song title, “Broken Smoke & Mirrors”. To share your song title with Brent […]

Wait, what?!?! We’ve spent 151 episodes trying to help singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you become smarter with regards to the music industry and now we’re telling you to be dumb? Believe it or not, sometimes it’s smart to be dumb or appear stupid when every bone in your body is telling you that you […]

What EXACTLY is your brand? Why should you know how to articulate this seemingly simple question? Just about every indie artist is vague on how to describe their brand. Fans latch on to your brand as much, or in some cases, even more than your music. The artist’s music and their brand stand for something […]

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” –Michael Jordan “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” –Phil Jackson Why would Brent REGRET sharing a song idea that his co-writer’s loved? What can you do in co-write to be a good teammate, ensure a creative vibe, […]

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter. Brent and Johnny craft up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title, “Ring Of Truth”. Comment if you have an idea that we didn’t cover. PS: If you have a killer title and you’d rather work on the conceptual […]

They say “patience is a virtue” but what the heck does that even mean? When I was an artist I was accused of a lot of things but I was NEVER accused of being patient! So, what is patience? How do we get it? How do we avoid sounding unprofessional to people we want to […]

Here are four apps will change your Instagram feed for the better!   PS: Imagine seeing daily growth in a real social media audience because you know exactly what to do and exactly how to do it. Brands will pay you money once your audience is large enough, so it’s worth the effort. Schedule a […]

How did small town girl, Jenn Schott, make it from Pittsburg, KS to Nashville to getting a publishing deal to cuts by Eli Young Band, Gloriana, Lucy Hale, Pam Tillis, Lonestar, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Micky Guyton, to getting the title track on Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom Record? Find out in this episode where we […]

Hey, how would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter as Brent and Johnny cook up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title “International 19 Minutes”. PS: If you’d like to work privately on your song title with Brent or have him prepare your song or repair your […]

Are you getting in front of NEW eyeballs as an artist? Posting on social media only puts your project in front of people who are already aware of you. If you have released music before and nobody heard it, or it seemed nobody cared, then maybe it’s time to start focusing more on growing your […]

If you’re an artist looking to grow your audience fast, then IGTV can do that quickly if you take the time now to get your foothold. IGTV has gotten of to a shaky start when you compare to just about every other Instagram feature, but in this minisode we’ll talk about how it could seriously […]