CLIMBers, whoever owns the traffic rules the road! We're going to unpack a Billboard Magazine article about Taylor Swift that will or should shock you and excite you. Right now, you, the indie artist, still have a massive advantage over the big labels and big management (aka big money) if you adapt before they do. You still have blue ocean but you must adapt before they do so let's unpack what has now been proven to be possible.

How much does your song's title matter? Can a title sink your song's chances of being a hit before it even gets heard? Here's the truth. Listen up if you want to get your songs heard- and if you want them to win!

CLIMBers! After you've done the work to make a few connections in the music business, how do you stay in contact without wearing out your welcome? Or on the other hand, how do you keep from being totally forgotten? How do you show up consistently but also positively? In today's episode, we're going to reveal several ways to keep your music business contacts smiling when they see you coming, so listen up

Johnny & Brent welcome one of Nashville's hottest up-and-coming songwriters, Miss Ava Paige. Ava has over 30 independent cuts and just landed her first major cut with Drake White. Together, these three cook up a bunch of different conceptual angles to write the song title, "Dirty Dishes".

CLIMBers, you've heard us say that 95% of your blood, sweat, tears and creative energy needs to be spent on marketing and on promotion if you want to reach a bigger audience and make a living as an artist. But...what's the difference between marketing and promotion? Because there is one. That's what we're going to talk about today!

Why do so many hit songs have more than one songwriter? Is there a hidden reason for this? Actually, there are 3 reasons, and here's the truth.

If you ignore this principle the music industry will ignore you right back and we don't want that to happen. So today we're shining the spotlight on The Proximity Principle

Johnny & Brent welcome 2-time Grammy Nominated songwriter, Jamie Floyd (Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, Miranda Lambert, Ronnie Dunn, Sturgill Simpson, Ingrid Andress) to cook up 5-6 different conceptual angles for the song title, "Cheap Talk".

CLIMBer, if you’re like most indie artists, your marketing and promotion… if you’re doing any at all... is FAILING on one or more of these key points. (Yeah, and you might not even know it.) Now, we know you want to be an ARTIST, not a FAILED ARTIST. So let's do something about it, shall we? Listen up if you want to be a successful artist!

If you already know how to write songs, and you just need to be discovered... this episode may save your career!

CLIMBers, today I'm going to open up my super-secret songwriting playbook, my external brain, my book of spells, and my little black book. If you want to look into my music business brainstorming, look no further this episode reveals how this pro songwriter will be attacking the music business in 2023 so listen up!

Johnny & Brent welcome hit songwriter, Marla Cannon-Goodman ("Cleaning This Gun", "The Fool", & "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo"), to craft 5 or 6 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title, "Poet's Escape".

CLIMBer, if you break the 10 Commandments of Releasing and Promotion... it just may send you to Indie Artist Hell! (And, unfortunately, ignorance is no excuse.) So today, we're doing our best to send you to Indie Artist Heaven, instead. Listen up!

So... does a ballad-writer stand a chance in today's music business? Is it okay to focus on writing slow songs? Here's the truth!

CLIMBers, does a blank-page bully ever beat you up when you sit down to write? Do you ever just lock up, like it has to be great...It has to be perfect or you just can't dig in? You're so busy trying to find the best angle, the best idea, the best groove that all you create is a headache? Well, that's called analysis paralysis and on today's episode, I'm going to reveal how I defeat it again and again so you can too!

Johnny & Brent welcome hit songwriter and GM at Demolition Music Publishing, Michael August, to the show to cook up 5 or 6 different angles to write the song title, "Sight Unseen".

Imagine you're walking through the candy aisle...you see the Snickers bars, Twix, Reese's, and Hershey's, and then you see a chocolate bar covered in clear plastic wrap with a handwritten label that says, "Really Good Candy." Do you trust it? Should you trust it? Why wouldn't you trust it? Now, let's talk about YOUR product's wrapper.

CLIMBers, do you have what it takes to pitch your own songs and get them cut? Are you ready to hire a song plugger? Well, we're gonna dive into all that and more on today's episode!

Johnny & Brent welcome pro songwriter, Scott Sean White (Cody Johnson's "God Bless The Boy") to STC! Together, they craft 5-6 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title, "Mercy's Flood," sent in by CLIMBer, Charlie Hammell. If you want to know how pro songwriters think, these episodes are for you!

All right CLIMBers! On today's episode, we have a very special guest! We are going to bring, once again, yet another mentor out there that is orbiting or on the same planet I am. He is for the indie artist showing you different systems, different ways, and different methodologies to get your music in front of new eyeballs, grow your brand, grow your money, and be able to make not just a living, but a GOOD living doing what you were born to do!

CLIMBers, what could a songwriter manager do for you? What exactly is there to manage for a songwriter anyway? Well, our guest today discusses this very topic!

Johnny & Brent welcome incredible songwriter and artist, Eric Erdman, to the show. Together, they flesh out a ton of conceptual ideas to writing a song titled, "Plastic Ponies".

CLIMBers! How much could your career improve if you had sage advice from 33 of the industry's top music managers? We're talking about the top artist managers! That's what we're going to cover today. So hang out. We got some great stuff coming up.

CLIMBers, if you miss 90's country, and you wish it would make a comeback... you may be getting your wish! How is 90's country affecting today's country music, and what does it mean for you? Listen up to find out!

Brent & Johnny welcome hit songwriter and producer, Skip Black to the pod for a Song Title Challenge on the title, "Better Cheater".