Managemental Podcast With Blasko And Mike Mowery

This week Mike and Blasko go off script and discuss the value of awards shows in the underground music scene.  Listen in as they provide an honest take on whether these shows are needed or not, and if they are, how can they be improved.   Hot off the heels of the Loudwire Music awards, Blasko and Mike review the diversity of award winners at this past week's event - http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-stone-sour-iron-maiden-win-big-at-the-2017-loudwire-music-awards-2/ We want to hear from you so please don’t hesitate to email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313 Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to episode 41 of the Managemental podcast! This week we’re going to get into how to properly write an email to industry professionals, so let’s get on with it! Tune in for our full commentary on the examples below.   GOOD EXAMPLE:   Hi Blasko,   My name is Michael, and I’m the frontman of the hard rock, progressive metal band, (BAND NAME), based in LA.  I was speaking with Steve Rennie recently and your name came up as we were discussing the music business and managers who are innovating and succeeding on the heavy side of the industry.  He recommended that I shoot you an email (and also says “Hi”, btw).   (BAND NAME) has been building a strong audience both locally and online (over 60k combined) for the past several years, and with the recent release of our new fan funded and self produced album,  followed by a packed house show as main support for (BAND NAME) at the Glass House and a sold out show at The Viper Room in LA, we are seeking a manager with which to partner in the expansion of our busine

In this week’s episode hosts Blasko and Mike Mowery assess Paul Resnikoff’s article “Why A Major Label Doesn’t Want to Sign You”. Let’s dig in… The major labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment — are sometimes referred to as the ‘big three’.  They own a bunch of other sub-labels and have major publishing interests as well.  They are big-time global entities. Generally, major labels have more money and stronger relationships with platforms like Spotify.  In fact, they own a major portion of Spotify, and can push a priority artist into coveted playlists. There are also independent labels, often called ‘indie labels’.  Those labels have far less marketing power, but can be a better fit for many artists. So here are some reasons why a Major might not be a good fit for you…  Reason #1: You’re ‘difficult’ and/or don’t work hard. This isn’t the old music industry anymore.  There’s less money to invest, no more $16.99 CDs to sell, and way more pressure to show results.  So

In this episode Blasko and Mike take your questions! Tune in for the discussions and answers from the following questions from listeners Rob, Cory, and Alex.   Hey Blasko, long time listener of the podcast. I was wondering if you and Mike could talk about buying onto tours. Is it a good idea for a developing band? Is it essentially the same as pay to play or is it more like a deposit to reserve the slot? I've heard people mention it and I was hoping you could elaborate. ~ RobHey, absolutely love the podcast.  My band listens while on tour and I listen all the time to get me motivated and pumped up.  I would love to hear some advice on how to make the most out of a band music video premier.  My band has done many video premiers during PR campaigns (even getting a premier on Metal Sucks, which is huge for us as an unsigned band) but even so it is hard to get traction with the videos.  How do you make your video premier stick out among all the other internet posts happening on the website you premier on?  Can yo

This week Blasko and Mike take on a fan question from Todd, a loyal listener and 60 Days to Signable student (via Outerloop Coaching). Todd writes:   Hey there!   This is Todd, student of 60 Days to Signable and Unleash It Right and long-time listener of the podcast.   My band recorded a 5-song EP with a well-known producer last year. We paid a lot of money for it and without really taking time to learn about the industry or business side of things, or consider self-releasing, we jumped the gun and signed with an indie label to a not-so-good contract.   We soon realized that was a mistake. The release plan we had in place, which was a part of a PR campaign we'd already paid for, was scrapped (and we didn't get money back); the singles from the EP weren't released or supported well. We pressed physicals on our own (the label didn't want to), and we didn't know about UPCs at the time, so we have about 200 copies left without barcodes that we can't report.   About a month before the EP's actual release, we lost

This week Blasko and Mike dissect Paul Resnikoff’s article “The Young Persons Guide to Getting Into The Music Industry” via Digital Music News.  #1. Meet Anyone and Everyone You Can In This Business. Before you’re desperate for a job, before your loans are due, and before you need something from people, it’s critical to start meeting people who are actually working in the industry.  You will be investing heavily in your future network, one that will pay very rich dividends down the line.  So take a bus, ride your bike, take a Southwest flight, or just Skype it if you must, but get in front of as many people that are willing to chat. #2. Mentally Prepare Yourself for How Extremely Difficult This Business Is. This is an industry in extreme flux, and one that has seen a massive pie-shrink over the past 15 years. But that doesn’t meant there aren’t jobs and opportunities.  It also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t accept the challenge, simply that you should consider your risk appetite and ability to stomach extreme unc

In this episode Blasko and Mike take questions from listener Brandon on where to best spend time and effort as an independent band, how to get on larger tour packages, and benefits of an agent. Read Brandon’s letter and tune in to hear Blasko and Mike weigh in! --- Hi guys,   Love the show. I found out about it a few months ago and have since managed to binge all the episodes.   #1 I play for a rather noisy, chaotic hardcore band out of Phoenix, AZ  I've found that in promoting and booking shows for the band, we can cast a small net in the niche genre and have a pretty good conversion rate for new fans. That much smaller pool of fans however often has heard of bands within a similar style and aren't always the "die hard" ones that are attending every show and buying up our merch. The opposite is going for a much wider audience where fan conversion is a hit or miss, but when it works it's usually the first time that they've heard something of our type. So my question is, being an independent band without a b

Article: 11 Things Millennial Musicians Just Don’t Get  https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/07/27/millennial-musicians/ By Ari Herstand, author of How To Make It in the New Music Business, a Los Angeles based musician and the creator of the music biz advice blog Ari’s Take. Follow him on twitter @aristake In this episode Blasko and Mike Mowery discuss tips and strategies for how to succeed in 2018 as they dive into the following points made by Ari Herstand’s article “11 Things Millennial Musicians Just Don’t Get” and learn how to come out on top in the new year. 1) Spotify Plays Don’t Equal Fans I can’t tell you how many artists I see on Spotify with hundreds of thousands or millions of streams, but can’t get even 100 out to their local (or any) shows. Or get anyone to back their crowdfunding campaign. Or support them in any way whatsoever. These listeners are not fans of the artists, they are fans of the playlist these songs got included on.   2) Your Branding and Story Is More Important Than Your

In this week’s episode Blasko and Mike take on questions from listener and aspiring manager, Zach. His letter reads:   I understand there are "friend managers" that take on the title early in a band's career who are only in it to hopefully ride the coattails of their creative buddies' success...and not really deserving, nor qualified to take on the work and responsibility that comes with being a good artist manager as you've outlined in previous episodes.   I am referencing the up and coming artist manager who is in the trenches daily, fighting the good fight to break their client and handling all business aspects of their career as a champion of their music...The artist manager who is working to CREATE opportunities as well as manage them.   With that in mind, the band that I am working with has been approached multiple times in recent weeks by an independent manager as well as an established management company...both of which have bigger resources and better relationships that I could never compete with.   

“9 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Signed” by Paul Resnikoff Article:  https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/05/18/get-band-signed-within-two-years/ Author: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/author/presnikoff/   In his article Paul Resnikoff interviewed a few industry executives to find reasons why bands are not getting signed today. Blasko and Mike will take you point by point through these reasons, give their personal opinions and real world experiences.   (1) You want it too much. The most interesting artists are the ones that don’t need a label, yet are most likely to get signed by one.  They have strong followings, great music, work hard (and usually tour), and can survive on their own.  In fact, labels often prefer artists that well-developed identities and mini-machines going, because it saves them the work of having to build something from scratch.  It also lowers their risk, which is huge in such an uncertain environment. More importantly, it also gives the artist far greater leverage in a negotiati

  How To Get Your Song On A Spotify Playlist by Ari Herstand: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/06/21/spotify-playlists/ Welcome to another week of the ManageMental podcast with Blasko and Mike Mowery. In this episode the hosts tackle details every artist needs to understand about Spotify before trying to get on a Spotify Playlist. From the article: Streams are not equivalent to downloads or sales. When someone bought a song or an album it was because they were a fan of that song or artist. Fandom came first, typically, and purchasing came second. Now, streaming comes first, fandom comes second. “Consumer consumption no longer means fandom. It’s not hard to stream a song. And it’s not hard for a lot of people to stream a song [from] a popular playlist. That doesn’t mean that you have millions of fans- it means you have millions of people who happen to hear your song. Who knows if they even dug it. So that all being said, how do songs get into playlists? How can you get your songs into playlists? Well, th

  “7 Real World Skills to Master Before You Graduate From College” by Catherine Conlan  https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/7-real-world-skills-to-master-before-you-graduate-from-college In this week’s episode Blasko and Mike go over essential tips to help you master social skills that will help you navigate networking in the industry. How to network: Learn how to shake a hand, make strong eye contact and dress well for a business event. Attending networking events can help you connect with alumni and professionals in your chosen field. When you attend a networking event, set a goal of having two or three meaningful conversations about your experience and goals for the future. How to leverage relationships: As you network and make connections, you’ll need to know how to draw upon them to build your career. Keep track of the people you’ve met, how you can help them and how they can help you. How to write effective emails: Strong written communication skills are essential in the real world. “

If you pay attention to the podcast space, there are a lot of podcasts who use the 4th of July weekend to take a bit of a break from producing an episode that week to recap what has occurred during the first part of the year.  We didn’t do that!  We hard charged through the holiday and still found a way to bring you an episode.  But now, as we roll into the first week of August, we want to recap the episodes we’ve done thus far.   This will allow us to reflect on and appreciate all that we’ve covered, and also allow you listeners to reflect on some of the great conversations we’ve been able to have.  As busy guys in the business, we haven’t tried to put together any particular arc or path of what we cover - in fact, Blasko does his digging and brings a topic to the table that he thinks will make for interesting conversation.  What do you think?  Has this been interesting?  Is there anything you’re dying to hear us discuss?  Any topics?  Any articles that you’re finding on blogs?  Don’t hesitate to email us at

Blasko and Mike take on a big question this week from listener and aspiring manager, Kyle, on what it takes to be an artist manager, tune in for everything you need to know.   My name is Kyle and I’m an aspiring artist manager and new listener to the manage mental podcast. I’ve spent the last 10 years in the music industry, having founded and ran a band that became semi-successful and signed with a record label and did tons of touring. Since the band folded I have even built a recording studio and run my own graphic design business but ultimately my goal is to become an artist manager and help out others but I’m not quite sure how to approach it.   I’ve noticed many of the topics in the ManageMental podcast are geared towards artists and bands and how grow and develop ones’ own brand.   But from the perspective of a manager, how does one aspire to become a successful artist manager such as yourselves?   How does one go about approaching an artist to work with them and what are some important factors to tak

Article: 5 Strategies That Guarantee Success Author: Johnny Dwinell  https://musicclout.com/contents/article-353-5-strategies-that-guarantee-success.aspx?utm_source=Music+Clout&utm_campaign=1ce3bd5872-5_Strategies_That_Guarantee_Success2_21_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4bb296eccb-1ce3bd5872-279502041     Mike and Blasko are back at it this week dropping music industry knowledge like you’ve never heard before! In the last episode the hosts discussed ways to kill a music career, now they’ll dig into ways to KEEP a music career with the following topics:   Don’t Look In The Rear View Mirror:There is literally NOTHING you can do about the past, so spending 1 second of energy on it is an EPIC fail and a colossal waste of time.  The past is what got us here; our successes and failures are part of who we are so we have to embrace them.      Focus on What You HAVE Instead of What You Don’t Have:I promise the answers to all our future career questions and successes lies within the blessings we currently have, NOT

Looking for insight on the best way to self-release your music? Join Mike Mowery’s webinars Release It Right on July 22nd and Unleash It Right, which includes the Release It Right webinar on July 22nd PLUS an additional, advanced, class on July 29th. Learn the tips and tricks that has helped Mike launch independent releases onto the Billboard charts. Sign up now at www.outerloopcoaching.com and use the discount code MENTALPOD5!   Here’s what former Outerloop Coaching students have had to say:   "Mike showed me I still have so much to learn in this business. I would take back my 10+ years on college debt to pay for this course over and over again!" - "This is easily one of the smartest investments I've ever made in myself." - "Mike was an extremely knowledgeable instructor. I only wish I could spend 8 hours a day with him to gain even more!"      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  Article: “17 Ways To Kill A Music Career” by Paul Resnikoff  https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/06/09/17-ways-kill-music-career/   Blasko and Mike pick their top 5 ways to kill a music career (out of Resnikoff’s 17). Follow along as they discuss the following points:   1) Relying on a label, manager or anyone besides yourself to build your career.   Even with a label deal, bands can find themselves de-prioritized, or flat-out ignored.  But these days, labels rarely sign bands that aren’t successfully working and developing their audiences.  If you’re not investing in your music career, day in and day out, neither will a label.  Which means that DIY isn’t some alternative approach, it’s essential for the survival, breakthrough, and growth of any artist.     2) Not selling merchandise.   If you’re not setting up a stand at all shows with a full range of merchandise, then you’re missing out on serious income.  This is money that could fill your gas tank and pay for food. Fans want to help you build a suc

 https://www.musicclout.com/contents/article-377-defining-success-and-how-to-achieve-it-with-a-career-in-music.aspx   In this episode Blasko and Mike tackle the subjects presented in Carlos Castillo’s article “Defining Success and How To Achieve It with A Career In Music”. Follow along as they show you the ropes from personal experiences and give context to the article, to help you define your own success.   The first requirement for being successful in anything is to define what success means to you. That is one of the biggest challenges musicians face today. There is no standard to follow. It’s not like going to college, where there is a defined set of measurable parameters. You attend classes, you pass exams, you write papers, and after completing all of the requisite steps you succeed in earning your degree. That’s an ideal scenario where you can demonstrate that you are making progress and, therefore retain the ever so important support of your friends and family. Unfortunately, the pathway to a career

Blasko and Mike get into more listener questions based on the costs associated with being in a touring band. This week the question comes from new listener David Woolfall who writes: “I just discovered your podcast via an ad on the Lead Singer Syndrome podcast. I’ve listened through maybe half of the podcasts so far and they’re great! I am not in the music industry at all just an interested spectator. I have questions related to money… I would love for you to give an example of a small band income vs. expenses ie. A band that can sell 500tickets 1x or 2x a year in a place like Denver. How much does this band earn from the venue, merch, VIP, etc?Lets assume they get minimal radio play so that their music sale income is Spotify + iTunes.What does it cost them to tour, hire a few techs, gas, food, some hotels or an RV?Basically, do most band members have regular jobs at home to make ends meet?  Find out answers to these questions and more in this episode.   Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com

 “Record Deal Red Flags” by Byron Pascoe:  http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-record-deal-red-flags.html Mr. Pascoe is a Canadian Entertainment Lawyer with Edwards PC, Creative Law and can be reached at Byron.pascoe@edwardslaw.ca This week Blasko and Mike tackle the warning signs that you may see in a record deal. That first record deal can seem very rewarding on the surface, but in reality it might just be a total nightmare. Entertainment attorney Byron Pascoe’s article “Record Deal Red Flags” is the basis for this week’s episode. Follow along as Blasko and Mike break down the following points from the article. Email any questions or comments to askblasko@gmail.com Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313 Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop Want to get your band to the top of the charts with your next album release? Sign up for Mike Mowery’s “Release It Right” and “Unleash It Right” webinars at signup.outerloopcoaching.com ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network.