Session Vocalist Darlene Koldenhoven Tells How She Charted Without A Manager Or Label On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, session vocalist Darlene Koldenhoven tells us how her music hit #4 on the Billboard classical crossover chart with no manager or label. The common assumption that a major-label infrastructure is required to chart is exactly what her story dismantles, and she walks through the specific decisions that produced number-one worldwide […]

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With All The AI Slop, Is TikTok Even Worth Being On Anymore?

We’re all getting tired of the AI slop that’s being handed to us, and it’s even worse when you have to compete with it. One platform where it’s particularly egregious is TikTok, and a new report from Kapwing outlines the problem in detail. We’ll talk about what we’re seeing first, and then I’ll address how […]

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Why Chasing Algorithms Is Killing Your Music Career With Keith Jopling On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Keith Jopling about what separates artists who last from those who burn out chasing the wrong metrics. Keith spent 25 years inside the business, including time at Spotify, before interviewing 80 artists and bands to write Riding the Rollercoaster. The creative director model he extracted from that […]

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If You Upload To YouTube You Give Consent For AI Training

As if artists and bands don’t have enough competition already, AI-generated music has ratcheted the level up to a point that no one could’ve predicted a few years ago. Then the record labels and publishers turn around and sell out their artists by making deals with AI music platforms without the artist’s permission (and not […]

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Erasing Leakage But Keeping The Drummer’s Performance DNA With Dr. Bill Evans On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Dr. Bill Evans, audio scientist, producer, educator, and inventor of the Performance Restoration methodology. Bill believes that drum recording has always involved a painful tradeoff, but it doesn’t have to. Most engineers accept mic bleed as an unavoidable character of a drum sound, questioning whether removing it […]

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How Female Producers Regain Control With Xylo Aria On My Latest Podcast

Female artists who hire producers risk losing creative control before a single song is released. On this week’s podcast episode, Xylo Aria, founder of Music Production for Women (MPW), tells us how she learned this the hard way, by paying for sessions where male producers overrode her vision, leaving her with music she never put […]

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Elliot Easton Talks The Cars, Guitars, And Interesting Tours On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, Elliot Easton, guitarist for The Cars and Creedence Clearwater Revisited, takes us through his journey with the band and beyond. Easton looks back at The Cars’ origins, from getting a label deal the old fashioned way, to connecting with famed producer Roy Thomas Baker, to recording the band’s initial albums, […]

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Talking Postproduction and Music Licensing With Gary Gray On My Latest Podcast

What matters more in the music business, mastering every plugin, or becoming the kind of person people want to hire again? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with songwriter, producer, engineer, and educator Gary Gray about music licensing, post production, rhythmic integrity, AI, immersive audio, and the character traits that keep people working in […]

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The Instagram Algorithm Is A Moving Target, But It’s Interesting

If you actively post on a social network, you want that post to be seen by as many people as possible. As we know, that’s getting more difficult, especially on Instagram. Stories abound about creators finally achieving hard-earned virality only to have IG change its algorithm, which then takes the user’s reach back to almost […]

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Rebuilding Les Paul’s Original Recording Studio On My Latest Podcast

What can Les Paul’s original recording studio reveal about the way modern music production really began? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with with Tom Camuso, Director of Engineering at The Les Paul Recording Studio, and Michael Braunstein, 3rd Generation Les Paul Manager. We discuss restoring Les Paul’s groundbreaking recording gear, rebuilding his historic […]

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Up-To-Date Music Business And Production News On My Latest Podcast

Is the music industry heading into another major reset? On this week’s solo podcast episode, I break down the biggest shifts happening across the music business and music production. In This Episode: And much more. You can hear it at bobbyoinnercircle.com, or via Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, or RadioPublic. Also, […]

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Creator Of The Distressor Dave Derr On My Latest Podcast

What makes the Empirical Labs Distressor such a lasting studio classic? On this week’s podcast episode, I sit down with Dave Derr, founder of Empirical Labs and creator of the Distressor. Among the things we talk about analog compression, product design, the birth of Nuke mode, FATSO, Mike-E, plugins, and the studio lessons that shaped […]

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Apple Music Has Good And Bad News About AI Music

AI Music is flooding the internet, and Apple Music is no exception. The good news is that almost no one is listening to it on the platform. Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser says that while AI-generated music now makes up about a third of the current submissions to the music service, it accounts for less than […]

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The Business Side Of Singing With Patrice Peris On My Latest Podcast

What separates a talented singer from an artist who can actually build a career? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with vocal coach, singer, songwriter, and artist developer Patrice Peris about contemporary vocal technique, emotional performance, artist branding, music business fundamentals, and why independent artists need more than a good voice to succeed. Patrice […]

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The BMG And Concord Merger Means There’s Now A 4th Major Label

It was announced yesterday that the two largest indie labels, BMG and Concord, would merge. This would effectively make it a 4th major label, although smaller than the other three – Universal, Warner Music Group, and Sony. The creation of the new company is significant to the average artist or songwriter in some ways, and […]

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