Female Entrepreneur Musician with Bree Noble

When I did this live stream in the Academy, many people said this is exactly what they needed. We're talking today about fear and how to learn to co-exist with your fear and use it to your advantage instead of avoiding it.If you're interested to get support around your music career, steps on how to build it, what stage you're in and what you need to work on based upon what stage you're at, visit my free masterclass at musiciansprofitpath.com. It will teach you how to attract your 1000 true fans without wasting time and money on the wrong marketing tactics.I know many of you have started a lot of new things in the past few months. When we embark on a new journey, the first thing we feel is fear. I heard this quote on a podcast: "The butterflies you feel in your stomach means that you've got skin in the game." The nervousness you feel means that that thing is actually worth doing and you are invested in it. Feeling that fear is normal and it's meant to protect you. It automatically appears when you don't know how things are going to turn out. There's nothing bad about feeling that fear but we need to learn how to co-exist with it.When you want to start something, it's scary but once you say yes the first feeling that you feel is excitement and exhilaration. Then the feeling that immediately follows that is fear and that is totally normal. Whenever I make a new business, I always feel fear around that. Even if I've done similar things before, it's totally normal. That fear is there to protect us since we don't know how things are going to turn out. There is nothing wrong with that feeling of fear but we need to co-exist with it and deal with it.On a podcast interview with Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the books "Big Magic" and "Eat, Pray, Love", she talked about having a conversation with fear instead of having to push it away. Invite it in for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Let fear in and listen to your fear as to why you are afraid. You can write things down. Once you've let that have its way and not interrupt it, you can see why you have that fear, the worse that could happen, what you need to address, and look at things more objectively. You're going to know the worst that could happen and know how to deal with it.Sometimes we are so immersed in all our what ifs but once we play them in our mind, we realize that they're not so big at all. Fear doesn't have to hold us back and we just need to understand how to deal with it. "Butterflies in your stomach are just a sign that you've got skin in the game."Link mentioned in this episode: musiciansprofitpath.com

My friend, Michael Elsner, is passionate about teaching sync licensing to musicians to create that passive income and help make our businesses more stable. He will talk about the process he used and why this is the best time to do sync licensing.Michael has a free video series you can subscribe to before July 19th at femusician.com/michaelEarly on, Michael played in a band and had no idea about music licensing. During the 90s and 2000s, he moved to Nashville with a dream to advance his music career. He got turned down many times during the 4 years he stayed there and eventually, he decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue his path there. In 2003, he landed a gig on a tv show playing guitar on "The Young and The Restless" which led to his first movie which is "Ella Enchanted" with Anne Hathaway. He still continued his artist path trying to break into the labels but he got no success. He tried to do sync licensing while pursuing his artist career. It got to a point that he was working for 3 shows at a time and it was a great experience. However, due to the stress in the job, he developed alopecia and decided he was going to change his path. He realized that he should focus on sync licensing alone since he is getting a lot of acceptance and projects with it. He pursued licensing and got really good at it. There are a lot of opportunities for a lot of different styles/genres. Labels may look for the latest sounds which does not suit what you make but sync licensing opens a lot of opportunities for different sounds. Artistically, you get to cover a lot of ground.There are different paths to placements but the reality is musicians do not understand the business enough to close the deal with a music supervisor. Michael has done licensing for a long time but since 2011, he had someone else handle it.A licensing company is like a realtor who sells your music who gets a percentage of your sales. You can choose not to give up the right to your music but allow them to use your music for a certain period of time. Working with a licensing company allows you to continue creating music instead of spending your time selling your music. Traditional Music Process:Finish the song.Send it out.The Music Licensing Process:Finish the song.Recording mixes.Add Metadata.Send it out.Michael created his licensing course because he noticed others talking about what music licensing is but nobody was showing how to actually do it. He shares his entire process on licensing and how to show music producers how you can make their life easier and bring them what they need.Why is this the right time to learn sync licensing?It creates a back end revenue stream.The content world for TV, movies, Netflix, etc. are exponentially growing right now. People are currently craving entertainment.Productions have started back again. In another 2 months, they will start again with post production and will be needing your music.Licensing is a fun and exciting world. It does require work, you have to write good music and your music has to sound good. You're playing in the big leagues. Your music is valued and you're paid accordingly both on the upfront licensing fees and with royalties. For a long time Michael looked at his career as a failure but he is so grateful that he landed in the licensing world. He gets to do what he loves which is playing guitar and making music. In the licensing world, it does not matter if you have been turned down multiple times or if somebody did not believe in you. What you look like or what clothes you wear is completely irrelevant. What matters is that your music complements and enhances a story or emotion that is happening on screen. Other things are completely irrelevant. If you want to know if your music is good enough for licensing, give yourself half an hour to an hour a day, turn on the tv, close your eyes, when it gets to a commercial, listen to the music that is played. You will hear that it is not the same music that is played in the radio, it is a lot of different genres.Sign up for Michael's video series at femusician.com/michael while it’s available. Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/michael

My guest for this podcast has truly inspired me and I learned so much more about her in today's interview. Some of you will definitely relate with her, especially since she has been in hiatus for many years. Cayla is one of our Community Managers for the Female Indie Musician Community which is our large free group on Facebook. We talk about why she joined in that group and what she thinks it offers to artists in particular. You can check our group at woscommunity.com. Then we also talk about the Academy and how it's different from the free group, why she joined the Academy and the higher level of benefit she gets from it. If you would like to find out more, you can join my free class at musiciansprofitpath.comAbout CaylaAt 3 years old she wanted to be a singer but her mom told her that she couldn't carry a tune. She was still determined to become a singer. She started to sing professionally at 14. At 19, she has toured and performed in several continents as well as for prime ministers and presidents and even in Lincoln Center in New York. She was brought up in the church and in a Christian community. She joined a contest for her church that had 1000 people in it. From there, she joined her church group that toured in Israel and different countries as well as in front of dignitaries.She also sang gospel music which during that time had various styles and that's what helped developed her music. With her mom's, dad's and musical theater influence, she was a real mixing pot when it comes to music. Cayla experienced a lot of struggles including abuse from her family, controlling marriage, abandoned relationships from family, churchmates and friends. Due to the abuse she endured during her childhood, she lost who she was. Sometime in her 50s, her daughter asked her why she has not pursued her dreams. She explained because she was already old. Then her daughter asked her if she wanted her to give up on her own dreams. That was a wake-up call for her. She realized she was the one who decided to stop pursuing her own dreams and she chose to let life stop her. After that, she joined a gospel choir to get her voice back then it's gone from there. She slowly rediscovered herself and her confidence.Things she learned through her life experiences:Do not be complacent and continue learning and continue bringing ourselves forward.We should not stop living our dreams when we reach a certain age because we think we no longer have value and we have nothing more to say. We should show our children that we can reach and live our dreams no matter what age we are.Listen to your intuition and follow your own dreams and passions.We encounter fears whenever we try something new but your why should be stronger than your fear.Find out who you are as a person and as a performer. Do not follow what others say or what others want. You got to do you.How the Academy Helped CaylaOne way the Academy has helped Cayla was the "brain dump" where you need to write down your plans and target what you want to achieve in 90 days. She also learned about and worked on getting a residual income so she can do the things she wants to do. Ask yourself, "What is it that I really want"?She is working on a free course that works as a good lead magnet. You can find the Chair Workshop at caylabrooke.com.How FIMC has helped CaylaFemale Indie Musician Community is a group where female musicians can join and feel safe. It's not a place where you can promote but you do have a place to put your Youtube link or so. You can celebrate your wins and ask questions. Other artists with decades of experience can give you advice. It's also a great place to make friendships with other musicians who understand you.How the FMA and FIMC differsCayla shares that the free group is like being in a big church while the Academy is like being with your girls who support you and care for you. The Academy also conducts expert workshops to expose members to different things and choose which one you want to use.Learn more about Cayla on her Instagram at @officialcaylabrooke, and on Spotify and Facebook as Cayla Brooke.You can join our free workshop "How to Get Your 1000 True Fans" at musiciansprofitpath.com to have an idea of how I run my Academy.Links mentioned in this episode: caylabrooke.com, woscommunity.com, musiciansprofitpath.com

On this episode, my friend, Kris Bradley, will talk about how she went from wanting to produce her own music at home to save money to now having a full-blown business for producing music as well as teaching other artists how to produce themselves from home with minimal gear and maximum results. We also talk about the free video series for you to learn how to start producing at home with her simple method. If you want to sign up right now, you can go to femusician.com/boss. Kris is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Early on, she was writing and pitching songs hoping to get them cut, get film and TV placements, and get songs with other artists. Since she needed to have a professional recording for that, she was spending money for producers to help her with the recording. She had difficulty communicating what she wanted so she did not always get the results she wants. Since she also wrote a lot of songs during that time, she did not have enough money to support producing her songs as often as she needed. That was when she decided that she will learn how to produce.She was not at all tech-savvy but she decided to get her first laptop in her late 20's and learn it. She did have technological struggles but she was so determined to do it. She made a lot of bad recordings but she kept on learning until she got to a point that her recordings were good enough for her to start pitching her songs. Then other artists started paying her to do their demos. She suddenly realized she is already a producer since artists were approaching her to produce their songs. Now, she is a full-time producer and also teaches other people how to produce their own songs.Why You Would Want to Learn Producing Songs With Kris:You will save money by no longer needing to pay a producer to produce your songs.You get the results you want. You can either produce your own songs or learn to communicate better with your producer. You can have the freedom to be in the comfort of your own home and still produce your song.You can release your own music.You can beta test your songs with your market and get feedback before producing and releasing them.If you have the right presentation, you get the full potential of how good your song can be.Learning to use the right software like LogicProX will allow you to plug in and play. Kris does a listening party for her course enrollees so she can give feedback to their songs and artists can listen to the feedback and learn from each other. Kris has a video series she just released which is called "Start Producing Your Song Today in 3 S.I.M.P.L.E. Steps". S.I.M.P.L.E. stands for Structure, Instrumentation, Mood, Production Style, Leave It All Behind and Execute. The first step is "How to easily build your home studio". The second step is "Assembling your tool belt". The third step is "Template: How to Avoid the Blank Page Syndrome". The last two steps are reverse engineering a different song to get ideas for your arrangement.Find Kris' free video series at femusician.com/boss.You can find Kris Bradley at producelikeaboss.com, Produce Like A Boss on Facebook, and @producelikeaboss on Instagram.Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com/boss and producelikeaboss.com

Side Door was created to match artists and hosts for house concerts and alternative venues. They've been called the Airbnb of concerts. I'm a huge fan of house concerts but we cannot do that in this era. What Side Door discovered is they can shift this to online concerts and allowed them to shift to an area they never really thought they could have. Laura Simpson of Side Door will share how musicians are earning income this way.I also share about live streaming on 15 Streams of Income to Tap Right Now. If you haven't yet, you can grab this free resource at femusician.com right on the front page. If you're interested in getting group support within the Academy, you can check out my workshop at musiciansprofitpath.com to see how I set up the Academy and how I run that framework.Starting up as a fan of music, Laura hung around musicians at all-ages clubs. She started by defending musicians to make sure they are getting paid correctly. She eventually did live music photography. She became a journalist for 7 years and after that, she pivoted back to music and worked as a funding officer for a non-profit that helped artists in developing their careers. She also worked in the biggest music market in California where she learned a lot. She was really passionate about doing live music at her own house. She felt that the shows she was able to host at her own house where she helps other musicians earn money was such a beautiful experience. After all that, she put up her first company, The Syrup Factory, which is mainly project management for hire that supports artists in doing their release or putting out a video, etc. Side Door was born out of the idea that Laura wanted to make doing live music a better experience for artists. She saw that her beloved musicians didn't really make that much money on tours so she saw a solution in doing house concerts instead. She had an idea of how to simplify the booking process for house concerts. She met Dan Mangan who was doing a similar thing as she was. They made the business what it is to create a fair and transparent platform for artists. With this platform, the idea was to find the best artists and help them find the best venues like houses, churches, breweries, etc. and Side Door matchmakes both sides. The third part was giving access to the audience. When this pandemic happened, they had a lot of bookings scheduled for the artists and venues so they had to speak with each of them when the bookings were canceled. A week after what happened, Laura and Dan talked about booking shows online. Since then, they've done more than 100 shows and artists' incomes have become triple what they usually had.About Side Door Online Gigs:They have been enjoying Zoom shows for artists since it creates connections with the artists and audiences both being at their own homes, with their kids, and with their dogs. The cap on a Zoom call's capacity creates scarcity for the shows and that makes the shows really special.They put hard tickets on the shows. The average ticket price is between $7 and $8. They have a donate link as well for tipping. Merch can also be sold if the artists prefer. (These items are not currently live. They will be in the coming weeks.) Most people buy more tickets than they need to support their favorite artists. The kinds of fans coming to the shows actually pay for tickets and gift them to others.The average income that an artist takes home for a show is $1600-$1700 a show.They are also currently working on matching with hosts or other people who could contribute to making the show great.Some artists would collaborate with emerging artists. Audiences tend to support emerging artists when they soon have their own virtual show.Side Door responds to support requests if they need to have a conversation with the artist and whoever else is involved pre-show to talk about details such as the date of the show, time of the show, etc.They are also transparent about how much an artist would take home after fees and taxes.Anyone can be a promoter for an artist and that person can earn from this. They are also working on suggestions for similar artists or concerts just like what Spotify does. (This feature is not yet live but in design/development.)Online shows do not replace live shows since it's a different kind of experience. It looks like online shows will stay even after live shows are allowed again.Go to sidedooraccess.com and check out their platform.Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com, musiciansprofitpath.com, and sidedooraccess.com

My goal when I started this podcast in 2015 was to help female musicians become an entrepreneur. I did an upgrade to our Income Guide and you can grab that right on the front page of femusician.com. We are celebrating our 200th episode and I have decided to talk about money. I want to talk about the mindset side. I have learned that no matter how many practical things you know, if you have not conquered the mindset side over money, either you lose money easily or you block money from getting to you.I want to talk about Money Blocks - I highly recommend the book, "You are a Badass at Making Money" by Jen Sincero - it's really eye-opening on beliefs we have about money that are keeping us stuck. We have these beliefs about money that we don't realize are actually not facts. I want to bring up some common ones that musicians face and I want you to listen with an open mind and think "Are these things that I might be thinking deep down about money?"MONEY BLOCKS#1: Money doesn't grow on trees. This means that money is a limited resource.Thinking this way makes you hesitant or guilty to sell.Money is just an exchange of value. If others think that what you gave was so valuable that they wanted to give you money, you're taking that experience to support you away from them if you think this way.#2: Money is the root of all evil.Thinking that money only comes to the greedy or thinking that money makes you a bad person.Money just amplifies what you already are.#3: You can't be an artist and make money.Thinking that you only want to help people with what you're doing and not make money from it.Money is just a means to an end. It allows you to put your message further.#4: Money can't buy happiness.Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy you choices. Those choices can bring you happiness and it can make your life better.Probe and think if you have these deep-seated beliefs. Changing my mindset has really allowed me to have abundance and my business has grown. I want to know your thoughts about this touchy subject. I would love to know what you guys think. Find this on our femusician.com/podcast at the top episode and leave a comment. Or you can also leave me a speak pipe at speakpipe.com/femusician. I would love to hear your thoughts on money, music, and abundance.Links mentioned in this episode: femusician.com, femusician.com/podcast, and speakpipe.com/femusician

As part of the Embracing the New Music Economy series I have been doing, my friend, Fiona Flyte, talks about diversifying income on this episode, as well as discuss insights on how she uses content marketing and Youtube as a musician.We have the new and updated income guide, 15 Streams of Income to Tap Right Now. This is centered on all the things you can incorporate especially during this time of the pandemic. Grab it at femusician.com on the front page.Fiona wanted to be a singer since she was a child. When she was 13, her glee club teacher told her that she had a voice that could sing opera. She sang opera and loved musical theater at the same time.She finished liberal arts then studied in the conservatory of music. She took up a young artist program and was also a music teacher. She previously had this notion that she is less of a performer and was not successful if she's not able to earn her full income as an opera singer and that she still has to work as a music teacher. She eventually came to realize that that was not true and she was actually successful during that time -- even popular celebrities are diversifying their incomes too. Back then, she ran a brick and mortar voice studio. She already had this idea that there were many more possibilities online for her career but she was scared of social media and the online world. After she attended the recent Profitable Musician Summit, it became an eye-opener for her. She never gave up her singing and love of musical theater but she now understands that diversifying her income will give her the lifestyle she wants for her family. So now, apart from being a performer, she's also a passionate business coach. She now has a Youtube channel where she creates videos of her as a performer and a business coach. Fiona considers herself a "singerpreneur". For her it means being creative, thinking outside the box, leveraging social media, and diversifying her income. It is considering singing as her business. She enjoys Content Marketing, especially on Youtube. It can also be done from different platforms for like Instagram live or podcasts, etc., depending on where you're comfortable as a musician and where your audience is. Another thing she uses for content is doing cover songs. Especially during this time of the pandemic, it's great to diversify and be able to tap into different aspects of yourself.Fiona has started a Facebook group called "The Profitable Performer" where she discusses growing and leveraging your Instagram bio and understanding how to use Instagram in a way that will help you monetize it. Fiona is passionate about teaching the three M's -- Mindset, Marketing, and Monetization. She believes that we need to uplevel our Mindset and Marketing to increase our Monetization.Link mentioned in this episode: femusician.com

In this episode, I am excited to feature some of my Academy students wherein they share their experiences on how they are becoming proactive in this situation and the results they are getting from it.Being Proactive is producing a result that you can control especially in an uncertain situation. It's important to be a proactive musician and proactive business owner anytime instead of being reactive to things. Being Reactive is going in a reverse direction. This pandemic has already impacted us and the last thing we want is going further in the reverse direction. Examples of Proactive Mentality During this Time:Getting out of our comfort zone and trying new thingsLearning a new skill or improve a skill they already haveExamples of Reactive Mentality During this Time:Completely shutting down when communicating with your fansNot trying to new thingsThinking fans will not come on board if they try a new platformI know that if you are listening to this podcast, you are not that negative kind of musician and I want to give you some inspiration from my students on what they have been doing during this time as well as the results they are getting so far.Cayla Brooke, a singer/songwriter from Vancouver BC Canada as well as a Keynote Concert SpeakerStarted doing online concerts and has created her very first online workshopGained new fans, connected with existing fans and made moneyAdrienne Cat, professional singer for many yearsStarted doing Facebook Live for Senior Care Facilities and FansGained new fans/followers and more senior care facilities got interestedGail Gallagher, a Chicago-based musician with a genre of musical-theater inspired folk-rockStarted performing live once a week and hosting open mic; Also attempting to produce her own album; Starting her singer/songwriter careerConnecting with her musician friends all over the world, Building excellent foundations for her singer/songwriter careerCharleessaGoing live on Facebook and Instagram; Having a virtual tip jar which she linked to her own websiteFans are loving it and she's getting donationsColleen KitchenGoing lives and tutorials not just about music but other things as well; Working on her guitar skills and encourages her husband to learn OBS so she can better live videos of herBeth MatthewFacebook Live Concerts, Creating and Scheduling Facebook Live Events, Sending Emails to her Email ListsEarned income, concerts have received a lot of engagement, getting new fansCarlene ThissenWorking on a New Book, Belong to a Singer/Songwriting Performing Group where they recorded and posted covers of each other songs. She's gotten rave reviews about the 2 songs she covered and got included in a Set List. Signed up for Guitar WorkshopCarol Nicodemi, long time Academy Member living in the heart of the pandemic in New YorkRising up to the challenges of the current situation. Creating and sharing videos and songs from her apartment in Queens, New YorkBringing more engagement and more fans, more honest and self-searching and made herself a better songwriter and singerSteffani Timmerman, an art teacher by trade and preparing to have music as her career after retirementStarted doing more Songwriting classes and Guitar lessonsI hope you have been inspired to be proactive during this time. Go to my free class to know more about the Musician's Profit Path Method that I teach in the Academy. Get more information at musiciansprofitpath.comLink mentioned in this episode: musiciansprofitpath.com

Are you feeling out of control right now? Do you feel that you had your goals and plans and you know everything you have been doing and that suddenly, it's all been turned upside down? A lot of us feel that there is so much in our lives right now that we can't control, especially during the ongoing pandemic where we all have to stay at home. I want to discuss with you tools that will let you know that those situations do not need to dictate how you think, feel, or act in your life.We have recently updated our Income Guide to the new 15 Streams of Income You Can Tap Right Now To Create Sustainable Revenue from Music. Go to femusician.com right on the front page to get the free guide.Brooke Castillo developed the CTFAR coaching model that I will discuss with you. You can listen to her podcast at The Life Coach School Podcast.The CTFAR Model stands for: Circumstances, Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, and Results. Circumstances create Thoughts. Thoughts create Feelings. Feeling creates an Action on your part. That Action, in turn, leads to a certain Result. This model teaches that no matter what the C (Circumstance) is, you have the ability to change things along the way so you can control your Actions and Results.1. Control the way you think.You can train your mind to think differently so you can expect different results.2. Control the way you show up. If you are strong in what your values are, it should not be shaken by the circumstances.3. Control your attention.Focus on matters that are inspiring and uplifting. Take in what you need to but protect your mind and heart.Send us your feedback at bree@femusician.com.Links mentioned in this episode: www.femusician.com

I have a new income guide that fits perfectly into the current situation of the music industry which is called 15 Streams of Income to Tap Right Now to Create Sustainable Revenue for Music. Be sure to go to femusician.com to get it. One of the multiple streams of income I talk about is related to session work that you can get online by having a home studio. My friends Angie and David, the owners of AirGigs, join me in this podcast. Whether you are a vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, or if you specialize in other skills such as arranging or mixing, etc., the AirGigs platform is a user-friendly tool for diversification of income for musicians where you can offer your services remotely. Tips On Maximizing AirGigs to Land Online Session Work1. You can choose to offer various types of services like album artwork, audio editing, creating backing tracks, etc.2. Take into consideration that you need to give more time to communication as compared to in-person bookings.3. Be aware of other expenses (like electricity bill, equipment, maintenance of your gear, taxes) and wrap that into your price. 4. Provide detailed terms for your listing such as, how many revisions are included, how long is the turn-around time for the project, and instructions to the buyer when they order. You can also indicate if pre-communication is important for you before the buyer places their order. It's also good to mention your gear, your equipment, recording interface, etc. 5. You can look at the components of a listing that is doing well and you can determine your own rate/price. Some include video introductions for a more personalized feel. Mention your skills in the video to highlight what you can offer.6. It is important to specify what you specialize in. It could be a particular genre or an equipment you use. Including a sample of what you offer also helps.7. The current biggest sellers on the platform include Vocals, Song Production, Mixing, Base, and Guitar.8. You can also respond and send proposals to individuals posting opportunities with the forum page.Links mentioned in this episode: Grab my new income guide at http://www.femusician.com.