Podcast

A conversation with Phil Egenthal, a booking agent at MINT Talent Group, which is a brand new boutique agency formed in 2020. Phil has also previously worked as an agent at both Paradigm and Madison House.

During our talk, Phil breaks down how the role of booking agent has evolved over the years, shares advice for artists who are looking to add an agent to their team, and he details what agents are looking for when considering bringing on a new client. He’ll also touch on how you can be your own booking agent (although we didn’t frame the question exactly that way; the advice is still worth heeding).

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A conversation with Dan Koplowitz, who owns music sync firm Friendly Fire Licensing. He is a former label owner that now does sync licensing exclusively. Whether it is for commercials, blockbuster movies, arthouse films, or an array of online content — music supervisors reach out to him to find the perfect music for their projects.

In our talk, we discuss why this is a fantastic time to be looking for syncs, as there are more opportunities than ever before with all of the content being made. He also gives advice on how you can get pitched and the format your music needs to be in for you to be taken seriously.

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This week we’re talking with Reed Watson, a founding partner at Single Lock Records. Single Lock has released a litany of successful projects from the likes of Lera Lynn, Nicole Atkins, Erin Rae, Penny & Sparrow, Cedric Burnside, and many more. 

Reed walks us through what a label release plan looks like, answers that ever-pressing question of “how do I get signed?”, and offers his advice to artists looking to take the next steps in their career. 

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A conversation with Brandon Kinder, a musician who’s been putting out records for over a decade with his band The Rocketboys and his solo project The Wealthy West. He’s landed placements in dozens of commercials, films, and television shows, including Glee, Private Practice, One Tree Hill. Vampire Diaries, Teen Mom, Intervention, Elementary, and commercials for Chase Bank and Friskies.

Since we’ve spoken to a sync agent and a music supervisor, we thought we would round out the trilogy with a musician’s side of getting music placements.

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A conversation with David Barbe, Director of the Music Business program at the University of Georgia. 

David’s career in the music business spans over 40 years, ranging from time as a touring bassist in Bob Mould’s band Sugar, running a studio in Athens, GA (where he’s worked with Drive-by Truckers, Deerhunter, and more), and ultimately landing in his current role as a professor. He knows the ins and outs of the music business as well as anyone, and, well, it’s literally his job to educate people on it. While our conversation touches a lot on studio work / audio production, he gives us advice that is applicable in almost any facet of the music business.

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A conversation with Justin Osborne, who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of Charleston, SC band SUSTO. Justin is going to discuss what worked — and what DIDN’T work — as the band progressed from “total DIY” regional success all the way to present day touring Europe regularly and a legitimate record deal with Rounder Records. 

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