Everyone musician needs a rotation of podcasts. It might be hard to believe, but there’s more to making music than “making music.” Not only do we need to write the lyrics, send the lyrics, record the vocals, produce the track, mix the track and maybe even master the track. Then we need to market it and release it.
In the midst of all that work, we still need to make time to live our lives. And when you get back from a long day at the studio, the last thing you want to do is listen to music. (At least, that’s how we feel.)
But silence can be a little too deafening. And it’s nice to still feel productive when you’re relaxing. What’s the answer? You guessed it: musician podcasts.
To give you some listening options, our Content Lead Fabio shares some of his favorite musician podcasts, specifically those around creativity, marketing, and mental health.
1. Creative Juice
We love this podcast from Indeprenuer because it’s very marketing focused. The hosts do a great job covering a lot of practical information about how musicians can market themselves on different platforms.
Creative Juice is also a great source for branding and unconventional strategy ideas. Definitely listen to these guys if you need some out-of-the-box ideas for your next release or if you’re just getting started with your marketing.
2. Popcast
Produced by the New York Times, Popcast explores pop music, trends, and culture. It’s hosted by the very charismatic Jon Caramonica who brings equal parts criticism, cynicism, and curiosity to the show.
We love their deep dives into the stories behind chart topping songs. These shows offer a rich combination of cultural insights and music analysis.
3. Tape Notes
If you’re a musician, you really need to be listening to this podcast. Tape Notes is hosted by John Kennedy, who sits down with established artists and talks through their creative process. In particular, John explores the journey from where an artist started and where they are now.
During the show, artists often pull up some of their tracks and talk through the technical process they use to sculpt their sound. As they break down their tracks, they also discuss different plugins, which can be very useful if you want an in-depth look at how these artists set up their workflow.
When it comes to musician podcasts, Tape Notes is top tier.
4. How I Built This
How I Built This is not focused on music. Instead, Guy Raz interviews some of the top entrepreneurs in the world—like the people who built Starbucks or Airbnb. If you’re finding your journey or career with music tough, this is a great podcast for you.
As you listen to the episodes, you’ll be surprised at just how difficult it was for entrepreneurs and innovators to get to where they are today. These conversations can serve as a reminder that to get to where you want to be, you gotta make it through some 💩sometimes.
Guy Raz really focuses on the challenges these individuals had to overcome, and we find their stories inspiring.
5. Hanging Out With Audiophiles
In Hanging Out With Audiophiles, Jamie Lidell dives deep into the world of audio. He usually begins each episode by explaining a piece of equipment in his studio and showing how he uses it. The shows are filled with little soundbites that really pull the listener in before the Lidell turns to a conversation with a guest or goes into more detail on a particular topic.
Lindell’s descriptions of sounds and sonics is somewhat poetic, but never in a pretentious way. He’s eloquent without being over the top, and we love it.
6. Couch Wisdom
Couch Wisdom is a production of the Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) which sets up studios around the world and interviews the créme de la créme of artists, producers, and engineers. Young, upcoming artists can join the interviews and sit in with some of the best minds in music.
Unfortunately, Couch Wisdom only ran for one season, but the knowledge shared by titans of the music industry in that collection of episodes is well worth your time. We especially like the episode with Q Tip about the history of hip hop. In the pantheon of musician podcasts, Couch Wisdom is legendary.
7. Huberman Lab
Physical and mental health are fundamental to the life of a music producer. The industry isn’t always kind, so keeping yourself in a good state of mind can make a huge difference to your perspective and happiness.
One of our favorite podcasts in this genre is Huberman Lab by Dr. Andrew Huberman. This show dives into all kinds of mindfulness topics, like how to be more efficient in the gym, how to deal with trauma, or why saunas are so damn good for you.
The show manages to be incredibly informative and very relaxing. Throughout it all, Dr. Huberman is never condescending and explains everything in a way that lay people can understand and utilize.
8. Gary Vee Audio Experience
Look, we know some of you are going to hate this pick. And we’ll admit, the period of time when Gary was only pushing hustle culture was a little too toxic for us. But more recently it seems Gary has changed his tune and evolved his perspective. The approach is a lot more compassionate these days.
If you don’t know Gary Vee, he’s an enthusiastic (and perhaps eccentric) entrepreneur out of New York City who’s prone to monologuing. Having said that, he’s a very successful marketer, and his podcast is filled with nuggets of wisdom, particularly when it comes to social media.
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Just like our mood dictates the kind of music we listen to, the way we’re feeling can also influence what kind of podcasts we want to play. We chose eight different shows because there’s always something new to learn, and you need variety to match your taste on any given day.
What great podcasts did we leave out? Head over to YouTube and let us know in the comments.
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