The Successful Singer-Songwriter

This week I'm talking about how taking a series of small steps is key to career success.Why it's important not to bite off more than you can chewThe importance of attainable goalsWhy it's great to build rleationships for the long termHow to plan for the next 6 to 12 monthsPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about how we sometimes sub-conciously sabotage ourselves and let opportunities pass us by. What is self sabotage?Why do we do it?Fear of success/failureHow we can avoid itPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about why it's important to regualrly release music even though you might not be 100% happy with it.  We'll discuss - What do we mean by imperfect?Why release the record?How an audience hears things differently from youWhy it makes you more productivePlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

We're back after a short(ish) break and I'm looking forward to bringing you new weekly podcast episodes. This is a short trailer to let you know what's been going on, what I've been doing and what the podcast will be like from now on.Thanks for sticking with me, it's good to be back!Please head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about mastering.  I'll cover - What mastering isThe history of audio masteringWhy we master differently for streaming platformsTools of the tradeHuman vs online masteringShould you do your own masteringPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm looking ahead to getting back to gigging again and for most of us, not having played live for over a year means we're going to be a little rusty. I talk aobut some things you can do to polish your act. How getting someone to video your set provides a useful tool for spotting areas for improvementWhy it's important to play to the room and choose your set carefullyHow not having a big lyric folder in front of you improves your lookHow knowing how all your gear works is very importantWhy carring a spare of everything is a mustGet to know the venue staff/sound guyPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about simple things you can do in the studio to create a bigger sound. We'll cover - Do you need to make a bigger sound?How double tracking guitars and vocals can make a massive differenceUsing simple backing in your DAWHiring session musicians and where to find themPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I;m talking about simple mistakes to avoid in the home studio environment. I'll cover - Why your recording space is so importantHow it's vital to get the input level rightThe perils of overdoing the effectsHow over thinking can slow things downHow to avoid timing issuesPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm looking at how you can have a better experience in the studio. I'll cover - Why it's important to know what the purpose of the record isMaking sure you're happy with the studio and personnelThe inportance of you being ready and the songs bing readyWhy you need to be realistic about time and budgetPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm joined on the podcast by singer-songwriter Mark Sims. We chat about how Covid has meant big changes not only to how we perform, but how we write songs and go about our careers in general.We discuss - How to apapt your songwriting processThe experiece of livestreamingMark's new EP and the remote recording processWhat the future hopefully holds.Mark Sims on SpotifyPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm chatting about how it's important to create an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) What is an EPK and why do you need one?What you need to includeThe importance of up to date informationWhy your media must look professionalWhat not to includeThe best tools to use for an EPKPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about "cheats" when it comes to recording, and how we can make like easier for ourselves. We'll cover - How huge advances in recording technology have made things easierWhy it's not always necessary to actually play an instrumentHow loops can be so usefulHow approaching recording differently can open you up to new ideas and ways of workingPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about metrics and how to measure your career. I'll cover - Why it's important to get on top of your metricsHow it gives an accurate overview of where you areWhy metrics point you in the right direction for content creationHow to track your numbersWhy different comparisons are usefulThe importantce of not obsessing over numbersPlease support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about how you can use a Street Team together to help promote you as an artist. We'll look at - What does a Street Team actually do ?How many people are involved?Why people will want to help you outHow do you manage your team?Why good communication is everything. Please support the Podcast herePhil McDonald MasteringThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

Something a little different this week as I interview Singer-Songwriter and Author Colin Lever.Colin has just brought out a new book entitled Open-Mic, a humerous fiction book looking at the world of the open-mic, the characters and music that defines the evenings which we've all attended at one point or another. You can order Colin's book here.Open-Mic on AmazonPlease support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about something that effects us all at some point - Burnout.What is it and why does it occur?What are the symptoms?How it's important to take a look at your goals and targetsWhy regular breaks are goodHow slimming down your workload is keyPlease support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

Continuing on from last week's podcast regarding spending less time recording and actually finishing records, this week I'm talking about releasing your songs in a short space of time with no big lead up to release day. Done correctly, this can still be a successful approach.I cover -Why it's important to release on a Friday if you canMaking a point about telling the whole storyWhy a small amount of money spent on Facebook ads can work wondersIn the absence of a launch gig, how a livestream can really helpGetting friends and family to share and promote. Please support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

This week I'm talking about recording and how much time we spend consumed by it. We'll discuss - How recording used to be a much faster processWhy technological advances have slowed the process downWhy home recording can make you even slowerChallenge - record and mix a single in a dayPlease support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

Social media plays a massive part in our lives. Not a day goes by for most of us without looking at least one social media platform and it's a great set of tools for musicians.  This week I'm talking about - Why is it so important?The worry about follower numbersWhy "fake" followers won't do you any goodWhy having a smaller but more dedicated fan base is bestHow to get more genuine, engaged followersPlease support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.

In this week's podcast I'm talking about collaborating with other musicians. We'll discuss - Why it's good to collaborateHow it can promote creativityWhy collaborating with others is good for accountabilityThe positives of meeting new peopleHow to find opportunities to collaborate.Please support the Podcast hereThe Successful Singer-SongwriterFacebook CommunityRight There RecordingPlease head over to Phil McDonald Mastering if you'd like a free, no obligation test master of one of your songs. If you'd like to support the podcast you can  Buy me a Coffee here.Thanks so much for your support.