Ep. 99: After the Viral Hit. How Joshua Schmidt Built a Sustainable Music Career

What happens after your band gets the breakout moment every artist is chasing?For Joshua Schmidt, Step Rockets’ “Kisser” went viral in 2013, eventually racking up more than 14 million streams and bringing label interest, national touring, major festivals, and opportunities to open for artists like Bon Jovi and Blondie. But the bigger story might be what Josh built after that initial wave of momentum.Today, his career stretches across solo and corporate gigs, sync licensing, songwriting, production, his Americana project Cryote, and audio and podcast work outside the traditional music industry. Instead of relying on one project to make everything work, Josh has spent years piecing together a sustainable career from a lot of different skills.We get into:What happened when “Kisser” suddenly went viral and record labels started callingWhy Step Rockets walked away from bad deals and kept ownership of their musicHow Josh built a solo gigging business, including corporate and private eventsThe professionalism, networking, and massive repertoire it takes to get called backWhat musicians should understand about sync licensing, briefs, volume, and the impact of AIWhy Cryote gave Josh a completely different creative outlet and how alternate versions can extend the life of a releaseWe also talk about brutal showcases, strange gigs, self-awareness, music school, home recording, knowing when a song isn’t ready, and why being willing to pivot may be one of the most important skills a working musician can develop.Josh’s career is a good reminder that making music work rarely looks like one clean upward trajectory. Sometimes the better strategy is building enough skills, relationships, and income streams that you can keep making music long after the initial hype disappears.Episode Links and Mentions🌐 Night Moves🌐 The Bash🌐 GigSalad🌐 Ultimate GuitarConnect with the Guest:🔗 Cryote🔗 Step Rockets🔗 Joshua J Schmidt -Website🔗 Instagram🔗 Joshua Schmidt Instagram🔗 Cryote🔗 Step RocketsFeatured Song:“Wide Eyed” by Cryote🎧 Listen on Spotify👀 Watch on YouTubeGet new episodes by email: Join the Secrets From The Scene newsletter.Secrets From The Scene is made by Helvig Productions, a Twin Cities recording studio for artists and bands.