how to make a full-time living from calm guitar music | a slower tempo

in this episode of the guitarwavers podcast, i talk with UK guitarist and producer billy-joe—better known as a slower tempo — about what it really takes to make a living from calm instrumental music. we dive into how he turned a period of anxiety into a full-time music career, how playlists became his quiet superpower, and why success on Spotify still comes down to patience, persistence, and genuine connection.we also explore:how playlists evolved into the “new radio” for instrumental artistswhy he believes everyone can build a sustainable music career without bots or hypecreative burnout and rediscovering joy through new guitars, alternate tunings, and curiositykeeping the algorithm out of the writing room—and the heart inside the musicsimple production setups that prove taste beats gear every timeand, as always, we close with an intimate live guitar performance from billy-joe.⁠join the guitarwavers community here⁠ — a calm space for instrumental guitar artists to share knowledge and grow together.relaxed energy 🦦timestamps00:00 introduction and belief in music00:22 meet billy-joe clark01:14 creative process and self-promotion02:04 journey into instrumental music03:27 first track and finding a niche06:08 full-time musician journey06:57 marketing and promotion strategies15:24 playlist strategy and challenges30:30 balancing multiple projects39:50 navigating the uncertainty of algorithm changes40:01 seasonal drops in music streaming40:50 the power of building relationships with playlist curators42:39 modern classical release promotion strategies45:39 balancing creativity and algorithmic considerations53:13 the excitement of new instruments in the creative process01:01:24 managing multiple music projects and genres01:15:36 guitar recording techniques01:17:02 streaming and audience interaction01:18:21 live streaming experiences01:19:18 les paul setup and microphone choices01:22:28 writing and recording process01:30:57 post-production insights01:39:17 final thoughts and inspirationsreferenced linksA Slower TempoBilly Joe (acoustic project)Pop-punk band Look What Happened The Riff Yard Podcast with Billy-JoeLance Allen (Billy's instrumental guitar inspiration)Playlist analysis tools: artist.tools | SubmitHub Playlist CheckerFree plugins mentioned:Polyverse WiderTAL Reverb-4iZotope Neoverb