Take Control Of Your Music Career—Ryan Kairalla (Ep 129)

Ryan Kairalla is an artist advocate, entertainment lawyer and host of the Break The Business Podcast. He leverages his background in law, business, education, and entertainment to enhance the careers independent music artists–and to pursue big ideas. With his network of partners, collaborators, mentors, and friends, Ryan brings people together to share helpful advice with music artists, content creators, and more. We talk about his book, Break the Business: Declaring Your Independence and Achieving True Success in the Music Industry,which includes chapters on why you don't want a record label, moving beyond the record label model and the sectors of your indie music empire. Ryan shares his thoughts on the shifts in the music industry and how indie artists can capitalize on them to propel their careers forward. Episode Highlights We start by talking about Ryan's experience in music contracts and how that shifted his focus to supporting indie artists. We go on to discuss: The ideal starting point for an indie musician Taking advantage of live streaming to build fan engagement Why musicians should get into podcasting (and how to do it) Performance Rights Organizations and how they work The value of acting or public speaking for musicians Key Points Everything you want to learn you can find for free or by asking for help. Build a genuine connection with your fans. Be consistent both online and in person. Quotable "I have yet to read a record deal that I would advise a client to sign." —Ryan Kairalla "Podcasting offers content networking - building relationships with people in your industry by creating content that involves them." —Ryan Kairalla "The music industry is shifting so much that musicians today are essentially influencers that happy to know how to carry a tune and play an Instagram. All the tools that an influencer uses - that's what you need as an artist." —Ryan Kairalla