The Neue.Indie Podcast

Fifteen episodes in, Deraj and Frank Bentley go head-to-head on the question the name of this show seems to answer for them: are record labels actually necessary anymore? Wiz Khalifa just announced he's leaving the independent route to go back to a label because he's tired of being his own manager, email writer, and money-mover — and that one decision opens up a much bigger conversation about the taboo around "signing," what the right deal would actually have to look like, and why treating it as indie-versus-label is the wrong frame entirely. From there they get into the part nobody advertises: the real bill that comes with being independent. Owning your masters means nothing if you don't know how to exploit them. 100% of zero is still zero. Deraj breaks down how he's built a "walking label" around his own catalog — distributor, publisher, music attorney, the whole machine — and why he's a unicorn, not the blueprint for every artist. Frank's takeaway is simple: stop trying to be a full-time label and start renting label functions one at a time. Then the news rounds — Dr. Dre and the legacy producers lining up behind AI (and why that sits wrong when their careers weren't built on it), Nvidia's DLSS 5 making GTA 6 look photoreal, Higgsfield copying a $75,000 camera move for twenty bucks a month, Eric Campbell on why flooding the market is how you actually land sync placements, and AMC opening its theaters to independent filmmakers — all circling the same theme: the new indie economy is handing creators in every medium a direct path to their audience. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Fifteen episodes deep and still putting points on the board 8:36 Building a whole company OS with AI — and flying with a baby for the first time 14:05 If your superhero name came from your biggest fear, what would it be 19:29 Are labels even necessary anymore, or is the indie-vs-label war over 30:06 Everything comes with a cost: the freedom an advance quietly takes 31:02 Why owning your masters is worthless if you can't exploit them 36:46 The unsexy bill that comes with being a truly independent artist 42:34 Apple, Samsung and the Drake OVO deal: renting what you can't build 49:44 Stop treating it as indie vs label — rent the functions one at a time 52:37 Dr. Dre joins the AI cheerleading squad and it rubs Frank the wrong way 1:04:06 DLSS 5: Nvidia's AI turns GTA 6 into something that looks real 1:09:09 Higgsfield can copy a $75,000 camera move for twenty bucks a month 1:19:00 Flooding the market: why quantity is how you actually land placements 1:27:12 AMC opens its theaters to indie films — what it means for artists 1:39:51 Wrapping up --- Resources Mentioned - Claude — the AI Deraj used to rebuild his company's project management system and to pressure-test contracts before sending them to an attorney - ClickUp — the project management tool the team outgrew - Higgsfield ("Gen Jutsu") — AI video tool that recreates a reference clip's camera moves and style frame-for-frame - Nvidia DLSS 5 — AI upscaling that re-lights and re-textures games like GTA 6 toward photorealism - Artlist — platform Frank credits for broader reach on his music - Eric Campbell — sync licensing perspective on flooding the market for consistent placements - The New Other — managers' playbook podcast Deraj references for higher-level label knowledge (Lecrae) --- #NeueIndie #IndependentArtist #MusicBusiness #RecordLabels #SyncLicensing #AIMusic

Talent is the entry fee, not the win. On Episode 14, Deraj and Frank Bentley dig into why so many genuinely gifted artists never break through, and what actually separates the ones who do. The short version: talent gets you in the room, but understanding the business, telling your specific story, and pouring real value back into fans and music supervisors is what keeps you there. Before the main topic they run the news: Sony and Warner Chappell suing Anthropic (Claude) over scraped lyrics, the Christian metal band Demon Hunter taking Netflix to court over "KPop Demon Hunters," Instagram quietly bringing long-form video and playlisting back, and the GTA VI leak wave that knocked $2.8 billion off Take-Two's market value right before the trailer dropped. They close on a sync-licensing lesson pulled from Swae Lee's Sunflower confession and why clean lyrics still matter if you want placements. It is two hosts, no guest, and a lot of practical game for independent artists who are tired of hearing "just make good music." 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Getting the stream set up (and backwards on the layout) 3:57 Welcome back: birthday recovery, Michelin dinners, and best food in Orlando 7:02 Rundown of everything on the docket today 11:41 Heat Check: Tom Hardy dropped a rap album, and the actors-turned-rappers list gets out of hand 22:33 Sony and Warner sue Anthropic: can an AI legally spit your lyrics back verbatim? 32:12 Christian metal band Demon Hunter sues Netflix over "KPop Demon Hunters" 43:05 Instagram goes long-form again: is IGTV back to fight YouTube? 59:02 GTA VI leaks erase $2.8 billion, then the trailer changes everything 1:12:47 Main topic: why most talented artists never break through 1:19:03 Talent gets you in the room, value keeps you there 1:24:38 What "adding value" actually means for fans vs. music supervisors 1:35:39 Getting fans off-platform and into your world for ten dollars a month 1:44:49 Sync news: how much do lyrics really matter (the Swae Lee / Sunflower lesson) 1:52:04 If you made it this far, drop a comment --- Resources Mentioned - Automated comment-to-DM tool (referenced as an "instant DM" app, ~$10/month) — for auto-sending fans a link when they comment a keyword - Google Forms — free way to capture fan name, email, and phone number - Zoom — free way to host listening sessions and fan calls - Instagram Broadcast Channels — free direct line to your audience - rep.indie community → http://repindie.club/ --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #SyncLicensing #ArtistDevelopment

What does it look like to build a full career in music — as a songwriter, producer, manager, entrepreneur — without ever signing a publishing deal, record deal, or anything else? That's Wes Writer's life for the last 10 years. Grammy on the shelf. Full independence on the table. And at 3:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, he's not at a job. For the first time ever, Deraj and Frank bring a guest to The Neue.Indie Podcast. Wes Writer (Wes Ryder) is a songwriter first — but also a producer, A&R, manager, and serial builder. His work spans Christian hip hop and the mainstream, from writing a hook that did 150 million streams on YouTube (for $400) to landing a Grammy for his work on LeCrae's Church Clothes 4. He manages KB, one of the most successful independent Christian artists working today. He's the top-rated songwriter on SoundBetter, has run national ad campaigns for Oreo, Papa John's, and KFC, and has worked writers' camps with Sony — all without ever signing anything. In this episode, they get into the full story: the Matty B work-for-hire lesson, the Fruity Loops origin, what it actually means to "be number two," why relational plays matter more than upfront money, and the calculated risk he took when he quit his corporate job two years into his marriage with a three-month-old at home. Plus — why he thinks 10 years of freedom is a bigger flex than the Grammy. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 First guest ever on the pod 2:38 Who is Wes Writer? 5:46 "I'm a storyteller" — what Wes actually does 10:01 The Matty B story — writing a hook that hit 150M streams for $400 13:36 What work for hire actually costs you (and why he doesn't regret it) 16:35 Relational plays are worth more than upfront money 20:38 How a cracked version of Fruity Loops started everything 24:52 The $5,000 beat that changed his life at 17 28:15 How he realized you can make money in music without being the artist 32:01 "Don't feel like you failed because the primary dream isn't working" 33:27 The best advice he ever got: learn to be number two 38:01 How Wes built a 3-year relationship before KB ever recorded one of his songs 40:24 Why Snoop Dogg almost signed him — and why it falling through was fine 46:59 Risk-taking is a muscle. You have to build it. 49:48 He quit his job two years into his marriage with a 3-month-old at home 50:35 Rich Dad Poor Dad and the "on the other side of risk is freedom" chapter 52:02 The church studio built from scratch — 7pm to 10pm every night 55:03 Calculated risk vs. reckless risk — why he waited a year before quitting 56:01 "We glamorize foolishness" — the real math on quitting your job 57:00 What T-Mobile taught Frank that most creatives never learn 58:23 Deraj story time: the movie theater incident 1:01:27 Why musicians who've never worked real jobs are harder to work with 1:04:44 The unnamed Christian artist who will always stay stuck because of his attitude 1:06:13 "There are 100 other talented people — what separates you?" 1:07:56 Stop thinking about what value you can extract. Bring value instead. 1:08:52 The Cox accelerator story and the moment that changed everything 1:13:43 The Grammy — what it did and didn't change 1:15:01 "10 years not working a job is a bigger flex than the Grammy" 1:15:31 You get to define your own metrics of success 1:17:26 What does it mean to be the Neue Indie? 1:19:18 We Are the Good: be good, do good, live good 1:20:15 The moment Wes realized Deraj had become the king of sync 1:21:27 Outro --- Resources Mentioned - SoundBetter — https://soundbetter.com (platform where Wes built his songwriting career and got his mainstream reps) - Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki — referenced in the risk-taking conversation --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #Songwriter #IndependentArtist

## YouTube Description *(Use for YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and any platform that supports long-form descriptions.)* --- Writer's block isn't a creative problem — it's a honesty problem. In Episode 12, Deraj and Frank break down why creative ruts happen, what artists like LeCrae, LaRussell, and Russ have said about getting out of them, and why the most common advice (just push through) is actually making it worse. The real unlock? Collaboration, observation, and the willingness to write the thing you're scared to write. They also get into the BMG and Suno AI licensing deal and what it really means for independent artists who still remember when streaming was supposed to be the future. The math on AI royalties is wild — if streaming pays fractions of a penny per play, what do you think a fraction of a fraction of your song is worth? The conversation around opt-in AI licensing is still new, but the historical parallel to how labels opted everyone into streaming rates is one you need to hear before you make a decision about your catalog. Plus: the best actors debate (Denzel vs. Will Smith vs. Jamie Foxx — no wrong answers, some very wrong takes), Spider-Man's $2.3B box office and what it means when great art actually breaks through, YouTube's new view counting policy and why it's going to make vanity metrics worse before they get better, and AI hardware shortages that are going to make your next console cost $3,000. --- ## Chapters 0:00 Welcome — The Neue Indie Podcast, Episode 12 0:38 Updates — album mode, birthday week, content automation 11:00 How to build your own social media posting system with AI (free) 13:10 Wildcard: Best Actors Debate — Denzel, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio 29:12 Main Topic: Creative Ruts — How to Stay Inspired When the Ideas Dry Up 30:42 LeCrae on writer's block: you're not uninspired, you're scared to be honest 36:30 LaRussell controversy — when radical honesty in music costs you your career 44:30 The fitted sheet metaphor — finding inspiration in everyday frustrations 46:35 Russ on observation: the best writers turn small moments into timeless songs 48:30 Collaboration is the cheat code for creative ruts (and why it actually works) 49:42 Film & Entertainment: Spider-Man breaks $2.3B — what great art breaking through looks like 56:20 YouTube's new view counting policy and why vanity metrics are about to get worse 1:07:38 Gaming: AI is making consoles unaffordable — RAM went from $80 to $500 in one year 1:13:06 Sync: BMG signs Suno AI for 3M+ songs — step in the right direction or sellout? 1:26:00 Sampling history and why Cisco lost the biggest check from Thong Song 1:31:09 Takeaways — how to un-rut the rut --- ## Connect Subscribe to The Neue Indie Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Follow @neueindiemusic on Instagram for clips, reels, and episode drops. #NewIndieArtist #IndieMusic #MusicPodcast #CreativeRuts #WritersBlock #AIMusic #BMGSuno #IndependentArtist #MusicBusiness #NewEpisode #TheNeueIndiePodcast

Strip away the money, the followers, and the fame — would you still make music? That's the question Deraj and Frank sit with in Episode 11, and the honest answer might surprise you. Both hosts get real about when music started feeling like a job, whether getting paid changed their relationship to the craft, and what it actually means to chase your purpose instead of someone else's definition of success. Deraj shares the "bamboo tree vs. oak tree" analogy that puts the whole conversation in perspective. The episode also covers the real numbers behind the music industry (it's not dying — it's evolving), breaks down the buzz around Rockstar's GTA 6 music licensing deals, reacts to the Children of Blood and Bone trailer (think: Black Panther vibes with a new cast), and gets into Japan's wild drone backpack that cuts 75% of your body weight. Plus the Heat Check: albums with zero skips. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Pre-show & Spain Trip Recap 11:18 Welcome to the Neue Indie — Episode 11 13:00 Life Check-In: Frank's 2-Year-Old & Deraj's Album Rollout 16:35 What's on the Agenda 23:15 Heat Check: 10 Out of 10 No-Skip Albums 32:46 Music Business News: Is the Music Industry Dead? 41:55 Film & Entertainment: Children of Blood and Bone Trailer 48:55 Culture & Tech: Japan's Drone Backpack 56:05 Gaming News: T-Pain, GTA 6 & Music Licensing History 1:09:30 Main Topic: Would You Still Make Music If You Weren't Being Paid? 1:28:00 The Figure Skater Story & Big Magic 1:34:00 Not Everybody's Gonna Make It — The Hard Truth 1:40:00 The Bamboo Tree vs. The Oak Tree 1:44:40 Outro & Final Thoughts --- Resources Mentioned - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert — the figure skater story about giving yourself permission to create without monetizing - rep.indie community → http://repindie.club/ --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #IndependentArtist #SyncLicensing

Episode 10 of The Neue.Indie Podcast gets into a conversation that every independent artist needs to hear. Spotify pays you pennies, the algorithm feels rigged, and the industry seems stacked against you — and you're not wrong. But none of that is your next move. Deraj and Frank Bentley break down why being right about how unfair the music business is won't change a single thing about your career, and what actually will. They cover the $17M Apple Music streaming fraud exposé (85% AI-generated), the AI models from Meta and OpenAI that literally slipped containment during security tests, why a music platform that gave artists 100% of sales still shut down, and what indie artists actually need to build — a community they own instead of followers they're renting. Plus a heated Watch, Save, Burn debate about superhero movies that almost got personal, and the GTA VI/Netflix announcement that has the gaming world losing their minds. This one's real, practical, and occasionally hilarious. Episode 10, let's go. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Pre-show: Spider-Man, the Backrooms & Frank's Spider-Man household 7:22 Welcome to episode 10 — how comfortable are the hosts getting? 9:46 Topic preview: the algorithm, Apple fraud, AI gone rogue, GTA on Netflix 15:28 How you feeling? Deraj's week: canceled ACL surgery, project overload & mental health 22:52 Heat Check: Watch, Save, Burn — Spider-Man 2 vs The Dark Knight vs Iron Man 29:02 Music Biz: Apple Music flagged 2 billion fraudulent streams ($17M, 85% AI) 38:02 Culture & Tech: Meta and OpenAI's AI models slipped containment and rewrote systems 44:27 AI in fast food, remote surgery & will AI become as essential as the internet? 50:09 Main Topic: The algorithm doesn't owe you anything — how indie artists should actually think 1:00:36 Nina Protocol shut down after giving artists 100% revenue — what it proves 1:07:16 Hard truths: are artists lazy or just misled? 1:09:22 How Deraj built 15K emails without leaning on social media 1:19:43 Building a career without social media — owning your community vs renting followers 1:21:50 Chase your purpose first — the algorithm cannot stop you 1:26:30 Gaming: GTA VI gameplay trailer coming to Netflix only — this game is different 1:37:49 Wrap up — skipping Black Panther & Sync Licensing, back next week --- Resources Mentioned - DeMiSA (independent music news): https://www.instagram.com/demisa/ - rep.indie community: http://repindie.club/ - Nina Protocol (shut down) — web3 music platform with 100% artist revenue - LeCrae on The Manager's Playbook podcast - Cato on a Track's post about the Nina Protocol shutdown - Clint (producer community for TV/film music placements) --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #IndieHipHop #MusicIndustry

--- Mental health in the music industry is one of the most important conversations nobody is having — until now. In Episode 8 of The Neue.Indie Podcast, we start with the Heat Check: a Christian rapper named Datin just dropped a 10-minute diss track against an online critic — and the debate about whether a faith-based artist can go there is real. Then we cover music business news (the RIAA and Grammys pushing for mandatory AI labeling on streaming platforms), react to the Doomsday trailer (Robert Downey Jr. is back as a Marvel villain), and get into whether AI data centers are quietly draining the world's water supply — at a rate of one bottle of water per 3 ChatGPT prompts. Then we go deep on the main topic: mental health in the music industry. 73% of independent musicians report experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression tied to their work. For artists between 18 and 25, that number is 80%. And yet, the industry still glamorizes the grind, treats burnout like a badge of honor, and expects artists to suffer in silence. We talked about all of it — hustle culture's grip on creative people, the silence stigma in hip-hop, why Kendrick made therapy mainstream, whether faith can be your therapist, personal stories about suicidal ideation, what happens when your whole identity is tied to your music career, and the affirmations every indie artist should be reading before the next bad month hits. This is the most personal episode we've recorded. We hope it reaches the artist who needs it. --- ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Pre-show 2:21 Welcome to the Neue.Indie Podcast 3:46 This week's topics 8:08 Heat Check: Christian Rap Beef — Datin vs. Talib Kweli 25:31 Music Business News: RIAA & Grammys Push AI Labeling 33:14 Doomsday Trailer Reaction (RDJ as a Marvel Villain) 44:58 AI Is Stealing Our Water 54:48 Main Topic: Mental Health in the Music Industry 57:17 Casey Carlroy's Vulnerable Moment 1:01:13 The Stats: 73% of Indie Musicians Face Anxiety/Depression 1:03:31 The Silence Stigma — Especially in Hip-Hop 1:04:06 Kendrick Made Therapy Cool 1:04:56 Frank Admits He's Never Been to Therapy 1:05:52 Caribbean Culture and the Weakness Stigma 1:06:03 Deraj's Therapy Journey (BetterHelp & Beyond) 1:08:52 "We Just Need to Be Heard Without Judgment" 1:10:39 Faith vs. Secular Therapy — The Debate 1:14:07 The Best Art Comes from Depression? 1:14:41 "If I Didn't Wake Up Tomorrow, I'd Kind of Be Alright" 1:16:04 Frank: My Whole Identity Is Tied to My Music Career 1:17:44 Redefining What Success Looks Like 1:19:54 God, Show Me Where to Cast My Nets 1:22:10 "We Promoted Our Show and 10 People Showed Up" 1:23:03 Stop Comparing Your Day 300 to Their Day 3000 1:24:46 La Russell — What Happened When He Tried to Say Something Real 1:26:20 Show Me Your 5 Closest Friends 1:27:26 Your Gift Blesses You First 1:28:50 Vulnerability Builds Community 1:30:03 Mental Health Affirmations for Artists 1:32:27 Outro --- 🎙 HOSTED BY Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Website → http://repindie.club/ 🎯 JOIN REP.INDIE The community for independent artists who are serious about their career. http://repindie.club/ 📬 GOT A WIN, QUESTION, OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MentalHealthInMusic #MusicCareer #IndependentMusic #PodcastForArtists #MusicIndustry #ArtistMentalHealth #Burnout #Therapy #ChristianRap #RIAA #AIMusic #Marvel #Doomsday #IndieArtistLife

# EP008 — YouTube Description --- Mental health in the music industry is one of the most important conversations nobody is having — until now. In Episode 8 of The Neue.Indie Podcast, we start with the Heat Check: a Christian rapper named Datin just dropped a 10-minute diss track against an online critic — and the debate about whether a faith-based artist can go there is real. Then we cover music business news (the RIAA and Grammys pushing for mandatory AI labeling on streaming platforms), react to the Doomsday trailer (Robert Downey Jr. is back as a Marvel villain), and get into whether AI data centers are quietly draining the world's water supply — at a rate of one bottle of water per 3 ChatGPT prompts. Then we go deep on the main topic: mental health in the music industry. 73% of independent musicians report experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression tied to their work. For artists between 18 and 25, that number is 80%. And yet, the industry still glamorizes the grind, treats burnout like a badge of honor, and expects artists to suffer in silence. We talked about all of it — hustle culture's grip on creative people, the silence stigma in hip-hop, why Kendrick made therapy mainstream, whether faith can be your therapist, personal stories about suicidal ideation, what happens when your whole identity is tied to your music career, and the affirmations every indie artist should be reading before the next bad month hits. This is the most personal episode we've recorded. We hope it reaches the artist who needs it. --- ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Pre-show 2:21 Welcome to the Neue.Indie Podcast 3:46 This week's topics 8:08 Heat Check: Christian Rap Beef — Datin vs. Talib Kweli 25:31 Music Business News: RIAA & Grammys Push AI Labeling 33:14 Doomsday Trailer Reaction (RDJ as a Marvel Villain) 44:58 AI Is Stealing Our Water 54:48 Main Topic: Mental Health in the Music Industry 57:17 Casey Carlroy's Vulnerable Moment 1:01:13 The Stats: 73% of Indie Musicians Face Anxiety/Depression 1:03:31 The Silence Stigma — Especially in Hip-Hop 1:04:06 Kendrick Made Therapy Cool 1:04:56 Frank Admits He's Never Been to Therapy 1:05:52 Caribbean Culture and the Weakness Stigma 1:06:03 Deraj's Therapy Journey (BetterHelp & Beyond) 1:08:52 "We Just Need to Be Heard Without Judgment" 1:10:39 Faith vs. Secular Therapy — The Debate 1:14:07 The Best Art Comes from Depression? 1:14:41 "If I Didn't Wake Up Tomorrow, I'd Kind of Be Alright" 1:16:04 Frank: My Whole Identity Is Tied to My Music Career 1:17:44 Redefining What Success Looks Like 1:19:54 God, Show Me Where to Cast My Nets 1:22:10 "We Promoted Our Show and 10 People Showed Up" 1:23:03 Stop Comparing Your Day 300 to Their Day 3000 1:24:46 La Russell — What Happened When He Tried to Say Something Real 1:26:20 Show Me Your 5 Closest Friends 1:27:26 Your Gift Blesses You First 1:28:50 Vulnerability Builds Community 1:30:03 Mental Health Affirmations for Artists 1:32:27 Outro --- 🎙 HOSTED BY Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Website → http://repindie.club/ 🎯 JOIN REP.INDIE The community for independent artists who are serious about their career. http://repindie.club/ 📬 GOT A WIN, QUESTION, OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MentalHealthInMusic #MusicCareer #IndependentMusic #PodcastForArtists #MusicIndustry #ArtistMentalHealth #Burnout #Therapy #ChristianRap #RIAA #AIMusic #Marvel #Doomsday #IndieArtistLife

# EP007 — YouTube Description --- ## Body Copy This is an honest conversation about being married as an independent artist. Deraj and Frank Bentley — both married over a decade, both active indie artists — sit down and talk through how marriage actually affects a music career. Not as a warning, but as the truth: a marriage you steward well becomes one of the greatest sources of support, belief, and stability an artist can have. Left unstewarded, it's the thing that can quietly derail everything you're building. They get into what that looks like in practice: the expectations you have to set early, the monthly "marriage eval" tool that's been a game-changer, the moment Deraj's wife believed in him before he believed in himself, and the promise he made before the ring was ever on the table. DistroKid just got acquired by CVC Capital Partners for roughly $2 billion — built on $20/year from indie artists. That story becomes a jumping-off point for a deeper conversation about audience ownership, the Tyler Perry model of building direct-to-fan leverage, and why the indie artist who controls their own email list will always have more power than the one who doesn't. Plus: the AI music debate is shifting. The question is no longer whether it sounds real — it's whether it can be trusted. Deraj and Frank get into it, including Deraj's honest admission that even he's added AI songs to his playlist, and the weird internal shift that happens when you find out. Sync is a $650 million global market, it's grown four years straight, and bad metadata is still killing 30% of deals. All that, plus a Wild Card debate that got heated: Bad Boys or Rush Hour? --- ## Hosts & Links 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- ## Chapters 00:00 Intro — Deraj in Nashville, running ads, episode preview 07:30 Wild Card — Bad Boys vs Rush Hour (the debate gets real) 15:30 Main Topic — Marriage & The Indie Artist 40:23 The Marriage Eval Tool (Stay Connected method) 43:07 Going Full Time — Plan the Jump, Don't Just Jump 47:43 The Indie Artist Is a Business Owner 54:05 Music Business News — DistroKid's $2B Acquisition 57:44 The Tyler Perry Audience Ownership Lesson 01:01:10 Film & Entertainment — Mile End Kicks (Independent Artist Biopic) 01:07:40 Culture & Tech — The AI Music Trust Shift 01:12:08 How to Spot an AI Artist 01:22:30 Sync News — 2026 Sync Reality Check 01:25:00 Outro — Shoutout to the Wives --- ## Resources - **Stay Connected** — marriage eval framework referenced from Ladaris and Alice's community - **Tyler Perry: The Life of a Creative Genius** — Prime Video documentary discussed in the DistroKid segment

Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full song in 30 minutes. And we got into the conversation that every indie artist in 2026 needs to hear: how to create high-quality music fast enough to keep up with industry demand, and why going direct-to-fan isn't optional anymore. We broke down the Steve Stout interview on why your favorite artists are going independent, what Tidal's new AI music policy actually means for your royalties, and had the most spirited Fresh Prince vs. Martin debate you'll hear this year. Plus Frank revealed he went to the Kanye Bully Tour without telling Deraj — and paid for it in the most Florida way possible. Whether you're chasing sync deals, building your fan base, or just trying to figure out how to make great music without burning 6 hours per session — this one's got the answers and the receipts. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Pre-Show: First Time Going Live on IG While Recording 5:34 Welcome to the Neue Indie — Episode 6 in the Building 7:36 What's on the Docket: Topics for Today 14:09 Check-Ins: Frank's Rough Week and Deraj Is Going to Spain 21:15 The Spain Boxing Event — How Sync Licensing Made It Happen 24:50 Wild Card: Fresh Prince vs Martin — One Has to Go 31:08 Music Business News: Steve Stout on Artists Going Independent 38:33 Why Every Indie Artist Needs to Go Direct-to-Fan in 2026 40:05 Film & Entertainment: The Odyssey — $250M, Travis Scott as a Bard 47:10 Culture Attack: Is Kanye West Uncancelable? 50:35 Frank Went to the Kanye Bully Tour (Without Telling Deraj) 55:50 Gaming: PlayStation Is Killing the Physical Disc Era 1:03:23 The Blockbuster Lesson Every Indie Artist Needs to Learn 1:06:45 The Direct-to-Fan Math That Will Change How You Think About Streaming 1:12:34 Main Topic: Creating Music Faster Without Losing Quality 1:20:05 Sync Licensing Requires Speed — Here's How to Build the System 1:24:03 The 10,000 Hours Principle and Why It Makes Fast AND Good Possible 1:28:08 The Armani Placement Story: When You're Not the Right Fit But They Insist 1:34:14 Tidal's New AI Music Policy — And Why Spotify Needs to Follow 1:38:07 Outro + Key Takeaways --- Resources Mentioned - XVOX Vocal Plugin → xvox.com (Frank's vocal chain recommendation) - Spirit Vocal Plugin → mentioned by both hosts as a core vocal chain tool - Ozone (iZotope) → Deraj's EQ/mastering plugin - MetaTune → Deraj's pitch correction tool of choice - Steve Stout "Marketing Genius" interview (David Senra / Founder's Podcast) → search "David Senra Steve Stout" on YouTube - Will Smith's Memoir (narrated audiobook) → available on Audible --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness

Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full song in 30 minutes. And we got into the conversation that every indie artist in 2026 needs to hear: how to create high-quality music fast enough to keep up with industry demand, and why going direct-to-fan isn't optional anymore. We broke down the Steve Stout interview on why your favorite artists are going independent, what Tidal's new AI music policy actually means for your royalties, and had the most spirited Fresh Prince vs. Martin debate you'll hear this year. Plus Frank revealed he went to the Kanye Bully Tour without telling Deraj — and paid for it in the most Florida way possible. Whether you're chasing sync deals, building your fan base, or just trying to figure out how to make great music without burning 6 hours per session — this one's got the answers and the receipts. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Pre-Show: First Time Going Live on IG While Recording 5:34 Welcome to the Neue Indie — Episode 6 in the Building 7:36 What's on the Docket: Topics for Today 14:09 Check-Ins: Frank's Rough Week and Deraj Is Going to Spain 21:15 The Spain Boxing Event — How Sync Licensing Made It Happen 24:50 Wild Card: Fresh Prince vs Martin — One Has to Go 31:08 Music Business News: Steve Stout on Artists Going Independent 38:33 Why Every Indie Artist Needs to Go Direct-to-Fan in 2026 40:05 Film & Entertainment: The Odyssey — $250M, Travis Scott as a Bard 47:10 Culture Attack: Is Kanye West Uncancelable? 50:35 Frank Went to the Kanye Bully Tour (Without Telling Deraj) 55:50 Gaming: PlayStation Is Killing the Physical Disc Era 1:03:23 The Blockbuster Lesson Every Indie Artist Needs to Learn 1:06:45 The Direct-to-Fan Math That Will Change How You Think About Streaming 1:12:34 Main Topic: Creating Music Faster Without Losing Quality 1:20:05 Sync Licensing Requires Speed — Here's How to Build the System 1:24:03 The 10,000 Hours Principle and Why It Makes Fast AND Good Possible 1:28:08 The Armani Placement Story: When You're Not the Right Fit But They Insist 1:34:14 Tidal's New AI Music Policy — And Why Spotify Needs to Follow 1:38:07 Outro + Key Takeaways --- Resources Mentioned - XVOX Vocal Plugin → xvox.com (Frank's vocal chain recommendation) - Spirit Vocal Plugin → mentioned by both hosts as a core vocal chain tool - Ozone (iZotope) → Deraj's EQ/mastering plugin - MetaTune → Deraj's pitch correction tool of choice - Steve Stout "Marketing Genius" interview (David Senra / Founder's Podcast) → search "David Senra Steve Stout" on YouTube - Will Smith's Memoir (narrated audiobook) → available on Audible --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness

They say procrastination is just laziness. It's not. It's fear — fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, fear of the gap between your vision and your current skill level. In this episode Deraj and Frank break down why the most talented indie artists are actually the most likely to leave songs sitting on hard drives, and how to build the systems and mindset shifts that get you moving again. Plus: Does Suno AI actually give you full copyright ownership of your music? The answer is more complicated — and more dangerous — than most artists realize. Deraj landed a five-figure sync placement with Xbox from a sub-30-second clip, and breaks down exactly how it happened. And is Drake our generation's Michael Jackson? Frank thinks yes. The stats might surprise you. Rep Indie community update: Deraj shares how he used Claude AI to dig through cancellation data from ClickUp and JotForm in five minutes and build a 30-day onboarding roadmap — transparency on what it really looks like to run an indie music membership in 2026. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Pre-show sound check and Riverside setup 0:47 Welcome to The Neue.Indie Podcast — Episode 5 1:26 What we're covering today: procrastination, AI music, sync, and more 3:11 Does Suno really give you full copyright? The truth about AI-generated music ownership 13:28 AI artists making $10K/month — is this real, and what does it mean for you? 14:10 SlimeDot: AI artist or real person? The rollout is a masterclass either way 18:30 Check-in — Frank's week on daddy duty, Deraj's Rep Indie retention challenge 21:24 Claude AI analyzed cancellation data and built a 30-day onboarding plan in 5 minutes 25:22 Spider-Man Noir drops on Amazon Prime — black and white mode, Nicolas Cage, Spider-Verse universe 32:50 Scout EREV: the $60K electric truck with 700-mile range coming in 2028 42:18 One device. Three consoles. This woman packed PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch into one box 48:58 Is sync the best way to make money as an indie artist? 56:07 Deraj's Xbox placement — five figures for less than 30 seconds of music 1:04:04 Main Topic: The psychology of procrastination — why talented artists stay stuck 1:09:26 The gap between your vision and your current skill — why it paralyzes you 1:18:11 The difference between giving up and pivoting (and how to know which one this is) 1:23:02 Comparison trap, trauma, and why your Jay-Z has moments of insecurity too 1:27:39 How to actually beat procrastination: systems, environment, and accountability 1:31:15 Homework: post the thing you've been holding off on 1:32:22 Wild Card: Is Drake our generation's Michael Jackson? 1:43:48 Michael Jackson clears — the numbers, the records, and why it isn't close --- Resources Mentioned - Rep Indie community → http://repindie.club/ - Suno AI → https://suno.com (discussed in context of AI copyright debate) - SlimeDot (artist) — discussed re: AI vs. human identity debate - Scout EREV → https://www.scout.com (electric vehicle coming 2028) - Into the Spider-Verse (2018) — referenced as benchmark for animated storytelling - "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan — referenced in procrastination discussion --- #NeueIndie #IndieMusicBusiness #MusicBusiness #IndieArtist #SyncLicensing

Most indie artists are drowning in everything except the music. This week Deraj and Frank get into how to flip that — how to earn more by doing less and build a music career that doesn't need you 24/7 — plus a Heat Check on Drake's surprise triple drop, a sync masterclass, and a few detours nobody saw coming. Pull up. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join Rep Indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Cold open: the show almost got pushed back over tech problems 3:43 Road trips, newborns, and saving money on the drive to VA 5:00 Deraj got his hair braided by a dude and it tested his whole masculinity 12:38 Heat Check: Drake drops three albums at once — is it any good? 14:10 Why Frank thinks we have to thank Kendrick for hungry Drake 17:48 Does losing a rap battle even hurt your career anymore? 20:35 The only two things that can actually end an artist's career 25:00 Django and Zorro are getting a crossover movie nobody asked for 29:40 The Neo robot factory and why Frank doesn't trust home robots 33:39 The AI town that descended into chaos when nobody controlled it 40:52 Wolverine on PS5 and why gaming became a guilt trip 48:47 Writing music for brands: knowing the audience is the whole game 52:44 The uncomfortable truth about ads made for specific cultures 58:25 What actually separates the record that lands from the one that gets passed 1:01:01 Main topic: how to earn more by doing less as an artist 1:05:00 "I can do everything" was the problem, not the flex 1:09:30 Eat That Frog: do your highest-value work before anything else 1:13:24 Built to Sell: turn your music into a product, not a custom job 1:19:47 Work the System: write the SOP so someone else can run it 1:24:03 Buy Back Your Time: why your first hire is an assistant 1:26:40 Who Not How: stop asking "how," start asking "who" 1:28:34 Procrastination is a signal, not a character flaw --- Resources Mentioned - Eat That Frog — Brian Tracy (time management; do your highest-value work first) - Built to Sell — John Warrillow (productize your offering instead of custom work) - Work the System — Sam Carpenter (document your processes as SOPs so they can be handed off) - Buy Back Your Time — Dan Martell (regain hours; your first hire should be an executive assistant) - Who Not How — Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy (ask "who can do this" instead of "how do I do this") - Booksy — the app Deraj used to book the now-infamous hair appointment - Fiverr / Upwork — where Deraj recommends finding affordable help when budgets are tight --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #SyncLicensing #ArtistCEO

AI music is the fight every indie artist is having right now, so Deraj and Frank put it on the table and refused to pretend the answer is simple. Frank isn't scared of AI — he sees opportunity — but he can't get past the unethical core of tools like Suno: train a model on an artist's voice and cadence, let a stranger steal it, then pay session musicians to recreate the result. His fix is obvious and damning — just compensate the source and the whole thing becomes defensible. Deraj leans pro-AI, blown away by what Claude does for his workflow (he edits this podcast with it), but admits that on the licensing side copyright is king and supervisors won't touch AI-generated music. Somewhere in there is a Billy Jean trap-soul remix he had on repeat, a stat dump that says 20,000 fully-AI tracks get uploaded every day, and Frank's bet that history repeats — analog came back, and eventually the human artist prevails again. Before any of that, Deraj tells the story of walking a full month on a fully torn ACL — first hurt three years ago playing touch rugby, re-torn going up for a dunk indoors, then re-injured AT physical therapy on a light reflex drill ("who gets injured at PT?"). Surgery is next month. From there the conversation sprawls: the best rap duo of all time (Deraj rides for Outkast), a builder making an ethical "human-made" AI music detector that could get white-labeled under the DSPs, Higgsfield's $70K AI feature film headed for Cannes (the "Hellground" short Deraj couldn't turn off — his wife heard it from another room and asked "is that AI?"), and Ron Taylor winning Kevin Hart's Funny AF after living in his van from 2015 to 2022 to keep chasing comedy. It closes where it matters most for indie artists: how to land your first TV/film placement. Deraj's take — breaking into sync is actually easier than going viral. Collaboration is the fastest path: find someone with consistent placements, study them, and add real value instead of sliding into the DMs with "let's work." Let a good agency or library pitch for you, use Claude or ChatGPT to find libraries heavy in your genre that have licensed to a given show, and get into a community that shortcuts the learning curve. Deraj's own placements — 2K, NBA, Netflix, Call of Duty, Marvel, Xbox — started exactly that way. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join Rep Indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 Chapters 0:00 What's on the docket today 4:13 Checking in — Frank's 8/10 week and Deraj's trip to the orthopedic doctor 5:17 Deraj walked a month on a torn ACL — then re-tore it at physical therapy 13:04 AI music: useful tool or creative threat? 22:00 Is Suno even ethical? Robbing Peter to pay Paul 31:00 Can you be a good business owner and protect the sacredness of the art? 31:40 The AI music stats that should scare every artist 34:00 History repeats — why Frank thinks the human artist wins again 39:40 Why didn't they just build it the ethical way? 48:50 Augment your team, don't replace it — using AI ethically in business 59:05 Best rap duo of all time — Outkast, Method Man & Redman, and the comment-section debate 1:09:30 A builder making an ethical, human-made AI music model 1:13:58 Higgsfield's $70K AI feature film and the "Hellground" short 1:30:17 Ron Taylor's van-to-Netflix win on Funny AF 1:37:05 How to land your first TV/film placement 1:42:48 Wrap-up — drop your wins and questions Resources Mentioned - Claude — AI assistant Deraj uses to edit the podcast, pull research, and streamline his workflow → https://claude.ai - Suno / Udio — generative AI music platforms at the center of the ethics debate - Higgsfield AI — leading AI video-generation aggregator (nano banana, Seedance) behind the "Hellground" short and an ~80-minute feature aimed at Cannes - "Hellground" — Higgsfield's AI-generated short film the hosts react to (Deraj said he'll look up the link and put it in the comments) - Funny AF (Netflix) — Kevin Hart's comedy competition won by Ron Taylor - Ethical "human-made" AI music model/detector — a builder Deraj thinks is named Rasha (Deraj said he'll look up the name and software and put it in the comments) - Rep Indie — the hosts' community for indie artists building sustainable careers → http://repindie.club/ #AIMusic #IndieArtist #SyncLicensing #MusicBusiness #Suno #TheNeueIndiePodcast

Going full-time in music isn't a talent problem — it's a focus problem. In Part 2 of the full-time conversation, Deraj and Frank Bentley get into the one thing that actually moved the needle for both of them: relentless focus. Deraj breaks down leaving a 40K job, the real-estate decisions that quietly wrecked his cash flow even in his highest-grossing year, and the budgeting system (Profit First + Mercury) that finally gave him peace. Frank brings the lateral-collaboration playbook and the KPI gut-check for knowing when to keep grinding and when to pivot. Then it's news: Spotify's new "Verify" program and what it means for real artists in the AI era, Netflix paying $600M for Ben Affleck's secret AI company (and the ethics fight that comes with it), McDonald's wild $54/month subscription, NBA The Run reviving the NBA Street era, and a sync-licensing roundup where the checks get real — Porsche, Hooters, Black Panther, Xbox, and the songs nobody liked that paid five figures anyway. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join Rep Indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 The boys are back — welcome to Episode 2 6:35 One out of ten: sick families, fasting, and breaking your own work cutoff 12:45 Wild card: who had the best first three albums in hip hop? 24:10 The sales numbers nobody saw coming (50 Cent ran it up) 25:45 Going full-time Part 2 — the focus episode 27:00 "Making money doesn't mean you're building anything" 31:00 The illusion of stability and the real-estate stress nobody talks about 34:45 Profit First, Mercury, and actually paying yourself 46:10 Defining success and the first placement that changed everything 50:00 You don't have to like the song — the sync money is real 52:55 The one thing that got me full-time: focus 59:05 How do you even know what to focus on? 1:04:50 Doing it broke: automation, Claude, and collaborating laterally 1:14:00 What if you focus on the wrong thing and it bombs? 1:19:10 How long is too long to keep building? 1:24:40 The takeaway: set KPIs, set a timeline, check back in 90 days 1:28:00 Music business news: Spotify launches Verify 1:37:50 Netflix pays $600M for Ben Affleck's AI company 1:44:00 The AI ethics debate: where's the line? 1:52:15 Culture: McDonald's drops a $54 unlimited subscription 1:59:35 Gaming: NBA The Run brings back the NBA Street era 2:05:20 Sync news + our favorite placements (Porsche, Hooters, Black Panther) 2:12:45 Outro — made it this far? You're a real one --- Resources Mentioned - Profit First (Mike Michalowicz) — the book Deraj credits for finally understanding how to pay himself and save for taxes/profit - Mercury — business banking that auto-allocates funds into buckets; affiliate offer mentioned in the episode (sign up + deposit ~$10K in 90 days = $250 for you, $250 for the show) - Dave Ramsey — practical personal-budgeting framework Deraj recommends for couples - 75 Hard — the mindset/fitness program Deraj is running - Deraj's free budgeting framework — the cash-flow workshop Deraj is building; will be linked here when it drops - Sync libraries referenced — APM, Lyric House, Artlist, D-Wolf (the big ones: Sony, Warner Chappell, BMG) - Creators referenced — Max Bennett Kelly, Ron the Comic Geek, Jane Lee, Ryan Schmidt (music attorney) --- #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #SyncLicensing #NeueIndie #FullTimeMusician #IndependentArtist

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Neue.Indie Podcast. Deraj and Frank Bentley open the show with the question every independent artist is quietly asking: what does it actually take to go full-time, and why are you still stuck? They trade the real version of their own stories — Frank quitting his day job two weeks after getting out of the hospital with COVID, Deraj scaffolding into full-time through a sync licensing course, rented-out rooms, and an ESPN placement that paid the same as a live show. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ 📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/ Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ Join Rep Indie → http://repindie.club/ Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1 --- Chapters 0:00 Welcome to The Neue.Indie — why this podcast exists 3:30 Wild Card: the craziest side hustle you ever worked 7:15 Heat Check: Frank's Italy reset and Deraj's sleep-training argument 14:00 Frank's path: SoundBetter, COVID, and quitting the day job 22:00 Deraj's path: a label deal, an ESPN placement, and a six-month course 30:00 Frugality, rented-out rooms, and scaffolding into full-time 38:00 Defining success on your own terms (not Instagram's) 42:00 Why artists stay stuck: mindset, streaming myth, pride 50:00 The $20K music video vs. the $5K coach 58:00 Practical takeaways and action steps 1:02:00 Music Biz: the Minority Stake Capital Investment deal 1:08:00 Paramount, Warner Bros, and the $2.8B termination fee 1:14:00 GTA 6, Florida, and the next streaming gold rush 1:22:00 Sync update: Waves, NBA 2K27, and what Lionsgate wants 1:27:00 Closing: build the dream you actually want --- #NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #SyncLicensing #IndieMusic